Mandy Bowman, founder and CEO of Official Black Wall Street, a discovery app for Black-owned businesses, has relaunched its platform to propel the Buy Black movement and increase consumer spending with Black-owned brands, just in time for the Juneteenth holiday. After months of testing and extensive user research, the new iteration features geolocation technology and map searches — two elements designed to make finding Black products and services easier than ever.
In 2016, Mandy launched Official Black Wall Street (OBWS) to encourage Black ownership and provide consumers with a comprehensive, user-friendly directory of Black-owned businesses around the world. Over the last eight years, Bowman has built her team and grown the OBWS app to feature thousands of Black-owned businesses in the United States, the U.K., Canada, and more.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, OBWS took a step back to analyze how consumers and business owners have adapted to changes in buying and selling. The app relaunch marks the culmination of over a year’s worth of research with the new iteration being available in the App Store and Google Play Store today.
The Official Black Wall Street app provides dual benefits for consumers and entrepreneurs. Consumers have access to the following app features and highlights:
• Discovery Features–Discover Black-owned products, services, and brick & mortar businesses
• Business Recommendations–Receive business recommendations based on preferences and interests
• Business Snapshots–Learn more about business founders, products, services, location, and more
• Geolocation Notifications–Receive notifications when a listed Black-owned business is nearby
• Map Search–See an overview of nearby businesses when using the map view
• Personalized Collections–Create private or public collections of favorite products, services, and businesses
• Review and Rate–Use the upvote feature to rate favorite brands and comment on products and services
When signing up for the app, Black entrepreneurs have the opportunity to:
• List their business for free and add their most popular products or services to their shop
• Receive free, unlimited legal services with OBWS Premium Membership (at $39/month) in partnership with the global law firm Baker Botts
• Receive free, high-resolution product images and resources from major brand partners
• Notify users of promotions, events, and more with in-app targeted messaging
• Interact with customers and potential leads in real-time
• Measure and optimize shop performance and exposure with analytics tools
• Advertise across the OBWS app
The OBWS app has connected thousands of consumers with Black-owned businesses, and the list continues to grow. The platform and its features are opening the door to a new, high-performance experience for all users to #BuyBlack.
“Black buying power reached a record $1.6 trillion in 2021, and it is time that those funds reach Black entrepreneurs and their businesses,” Bowman said.
Download the Official Black Wall Street app, on Android and Apple devices, HERE and help further the Buy Black movement. If you’re a Black entrepreneur, sign up to list your business HERE.
