When brainstorming online boutique names, many women get stuck for months on trying to choose the absolute perfect sounding name without having a true barometer on what makes a name the best one for your online boutique business.
Keep reading to learn what to keep in mind when creating unique online boutique names.
I’ve also included a brainstorming exercise for you to complete so that you can get one step closer to actually starting an online boutique and ticking this task off of your checklist!
When choosing a unique online boutique name, there are eight [8] questions that I usually ask before making a decision. These questions keep you focused on the immediate effect you want to have on a potential customer.
First impressions are everything and you usually don’t get a second chance to make one.
So here are a few things to keep in mind when brainstorming business names for your online boutique:
What to Consider When Choosing An Online Boutique Name
1. Identify how you want your customers to feel when they hear the name. Will it be descriptive of your products or more abstract? Forever 21 feels youthful. Red Dress Boutique started with the story that every woman should have a red dress in her closet. Morning Lavender feels feminine and beautiful. So what type of emotional impact do you want to have on your customer?
2. Are there other people using the name? If so it might be best to look for another name for your boutique. You want your online boutique name to be unforgettable and help you stand out from your competition — not accidentally send them your customers!
3. Is it too trendy? Avoid slang terms. As cool as it sounds today, you’ll regret that choice in 5 years.
4. Is the name easy to read? Online boutique names that are hard to pronounce or with uncommon spellings can be difficult for potential customers to remember. If you decide to use an uncommon name, then also purchase the domains for the common spellings and redirect them all to your main site.
5. Is the name short and simple? Having a short, cute, or sassy name is great for several reasons. It makes your boutique memorable, it’s easy to pronounce, and effortlessly fits in the header of your online store’s homepage. You want to avoid having a super long name. That creates opportunities for misspellings and can make branding more difficult if you wanted to add your own tags to your items.
6. Is it ‘stop scroll worthy’? Ask yourself if your proposed business name would make your target customer stop in the middle of scrolling Instagram. Would they want to click on your name to look at your profile, learn more about you and what you have to offer? That’s how you can know if you’ve landed on an attractive name.
Technical Considerations to Think About When Selecting a Name for Your Online Boutique
7. Is the .com domain available? Go to Namecheckr to see if the domain name and social media usernames are available. Having your boutique name as the domain (i.e: Morning Lavender & http://www.morninglavender.com) makes it very easy for customers to find your boutique online. I purchase all of my domains from Namecheap. Why? They include FREE domain privacy protection with each purchase. No nickle-and-dime treatment. So make sure you secure everything you need.
8. Can you legally use the name? Make sure you’re legally allowed to use the business name you’ve come up with. And that it has not been trademarked by anyone else. If you do, you’ll have to change rebrand if/when that business discovers you’ve been using their name. Before finalizing a name, go o to The United States Patent and Trademark Office’s website. They have a free database called TESS that’s simple to search. Just put in the name you’re thinking about and look to see if there are LIVE trademarks in your category. If you do see it, it’s best to cross it out in your list of online boutique name ideas. If you don’t see anything pop up or you see DEAD trademarks pop up you can use the name for your business.
Brainstorming Exercise For Choosing A Unique Online Boutique Name
Make a list of words/numbers that are meaningful to you. This can include names of your children, birthdays, anniversaries, pets, spouse, parents, or grandparents. Then describe the feelings you want your customers to experience when they are in contact with your brand.
Once you have about 20 words, start pairing different words together.
Pro Tip: Use a thesaurus to come up with more words.
*Bonus Tip: If you get stuck on this part when its comes to how to choose an online boutique name, try translating a word to French or Spanish. Or use first letters to substitute for a full name. Example: your daughter’s name is Lillian, use L, “elle” or “ella” as you begin pairing words.
Keep pairing your list of words together and playing around with possibilities until something speaks to you.
Narrow it down your to a few of your favorite names and then go to Namecheckr to see if the domain name and social media accounts are available.
Once you have found a name that ticks off all the boxes then CONGRATULATIONS my friend! — it’s now time to take action and create the boutique of your dreams! 🎉
This article about buying a domain name and this one about forming an LLC will be helpful next steps.
What’s Next
You can confidently launch your online boutique this year… even if you’ve never sold anything online before!
In fact, you can do it in the next 3 months— without a fancy business degree, years of retail experience, or a huge following on social media.
Ready to go after your dream? Keep scrolling to take the first step!
