Choosing the right Amazon seller name is one of the most important business decisions you will ever make. Your Amazon seller name is essentially your brand on the marketplace. It will be forever associated with your brand image, what gives customers the right (or wrong) impression of you and what you sell.
You want everyone to associate you with satisfaction. This means choosing an Amazon seller name that identifies you with quality products and service. But you also need something that distinguishes you from everyone else so that you will be easy to remember and pick out from the stew of other sellers out there. And you definitely want an Amazon seller name that correctly represents what your business stands for.
Choosing an Amazon seller name is certainly a challenge, but the steps below will guide you as you filter out your options.
Choosing the right Amazon seller name is one of the most important business decisions you will ever make. Your Amazon seller name is essentially your brand on the marketplace. It will be forever associated with your brand image, what gives customers the right (or wrong) impression of you and what you sell.
You want everyone to associate you with satisfaction. This means choosing an Amazon seller name that identifies you with quality products and service. But you also need something that distinguishes you from everyone else so that you will be easy to remember and pick out from the stew of other sellers out there. And you definitely want an Amazon seller name that correctly represents what your business stands for.
Choosing an Amazon seller name is certainly a challenge, but the steps below will guide you as you filter out your options.
Three Foundational Points
As you begin the exercise of choosing an Amazon seller name, there are a few points that you need to keep in mind. These are foundational aspects of the process that are really non-negotiable.
First, your business name, domain name, brand name and Amazon seller name should match to some degree. They don’t have to be exactly the same, but they should link up in some way so that they are easily associated with one another.
Your Amazon seller name must incorporate your brand name, however, which should be an exact match for your domain name. This way, optimizing your listings and marketing offsite will go much more smoothly. If that dotcom is not available, you really should choose a different brand name. Yes, even the domain extension is important.
Second, keep who you are in mind. Your mission statement shows the qualities of your business and should guide your selection. Understand who you are as a brand, the types of products you intend to sell, and your target market. This means having a business plan, and being able to summarize it in a single sentence.
Third, know what type of seller you are. You may find that you may not have to stress so much about your Amazon seller name after all. If you’re a 3rd part seller with a wide range of products – essentially a reseller – then your brand does not matter as much because you aren’t building a reputation for branded products. Whether you buy wholesale or do retail arbitrage, you’re selling products that are already branded. So all you need to worry about is making sure your Amazon seller name supports you as a reputable seller.
If, on the other hand, you’re doing private labeling or have your own unique products, you do need to pay close attention to your choice of Amazon seller name. You have your own line of branded products, which means that they’re intimately tied in with your brand name. You want to make sure that people recognize you as the sole legitimate source of these products. Branding in this case is absolutely key.
Key Factors in Choosing an Amazon Seller Name
These are the major aspects of an Amazon seller name that make it effective. Use these factors to help you brainstorm ideas and eliminate or modify what doesn’t fit.
1. Make it Memorable
You need shoppers to remember you without effort, whether or not they’ve purchased from you before. This is a vital aspect of marketing that has held true over the centuries. Your name needs to be short, not more than three words. It also needs to be catchy, maybe something already familiar. But remember to make it unique so that it stands apart from other brands. This way, it stays in the minds of anyone who sees or hears it, and they know exactly who it refers to.
2. Be Professional
You want to appeal to your target market, but you also want to exude quality. Using a name that doesn’t elicit confidence will turn buyers away. You need a name that connotes legitimacy so that it prompts a purchase. You do not want to look amateurish, careless, incompetent or dishonorable.
3. Be Positive
Make sure that the words you choose to make up your Amazon seller name have only positive connotations that elicit good vibes. You do not want to give anyone an even slightly negative feeling when they encounter your brand. This would be a prime example of getting off on the wrong foot – without even any actual interaction taking place.
Even if the name is humorous – which is a happy vibe – using a negative word can have more negative effects than the positive ones you get from your attempt to be funny.
4. Using Keywords
If you plan to sell one type of product, then it can make a lot of sense to incorporate a main keyword in your Amazon seller name. For instance, selling exclusively in the household or apparel category can make it great for SEO to have these words in your name. Keywords like cleaner or hair for a more specific range of products is even better.
5. Stay Evergreen
Using keywords in your Amazon seller name will limit your business, however. If you ever want to expand away from these types of products, your name will no longer be suitable. It can even create a dissonance that elicits discomfort in your target market. Imagine, for instance, the brand Sioux City Shoes trying to sell fine jewelry internationally. High-end shoppers would not have a lot of confidence in this seller’s credibility where quality gems are concerned.
Of course, a localized name like Sioux City Shoes isn’t great to begin with because Amazon is a marketplace that serves the entire country and the world, but you get the point. You need to make sure that your name remains suitable for your business moving forward. This is even more true of your business entity, which should be as broad as possible to allow for niche changes down the road. After all, you can’t know for sure what’s going to work for you and what isn’t.
6. Avoid Generic Names
If the keyword issue didn’t confuse you, you’re probably scrunching up your brows at this point. Yes, it’s good to have keywords for better searchability and also important to be evergreen so that your business can change without making your Amazon seller name obsolete. But you have to find a balance again between an Amazon seller name that’s too generic – boring, forgettable – and one that’s interesting yet not limiting.
In addition, common names are usually already taken, which will make it difficult for you to find an available one. You also don’t want to be confused with another seller who has a very similar name. You never know, they might be awful to customers and you don’t want to get sucked into that mess through no fault of your own. Plus, you want to stand out and not be just one of a million online shops.
7. Don’t Be a Copycat
You may be thinking that you can get a lot of hype early on without much effort by choosing an Amazon seller name that’s similar to an already well-established brand with an awesome reputation. This can only get you into trouble. Big brands take copyright very seriously – they’ve invested a lot into building up their brands, and they aren’t going to let anyone get away with stealing some of their mojo away. As soon as you start making waves, they’ll notice and get you shut down.
Brainstorming Your Amazon Seller Name
Armed with the basic principles of choosing a great Amazon seller name, you can take the brainstorming step intelligently. Whether you prefer jotting down ideas on paper or using mind mapping software, the point is to get as many good ideas down as you can. Just let your mind go and keep referring back to the points above to guide you.
Business Name Generators
You may already have quite a few ideas, or you may need some additional help to get the creative juices flowing. This is where business name generators come in handy.
The best way to use name generators is to start with your initial ideas. These could be fresh names that you’ve thought up, or other business’ names that you think are great.
Plug those into the generator software and it will give you a list of additional ideas to consider. Check these against the factors above, sort them and come up with a shortlist that you can check against domain and Amazon name availability.
Here’s a list of tools you can try:
NameStation Domainr Wordroid Impossibility!
Name Robot Domain Hole Lean Domain Search Domain Hole namespinner
Anadea Business Name Generator
Final Thoughts
This exercise should give you what you need to choose the best Amazon seller name for your business. There are no shortcuts here, just solid tips to guide you in the process. It’s not a magic formula, so be patient and careful you’ll find the name that fits just right with who you are and moves shoppers down the sales funnel faster.
