USANA HEALTH SCIENCES INC

General

We distribute our products internationally through direct selling, which entails person-to-person marketing and selling of products. Direct selling is based on the strength of personal relationships and recommendations that frequently come from friends, neighbors, relatives, and close acquaintances. We believe that direct selling is an effective way to distribute our products because it allows person-to-person product education, as well as higher levels of customer service, all of which are not as readily available through other distribution channels.

Structure of Direct Selling Program

Overview. Although our direct selling philosophy and strategy are generally consistent in our markets around the world, certain aspects of our business may differ from market to market as a result of different legal and regulatory regimes, operational requirements or other factors. These differences may include how individuals join USANA, the compensation they are paid, the products they sell, and other components of their relationship with USANA. For example, China has enacted and maintains unique business laws and regulations governing direct selling that differ materially from our other markets around the world. Consequently, we have adjusted our direct selling program in China to comply with these laws and regulations. To do this, we operate our business in China through BabyCare. BabyCare utilizes a business model in China that is consistent with the philosophy of our world-wide business model, but differs in structure from our other markets. These differences are explained below under “China Business.”

Associates. Outside of China, a person who wishes to sell USANA products must join our independent sales force as an Associate. A person becomes a USANA Associate by completing an application under the sponsorship of an existing Associate. The new Associate then becomes part of the sponsoring Associate’s sales organization. New Associates must agree to adhere to the USANA policies and procedures. Under our policies and procedures, Associates may not, among other things: (i) use deceptive or unlawful practices to sell USANA products; (ii) make deceptive or unlawful claims or representations concerning our products or Compensation Plan; or (iii) sell competitive products to other USANA Associates or solicit USANA Associates to participate in other direct selling opportunities. Associates who violate our policies are subject to discipline, which may include the termination of their purchase and distribution rights. New Associates are required to purchase a starter kit that includes a detailed manual describing our business and products, as well as our policies and procedures. We sell these kits at a nominal price averaging approximately $15 in each of our markets and these kits are fully refundable under our return policy, which is described elsewhere in this report. No other direct investment is required to become an Associate.

Once a person becomes an Associate, she, he, or they may purchase products directly from us at wholesale prices for their personal use and for resale to customers. Our Associates are also entitled to build sales organizations by attracting, enrolling and selling product to new customers. Associates are not required to recruit or sponsor new Associates and we do not compensate Associates for sponsoring or recruiting Associates. The sponsoring of new Associates results in the creation of multiple levels within our direct selling structure. Sponsored Associates are referred to as part of the sales organization of the sponsoring Associate. New Associates in turn may sponsor new Associates and Preferred Customers, creating additional levels in their sales network, but also forming a part of the same sales organization as the original sponsoring Associate. As outlined below, Associates who are interested in earning income with USANA must successfully sell USANA products and establish a network of product consumers in order to qualify for commissions, including bonuses. Subject to payment of a minimal annual account renewal fee, Associates may continue to distribute or consume our products as long as they adhere to our policies and procedures.

Associate Compensation. This section describes our Associate Compensation Plan generally, except for our China operations, which are discussed separately below under the caption “China Business.” Our Compensation Plan provides several opportunities for Associates to earn compensation, provided they are willing to work consistently at (i) sharing, marketing and selling USANA products to consumers and (ii) building, training, and retaining their sales organizations. The purpose behind each form of compensation under our Compensation Plan is to reward committed Associates for generating product sales either directly or indirectly through their sales organization and network of product consumers.

Associates can earn compensation under the Compensation Plan in four ways:

•Commissions. The primary way an Associate is compensated is through earning commissions. Associates earn commissions by generating sales volume points, which are based on product sales of their sales organization. We have assigned each of our products a sales volume point value comprised of a certain percentage of the product price in U.S. dollars. To be eligible to earn commissions, an Associate must sell a certain amount of product each month. Associates do not earn commissions for simply recruiting and enrolling others in their organization. Commissions are paid only on the sale of products. In most markets, we pay Associates their commissions on a weekly basis.

•Bonuses. We offer Associates several bonus opportunities, including our leadership bonus, elite bonus, and lifetime matching bonus. These bonus opportunities are based on a pay-for-performance philosophy and, therefore, are paid out when the Associate achieves certain performance measures.

•Retail Mark-Ups. As discussed previously, in markets where retail mark-ups are permitted, our Associates purchase products from us at the Preferred Price and may resell them to consumers at higher retail prices. This allows the Associate to retain the retail mark-up as another form of compensation.

•Contests and Promotions. We regularly sponsor contests and promotions designed to incentivize Associates to generate sales, grow their active Customer base and ultimately increase the number of USANA product users. These promotions are also based on a pay-for-performance philosophy and, therefore, are only paid upon the achievement of certain objectives.

With the exception of our China market (discussed below), we endeavor to integrate our Compensation Plan across markets where legally permissible, allowing Associates to receive commissions for global product sales. This sales organization structure is designed to allow Associates to build a global network by establishing or expanding their sales organization in the markets where we operate. We believe our Compensation Plan significantly enhances our ability to expand internationally, and we intend to continue to integrate new markets, where permitted, into our Compensation Plan.

Preferred Customers and Retail Customers. We also sell products directly to Preferred Customers and retail customers who purchase the products only for their personal use. Preferred Customers enroll with USANA, generally through an introduction by an Associate, and purchase product directly from the Company. Retail customers, however, generally purchase directly from Associates. Neither Preferred Customers nor retail customers may resell or distribute our products, regardless of where they purchased them. To sell USANA products, a Preferred Customer or retail customer must become an Associate.

These various customer programs give us access to a customer market that would otherwise be missed, by targeting consumers who enjoy USANA products, but who prefer not to maintain a distribution relationship with us.

Although our policies prohibit Preferred Customers and retail customers from engaging in retail sales of products, they may enroll as Associates at any time in the future, if they desire.

Affiliate program. We offer an Affiliate Program where Affiliates receive unique links to share with others. Affiliates earn a commission on all orders placed through their links, with commission percentages ranging from 15-20% of the product sale amount based on the product category.

China Business. As explained above, the Chinese government maintains direct selling laws and regulations that differ materially from our other markets around the world. Although these laws and regulations permit direct selling, they impose a number of financial and operational restrictions, including a prohibition of pyramid selling and multi-level compensation systems. The Chinese government has also implemented a number of administrative and regulatory measures around direct selling to control these prohibited activities. To reduce the risk that the Chinese government might view BabyCare’s business model as conflicting with these laws and regulations, BabyCare utilizes a business model that is different from the model we use elsewhere in the world. BabyCare’s business model has been developed specifically for the China market and is based on, among other things: (i) BabyCare’s communications with the Chinese government, (ii) BabyCare’s interpretation of China's direct selling laws and regulations, as well as its understanding of how the government interprets and enforces these laws and regulations, and (iii) BabyCare’s understanding of how other multinational direct selling companies operate in China. Consequently, individuals who join BabyCare in China are compensated under BabyCare’s compensation plan, which has been established for China. Notwithstanding the foregoing, BabyCare has not received approval from the Chinese government that its business model, compensation plan or operations comply with applicable laws and regulations, including those pertaining to direct selling.

BabyCare sells products in China through a variety of methods, including: (a) online through its website; (b) at physical branch retail locations; (c) through direct sellers in provinces and municipalities where BabyCare has received a direct selling license granted by the local provincial government; and (d) through independent distributors who are considered independent business owners under Chinese law. Individuals who reside in China and who are interested in being part of our business in China may do so by enrolling with BabyCare. While the process for enrolling with BabyCare is similar to the process for joining our business in other markets, individuals must initially enroll with BabyCare as a China Preferred Customer ("CPC"). CPCs are similar to Preferred Customers in our other markets, but CPCs may also refer other CPCs in China and receive free product value from us on future product purchases based on the volume of product purchased by CPCs they have referred.

A CPC may become a direct seller or independent distributor (which we report collectively as Associates) in China by electing to do so and agreeing to adhere to BabyCare’s policies and procedures in China. Our direct sellers in China are permitted by our policies and the terms of our direct selling licenses to sell product away from fixed retail locations in the provinces and municipalities where BabyCare has been granted a local direct selling license. Direct sellers are compensated for their sales under BabyCare’s compensation plan and do not receive compensation for promotional, marketing, or sales services that independent distributors are eligible to receive (as described below). Independent distributors are independent business owners who sell BabyCare’s products in China and also provide promotional, marketing, and sales services for BabyCare in China. Under BabyCare’s compensation plan, independent distributors are compensated not only for their own product sales, but also for their productivity in providing promotional, marketing and sales services. BabyCare’s compensation to its independent distributors for these services is intended and designed to be business-to-business compensation under Chinese law. To calculate independent distributor compensation for these services, we (i) use our world-wide Compensation Plan to track sales volume, and other metrics for the group of CPCs, distributors and others in China to whom the independent distributor provides promotional, marketing and sales services on behalf of BabyCare; (ii) calculate the fee-based compensation for the various services performed by the distributor; and (iii) pay the corresponding service fee to the independent distributor in China on a monthly basis. The fee-based compensation we pay our China independent distributors is comparable to the compensation available to our Associates in other markets and competitive with other direct selling companies in China.

BabyCare’s business model, compensation plan, and operations in China involve certain risks and uncertainties, as discussed further in Item 1A. Risk Factors. We endeavor to mitigate these risks and uncertainties through various measures, including by seeking to understand and obey laws and regulations, training our employees and sales force, engaging in dialogue with government officials to better understand their goals and explain our plans, and cooperating in inquiries and other matters of interest to regulators. However, these efforts do not completely eliminate the significant risks associated with BabyCare’s operations in China.

Associate Training and Motivation. Initial training of Associates about USANA, our products and Compensation Plan, and global direct selling in general, is provided primarily by an Associate’s sponsor and others in the Associate’s sales organization. We develop and provide training materials and sales tools to assist Associates in building their businesses, and we provide reprints from commercial publications that feature USANA that may be used as sales tools. We also sponsor and conduct regional, national, and international Associate events, as well as intensive leadership training seminars. Attendance at these sessions is voluntary, and we undertake no generalized effort to provide individualized training to Associates, although experience shows that the most effective and successful Associates tend to be those who participate in such training activities. Although we provide leadership training and sales tools, we ultimately rely on our Associates to sell our products, attract new customers to purchase our products, and to educate and train new Associates regarding our products and Compensation Plan.