RangeMe, which was recently acquired by ECRM, is an online platform that streamlines the product discovery process for retailers by offering buyers, who are currently inundated with approaches from suppliers via online forms, email, social media, phone calls, and face-to-face contacts at trade shows and other events, a more efficient way to manage inbound approaches.
It also alerts them to new products from smaller, organic and specialty suppliers that might otherwise may have slipped under the radar.
The new verification process allows retailers to view brands that are innovative and trending and are also ready for primetime, which means high-quality images, insurance, barcodes, nutritional labels, and more, verified by the RangeMe team, explained Nicky Jackson, founder and CEO of RangeMe. The criteria was developed in collaboration with retailers.
“RangeMe Verified is part of our premium offering that includes additional features and tools for suppliers to grow their business,” Jackson told FoodNavigator-USA.
“In a limited release, we've already seen a tremendous response on the platform. Nearly 2,000 brands and 20,000 products across all categories are RangeMe Verified. The reception from buyers has been astounding as nearly 70% of RangeMe Verified brands are receiving positive responses from buyers.”
Pricing for RangeMe Premium is $1,200.00/yr.
Success in action
“By launching RangeMe Verified brands we are defining a new industry measure for product sourcing as well as creating increased opportunities for both suppliers and buyers,” says Nicky Jackson, founder and CEO of RangeMe.
“RangeMe is a helpful check to see all of the trending brands,” said Sarah Groves, who is responsible for all natural and organic buying across all categories for Southeastern Grocers’ 700 stores. “RangeMe Verified brands help streamline our category review process by making it easy to identify high-quality manufacturers that are ready to do business now.”
“RangeMe is the future for not only our product sourcing efforts, but for the industry as a whole. Now, by identifying and highlighting business-ready brands, RangeMe has taken the next step in creating the standard in which buyers discover amazing brands.”
Each supplier gets a 45 minute one-on-one session with a customer success specialist at RangeMe to ensure they are business ready, explained Jackson. This streamlines the process even more for retailers, increasing the visibility of RangeMe Verified brands to buyers by up to seven times over non-verified suppliers. Verified brands and products appear on buyers’ dashboards above non-verified brands, feature an eye-catching badge to stand out to buyers, and will show up in advanced searches where buyers can request to see only verified brands.
“Being a RangeMe Verified brand has absolutely changed how retail buyers view and discover my products,” said Kenney Joyal, Founder of Snowflakes Candy. “In a short time, I have been able to leverage the opportunities created on RangeMe to launch with three retailers, including Hy-Vee.”
The product and supplier information on RangeMe – which now represents over 95,000 brands active products in the US (where it launched in September 2015) – is presented in a consistent format and allows buyers to rapidly find and compare new products and suppliers. Between 1,200 and 1,400 suppliers join the platform every week, said CEO Nicky Jackson.