Much has been written about how millennials are killing this or that industry; how they can’t afford to buy homes because they spend all their money on avocado toast (as if that’s a legitimate correlation). In the midst of all the breathless editorializing, a picture of millennial consumers has emerged showing that their generation, more than any other to date, values representation and diversity, and their spending habits reflect those values.

IBM launched the first supplier diversity program in 1968 in response to the civil rights movement. Many other corporations of all sizes followed IBM’s lead in creating their own supplier diversity programs, whether to gain access to federal contracts or as part of their corporate values statements.

In June, we released the third annual State of Supplier Diversity Reports with informative and comprehensive results from over 450 respondents in the industry.

Between the supplier diversity professionals managing and growing their companies’ programs, and the diverse suppliers on the other side of them, both reports provided us with extensive insight into the industry.

We're living in the age of the smartphone, and with that technology come the millions of apps we use collectively every day. According to Statista’s 2019 report, mobile app usage is on the rise, and it’s expected to climb further as millenials and Gen Z continue to show a preference for mobile apps over desktop software. 

For most business functions, quantifying return on investment, or ROI, is an imperative.

It is no different for supplier diversity. ROI applies to companies that already have a solid program as well as to those that are considering or are just starting to build a program. This means that you need to be prepared to quantify the value that supplier diversity brings to your organization in comparison to the investment that applies.