For Etsy, inclusion isn't just a marketing strategy to gain new customers and sellers, it's ingrained in the DNA of the company and part of the machine that helps the e-commerce platform thrive, Dayna Isom Johnson told Cheddar.
"Last year we really took a more [concerted] effort and approach in how we can make our workforce even more diverse and so we were able to double that number of underrepresented minorities in 2019 versus 2018," said the Etsy trend expert.
The company's dedication to diversity extends beyond its staff to ensure that Black and other minority sellers on the platform are getting a boost through company programs and "community building" where they can share information and promote their businesses, Johnson added.
"I think another great example is that community-led team that I was speaking about, the Black-owned shops team, because, again, that's really grassroots effort. That is our seller community coming together to help build and uplift each other," she said.
The company has also carved out a section of its site specifically for Black-owned businesses as more people search for them on the platform.
"In terms of people really wanting to support these Black-owned shops and businesses, the demand is there," she said.
While this year certainly saw more companies making an effort to uplift small, Black-owned businesses, Johnson said inclusion efforts for Etsy's "global community" were underway before it became mainstream.
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