In 2024, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) surveyed roughly 1,000 US farmers to learn more about what tech they’re buying and why. One of the top-level findings? The majority of farmers planned to repurchase familiar products instead of trying something new.
That won’t come as a surprise to seasoned ag retailers. Farmers are notoriously resistant to change. And in most cases, it’s not that they’re unaware of the latest ag tech innovations, like auto-steering systems or in-field sensors. They simply have a “repurchase reflex”: they tend to default to trusted products that have worked well before.
How can ag retailers overcome this reflex and get farmers to try new tech? The answer, BCG’s data shows, is in the messaging. Specifically, retailers must acknowledge the emotional considerations driving farmers’ purchases.
In this piece, we’ll break down BCG’s report to help you understand which emotional needs matter most and how to align your messaging accordingly.
Farmers Care Most About Time Savings, Stewardship, and Control
Farmers have a number of functional needs that most retailers already speak to: revenue growth, reliability, cost reduction, etc. But farmers’ purchasing decisions are also driven by a range of emotional factors. The top three, according to BCG:
- Time savings: New products need to help farmers save time on busy work – and spend more time on the activities and relationships that matter most.
- Stewardship: Every farmer aims to be a good steward of their land. In many cases, it’s been in the family for generations. They want products that help them preserve their legacy and reputation.
- Control: Uncertainty means risk. And risk can be scary, especially when farmers have a fixed number of harvests in their lifetime. New products need to reassure farmers that they’re ultimately in control and can press forward or pull the plug without a runaway effect.
BCG found that products satisfying these emotional needs ultimately command more market share – and more widespread adoption – than those that fall short. The takeaway for retailers: it’ll be tough to sell new tech as long as the above emotional needs go unmet.
Each Grower Segment Has Distinct Emotional Needs
Despite the findings above, it’s important to emphasize that farmers aren’t a monolith. Although many share similar emotional drivers, they also diverge when it comes to more specific motivations and mindsets.
To capture this variance, BCG identified seven distinct buyer segments in the ag sector. Let’s take a look at the largest two, termed “next-generation green” and “legacy and trust”:
- Next‑generation green: Farmers in this segment are generally under the age of 65, sustainability minded, and plan to pass down (versus sell) their land. They also adopt more new tech than any other segment and rely heavily on agronomists’ advice.
- Legacy and trust: This segment is double the size of the one above. It includes farmers who are typically older than 65. These buyers tend to care most about supplier quality, availability, and the time savings a new product provides. When it comes to buying new tech, they tend to prioritize the trusted advice of family and friends.
What does this mean for retailers trying to sell new tech? A 40-year-old grower with plans to pass the farm on to their kids might be open to your agronomists’ recommendations, especially if they’re sustainable and extend the farm’s longevity. But it might be tougher to inspire change in a 68-year-old who mostly relies on their brother-in-law’s advice to avoid rocking the boat until retirement.
It’s important to equip your sales team with information like this and segment customers accordingly. This way, it’ll be easier to align your messaging with each farmer’s particular emotional needs.
3 Messaging Tips to Speak to Farmers’ Hearts and Wallets
In practice, emotionally aware sales messaging should aim to hit on the drivers and considerations we’ve discussed – with the end goal of deepening farmers’ trust. It’s the secret to longer-lasting relationships and greater wallet share.
These three messaging tips can help:
- Take stock of key emotional cues. In every farmer conversation, coach your team to ask questions about farmers’ current experience with busy work, stewardship, and control. Make sure to also capture information like a farmer’s age and succession plan.
- Speak to the head and the heart. Tailor product pitches to address both practical and emotional benefits. For instance, you might tell a next-generation green farmer how a new precision application system could slash pesticide costs and preserve soil health – aligning both with their financial goals and stewardship values.
- Offer ways to manage risk. A carrot-and-shield approach can be helpful here. Consider pairing incentives (like input financing) with risk mitigators (like warranties) for the best results.
It’s also worth remembering that macroeconomic uncertainty isn’t just background noise for farmers. From sweeping tariffs to high interest rates, the economy can be a daily source of stress that makes farmers wary of products with outcomes they can’t fully predict. And when farmers don’t feel in control, their natural instinct is to cling to the tools and practices they know.
Our recommendation? On top of the strategies above, consider positioning reliable tech as a way to hedge against volatility. Don’t just highlight short-term cost savings or efficiencies – emphasize the long-term gains that yield benefits in any economy. This way, you can reinforce your role as a trusted partner that’s looking out for farmers’ best interest.
Turn Emotion into Action
For most farmers, the decision to buy new tech hinges largely on emotion. The retailers that sell with emotion top of mind will be able to boost product adoption. But the ones that focus on cold facts alone will quickly fall behind.
If you’re ready to craft an emotionally intelligent sales strategy, Growers Edge can help. Our financial tools are designed to lower the risk of trying new things – and help farmers buy your products with confidence. Let’s talk about how we can work together.