Amazon has introduced a new delivery service that caters to low-income families to help cut costs and time for grocery shopping. According to a press release, the retail giant unveiled its grocery delivery subscription, which is provided at a lower cost to individuals receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Available in over 3,500 U.S. cities, the subscription provides unlimited grocery delivery on orders more than $35 from Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, and other local grocery retail stores on Amazon.com. Customers who use a registered EBT (electronic benefit transfer) card to purchase groceries aren’t required to have a Prime membership to access the subscription’s benefits, the press release details. The cost for this group of customers is $4.99 per month, and Prime members pay $9.99 per month. Under the new Amazon subscription, both SNAP recipients and Prime members are offered convenience through one-hour delivery windows and 30-minute pickup...

Qurate Retail has a new chief executive officer (CEO). According to The Wall Street Journal, David Rawlinson II is the next CEO of the parent company of QVC and HSN as the online retailer looks to make changes that reflect the ever-evolving habits of consumers. Rawlinson will serve as president and CEO-elect of Qurate Retail, Inc. for a two-month period before taking the role on Oct. 1. Current Qurate CEO Mike George will retire at year-end before Rawlinson steps into his new role. For Rawlinson, the new role is proof that representation matters as Qurate joins other companies who have been working to diversify their boardrooms, executive suites, and workforces following the racial reckoning in the U.S. after the murder of George Floyd. “Representation matters,” said Rawlinson in an interview. “It’s important for every young person to see that their future is limitless.” The 45-year-old says that the job drew his attention thanks to his mother who watched QVC and HSN during his...

As we look toward the future of retail for Black founders many questions come to mind. What do retailers want? How can they be successful? For founders like Sterling Smith, the answer is simple. “Retailers want freedom,” he tells Will Lucas on the latest episode of the Black Tech Green Money podcast. “Retailers want flexibility and they want the ability to say ‘hey, I’m with Shopify one day but it isn’t allowing me to service my customers in this way, using this third-party integration partner so let me go to BitCommerce. They also want minimum to zero lag time and downtime.” He also explains that retailers also want to be able to not only complete transactions with their customers but also want to be able to leverage the data and own their customer data. “Technologies like Sandbox Commerce allows for growing brands and retailers to do just that in the same way that larger brands snd retailers that you may find in stores like Nordstroms are doing,” continued Smith.   View this post...

Last year, founders Layla Nielsen, Natalie Robinson and Love-leigh Trimiew announced plans to launch HellaBlack, a new e-commerce marketplace for Black retailers and enthusiasts — now the digital shopping platform is officially live. In an op-ed for Blavity, Trimiew previously wrote about how her family’s story and desire to own her historical narrative inspired her to start her own Black-owned business. “In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, there have been many important articles written about the history of Blacks being denied the opportunity to thrive economically — Wilmington, North Carolina, and Tulsa, Oklahoma are often cited,” she wrote. “A lot of Black thought-leaders have written think pieces about the necessity of Black economic empowerment. I am neither a philosopher, historian or expert in African-American studies. I am a Black woman business owner, the descendant of West African slaves and an East African immigrant, looking to my own historical narrative of hope amid...

Last month, all-inclusive e-commerce platform Thirteen Lune kicked off its launch to support more Black and brown-owned beauty brands. Now the online beauty hub has raised $1 million to expand its development with help from several investors, including media mogul and entertainer Sean “Diddy” Combs, WWD reports. “I believe in the Thirteen Lune mission to build generational wealth for Black and brown business owners,” said Combs in a statement. “Nyakio and Patrick have the vision and grit to build a world-class platform, and I’m excited to be an investor and adviser.” In addition to Diddy’s participation, WWD shares that Thirteen Lune also enlisted other well-known early investors such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Watts, Gregg Renfrew of the Beautycounter, Tracey Cunningham of Mèche salon, former U.S. Ambassador Nicole Avant, venture capitalist Patrick Finnegan, and Sydney Holland of Urban and The Mystic. “Through this capital that we raised, $1 million with our friends and family, and...

Former NBA player Isiah Thomas is taking his champagne brand to the next level and expanding its consumer reach. The NBA Hall of Famer introduced his brand, Cheurlin Champagne, to U.S. customers back in 2016, making it the largest minority-owned champagne in the world. According to a news release , Thomas has now entered into an innovative tech partnership with Thirstie — the leader in e-commerce and logistics solutions for beverage alcohol brands — to build an innovative direct-to-consumer purchase option for customers via the Cheurlin website. “I take great pride in being able to expand Cheurlin Champagne to U.S. consumers,” said Chairman/CEO Thomas in a statement . “This partnership with Thirstie is the next step in that journey.” Cheurlin — which was founded in the Aube in 1788 — has continued its hands-on tradition of staking its name and reputation on crafting France’s finest Champagne. The brand’s full suite of products is now available for U.S. customers to purchase here ....