Naming virtual stores is an activity that requires responsibility
How do you name online stores? This is a question that every entrepreneur like you asks themselves, and sometimes others, at some point during the creation and implementation phases of an e-commerce business . It seems like an easy task, but it's not at all.
A name can confer a concept and give direction to an e-commerce company. And depending on its success in the market, that name could last 5, 10, 20 years, maybe 50 years or, who knows, a few centuries. Therefore, your choice – as well as the choice of a child's name – requires responsibility.
So, in this article, I list some tips so you can choose the perfect name for your online store and guide it to success from the beginning. Check out!
Tips on how to choose names for online stores
Brazil currently has approximately 450 active e-commerce sites, according to data from Big Data Corp, which makes the job of naming virtual stores quite difficult, since the names cannot be repeated or similar.
Fortunately, there are many techniques that can help you create unique and thriving names for your business, here are some of them:
– Context and concept:
Creating a name requires understanding the context or niche in which your e-commerce falls and, based on that, generating a concept that can be translated into a term. Let the Submarino store say so, which refers to a consumer diving into a sea of products.
– Prefixes and suffixes:
The prefix “poly” means “multiplicity”. It is used in the name of the Polishop store, for example, which in turn can mean multiple purchases. Attach a prefix or suffix to another word from the context in your e-commerce niche and create a brand new term.
– Augmentative and diminutive:
Want to convey a feeling of affection to the audience? Then use words in the diminutive as the stores “Bonequinha show” and “Emporio da papinha” do. But if you want to convey amplitude, use terms in the augmentative, as the website “Atacadão” does.
– Words that inspire:
Depending on the type of product you sell, you can use words that evoke emotions in consumers. The word "beautiful" used by the online store "Coisa linda da mami" created by the e-commerce agency E-Plus and the word "love" from the website "Amor amora" are examples of this.
- Key words:
Also try using a keyword specific to your business niche as the “My new car” site does. However, remember that if one day you want to expand your business to sell motorcycles, this name may lose its validity.
– Combinations:
Do like the “Chocolândia” store, which refers to chocolate with Disneyland or like the “Fast Shop” that mixes the terms “fast” (fast) with “shop” (shopping). Also combine your niche keywords with founders' initials, etc.
- Acronyms:
FIAT is “Italian Family Getting in the Way of Traffic” right? Of course! This acronym stands for “Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino”. The Latin word "fiat", in turn, means "do". In short, creating acronyms can work. At least it worked for Fiat.
– Possession:
In some cases, you can work on the feeling of ownership, as the e-commerce sites “Meu Timão” and “Meu Cabelo Natural” do, as well as the “Minha Roupinha” and “Minha Diva” stores.
– Specific place or name:
“Casas Bahia” and “Magazine Luiza” respectively employ a place/region and a proper name in the composition. You can do the same if the place or name of the person in question has relevance to your business.
These are some resources you can use to create names for your online stores. Also pay attention to the usability of the name, as shown below.
About usability of names for online stores
When creating names, think about their usability when reading them, writing them, listening to them and memorizing them. All this needs to be easy. Understand:
– Short and memorable:
Apple, Vtex, Kabum!, are all short names, with a maximum of five letters, which facilitates memorization. Think about this when creating your store name.
– Loudness:
Avoid names that can generate cacophony such as the words “porcada”, which, when read, generate the sound “porcada”. The final sound of the name needs to be pleasant.
– Spell is required:
Complex letters like wey are not a good idea to use in a name as they make spelling difficult and can lead to a lot of confusion.
- To write:
Complex letters also make writing difficult. For example, the letters “y” and “i” in the same word cause confusion, as no one really knows what order to put them in.
In addition to usability, also remember to check if the name you chose already exists on the market. Find out how to do this below.
How to check the availability of names for online stores?
To verify if the brand you created already exists, you will need to contact the National Institute of Industrial Property (Inpi). If it doesn't already exist, take care to register it, so you can legally protect yourself from copies and misuse.
To find out if your brand already has a domain on the internet, go to the website “Registro.br”. If the domain does not yet exist, register it in your name so that you can create an e-commerce site with the name you have chosen.
Finally, I would like to say that you should not only cling to the techniques presented here, that is, read other tutorials and even books on the subject before creating names for virtual stores. Remember, a good name can be the key to the success of your e-commerce business.
