Did you know that Nike began with the name Blue Ribbon Sports when the brand was first launched in the 60s? It was only in 1971 that an employee suggested a last-minute name change to Nike. It's hard to imagine Blue Ribbon Sports garnering the same success as Nike. Google, too, was called BackRub back in 1996. Honestly, can you see someone telling you, "Let me just BackRub it for you?"
So, what is it that makes for a good name for boutique? And how much of an impact can the boutique name ideas possibly have on its value as a brand? This article is here to tackle all of the questions you could possibly have about finding unique boutique name ideas for your online store.
What Makes Great Boutique Names for your Business?
Where are you currently failing in naming your brand with great boutique names? Just as there are good business names that clearly define what you do and make you stand out from the competition, there are also business names that aren’t so good or appealing. So, how to figure out which name works for your store, and what might backfire to your clientele? Let’s see the deal makers and breakers when it comes to naming your brand.
Source: FreePik
Find a tone synonym to your brand goals
Having a disjuncture between the tone of the name of your business versus what you actually do and the larger industry you form part of can be a disaster in the making for your brand. For instance, if your brand sells kids’ products and the target audience is a younger crowd, having a very serious tone for your name can be a major put-off for your customers.
So, what is the next step? Think through the purpose of your brand and create a vibe and tone that appeals to your target audience. If your boutique mainly caters to designing and delivering wedding attires, then having a tone denoting love, and excitement can work dramatically in your favor, reflecting great boutique names. For starters, you can think on the lines of- The Wedding Catalog, Beautiful You, or The White Brides. However, these are just suggestive names.
Overall across categories, our personal pick is- The States' Solly Baby online store. Having a cheerful tone, and the inclusion of the word baby with a rhyming prefix sets the tone for the brand and has been a great customer attraction, showcasing the impact of great boutique names.
What’s in a name? We say, Everything
resident360.com
Read more: 15 Trendy Boutique Names For Your Shopify Store in 2024
Naming kids is hard, but business is harder, especially when you have a niched target audience with specific needs, wants, and aura. Now, there are brands that have stepped out of the box of what you would expect a typical business in their industry to be named, highlighting the importance of simple boutique names.
Apple comes to mind, with its fruit-based name in an industry filled with names screaming tech. But if you would like to follow in the footsteps of Apple, ensure that the rest of your branding also speaks to that tone, and your brand doesn’t end up being a hotch-potch of different styles and messages.
Find a name that is simple, both in pronunciation and in spelling, and resonate with your values, and products as a founder. A shocking 80% of consumers forget branded material within just three days, as there is just too much info available to be able to retain it well. When already the stats are working against, why make things more complex? At the very least, you can ensure that they do not forget the name of your brand by not making it too complicated or long to remember. At the same time, while being simple, the name should also be memorable and grab people’s attention, a key trait of simple boutique names. One way to formulate such a name is to associate your brand with or create puns based on iconic songs or movies.
For instance, a fish & chips restaurant decided to name themselves ‘The CodFather’. Customers will surely not forget such an iconic name!
UgMonk is one such Shopify store that sticks true to its classy, quirky boutique business vibe, embodying innovative clothing store name ideas. The website's color combination, and aesthetics, too, match the overall name of UgMonk, showcasing how effective clothing store name ideas can enhance brand identity.
ugmonk.com
Names that have sentimental value also tend to do well. Keeping a name that speaks to an emotional or personal connection can help with emotional branding, where you are better able to form strong and lifelong relations with customers due to provoking their emotions. Statistics show that 89% of customers don’t feel any personal connection with the businesses and brands that they buy from.
This leaves a huge vacuum within the market and provides the perfect opportunity for your store to fill it up. But remember, if your name builds on an emotional element, make sure to market other elements of your store the same way, in order to build a continuous flow of emotional connections with your customers.
The name should also be descriptive, and the customer should get an instant idea about what you’re all about by reading your name. Being descriptive doesn’t mean being basic, boring, or predictable, it simply means that the name should allow customers to get the right idea about who you are, what your vision is, and what message you are trying to convey.
For instance, in 2018, Dunkin’ Donuts decided to shorten its name to just Dunkin’, in order to more accurately portray that it doesn’t just specialize in donuts. The name is still catchy and unique but gives a general idea about what the brand is all about.
Going Gen-Z with your brand styling
Your brand is different from others, and so should be its styling- in terms of both content and design. I remember Kwality Walls because of its name, more than the flavors of the ice-cream (pun intended!). One way to style your brand peculiarly is via acronyms.
Acronyms are used to shorten a longer descriptive name, and they don’t necessarily have any meaning in themselves. Using acronyms as names can also be a risky move, but it depends on the way you are using numbers, hashtags, or symbols, to convey your brand vibes, a creative angle for online shop name ideas.
However, keeping your business name as an acronym when your audience isn’t aware of its full name or at least what your brand is known for serves no purpose, and only confuses your audience. For instance, making your initials into your brand name is tricky, especially if your brand isn’t well known within the market you are targeting, as customers will simply see it as two or three letters devoid of any meaning.
Though, worry not, there ARE ways to utilize acronyms effectively. One way is to make them form a phonetically sound and pleasing word when you say them out loud. Nato and MoMA are some examples. Another organization that has successfully done this is MADD, or Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.Not only are the words phonetically sound, but it also portrays a meaningful acronym that points to, and humourizes, what the organization is about.
Using extra syllables, uncommon letters, and jargon might also seem like a creative strategy at first, as portrayed by brands like Xerox and Qdoba. But doing this makes it unnecessarily harder and more complicated for customers to pronounce your brand’s name. And if they can’t pronounce the name, why in the world would they want to buy from it?
Follow the below checklist from HubSpot to get an idea of what you should name, and not name your clothing boutique business, enhancing your quest for the perfect clothing store name ideas.
Source: HubSpot
Quick read: 300+ Gift Shop Names Ideas That Make Your Store Stand Out
Why Unique Boutique Name Ideas Important Anyway?
Well, brand names act as the initial arbiter of your brand’s value, and even a one-word name can convey to the customer the kind and quality of services you may provide.
The name of your brand, along with your products, websites, and services, all add to your brand value, determining the monetary worth of your brand. Your fashion boutique name is also the very first thing that customers interact with, and remember, first impressions can be long-lasting!
Taking the example of BURGA - a fashionable accessory boutique store. The name is easier to pronounce and is a simple extension of the word burger, making it a standout choice among simple boutique names and easier to remember. The only downside here is visitors, at first might think your online boutique is just another food and beverage company; but once they become repeat customers, the issue would be doable.
burga.com
Some Hacks To Find Catchy and Simple Boutique Names
Here are the most workable hacks business owners can use to create catchy boutique names:
- The easiest way to come up with a creative name for your brand is to use online name generators. Shopify has a name generator that allows you to write down random words related to what your brand is about, and generates a list of 100 names based on your suggestions.
- Or, and an alternative name generator can help you widen your horizons, and a chance for more permutations and combinations to use across. Boutique name generator by PageFly asks you to enter the industry and sub-industry that you are located within and provides you with 20 suitable online shop name ideas automatically depending your business niche and industry. You can mix and match with other name generators to help you in figuring out just the right name.
- Another hack is to name your business based on something close to you. You can use numbers from your birthdays and anniversaries or those of your loved ones. Some catchy names of brands that use numbers are Dream11 and Nintendo64.
- You could also keep the brand name based on your maiden name or even your favorite place. Some of the most successful big and small businesses, such as Gucci, Tata, Godrej, Henderson, and Waldron Private Wealth, did just the same.
- You could even play with the words a little bit and intentionally misspell them in order to make them sound more catchy. Kwality Walls, and Lyft are the perfect examples.
- Also make sure to do name brainstorming exercises, where you make a list that is meaningful to you and speaks to your brand, and then mention the different emotions and feelings that you want your customers to experience when they first come across your brand. Once you have about 20 words, start pairing the different words together, and see if you can come up with something unique and out of the box!
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Checklist for narrowing down your online shop name ideas
We cannot repeat this enough, make sure that the name is easy to remember! Also, ensure that pronouncing your brand’s name would not be a problem for a global audience and that the pronunciation doesn’t significantly change across different accents. Don’t let your brand name come in the way of building a global brand.
You should also put the name through the test of time by thinking about its relevance beyond 5 years. Names that may sound cliche today might be out of style by 2027!
Before finalizing the name, check for the availability of the website domain. Always choose .com over .io. The Shopify domain checker tool allows you to see whether the domain is available for your name. Also, make sure to do a social media namecheck. If in case, the name is not available, you can add a modifier like a shop or boutique at the end of your Instagram or Twitter handle.
Try to brainstorm and come up with a tagline and a logo that matches your brand name. Both of these should portray the same tone as your name. If you are going for a funny tone, both your tagline and logo should incorporate humorous elements in order to present a coherent picture of your brand.
50 trendy boutique name ideas for your store
If nothing else works, here are 50 boutique name ideas, including online shop name ideas, which you can get inspired from:
- Kaboom Fireworks
- Omnilert
- Hobby Lobby
- The Tiny Tassel
- Clink Inc
- The Moving Guys
- She Runs It
- Advisian
- ThinkSys
- Securiteam
- Knowza
- Adore Décor
- Well Walled
- Design On A Dime
- Dressify
- Stunners Hub
- Klassichic
- One Stop Tech
- Top Tech
- Processor Pros
- Moonlight Holidays
- Borderless Banking
- Confidensy
- Rebrave
- Fearlessify
- Sillycast
- Prosilly
- Oddify
- Comicalring
- Comicsbar
- Unicape
- Championing
- Profighter
- Herobar
- Cape & Warrior
- Baggie Boys
- Magic Registry
- Modern-A
- Toteally Trendy
- Clutch Closet
- Gripster
- Stanley 1913
- Eastside Urban
- Urban & Co
- Chic & I
- Magic’s Magicked
- Modernify
- Game of Phones
- Clean Girls
- Games Bond
Happy Naming!
