From Retailer to Farmer: 11,000 Direct Connections in 15 Days

A global agribusiness needed to build direct relationships with small and mid-sized farmers across China’s lower-tier markets to drive real product uptake. GTE’s integrated online and offline campaign onboarded 11,000 farmers to its mini-program in 15 days.

Background

The company sells crop protection products, seeds, and agricultural technology in China. Marketing had traditionally run through distributors, retailers, and large demonstration farmers, with little direct contact with smaller growers. A sale only counted as real uptake once a farmer bought the product from a retailer and used it in the field. Building a direct digital connection with each farmer became the priority.

The Challenge

• Low mini-program adoption: Despite growing smartphone penetration, farmers were unfamiliar with mini-programs, making a WeChat-based tool hard to activate.
• High cost to reach: Sales occurred across counties, towns, and villages covering more than 97% of China’s landmass, with dispersed users and high acquisition costs.
• Retailer resistance: Retailers worried that direct brand-to-farmer contact would erode their margins and influence.

The Solution

GTE conducted field research across four townships in Sanya, Hainan, interviewing two distributors, eight retailers, and local farmers. Based on these insights, it designed and launched the first acquisition campaign for the Planting Club mini-program.

• Choose the right rewards: Field research identified popular physical incentives, including a smartphone, Bluetooth speaker, cooking oil, milk, and baijiu.
• Make rewards attainable: Point thresholds were calibrated against real buying patterns.
• Lower the barrier to entry: Multiplied points and lucky draws helped new farmers earn rewards sooner.
• Build a habit: Planting-related activities with social features drove repeat engagement.
• Align with retailers: Online tools were paired with retailer-led ground promotion. Retailers gained promotional resources and farmer data, easing concerns that the brand might bypass them.
• Leverage local influencers: Influential local growers were identified offline and given tailored referral incentives, extending reach through their networks.

The Results

The mini program onboarded more than 11,000 farmers in two weeks, capturing planting profiles and behavioral data on purchases, referrals, code scans, and points redemption. Within three months, tens of thousands of farmers had converted from offline purchases and code scans into registered users, establishing the direct brand-to-farmer connection the company sought.