Making it easier for consumers to find Black-owned businesses online can lead to a substantial increase in their demand, according to new research. The study, conducted by Johns Hopkins Carey Business School Professor Michael Luca, in collaboration with UC Berkeley Professor Abhay Aneja and Washington University Professor Oren Reshef, examined the effects of a policy implemented by Yelp beginning in mid-2020, which allowed restaurants to self-identify as Black-owned and enabled users to more easily search for Black-owned businesses. The research found that restaurants with a “Black-owned” label saw an increase in customer engagement, as measured by online traffic, calls, orders,…
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