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In: Retailing Tips|Last Updated:

In a world saturated with slogans and polished promises, the truth cuts deepest. Consumers don’t just buy products; they buy into stories. And in local, independent retail, where relationships are personal and trust is the currency, authenticity isn’t just appreciated when it comes to brands—it’s expected.

People crave connection. They want to know where something comes from, who made it, and why it exists. A brand that speaks openly about its roots—without pretense or performance—creates a bond that no ad spend can replicate. In these spaces, a compelling origin is more persuasive than a clever tagline. The local retailer, who knows every regular customer by name, is far more likely to champion a product that feels genuine than one that simply feels trendy.

Authenticity means purpose

Authenticity doesn’t mean perfection. It means purpose. When your sourcing is transparent, your production process is honest, and your mission is clear, shoppers sense it. These aren’t background details, they’re differentiators. The coffee roasted in small batches by a family-owned farm. The skincare line crafted in response to a personal journey. The snack brand built on a grandmother’s recipe. These stories don’t fade on the shelf—they stick.

And they stick because they align with …

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Cross-Border Insurance for CPG Brands: What It is & Why You Need It

Whether you’re based in the U.S. or in Canada, as a CPG brand on RangeMe, it’s a natural next step to expand your sales across the border. With any form of business growth, one thing to consider is your insurance coverage. Insurance is a crucial tool for protecting your hard work and becoming a verified seller for marketplaces and distributors; cross-border insurance helps continue that while you scale your product availability. 

We’ll break down everything you need to know about cross-border insurance – the what, why, and how.

What is Cross-Border Insurance? 

If you’re based in the U.S. and want to start selling in Canada – or vice versa, if you’re based in Canada and want to start selling in the U.S. – you need cross-border insurance. 

The two main qualifications of cross-border insurance are: 

1) Your insurance provider (or a reinsurer/insurance partner) should be licensed to operate and sell insurance in the geography you’re looking to make revenue in. 

So for example, if your company is based in the US, your insurance provider should be licensed in the U.S. to issue you a policy. They don’t have to physically be in the U.S. so long as they have a …

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How 7-Eleven’s Brands with Heart Brings Purpose-Driven Products to the Shelf

Since 2019, RangeMe has proudly partnered with 7-Eleven on its Brands with Heart program, an annual initiative dedicated to discovering and showcasing emerging, purpose-driven brands across 7-Eleven, Speedway, and Stripes convenience stores. This year’s submissions process is currently underway and runs through October 13, 2025.

McCarty

Selected brands gain a path into a new retail channel, expanding their reach to millions of convenience shoppers, while also receiving mentorship, educational opportunities, and direct access to 7-Eleven category managers.

The process begins with applications through RangeMe, where brands submit their products and stories for consideration. Selected participants are then invited to a showcase event where they present to 7-Eleven leaders, receive mentorship and coaching, and in some cases move forward to in-store tests with the potential to scale nationally across 7-Eleven, Speedway, and Stripes stores.

ECRM & RangeMe SVP f Retail Wayne Bennett spoke with Louisa McCarty, Manager, 7-Ventures | 7-Eleven Emerging Brands about the Brands with Heart program what it entails.

RangeMe: What categories do you focus on for the program?

McCarty: We focused on center store snacks, innovative beverages, frozen treats, packaged bakery, and refrigerated snacks because these are high-traffic areas in c-stores where shoppers are open to discovery. They …

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Unlocking Growth at Retail & Foodservice with Global Cuisine

Global cuisine is no longer a niche. For today’s consumers, international flavors are an expectation, not a novelty. For retailers, foodservice operators, and emerging CPG brands, they represent a powerful growth opportunity in the marketplace, one that has only been accelerated via social media and new AI platforms.

At ECRM’s recent Center Store Grocery Sessions in Dallas, Diana Sheehan, founder of PDG Insights shared some insights around global cuisines during a presentation to buyers and seller participants that highlighted how global flavors have moved from immigrant households into mainstream retail aisles, what’s driving adoption today, and how brands and retailers can capture this momentum. In addition to showing how these foods and ingredients spread from home to niche markets to mainstream retail shelves, she also touched on how shopper behaviors, technology, and demographics are accelerating the pace of change.

I sat for an interview with Sheehan to discuss some of these trends uncovered by her and the team at PDG Insights, and below you’ll find a summary of these findings, as well as the full video interview. 

Watch the full interview on YouTube!

From Chef Boyardee to global flavor adoption

According to Sheehan, the idea of “international food” in American …

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2025 Core-Mark Curated Winner & RangeMe Premium subscriber Unite Food is looking to shake up the protein bar aisle with globally-inspired flavors and natural ingredients.

In this interview, Founder & CEO Clara Paye shares her journey from Managing Director of a major plumbing manufacturer to launching a food brand with distribution at leading retailers like Target, Sprouts, H-E-B, and Meijer, and her recent experience with the Core-Mark Curated program, which was one of RangeMe’s Immediate Opportunities. (Note: this interview was done prior to the announcement of the winners).

She also discusses her passion for helping the next generation of entrepreneurs as a SKU mentor, YPO member, and the Founder of (included), a membership collective for BIPOC top executives in CPG who are dedicated to one another’s success.

You can also listen to the interview on our podcast: Winning Pitches with RangeMe & ECRM.

See ll of RangeMe’s customer success stories and reviews here.

The RangeMe Blog…

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Command Attention at the Shelf with Purposeful Packaging 

In retail, your product speaks long before the customer touches it. The packaging is your voice across the aisle, your silent salesman standing guard on the shelf. It’s not merely design—it’s communication. And in an environment where attention is scarce and decisions are made in seconds, that communication must be sharp, honest, and impossible to ignore.

A well-packaged product doesn’t beg for attention—it commands it. It doesn’t over-explain—it connects. The goal is not to decorate the box, but to deliver a message that cuts through the visual noise. The packaging must anticipate its audience, acknowledge its environment, and assert its value—all in a glance.

Imagine the store shelf as a stage and your product as a performer. If it’s placed on the bottom shelf under dim lighting, it needs bolder colors, larger type, and stronger contrast. If it’s eye-level, it must be refined, confident, and direct. Surrounding it are rival players—shouting in neon, whispering in matte, posturing in plastic. Your packaging must rise above the fray not through volume, but through clarity.

Packaging design elements must earn their place

Every element should earn its place. Fonts should be legible from five feet away. Claims should be compelling, not cluttered. Visuals …

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