How to choose a name for your online store
The name of a future online store is often considered at the stage of website registration. Ideas are quickly reviewed, available domains are checked, and the process continues. As a result, dozens of similar, boring and meaningless names are born - ShopTop, MegaStore, ForYouShop - which are not memorable, get lost in search results and are not associated with anything.
A successful name in eCommerce is always well thought out, taking into account positioning and target audience. It has meaning and rhythm. It doesn't just ‘sound nice’; it attracts, stands out and is memorable, according to the experts at Betonlogos company.
How do you come up with such a name? Below are the main things to consider before clicking the ‘register domain’ button.
The name should be catchy and work for the image. For example, the marketplace Huckberry is a reference to Twain's character in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - the spirit of freedom, nature, and adventure. Or ASOS, short for As Seen On Screen, sounds short and modern and is well received in different languages. Betonlogos in Czech is associated with strength and ‘foundation, concrete’ for business, and in English - beton logos - ‘to bet on logic and reason’; in fact, the company is engaged in the automation and optimisation of routine business tasks.
Unsuccessful names, on the other hand, are often overly complex. They are difficult to pronounce, hard to remember, look strange in a domain name, or sound comical in other languages. Sometimes they are simply too generic and blend in with dozens of other similar projects.
The specialists at Betonlogos s.r.o. emphasise that the name of a small shop today can become famous tomorrow. This may not mean global fame, but rather a select circle of people who return again and again.
The name must be able to withstand growth — geographical, product-related, and semantic.
If you only operate in one country and the name is impossible to pronounce in English, this is a barrier to entering a new market.
You need to choose a ‘flexible’ name that is not tied to a single category in case of changes in the product range or niche.
A good name is a combination of phonetics (how it sounds), semantics (what it means), cultural context (what it is associated with) and, of course, strategy. It should be simple, but not boring. Unique, but not strange or pretentious. Emotional, but within the boundaries of the industry and market.
Why are some names memorable and others not?
Naming is an investment in scale
A good name works not only at the brand level, according to Betonlogos managers. It facilitates advertising, simplifies SEO, and looks attractive on packaging and social media.
It does not need constant explanations and clarifications. It can be incorporated into slogans, used as a hashtag, and used in spoken language.
Before approving a name, it is worth checking it for:
- sound and pronunciation
- legal purity (trademarks, domains)
- cultural associations in different languages
- the reaction of the target audience.
You can use focus groups, A/B testing in advertising, and surveys among real customers.
Naming is a marketing tool
An asset for years to come that will sell
The name of your website or online shop is an asset. If you are unsure about the name, ask yourself one question: ‘Does it help sell?’ If yes, it works. If no, keep looking.
Betonlogos s.r.o. offers you a checklist of ‘18 signs of a good name’. Use this list as a filter when choosing or testing a name:
- It evokes the right associations - with the product, emotion or benefit.
- Verbality – can it be turned into a verb? Example: ‘Google it’ or ‘Zoom me’.
- Long-term – will it go out of fashion in 2 years?
- Memorability – easy to remember after first contact.
- Brevity – 1-2 syllables or easily abbreviated.
- Aesthetics – looks good in a logo, on packaging, on Instagram.
- Ease of spelling – spelled as it sounds.
- Ease of pronunciation – easy to pronounce in both Russian and English.
- Internationality – does not sound strange in other languages.
- Starts with ‘A’ (optional) – helps to be higher in alphabetical lists.
- Scalability – suitable if you want to expand your product range.
- Unambiguity – no confusion, clear, simple.
- Positive meaning – avoid words with negative connotations.
- Legal clarity – domain name available, trademark can be registered.
- Modernity – does not sound outdated.
- Marketing suitability – looks good in advertisements and banners.
- Uniqueness – not similar to competitors.
- Relevance to the target audience – appeals to your customers.
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