Importance of Brand & Image
The brand and image of a business are vital to its success. Strong brands can generate customer trust, which is particularly important in e-commerce where there are often concerns over privacy and security.
There are several branding options. You could use an existing brand name for the new venture, create a new internet brand name or co-brand with another business. Closely linked to these decisions is the choice of domain name for your website.
Using existing brand names
Using an existing brand name can make sense if the brand is well known and has a strong reputation. However, you risk jeopardising your brand's good name if your new venture is not successful.
Creating a new brand
If you want to create a new e-commerce brand then a good name is extremely important. Some factors to consider when selecting a new brand name are that it should:
- suggest something about the product
- be short and memorable
- be easy to spell
- translate well into other languages
- have an available domain name
Co-branding
Co-branding occurs when two businesses put their brand name on the same product. This practice is quite common on the internet and has proved to be a good way to build brand recognition.
Domain names
Whatever e-commerce brand name you decide upon, it is essential that the internet domain name is available to support this. A strong domain name can be a great help in enabling customers to find your site.
If the domain name you'd like has already been taken you could offer to buy the domain name from the registered user. If this is not possible and you feel that the registration appears to be an infringement of your trademark then you should seek formal legal advice.