August is National Black Business Month, a great reminder to support and celebrate Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs across the U.S and globally. More than 60% of sales in Amazon’s store come from independent sellers—most of which are small and medium-sized businesses—and through the Black Business Accelerator (BBA), we are committed to enabling opportunities for Black-owned businesses, so they too can launch and build thriving businesses in our store and beyond.
When we invest in our Black-owned businesses, we create a cultural bridge that amplifies innovation created by Black entrepreneurs, while enhancing our offerings and delivering a unique selection to customers.
How does Amazon help promote Black-owned businesses?
Customers value the expanded selection of products from Black-owned businesses, and an integral part of building sustainable growth lies in our commitment to increasing discoverability of Black-owned and small businesses in our store. To improve the shopping experience and make it easier for customers to support and discover Black-owned businesses this month, we launched the new Black Business Month storefront, a destination where you can shop incredible deals and products from these businesses. All year long, customers can also continue to explore the Buy Black store to learn about inspiring Black business owners.
Nana Pfeifer, founder of Homescape Pets"Having our pet care products easily available in Amazon’s store has allowed us to build a loyal customer base right from home! Amazon’s support for Black-owned and woman-owned businesses has opened up opportunities and connections that we wouldn’t have had otherwise. This has led to significant growth and increased visibility for our brand."—Nana Pfeifer, founder of Homescape Pets
How does Amazon help new businesses grow?
To help us effectively innovate upon and improve the many ways in which we support Black-owned and small businesses, we constantly seek feedback and collect learnings from Black-owned businesses, as well as industry thought leaders, and luminaries from the Black business community. In response to small and underserved businesses’ desire for better early-stage education, we introduced a reinvigorated Amazon Small Business Academy (ASBA), which includes a suite of free, interactive resources to help support entrepreneurs—from concept to launch and beyond. ASBA gives early entrepreneurs access to free foundational business education, industry experts, tools, resources, and networking opportunities that will help aspiring and current small-business owners accelerate their success in launching a digital business, regardless of their status as Amazon sellers.
In addition to the educational curriculum, entrepreneurs and small-business owners can learn through audio content via the This is Small Business podcast, where each episode unpacks key business decisions in a small-business owner’s journey to success. ASBA, coupled with Amazon Seller University, offers small businesses hundreds of thousands of hours of free educational content for sellers at all stages of their journey.
Pernell Cezar (left) and Rod Johnson (right), co-founders of BLK & Bold"Selling as a Black-owned business in Amazon’s store has been a transformative experience for BLK & Bold, providing us with an unparalleled opportunity to reach a broader audience. This exposure has amplified our brand’s message and introduced us to a new and loyal customer base that values both quality and purpose. Amazon's support has not only helped us grow our business but also allowed us to further our mission of giving back to the community."—Rod Johnson, co-founder & Chief Values Officer of BLK & Bold
What additional resources are available to sellers?
To ensure Black-owned businesses are prepared for Amazon’s high-velocity events like Prime Day, BBA offers strategic educational tracks and benefits through our cohort-based BBA Amplify program to increase selling partner readiness to offer deals, leverage Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), and utilize digital advertising and onsite marketing opportunities to drive traffic to selling partners storefronts to maximize their full potential. As a result, independent sellers—most of which are small and medium-sized businesses—sold more than 200 million items during the Prime Day 2024 event. In addition, we intentionally integrate Black-owned and small selling partners into seasonal campaigns, like Oprah’s Favorite things. We’re thrilled to continue driving growth strategies for our businesses throughout the holidays, ensuring customers have access to an extensive range of products from Black-owned businesses in our store.
Chinelo Chidozie (left) and Ndidi Obidoa (right), Co-founders of the The Bolden Company"The BBA program has been essential to the growth of our brand, Bolden. It has opened doors to valuable resources, insights, and opportunities that have significantly contributed to our success. Thanks to our partnership with Amazon, we’ve gained substantial knowledge, expanded our reach, and increased our sales. We are grateful for Amazon’s commitment to fostering the growth of Black-owned businesses."—Ndidi Obidoa, founder of the The Bolden Company
How about funding?
We continue to expand offerings and launch new initiatives that break down barriers to growth for small and underserved businesses more broadly, investing billions of dollars in people, resources, and services that support entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey. Resources are available for sellers in underserved communities, such as the Amazon Community Lending program, which helps businesses free up cash flow so they can reach their goals, as well as Amazon Catalytic Capital, which aims to provide more startups access to capital, mentorship, and collaboration opportunities to help bring their ideas to fruition.
Eligible businesses within BBA have access to a range of resources to help them sell in Amazon’s store, including a $500 enrollment credit, up to $4,000 in Amazon Ads credits, and up to $1,000 in Buy with Prime credits. These financial credits help sellers reach more customers, increase shopper conversion, and grow their brand.
Janell Stephens, founder and CEO of Camille Rose"Since joining the Black Business Accelerator, we have seamlessly implemented Amazon's extensive resources, resulting in substantial growth at an accelerated pace for our hair & skin care brand. Our strategic partnership with Amazon has allowed the integration of Buy with Prime and Multichannel Fulfillment on our website. We are thrilled to have surpassed last year's sales by 200%, which were further elevated by our investment in Amazon's advertising platforms."—Janell Stephens, founder and CEO of Camille Rose
How does Amazon engage with the community?
Building a community is a cornerstone of how Amazon supports small businesses, and we continue to grow our strategic partnerships with Black entrepreneurial community organizations throughout the year.
BBA builds community among our existing selling partners through our regional event series called Connect + Cultivate, which convenes communities of Black-owned, product-based businesses in cities with high concentrations of BBA selling partners to connect, network, share knowledge, and engage in impactful conversations. These events bring together BBA selling partners, prospective BBA businesses, and strategic attendees for an evening of stage programming and a multifaceted networking experience.
Additionally, we have cultivated relationships with influential partners to reinforce our commitment to Black entrepreneurs through community events and Pan-Amazon collaborative activations. This summer, Amazon joined local community organizations for Juneteenth celebrations held in Illinois and Texas. Earlier this year, Amazon partnered with the U.S. Black Chambers for their Annual Women of Influence “Power 50” Luncheon, recognizing Black female entrepreneurs and members of Amazon’s BBA community for their profound achievements. Amazon also sponsored the EXCELERATEHer Global Leadership Summit, a convening of purpose-driven women committed to empowering women leaders in business and entrepreneurship, presenting the Mocha Marketplace that featured BBA selling partners.
Through a continued partnership with Boss Women Media, BBA hosted a Founder’s Breakfast that served as a masterclass in executing a launch strategy on Amazon for aspiring Black women entrepreneurs, which featured Amazon executives, prominent speakers, and BBA selling partners.
In September, Amazon will serve as the presenting sponsor of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 53rd Annual Legislative Conference (ALC), a policy conference that brings together stakeholders to discuss issues of concern in Black America. Attendees include members of the House and Senate, government staff, the President and Vice President of the United States, mayors and state legislators, business leaders, celebrities, media figures, clergy and emerging figures in the Black community, and BBA will lead an activation in the conference's exhibit hall where Amazon sellers will showcase their products to conference attendees.
Tia Mowry, founder of 4U"The journey of an entrepreneur is challenging for all businesses and even more so for small, Black-owned businesses. As a new brand on Amazon, I have been impressed by Amazon's support and commitment to helping 4U succeed. Their support, from pre-launch strategy to ongoing collaboration, has been instrumental in our Amazon launch. It's clear that the Amazon team means what they say about supporting Black-owned businesses. We are at the start of our journey with Amazon, and I am excited about the growth of this partnership and its positive impact on our business."—Tia Mowry, Actress and Founder of 4U
The education, capital, and community that selling in Amazon’s store offers, coupled with the trustworthy shopping experience Amazon has created for customers, unlock a powerful and proven economic engine that enables Black entrepreneurs to build their brands and sell their products to millions of customers worldwide. We are proud of the progress we have made in partnership with Black-owned businesses, and we remain committed to the success of Black-owned businesses and making it easy for customers to discover and shop the incredible selection these businesses provide.
To shop and discover Black-owned businesses in Amazon’s store, visit the Black Business Month storefront, the Buy Black Store, or look for the Small Business badge and Black-Owned Business badge on product detail pages.
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