A catchy store name helps customers remember your brand and build long-term success. In fact, 77% of B2C consumers purchase items based on a brand name.
However, coming up with a catchy online store name can be challenging for new business owners. They have many tasks to do during the initial stages of business development, including determining the target audience and searching for startup funding.
This guide provides six tips to help you brainstorm memorable business name ideas. We also list three business name generators that can quickly provide a list of unique online shop names.
1. Learn the Target Audience
Different target audiences may favor particular brand names. For example, modern and trendy online shop name ideas suit a dress shop targeting urban youth.
Test a brand name to potential customers to understand if it’s a perfect option for your target audience.
To do so, follow the steps below:
Pick several names. Let’s say you sell female fashion items. The possible store names can be “Ellie & Co.” or “Lady Boutique.”
Choose metrics to test. Make questions to measure names’ credibility, relevance to your business, and uniqueness.
Ask the respondents’ opinions about each name. Run a focus group or distribute questionnaires.
Examine the results. Gather the responses and see which name most people like. Use a word cloud to visualize respondents’ comments.
2. Consider Your Domain Name and Legal Issues
Check if the domain name is available when brainstorming online business names. You can’t make a web address yours if other online stores are already using it. Therefore, list possible business names and go to a domain name checker tool to ensure their availability.
If your desired name is taken, pick alternatives provided by the tool or contact the domain name’s owner to buy it and negotiate the price.
Also, avoid having the same name as competitors, especially if they have registered the name as a trademark because it can lead to legal issues. To do this, go to your country’s trademark database and make sure your preferred name is original.
3. Describe What You Sell
Naming the business over your products or services is the easiest way to come up with a business name and let people know what you offer. Examples are “Dog Food” and “Car Insurance.” Many websites use the exact match names to rank well on search engines. However, Google mentions that this kind of domain indicates keyword stuffing and over-optimization.
To avoid this issue, consider combining the main phrases with other words, such as “Paws and Tails’ Dog Food” and “Felix Car Insurance.” You can also translate the names. For example, name the dog food business “Skylos Food” – “dog” translated from Greek.
Many companies also tend to represent the brand identity in their online store names. No wonder many brands use the owners’ names, family members, or phrases related to their values. For instance, sustainability businesses often integrate earthy words like green, tree, and eco.
4. Use Easy-to-Spell Words
To attract new customers, find catchy online shop names that are easy to say, spell, and remember. Picking a complex name with tricky spelling or numbers can confuse your target audience.
Consider using a radio test to check if people can easily understand your company name when they hear it for the first time. To do this, call friends or relatives, give them the prospective eCommerce business name, and ask them to spell it. Choose that name if your friends catch it immediately.
If you plan to target an international market, check for language translation. This ensures that you don’t name your own online store after crude terms in other languages.
5. Experiment With Wordplay
Wordplay refers to a literary technique to amuse readers and create puns or implicit meanings.
Many successful online stores have used this strategy to name their businesses.
Here are some wordplay techniques to come up with a catchy shop name and some brand examples:
- Integrate alliteration. If you have two words, begin each word with the same consonant sound. Examples are Dunkin’ Donuts and Bed Bath & Beyond.
- Play with sounds. Use rhyming words to make a short and snappy name, such as Mello Yello and Shake ‘n Bake.
- Apply metaphor. Give meaning to your creative business name. For instance, Pandora has named its jewelry company after the first mortal woman in Greek mythology.
6. Use a Name Generator
Even with previous methods, creating creative online store names can still be challenging. This is where name generators come in handy by instantly providing various name suggestions. You only need to insert a few keywords into the search box, and the tool will generate alternative names.
3 Free Name Generators
This section will list the top three name generators that are completely free.
SquadHelp
SquadHelp is an AI-powered online shop name generator offering hundreds of name collections. It’s possible to filter the options by syllables, emotions, and length.
Looka
This store name generator will group the online store name ideas into three categories – Invented names, Compound names, and Multiword names. If you click one of the suggestions, a pop-up sidebar will display the details, like search volume and logo ideas.
Namelix
This tool will let you pick the name based on its length and style, like brandable names or rhyming words, to help narrow down the options. The results will come in clickable logos and you can edit them right away.
Conclusion
A unique shop name makes the brand more memorable and increases sales. However, brainstorming unique names for online stores can be overwhelming, especially for new entrepreneurs.
Here are six ways to choose a perfect business name for an online store:
- Understand your target audience.
- Check the domain name’s availability and trademark.
- Mention the product or service and brand identity.
- Pick an easy-to-spell online shop name.
- Play with literary devices, like a metaphor and alliteration.
- Use a business name generator.
By following these steps, you’ll get a list of catchy business name ideas and pick the most suitable one for your company. Good luck!
