SAN FRANCISCO — RangeMe announces partnerships with multiple leading certification bodies in an industry-wide initiative that will help retail buyers find higher quality products and bring greater transparency to the shelf.

Nicky Jackson

With label-conscious consumers driving demand, retailers are eager to match that demand by bringing in products that validate their claims and create a more tailored assortment for their customers. To support this, RangeMe is working with industry-leading certification providers to promote deeper education of what it means for brands to carry certifications and greater visibility of certifications to the nearly 200,000 suppliers on the platform.

“Third-party certifications are powerful because they quickly show consumers that your brand is committed to quality products,” says Hans Eisenbeis, director of marketing for the Non-GMO Project. “Through RangeMe, brands can quickly learn about the certifications that shoppers are seeking on store shelves, and understand which certifications align with their own values.”

Retailers themselves have invested heavily in sourcing products that match their core values to not only provide a unique assortment but also to differentiate their offerings from the competition. Retailers use RangeMe to source for brands with specific certifications, whether it’s around sustainable practices or supplier diversity, because they know these brands will meet their quality and consumer standards.

“As consumers are increasingly becoming more educated, certifications can help instill trust with both the consumers and the retailers that they are trying to partner with,” says Todd Jamalkowski, vice president of Product Advocacy at The Paleo Foundation. “With these certifications now listed on RangeMe, it will help brands not only be able to connect and gain insight with companies like ours but will also be able to showcase the certifications that they have on their RangeMe profile for buyers to see.”

Pursuing certifications can be a lengthy and complex process. As part of the effort to support suppliers and their products in attaining the certifications they need, RangeMe is bringing its certification partners center stage through a dedicated section in RangeMe Services, where suppliers can browse, message, and work directly with the certification bodies themselves. The result is showcasing higher quality brands and products for retailers and their buyers to discover on RangeMe.

“With consumers demanding even more traceability and transparency, RangeMe helps suppliers and retailers search even easier for the certifications their customers want.” Abby Ayers, head of Retail Partnerships at Fair Trade USA. “We are thrilled to be working with RangeMe.”

RangeMe is the leading online product discovery platform built with retail buyers and product suppliers and manufacturers in mind. This new addition to the platform solidifies RangeMe’s commitment to supporting the retail and consumer packaged goods industries. Suppliers can simply visit the RangeMe Services directory to find the certification that best fits their brand or products. Currently, twelve trusted certification providers are highlighted on the platform, with more being added soon.

“We’ve seen a drastic increase in buyer interest for brands that carry one or more certifications,” says Nicky Jackson, CEO and Founder of RangeMe. “Providing our suppliers a hand in achieving those certifications is just another element of RangeMe’s mission. It also gives our retailers and their buyers a bigger pool of products to discover that will match what their consumers want.”

In addition to providing a destination for suppliers to make inquiries to certification providers, RangeMe has also launched a series of live educational webinars that will run throughout the year featuring top certification partners, including the Non-GMO Project, Fair Trade USA, Fairtrade America, Parent Tested Parent Approved, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), The Paleo Foundation, Kosher Supervision of America (KSA), National Animal Supplement Council (NASC), Etimad Halal, Safe Food Certifications, UL, Premier Certification Services, and Nutrasource.