Branding agricultural products - a new approach in e-commerce

Putting agricultural products on e-commerce platforms is an effective way for businesses, cooperatives, and production households to build brands and increase product value.

Nearly 10,000 OCOP products are "on the market"

In the past 5 years, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, the consumption of agricultural products through trading floors has increased. e-commerce has become an inevitable direction to help farmers, agricultural production households, and cooperatives expand markets, increase product value, and reduce dependence on traditional distribution channels. In particular, OCOP products (One Commune One Product Program) are prioritized for consumption on e-commerce platforms to create agricultural product brands associated with the locality.

Currently, the whole country has 14,085 OCOP products achieving 3 stars or more. Each OCOP products all carry the cultural values characteristic of each locality and region. To be recognized as OCOP, the product must meet the prescribed standards. This is the strength, affirming the superior quality, typicality and strong local identity of OCOP products compared to mass products. Building a brand for OCOP products through e-commerce platforms is one of the effective directions for local agricultural products to enhance product value, increase recognition, create a solid position in the domestic market, and open up export opportunities to international markets.

OCOP products are given priority to be sold on e-commerce platforms. Photo: Thu Giang

According to statistics, Buudien.vn (the new name of Postmart.vn) of Vietnam Post is still the most popular e-commerce platform specializing in agricultural products and specialties. In 2024, Buudien.vn brought about 3,600 OCOP products to the platform, bringing the total number of OCOP products on the platform to nearly 10,000 products, reaching more than 70% of the national OCOP output. The number of transactions reached more than 15,000 transactions with a value of over 4.8 billion VND.

Taking advantage of the postal network extending to the commune and ward levels, Vietnam Post has implemented the "going to the garden to understand agricultural products". From the planting process, soil type, fertilizer, care, harvesting and product characteristics, Post Office staff have "seen and heard" in the garden and at the production facility. From there, they not only advise people on the most suitable packaging method so that the product reaches consumers intact in both form and quality, but also directly support each farmer on how to take product photos, register an account, set up a booth and post products for sale on the platform. More importantly, understanding agricultural products is to build a brand story for each product and convey the true value of agricultural products as well as the identity of the locality.

Building brand stories for Vietnamese agricultural products

Continuing the values of Postmart.vn, in mid-December 2024, Vietnam Post will officially launch a specialized e-commerce platform for high-quality agricultural products - nongsan.buudien.vn. In which, focusing on building stories trademark imbued with the identity value of agricultural products.

For example, Soc Trang province is famous for its famous ST25 fragrant rice, associated with the story of the fertile alluvial land of the Mekong Delta, creating a special delicious flavor that cannot be found anywhere else. However, to produce truly high-quality rice, farmers here have put a lot of effort into selecting rice varieties, crossbreeding, grafting, sowing, harvesting, drying, winnowing, etc. ST25 rice has become the pride of the people here, even the letter "ST" is an abbreviation of Soc Trang, helping to position the brand of the local specialty product. Mentioning ST25 rice is thinking of Soc Trang.

Each agricultural product on nongsan.buudien.vn carries a story about where the product was grown and produced. Photo: Thu Giang

Each agricultural product on the platform carries within it a story about where it was grown and produced. Through each story, consumers not only better understand the origin and production process, but also connect with the values “born” from the emotions, passion, and efforts of the farmers who “work hard in the sun and rain” to create the product. These are also the values that nongsan.buudien.vn and Vietnam Post are aiming for.

Emphasizing regional characteristics not only creates cultural value but also helps products gain points in the hearts of customers. Consumers who love originality, natural quality and care about origin will feel proud to own products bearing the mark of the place of production.

Another factor that helps create a brand story for agricultural products on the nongsan.buudien.vn platform is to highlight the limited nature of the product, that is, its scarcity and uniqueness. For example, Cao Phong oranges are in season from October to December every year. This is the time when the product is "most beautiful" in both appearance and quality and also brings the highest value. This seasonality not only brings consumers the best quality oranges but also makes them feel special when they can enjoy a specialty fruit in season. This limited nature also helps build a story about meticulous care in production and the irreplaceable uniqueness of the product.

The story of building a brand for agricultural products on e-commerce platforms not only focuses on the product story but also pays special attention to the packaging factor. Packaging is the "facade" of the product, the first factor influencing consumers' decision to buy the product. On e-commerce platforms, where consumers cannot directly touch, smell or feel the product, packaging plays a very important role in building trust and first impressions. Packaging not only needs to protect the product but also conveys a message about the quality and identity of the product. A beautiful, creative and suitable packaging will create a sense of attraction and trust, helping customers easily decide to buy the product.

According to the representative of the Center for Agricultural Products Business and E-commerce, Vietnam Post - the unit operating the nongsan.buudien.vn platform: Currently, agricultural producers or cooperatives seem to be focusing on improving product quality without really paying attention to product design and packaging, as well as building brand identity. Even the logos and information on the packaging are simple, lacking creativity, and not really suitable. This will also cause the products to gradually lose their advantage compared to similar imported products or products of large enterprises and corporations.

“In fact, Vietnamese agricultural products are very suitable for gifts, especially OCOP products or regional specialties. Each product on nongsan.buudien.vn is not simply an agricultural product, OCOP specialty, with outstanding quality, but will become a truly valuable and meaningful gift, expressing the thoughts and respect of the giver. Therefore, we pay much attention to the packaging design stage. The quality of packaging is a combination of many factors: suitable for product characteristics; ensuring aesthetic factors; safety during transportation. This helps increase the presence of agricultural products in the gift market, expand consumption opportunities and maximize the value of agricultural products” - Center representative added.

Building brands for agricultural products through e-commerce platforms, especially for specialized e-commerce platforms for agricultural products such as nongsan.buudien.vn, not only creates strong growth opportunities for the agricultural sector but also opens up long-term development potential. Taking advantage of creative marketing tools, combined with building unique brand stories and applying modern technology, will help Vietnamese agricultural products increasingly affirm their brands and reach further. This helps increase product value while contributing to creating strong changes in the way Vietnam's agricultural products are produced, consumed and developed in the future.

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