Wayfair’s Black Head of Supplier Diversity Recognized For Increasing Black E-Commerce

A Black Wayfair program leader has been recognized for her efforts in increasing the number of Black suppliers for the e-commerce company.

Shardé Marchewski, head of supplier diversity at Wayfair, was named to Modern Retail‘s inaugural Vanguard list for creating opportunities for Black suppliers to partner with Wayfair. The list, created by the well-known media brand specializing in retail, highlights people leading new developments.

Wayfair, the popular e-commerce company selling home goods and furniture, encourages Black-owned brands to grow, thanks to Marchewski’s supplier diversity program. “All we’re doing is helping [these businesses] do what they know how to do,” Marchewski said, explaining that Black-owned businesses “have great power, they know how to get in front of customers and know how to sell. We’re just leveraging our portion of the market.”

The Modern Retail Vanguard list recipient helps Black business owners get more exposure for their products through in-person meetups and feedback as well as account teams that assist with financials.

Wayfair’s Celebrate Black Makers landing page allows customers to search for products by Black-owned businesses by using a filter. In so doing, Marchewski told Modern Retail, “We’re highlighting suppliers that you might not be able to find easily.”

According to Wayfair’s website, Marchewski, who led Wayfair’s WayBlack employee resource group in 2018, ensures the “company’s commercial strategy is inclusive of underrepresented groups.” She told Modern Retail she hopes to bring in more women and Latinx suppliers.