Yili Group
Health Guardians
Alliances
From a product brand to a partner in healthy habits
Connecting knowledge, daily check-ins, repeat purchase, and public service in one complete loop
Project overview
Project Context
Taking nutrition and wellness from knowing what’s healthy to knowing how to make it stick
Yili’s evolution into a partner in healthy habits
Value Proposition
Turn nutrition advice into three achievable actions each day
It’s easier to stay consistent as a team
Every check-in contributes to public service
Target Audience
Audience Profiles
Young families aged 25–40; fitness and healthy-eating communities; campus groups and community organizers
New Moms
Core Needs: Focused on children’s calcium, iron, and zinc intake, and lactose tolerance
Pain Points: Unsure how to build a balanced diet and concerned about picky eating
Use Cases: Preparing breakfast for their children in the morning and checking nutrition recipes in the evening
Runners
Core Needs: Focused on protein intake and body-fat management
Pain Points: Unsure how to refuel properly after exercise and concerned about getting enough nutrition while building muscle
Use Cases: Checking protein intake recommendations after a morning run and joining in-person nutrition runs
Office Workers
Core Needs: Focused on convenient healthy meals and meal-replacement options
Pain Points: Too busy to prepare healthy meals; discomfort from sitting for long periods
Use Cases: Completing a stretch check-in during lunch and checking dinner suggestions on the way home
Core insight
Core insight
Three key findings based on user behavior research and market data
Low-Barrier Tasks
The Power of Teams
Purpose Through Public Service
Community Design
Community Positioning and Participation Model
A Hybrid Community Led by Nutritionists and Community Organizers, Built Around Science-Based Check-Ins
Connect online “Nutrition Radar” AR experiences with pop-up nutrition stations
Community Operations
- Roles: Three-tier management: lead nutritionists, city organizers, and check-in leaders
- Tasks: 30-day challenges: “Meet Your Protein Goals,” “A 15-Minute Breakfast,” and “Evening Stretching”
- Leaderboard System: Parallel city, school, and family leaderboards, linked to public-service milk donations
- Incentives: Nutrition Coins → discount vouchers / family bundles / donation certificates
| Role | Responsibilities | Benefits | KPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead Nutritionist | Content review, livestream Q&A, recipe development | Expert certification, priority access to new products | Content quality score, user satisfaction |
| City Captain | Local community operations, offline event organization | Distribution commission, flag ceremony | Team size, engagement, repurchase rate |
| Check-in Officer | Daily task reminders, check-in supervision, community building | Nutrition Coin bonus, priority customer service | Team completion rate, retention rate |
Content Strategy
Content Cadence & Matrix
A Four-Part Content System: Daily Check-Ins, Weekly Livestreams, Monthly Events, and Quarterly Public Service
Daily Cadence
07:00 Breakfast nutrition check-in
12:00 Midday stretch reminder
18:00 Dinner protein challenge
21:00 Daily recap and rankings
Weekly Activities
Wednesday Nutritionist livestreams
Friday Family challenge kickoff
Sunday Weekly Winner Announcement
Review and preview of next week’s tasks
Monthly Highlights
In-person community nutrition run
Pop-up community nutrition station
Free body composition assessment and report
Monthly champions awards ceremony
Quarterly public service
Quarterly donation summary report
Livestream visits to recipient communities
Next Season’s Theme Reveal
Annual Guardian Awards
Content Matrix Examples
#21-Day Breakfast Challenge# Reclaim Your Mornings Together
Complete 21 breakfast check-ins, and Yili will donate 21 servings of nutritious milk to children in mountain communities on your behalf. A recipe library offers 5-minute breakfast ideas to make healthy mornings easy.
3 Office Stretches × High-Protein Milk
15 seconds of exercise demonstrations + 15 seconds of product integration. Pair a 5-minute neck and shoulder stretch with 200 ml of high-protein milk to beat the afternoon slump. Film in real office settings to make the content relatable.
Picky Eater? Try the Rainbow Plate
Seven colors represent seven nutrient groups, brought to life with playful, AI-generated food presentation ideas. Designed for sharing in mothers’ groups, with Yili children’s milk recommendations and coupons included.
Technology
Technology Stack & Automation
An Intelligent Community Engagement System Powered by a WeChat Mini Program, AI Recognition, and SCRM
WeChat Mini Program
- Camera-Based Meal Recognition with AI Nutrient Analysis
- Step Count Sync and Fitness Data Integration
- Nutrition Radar Chart
- Check-Ins and Rewards Points
Nutrition Database
- Nutritional Data for 10,000+ Ingredients
- Smart Recipe Recommendation Engine
- Personalized Nutrition Calculator
- Allergen and Dietary Restriction Alerts
SCRM System
- User Segmentation and Tag Management
- Automated Task Assignment
- Targeted Messages and Reminders
- WeCom Community Management Tools
AI-Generated Recipe Content
- Automatically Generated Daily Recipe Images
- Nutrition Education Infographics
- Personalized Advice Copy
- Multiple Content Styles for Different Audiences
Automation SOPs
- Onboarding Assessment: New users complete a health questionnaire → receive a nutrition radar chart → are matched with a suitable team
- Task Assignment: Automatically assign tailored tasks based on user profiles: mothers, runners, and office workers
- Daily Reminders: Three personalized push notifications daily at 07:00, 12:00, and 18:00
- Weekly Review: Automatically generate individual and team reports with city ranking comparisons
- Monthly Fitness Assessment: Automatically send booking reminders for offline events and sync fitness assessment results to the mini program
- Dedicated Parent Support: Prioritize and route children’s nutrition questions to a nutritionist for a response within 24 hours
Implementation
Implementation Roadmap
A Four-Phase Rollout from Content Preparation to Nationwide Promotion
Key Actions: Secure endorsement through a nutrition society partnership, generate AI content at scale, and complete mini program development
Frequency: 4 Weeks
Testing Priorities: Check-in completion, retention, usability, and content quality
Areas for Improvement: Adjust task difficulty, optimize reminder timing, and refine incentives
Community Leader Recruitment: Recruit and train local community influencers, mothers’ group admins, fitness coaches, and others
Marketing Investment: Online in-feed ads + in-store and local promotions + consumer advocate recommendations
Community Engagement: Property management partnerships, pop-up nutrition stations, and senior wellness programs
Social Impact Communications: Complete the first round of 1 million milk donations and launch the second season’s theme
Performance Dashboard
Data Dashboard and Key Metrics
Monitor Community Health in Real Time to Inform and Improve Operations
| Metric Type | Key Metrics | Target | Tracking Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scale Metrics | MAU (Monthly Active Users) | 1 million | Daily |
| Behavioral Metrics | Daily Check-in Completion Rate | 60% | Daily |
| Behavioral Metrics | 30-day retention rate | 45% | Weekly |
| Business Metrics | Repurchase Rate Uplift | +20% | Monthly |
| Business Metrics | Average Order Value | +15% | Monthly |
| Community Metrics | UGC content volume | 5,000/day | Daily |
| Community Metrics | Team formation rate | 70% | Weekly |
| Public Welfare Metrics | Cumulative milk donations | 1 million servings | Weekly |
Data Analysis Dimensions
- By City: Compare engagement and repeat purchase rates across cities to optimize regional resource allocation
- By Team: Analyze performance across family, friend, and coworker teams
- By Task Type: Compare completion rates for breakfast check-ins, stretching check-ins, and protein tasks
- By User Profile: Compare retention and conversion among new mothers, runners, and office workers
- By Time Period: Analyze behavior patterns across weekdays, weekends, and public holidays
Budget Allocation
Budget and Timeline
An Initial RMB 1.8 Million Investment Across Content, Technology, Incentives, and Operations
Content Production 35%
- Nutritionist Team: RMB 250,000
- AI Content Tool Subscriptions: RMB 80,000
- Video Production: RMB 180,000
- Long-Form Visual Content Design: RMB 120,000
Technology Development 25%
- Mini Program Development: ¥200,000
- AI Recognition Technology: ¥120,000
- SCRM System: ¥80,000
- Servers and Maintenance: ¥50,000
Incentive Program 20%
- Nutrition Coin Pool: ¥150,000
- Community Leader Commissions: ¥120,000
- Physical Prizes: ¥60,000
- Matching Charitable Donations: ¥30,000
Operations and Promotion 20%
- Online Advertising: ¥180,000
- Offline Events: ¥100,000
- KOC Partnerships: ¥50,000
- Campaign Materials: ¥30,000
Budget Optimization Recommendations
- Declining Content Costs: The first season requires a larger investment to build the content library; costs fall by 40% in subsequent seasons.
- Technology Reuse: Once the mini program is built, maintenance costs are just 20% of the initial development cost.
- Lower Costs Through Community Sharing: As user-generated content grows to 60%, the cost of professionally produced content falls.
- ROI Tracking: Every ¥1 invested in incentives generates an average of ¥8 in additional GMV.
Risk Management
Risks & Mitigation
Identify potential risks and put prevention and response measures in place.
Key Risks
- Misinformation and Pseudoscience: Unverified health information could spread within the community and undermine the brand’s credibility.
- Declining Retention: Users may lose momentum after 7–14 days, causing check-in rates to fall sharply.
- Health Claims Risk: Nutrition advice could be mistaken for a medical claim, creating legal risk.
- Protection of Minors: Nutrition advice for children requires particular care to avoid inappropriate guidance.
- Data Privacy Breaches: Protecting sensitive information, including users’ health data and dietary habits.
Mitigation Measures
- Expert Review: Have registered nutritionists review all nutrition content and establish a library of approved material.
- Themed Seasonal Challenges: Introduce a new theme every 30 days, such as weight management, muscle building or family nutrition, to keep the experience fresh.
- Head-to-Head Challenges: Use city-versus-city and family-versus-family challenges to sustain motivation through friendly competition.
- Compliance Review: Have the legal team review all public-facing copy in advance to ensure compliance with the Advertising Law and Food Safety Law.
- Age-Appropriate Children’s Content: Create age-specific content for children aged 3–6 and 7–12, and for teenagers; require parental supervision.
- Encrypted Data Storage: Meet China’s Level 3 cybersecurity protection requirements, de-identify user data and never share it externally.
Emergency Response Protocol
- 24-Hour Monitoring: Monitor community conversations in real time and trigger automatic alerts for sensitive terms.
- Rapid Response Team: Coordinate nutritionists, customer service, legal and PR teams to respond within two hours.
- Content Takedown Protocol: Remove problematic content immediately and issue a clarification within 48 hours.
- User Compensation: Compensate users for losses caused by the platform with Nutrition Coins or products.
Expected Outcomes
Expected Outcomes and Industry Benchmarks
Reasonable projections based on comparable projects and market testing.
Benchmarking Keep’s Early Growth
35% Above the Industry Average
Incremental Growth Through Membership
Brand Social Impact
| Dimension | Traditional membership system | Health Guardians | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| User engagement | 15-20% MAU | 50-60% MAU | 200%+ increase |
| Content interaction rate | 5% read, 1% share | 35% read, 12% share | 700%+ increase |
| Repurchase cycle | 45-60 days | 25-30 days | 50% reduction |
| Average Order Value | ¥35-50 | ¥55-70 | 40%+ increase |
| Referral conversion rate | 3-5% | 18-25% | 400%+ increase |
Key points
A Replicable Methodology
A Community Engagement Framework Drawn from the Yili Case
Make Participation Easy
Build Motivation Through Teams
Give Everyday Actions Purpose
The Core Formula
User Retention = Task Achievability × Social Support × Sense of Purpose
All three are essential
Tasks that are too hard drive people away. Without social support, they feel alone; without purpose, they lose motivation.
