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Retailers from Walmart to Warby Parker said that they stood in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement when protests against systemic racism and police brutality began in late May. But customers and employees wanted to know: What are retail brands doing to back up their statements, if anything?
Report card
In June, we checked on retailers’ progress with an anonymous survey. 238 retail professionals who read Retail Brew told us how their companies responded to ongoing protests and how they felt about it.
- The majority of respondents (68%) repped entry- and mid-level positions.
Most retailers are more talk than action. 64% of respondents said their company had made a public statement in support of Black Lives Matter.
When we asked what actions retailers took to back up their statements, the responses thinned. A third said their company's response began and ended with their statements. When companies did take action...
- 44% of respondents said their company donated to a racial justice organization.
- 32% said their companies shared a plan to prioritize racial diversity in their hiring practices.
- 13% of respondents’ companies planned to invest in more Black-owned brands.
Employees wanted more. When we asked retail professionals how they felt about their company’s response, satisfaction more than doubled at companies that took concrete action.
Redefining corporate responsibility
Across the register, the sentiment is the same: Customers also prefer retailers that walk their talk.
Back in January, NPD Group reported customers expected brands to make “lasting contributions” to societal issues. In June, 60% of U.S. customers said they’ll boycott or buy from brands based on how they respond to protests, according to an Edelman survey. And half of all U.S. adults surveyed in a June Morning Consult study said they viewed brands that donated to racial justice organizations more favorably.
- When retailers stay silent, or seem to contradict their own messages, customers post first, then spend (or don’t) accordingly.
Bottom line: Statements alone don’t qualify as meaningful action, and retailers that do more are doing right by their employees, customers, and causes they tweeted about. Action steps could include...
- Investing. DTC brands like Glossier and Pepper have started grants for Black-owned brands.
- Hiring. Gap and Levi’s said they’ll increase Black and POC representation on their teams by setting hiring goals.
- Merchandising. West Elm, Sephora, and Rent the Runway committed to increase the Black-owned brands they stock as part of the 15 Percent Pledge.