Female College Student Sells 2 Tons of Dried Sichuan Peppercorns Over Summer Break, "Internet Plus" Broadens Sales Channels
When people mention Gejiu in Yunnan, their strongest impression may be that it is China's largest and the world's earliest tin-producing base; or perhaps that it is home to ethnic minorities such as the Yi, Zhuang, Hui, Miao, Dai and Hani, a settlement of ethnic minorities. But today's protagonist, Wang Xuemei, who comes from Gejiu in Yunnan, is connected with Sichuan peppercorns. Even these tiny peppercorns can reflect enormous changes, through which we can see the development of agriculture and the brand-new image of new farmers.
Wang Xuemei is a junior undergraduate student, currently studying at Harbin University of Commerce. She appears fair-skinned and slight, with a smile always on her face; she does not say much, but she has quite a few insights of her own about online sales. Over the more than three months around this summer vacation, she helped her family and the villagers in her village sell 2 tons of dried Sichuan peppercorns online, with sales reaching around 200,000. Wang Xuemei says her family began growing Sichuan peppercorns from her grandmother's generation, and her parents also inherited the family business, working the peppercorn fields plot by plot with deep plowing and careful tending, shedding sweat and harvesting hope.
According to Wang Xuemei, in the past decade or so, when Sichuan peppercorns were sold through traditional offline channels in her hometown, the price was always driven down by buyers; in order to free the peppercorns from price control, benefit the villagers more, and expand sales channels became especially important. As a college student, she accepted new things earlier and faster than the villagers, and she also realized the internet's transformation of traditional industries. "Why not try selling online? Even though I'm young and have no experience, if I don't try, I'll never have a chance." Having dispelled all kinds of worries in her heart, Wang Xuemei began searching online for platforms and apps that could provide sales channels. After careful comparison and selection, she finally fixed her eyes on an agricultural products e-commerce platform.
In June of this year, she downloaded the e-commerce platform's app and registered as a member, posted her supply information on it, and began her journey of selling Sichuan peppercorns on the internet. "The internet breaks through regional limits; in a way, farmers have 'turned things around,' and we have more room to choose." Wang Xuemei's excitement was evident in her words.
The Sichuan peppercorns Wang Xuemei sells on the app include those grown by her own family and those purchased from relatives and villagers. The supply period for Sichuan peppercorns is June to September each year, that is, the ripe season for peppercorns; during this period the main variety is dried green Sichuan peppercorns, and later there will be red peppercorns. When she was on summer vacation, it was exactly the time of the largest peppercorn output, so she divided the work among her family: she was mainly responsible for handling online sales, while her parents were at home responsible for purchasing, drying and sorting the peppercorns.
In the three months since she started using the e-commerce platform's app, she completed 20 online transactions, with sales reaching around 200,000. Wang Xuemei says that because most of the products are self-produced and self-sold, compared with competitors on the market, the peppercorns she sells do not carry layer upon layer of distribution fees, so the price is relatively reasonable; moreover, her peppercorns are strictly sorted and of good quality with guaranteed quality. Because she operates with integrity, she has won unanimous praise from customers online. "My mother has influenced me greatly. She is a person with many ideas and is very serious about what she does. She often tells me to think of customers as much as possible, to be rigorous, patient and friendly when talking with customers, and to put customers' interests first." She followed her mother's instructions and served every customer with care.
When talking about how to achieve quick deals, Wang Xuemei says she browses the app every day, and if she sees someone posting information about demand for Sichuan peppercorns, she will take the initiative to contact the customer at once and then send them a quote. In the process of closing a deal, sometimes she encounters less smooth situations; when some customers at first do not trust her or are unwilling to pay online, she actively takes on the role of "customer service," patiently explaining the operating process to customers and repeatedly emphasizing the safety of using online payment.
What impressed her most was one time when a customer, not understanding the app very well, tried from binding to placing an order to paying and failed 6 times, yet he was not anxious at all, still patiently listening to Wang Xuemei's explanation until the operation finally succeeded. The customer's trust moved Wang Xuemei very much and also gave her more motivation to move forward. She is also very grateful to Yimutian, which not only helped her open up more user resources, but also let her hometown's Sichuan peppercorns be recognized and accepted by more people, winning more people's affection and trust.
"In the 'Internet Plus' era, I want to seize the opportunity and promote my hometown's Sichuan peppercorns. Good goods are not afraid of long testing, and I also hope that through Yimutian more people with discerning eyes will see our hometown's Sichuan peppercorns." Wang Xuemei's voice was not loud but very firm, and she is full of confidence in future development. She said that being able to benefit the villagers is her greatest wish, and she also hopes that more people will support the development of her hometown's Sichuan peppercorn industry in the future.