ARLINGTON, VA – USA Rice recently debuted a new and improved
thinkrice.com, the organization’s consumer-facing website where visitors come to find rice recipes, cooking tips, nutrition information, foodservice resources, and much more. The revamped site has a modern design as well as content and functionality enhancements that both improve the user experience and showcase what makes U.S.-grown rice so special.
“In response to COVID-19, USA Rice adapted its domestic promotion programming to focus more on digital outreach and driving traffic to our consumer website,” said Katie Maher, USA Rice director of strategic initiatives. “The original thinkrice.com launched several years ago, so it was important that we freshen up the site to better support the shift in promotional efforts and ensure that visitors have a positive experience.”
The overhauled site features a streamlined navigation, laying out resources and information so that visitors can find exactly what they need. The site’s top-viewed page, the recipe search, is the first menu item making it easy for people to quickly access the vast database of USA Rice recipes. It features enhanced search and filter capabilities so users can find recipes by keyword or use predefined categories to filter results.
When visitors arrive to the site, the first thing they’ll notice is a stunning video of rice harvest and an invitation to “discover the U.S.-grown rice difference.” Beneath that, viewers see the “Grown in the USA” logo on a bag of rice with the call-to-action to “look for the label” when shopping for rice.
“Encouraging people to choose U.S.-grown rice is at the core of everything we do, so we wanted to prominently feature the ‘Grown in the USA’ logo on the homepage,” said Cameron Jacobs, USA Rice director of domestic promotion. “And the video feature at the top currently directs users to the ‘Discover U.S. Rice’ page which tells the unique story of the rice industry. This feature will be updated periodically to bring attention to different U.S. rice messages.”
Also on the homepage are quick links to popular pages including Meet U.S. Rice Farmers, Sustainability, and U.S. Rice Varieties. There is an eye-catching graphic that highlights key rice nutrition benefits, followed by ‘Rice Cooking 101’ where anyone can learn to make perfect rice by consulting rice cooking tips and methods.
Access to the new USA Rice blog, The Scoop, that gives readers the latest “scoop” on rice can be found on the homepage, where featured guests, including chefs and dietitians, share information on food trends, recipe ideas and tips, industry news, and more.
“Having a fresh and modern online presence will certainly resonate with all our audiences from foodservice professionals to nutritionists and consumers,” said Jacobs. “I have no doubt that the latest version of thinkrice.com will provide viewers with a new understanding of U.S.-grown rice and have them thinking rice well after their online visit.”