If you're a CPG brand trying to get on retail shelves, RangeMe is probably the first platform someone told you about. It's the most well-known product discovery tool in the industry, and for good reason. Thousands of brands use it, and major retailers have buyer teams actively sourcing on the platform.
But there's a growing number of CPG founders who've tried RangeMe and felt like they were shouting into a void. You create a profile, submit to retailers, and wait. Sometimes for weeks. Sometimes forever.
That frustration is why tools like Lazrbeam exist. Different approach, different purpose. This post breaks down what each platform actually does, where they overlap, and which one makes sense depending on how you sell.
What RangeMe does well
RangeMe is a product discovery marketplace. Brands create profiles with product photos, pricing, certifications, and sell sheets. Retail buyers log in and browse by category when they're sourcing for upcoming resets or new product reviews.
The value proposition is real. If a buyer at Whole Foods or Target is actively looking for a new functional beverage or clean-label snack, RangeMe gives them a searchable database of brands that have already provided product details in a standardized format. For the buyer, it saves time. For the brand, it means potential exposure to buyers you'd never reach through cold outreach.
RangeMe also offers premium tiers that give brands more visibility, priority placement in buyer searches, and enhanced submission features. Some brands have landed major retail placements through the platform.
Where RangeMe falls short
The core limitation is structural. RangeMe is a passive platform for brands. You create a profile and wait for buyers to come to you. You can submit your products to specific retailers, but you don't get the buyer's contact information. You don't know who reviewed your submission. And if a buyer passes, you often don't know why.
This creates a few problems.
No direct outreach. If you know you want to pitch the natural snacks buyer at Kroger Southeast, RangeMe can't help you reach that person directly. You can submit your brand to Kroger on the platform, but the submission goes into a queue alongside hundreds of other brands.
Low response rates on submissions. Many founders report submitting to dozens of retailers and hearing back from very few. The platform favors buyers, not brands. This isn't a flaw in the platform per se. It's the nature of a marketplace where supply (brands wanting shelf space) vastly outweighs demand (open shelf space).
No control over timing. Retail buying operates on category review cycles. If you submit to a retailer outside their review window, your submission sits until the next one opens. RangeMe doesn't always surface when those windows are.
Premium pricing for uncertain returns. The free tier is limited. The premium tier costs several hundred dollars per year. Whether that investment pays off depends on whether buyers in your category happen to be searching during the time you're active on the platform.
What Lazrbeam does differently
Lazrbeam flips the model. Instead of creating a profile and waiting, you search for the buyer you want to reach and get their verified contact information directly.
The platform is built for CPG brands that want to run their own outreach. You search by retailer, product category, and region. You get the buyer's name, title, direct email, and the categories they manage. Then you reach out on your own terms, on your own timeline, with a pitch you control.
Lazrbeam also includes a pitch generation tool that creates personalized outreach emails for each buyer based on your brand and their category. Instead of writing a generic email and blasting it, you get a draft tailored to the specific retailer and buyer you're targeting.
The key differences
RangeMe is inbound. Lazrbeam is outbound. RangeMe works when a buyer is actively looking for brands in your category. Lazrbeam works when you want to proactively reach a specific buyer at a specific retailer.
RangeMe gives you visibility. Lazrbeam gives you contact data. On RangeMe, you're one of thousands of profiles. On Lazrbeam, you have the buyer's direct email and can start a conversation immediately.
RangeMe is passive. Lazrbeam requires effort. If you'd rather create a profile and let the platform work in the background, RangeMe fits that workflow. If you want to control who you pitch, when you pitch, and how you pitch, Lazrbeam fits that workflow.
RangeMe is better for broad discovery. Lazrbeam is better for targeted outreach. If you're open to any retailer finding you, RangeMe casts a wide net. If you have a specific list of 10 retailers you want to get into, Lazrbeam gets you in front of the right person at each one.
Can you use both?
Yes. And many brands should.
RangeMe and Lazrbeam aren't competitors in the traditional sense. They serve different stages of the same sales process. RangeMe keeps you discoverable to buyers who are actively sourcing. Lazrbeam lets you proactively reach buyers who aren't actively sourcing but might be open to a strong pitch.
A practical setup looks like this. Keep your RangeMe profile updated and submit to retailers during their category review windows. Simultaneously, use Lazrbeam to identify and directly email buyers at your top-priority retailers. The brands running both passive and active outreach cover more ground than the ones relying on either channel alone.
Which one should you start with?
If you're pre-revenue or just launching and need general visibility, start with RangeMe. Get your profile up, make sure your product photos and sell sheets are polished, and submit to the retailers that match your brand.
If you already have some traction (DTC sales, local retail placements, strong velocity data) and want to scale into specific chains, start with Lazrbeam. You know which retailers you want. You just need to reach the right person. Direct outreach with verified contacts and a personalized pitch will get you further, faster.
If you have the bandwidth for both, run them in parallel. Let RangeMe handle inbound discovery while you use Lazrbeam to run a targeted outbound campaign to your top 10 retailers.