Shop Name Ideas For Your Online Store: A Comprehensive Guide [2024]

When was the last time you came across an amusing brand name?

Even if you didn't, several brand names like Nike, Apple, Amazon, and more cross your mind everyday. 

But what's in the name? What's with these unique brand names that stick in your head for life? That’s what we’re going to answer in this article.

We will start by exploring the facts and psychology behind a viral brand name. We'll also discuss how you can choose a simple yet mind-boggling business name with our online business name generator tool.

I. How Names Build Brands

A shop name is a by-product of your brand values, target market, linguistic screening, and effectective brainstorming sessions. All of this to give a name - ever wondered why?

If we tell you there's a shoe company manufacturing world-class shoes, you subconsciously get a list of brands in your head. That spontaneous resemblance is what qualifies a name as a brand.

Undoubtedly, there are plenty of brands worldwide that came into limelight due to their brand names. We've done some research to get you through some of those brands. Let’s have a look.

01. Nike

In Greek mythology, Nike represents the goddess of victory. However, the Greeks wouldn't be surprised to see Nike choke the likes of Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren.

But Nike didn't always have a victorious name. When the company was established in 1964, it was called Blue Ribbon Sports - which was too lengthy and boring to fit.

Later on, a full-time employee convinced the team to change "Blue Ribbon" to something more short, precise, and consists exotic letters like 'X,' 'K,' or 'Z.'

And hence, the world-famous NIKE brand was born.

02. Amazon

Did you know Amazon was initially named Cadabra? - taken from the word Abracadabra.

Jeff Bezos thought it to be magical until his lawyer felt Cadabra sounded more like cadaver.

Jeff, being on the same page, wanted to change the company name to something starting with an A and has a sense of "being humongous." 

As the largest river in the world - Amazon proved to be his ultimate inspiration. And then, we all know how Amazon took a dip in everyone's memory lane.

From the examples above, we found two things in common: the games were simple, yet they reflected a strong and exotic brand appearance.

It's quite clear how a brand name can stir the direction of your business and your customers' sentiments. 

If you intend to open an Amazon store and become an Amazon merchant, having a good store name is crucial for building your brand identity. Be sure to refer to our list of Amazon store names for inspiration, and try our Amazon store name generator tool for free to create a unique and memorable name that sets your business apart.

03. Etsy

Founded in 2005, the American e-commerce giant Etsy store has amassed over 7.5 million registered sellers. In 2021, the marketplace served over 96.3 million customers, generating a whopping $2.329 Bn in revenue for the year and is one of the most successful stores online.

So, how did it all start?

According to the Etsy shop, the reason behind the company's name is still a mystery.

But this made us more curious, and we drilled down the internet to find an answer. 

In a January 2010 interview for Reader's Digest, founder Rob Kalin finally revealed the secret:

"I wanted a nonsense word because I wanted to build the brand from scratch. I was watching Fellini's 8 ½ and writing down what I was hearing. In Italian, you say 'etsi' a lot. It means 'oh, yes.' And in Latin, it means 'and if.”

Rob Kalin played with the letters; he replaced 'I' with 'Y' to craft a unique and creative name for his company - Etsy.

Eventually, Etsy is an easy-to-spell word, making it more verbal and easy to remember for the audience. And that’s how the name came into existence.

Due to the unique name, if you do your business on Etsy, it helps your shop stand out from the rest of the crowd out there. Kindly refer to our list of ideal Etsy shop names & try out the Etsy shop name generator tool for free. 

From the examples above, we found two things in common: the names were simple, yet they reflected a strong and exotic brand appearance.

It's quite clear how a brand name can stir the direction of your business and your customers' sentiments.

For the most part of it, it's something within human psychology that makes certain words or names more attractive than others.

Brainstorming creative shop names and doing your own research for the same is the best way to get a catchy store name idea.

Let’s see how you can come up with some unique online store names with some best practices.

Read more:

• 100 Shopify Stores Examples To Inspire You Launch New Business
• How To Come Up With A Cosmetics Shop Name In 2024

II. How to Name Your Business

Instead of naming your business a random term, why not come up with a bunch of creative store names that reflect your brand value.

Like Amazon sounds quite fitting in comparing the world's largest river with the world's largest book store (amazon was an online book store when it started), the name uniquely resembles the company's strengths and connectivity.

So, for your business name to sound like or better than Amazon, here're a few tips to consider.

01. Know your audience

What's your target market? Who is your target audience?

Getting answers to these questions can certainly filter down your name choices. You will be able to figure out the style and overall tone of your business name that your audience can connect with.

An excellent way of doing this is by creating customer personas. An ideal customer persona should include your customers' wants, needs, and jobs.

02. Make it appealing

Short, easily pronounced, and on-point - are the three essential components of an appealing name.

Being appealing means your brand should be both interesting and pleasing. To do that, you can:

• Use acronyms or synonyms
• Create mix-ups
• Get inspiration from movies, competitors, mythology and literature
• Use foreign words
• Use initials of your name and your product name

Just put in all your creativity and once you've thought of a name, put it to the test.

An excellent way to test your name is by visualizing it in a slogan or advertisement. Moreover, you must get in your audience's shoes and imagine their perspective. Ask questions like:

• Would you remember the name after seeing or hearing it?
• Would you be interested in shopping from a shop with such a name?

For the most part of it, you can spread the name across your network, family, and friends to get feedback. 

03. Stalking your competitors store name idea (in a nice way, though)

To become a pioneer in your industry, you must conduct extensive research on your competitors.

Because they might be better than you in branding, marketing, or any department, it's important to know how they started and came up with their names. Then, maybe by following the same path, you might land a better name for your business.

To do so, create a list of your business competitors. Then, besides every business, write down how they landed on that specific name and how the name is doing for them.

Here are some questions that can ease your research process:

Q. Do they use specific keywords?

If yes, avoid using keywords similar to your competitors.

Q. Is there a common trend?

Try to find another opportunity to offer a unique selling point.

Q. What story or values does the name convey?

Customers should easily understand your business services in a name.

You should build a competitor-analysis document so you can quickly look over it for reference and future business decisions.

04. Shortlist store name ideas that are simple & brandable 

Your business name should be 2-3 words at max! Going beyond that makes it a phrase rather than a name.

Complex, long, or younger twister names aren't a great choice. It's simply difficult to remember and will eventually make the branding process harder.

Even though it's just a simple name, jumping to a conclusion will take a lot of effort and creativity. But, the outcome will surely set your business on a roll.

You can totally create a Google Sheet and fill it with shop name ideas that you come up with, then start shortlisting from there. Here is a Shop Name Ideas Google Sheet template from us for your reference.

05. Check for digital availability

Oftentime the business names that pop up right in your head are likely to be taken or are unavailable on all the social media. Now, why is this important?

Imagine Adidas Facebook account being named Abibas, Instagram account being named Addiddas, and Twitter being named Adidas. Will you even care to trust the brand's authenticity?

No, and you have your reasons to do so.

Apart from this, social commerce is a very powerful strategy to get more sales.

Therefore, it's important to choose a name that's appealing, fits your brand value, and is available for use on the internet.

06. Use PageFly's shop name idea generator

Now that you know what goes into a good online business name, you might have bombarded yourself with several crazy names.

However, before you hit the creative block and start visualizing some blurry names, our shop name idea generator can help you continue your hunt. 

PageFly's shop name ideas generator is an excellent tool to get amazing name ideas for online stores in a few clicks.

Although the ideas generated are real store names, you can always use them to enhance your ideas and come up with something unique.

Here's how you can get a pool of online store name ideas with the PageFly shop name idea generator in 3 easy steps.

To begin with, visit PageFly's Shop Name Idea Generator, and follow the below steps:

Step 1: Select Your Industry Type

You will come across a section to select your industry type. First, choose your industry. For example, we selected Apparel as our primary industry.

Step 2: Choose Your Sub-Industry

To refine your ideation process, select a sub-industry.

Step 3: Generate Ideas

After selecting your industry and sub-industry, click on Generate the brand name Inspiration List button.

That's all. You get thousands of shop name ideas presented to you within seconds.

If you are still unsatisfied with the provided names and want a more vivid search, simply click on Get More Ideas to roll out another list of ideas.

III. How To Choose A Business Name

With our business name generator tool, you get access to tons of shop name ideas such as lingerie store names or any type of businesses you like. However, at last, it's you who has to tweak an appealing name. Before finalizing a shop name, make it go through the checklist below.

• Is the name short and simple?
• Is the name easily pronounceable and spelled?
• Could the name be misinterpreted if translated into a foreign language?
• Will the name fit in if your business grows or scales?
• Is the name available online as domain, for branding, and for social media profiles?
• Is the name exciting to grab your potential customers' attention?

Once you've ticked all the checklist items, it's time to validate your brand name response. To do so, try sharing the name with your friends, family, or even random people. The more natural your validation process is, the more constructive feedback you collect.

Conclusion

Words have the power to attract or repeal your audience. This might sound philosophical, but this is how human psychology works.

There are examples where brands become immensely popular after rebranding themselves. For example, Burbn (Instagram), Confinity (PayPal), Odeo (Twitter), and many more.

So, naming your business is an understated process, but evidently the most significant one too.

Regardless of the number of companies getting into the market and new names plunging in every day, PageFly’s shop name idea generator can help you get thousands of cool store names that fairly suit your business at any time.