Introducing the new and improved online Women Owned Business Directory!
In this article, we will cover the basics including what brands are featured in the Directory and how to search and filter. We will also cover some of our favorite ways to search and filter to find the perfect brand for your shopping needs.
The Women Owned Business Directory was created with the consumer in mind to make shopping your values and incorporating conscious consumerism into your buying habits easier.
What is the Women Owned Business Directory?
The Women Owned Directory is a database of Women Owned brands with consumer products that are certified by WBENC or WEConnect International. You can view the full list or browse brands by category. From the full directory page, you can search for products, brands or use the filter functions to browse by price, region, values/communities and more. We have outlined some examples below to show some of our favorite ways to use the filter functions of the directory.
What companies are featured in the Directory?
Inclusion in the Women Owned Directory is a voluntary benefit for WEConnect International or WBENC-Certified companies with consumer products. If you are interested in getting your business featured, visit our FAQ page to learn how.
NOTE: If you would like to view the full database of WBENC-Certified companies, including B2B and service-based businesses, view the WBENC proprietary database — WBENCLink2.0. Access to WBENCLink2.0 is an exclusive benefit for WBENC-Certified companies and WBENC National Corporate & Government Members.
WEConnect International certified WBEs with services can be listed within WEConnect International’s WECommunity network directory, which is open to all certified women-owned businesses that service worldwide.
How do I navigate the search functions of the Directory?
There are several ways to search and filter the Directory. You must be on the full directory page (not a category page) to access the search and filter functions. To pull up the details for a particular brand, simply hover over their company and click. Clicking the brand will bring up a fully clickable, scrollable view of all of that company’s information.
Our 5 favorite ways to use the Women Owned Business Directory:
1. Search for product keywords to find brands that provide the item or gift you are looking for.
Find the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner of the Directory and click to bring up the text box where you can type your search.
Are you looking for an item for your pet? Search “pet.”
Need a baby shower gift? Try searching “baby” or “infant.”
You can search for specific products as well. Looking to #MakeOneSwitch and swap your morning granola brand with a women-owned one? Search “granola.”
Looking for your next fav vegan cookie addiction? Search “cookie” and then filter by “Vegan.” (Psst… see number 4 below to learn how to filter by values and communities —including Vegan!)
2. Shop online — filter by brands that have products available for purchase online.
Go to the filter function, add a condition where “Where to Buy” contains “online.”
Looking to find products available somewhere specific, like Target or Amazon? Go to the filter function, add a condition where “Where to Buy” contains “Target” or “Amazon.”
3. Find products in your price range — filter by price range.
Click the filter function, add a condition where “Price Range” has any of the price ranges you are looking for.
Price Range Key:
- ($) = $0-25
- ($$) = $25-50
- ($$$) = $50-150
- ($$$$) = $150-1,000
- ($$$$$) = $1,000+
4. Take your conscious consumerism to the next level and filter by values and communities that are important to you.
Click the filter function, add a condition where “Values & Communities” has any of (or all of), then select options from the drop-down.
The values and communities we currently feature are listed below.
- Allergen-Friendly
- Cruelty Free
- Ethically Made
- Fair Trade
- Green/Sustainability
- LGBTQ+ Owned
- Organic
- Vegan
- Veteran-Owned
- Women of Color Owned
For example, if, for this holiday shopping season, you have decided you would like to support businesses that are owned by Women of Color AND have Green/Sustainable aspects to their products or overall company, filter where “Values & Communities” has all of, then select Women of Color and Green/Sustainability.
5. Browse the category pages to discover gifts by type.
Whether you are looking for a way to treat yourself to some self-care (head to the Beauty & Spa category!) or need a baby shower gift (head to Baby & Kids category), viewing the Directory by category page is an easy way to discover new products quickly and easily. Scroll through the category gallery views and click a brand to expand the record and see all the company information.
Don’t forget to share your purchases and new favorite products on social with the hashtag #BuyWomenOwned!