Google has unveiled its latest showcase of Black-owned businesses and products, called “Black-Owned Friday”. This initiative is part of the annual Black Friday program and is designed to encourage shoppers to buy from smaller, local brands within their shopping process. Now in its fourth year, Google’s “Black-owned Friday” program aims to help shine a light on Black-owned and operated businesses, and filter some of the Black Friday spending towards these companies. The program comes with its own mini-site, as well as a new music video from actor Keke Palmer, who’s partnered with Google on a reimagining of the 90s pop classic “100% Pure Love” by Crystal Waters.
The mini-site includes a showcase of products from Black-owned businesses, many of which are also featured in the shoppable video clip above. There’s also a dedicated search tool to help you find local businesses to support, along with a collection of tips and insights to help Black-owned brands maximize their seasonal promotions. It’s a good initiative, which aims to provide more specific focus for smaller brands within the big-name rush that’ll hit retailers on Friday.
As explained by Google:
“Black-owned Friday, created by Google in partnership with the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc., is all about celebrating Black-owned businesses and encouraging everyone to search, shop and support Black-owned.” If Google can help to redistribute some of that traffic to these SMBs, that’s a positive move, while highlighting Black-owned organizations could help to expand their reach and sales potential in the holiday push. You can learn more about Google’s “Black-Owned Friday” program here.