The challenge
A leading global agricultural company was preparing to introduce a new product in the Chinese market. The challenge was to develop a deep, authentic understanding of Chinese rice growers, a traditionally hard-to-reach audience, in order to shape an effective go-to-market strategy. Standard research approaches proved inadequate for capturing the complexity of this audience, making direct, in-field engagement essential.
What we did
Our teams in the UK and China worked together to deliver a mixed-method research program. We carried out in-person interviews on rice farms across five provinces in China. This immersive, face-to-face research enabled us to gain insight into growers’ daily working realities, behaviors, and unmet needs. The project also included a concept test and a pricing study to assess potential market response to the new product, ensuring the findings were both deep and highly actionable.
The impact of the research
We developed a detailed market entry strategy outlining the most effective pricing, communication, and messaging for the new product. This in-depth understanding of the target audience supported a successful product launch and positioning in a competitive landscape, resulting in a positive market response and a strong foundation for growth.
