Question

Topic: Taglines/Names

Website Name For An Indian Arts And Crafts Website

Posted by Anonymous on 12/8/2009 at 10:16 AM ET 250 Points
Hi folks,

I intend to create a website for selling handmade Indian arts and craft items like jewelery boxes, silk cushions, eco friendly newspaper bags, Indian tote bags, clay lamps, etc. Basically, hand made Indian odds and ends. I need your help with the website/business name for it. I want something swanky and hip with an Indian connotation. Love 'The Silk Route' but it's a premium domain name. Other options are - 'Dancing Ganesha' and 'An Indian Breeze', etc. I also want to stay with something that most people (especially Americans) will find easy to remember, spell and type.

Any suggestions that you provide are greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!
To continue reading this question and the solution, sign up ... it's free!
SUBSCRIBE
Or, SIGN IN

RESPONSES

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 12/8/2009 at 11:40 AM Accepted
    Continuing on Phil's suggestion, the domain HandmadeFromIndia.com is available, should you be interested.

    If you want swanky/hip, then you risk the chance that no one will know what you're selling. Any of the following Indian cultural words could be part of your name (see anything that you like?): moksha, yogi, rishi, puja, havan, deepam, banyan, vilva, asoka, amla, tulsi, betel, lotus, aum, tilak, bindi, rudraksha, kalash, vaastu shastra (but if the name doesn't resonate with your target audience, they won't "get" the connection).
  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 12/8/2009 at 11:54 AM Accepted
    Dear parul_mishra,

    Hmm. Even as a Brit living here in the US—and had you not mentioned Ganesha—I would have presumed that you were referring to the crafts of Native Americans such as Sioux, Cree, and Chippewa to name but three.

    Many Americans would think this way because they would not ordinarily connect the country of India with the term "Indian arts and crafts".

    This reveals a fundamental flaw. Think about it. I'm British and
    you confused me. How much more confused might the average American be were you not clear in your message that you mean the COUNTRY of India?

    This means your "want" for a name that is swanky and hip is, alas, irrelevant. Your company name must CLEARLY telegraph what it is you're offering.

    This means there must be no doubt in the minds of potential customers. No doubt AT ALL. Doubt in marketing is a bad thing. Doubt introduces the ability to NOT decide to take action. You
    don't want this, at least, not if you want to make any money.

    At the moment, the following domain names are available from www.namecheap.com:

    HandmadeCraftsFromIndia.com
    ArtsAndCraftsFromIndia.com

    Plus other variations. These names, although lacking swank and hipness, CLEARLY tell people what you offer.

    I hope this helps. Good luck.

    Gary Bloomer
    Wilmington, DE, USA

  • Posted on 12/8/2009 at 3:14 PM Author
    Phil, Jay, Gary,

    Thank you for your responses! You make an excellent point - most Americans are likely to confuse the word 'Indian' for native Americans. There are actually two reasons why I want to stay away from names like 'Arts and Crafts from India' and want to go with generic names like 'The Silk Route', 'Dancing Ganesha', etc. First, there are plenty of websites online right now that sell arts and crafts from India (India-crafts, CraftsinIndia, ArtofLegendIndia, etc). The products that I intend to sell are not restricted to arts and crafts. They span from cushions and drapes to hand made clay lamps and Christmas ornaments. The common theme tying all products is that they are inspired by Indian colors, designs and materials. Second, I am targeting the smaller elite class with a keen aesthetic sense and admiration for handmade gift items. To attract them, I need a swanky name with an Indian connotation, but not necessarily the word 'Indian' in the website name. I can pull traffic to the website through keywords, affiliate programs, etc but for the most part, am relying on social networking and word of mouth marketing. Kind of like the 'Manduka' yoga mats. A regular yoga mat is priced anywhere from $10 to $25 and is easily searchable through Google. The word 'Manduka' does not give any indication of yoga, is hard to remember/spell and is priced at $100. Yet, Manduka is a rage in the yoga community, especially with the elite, organic tote carrying class of yogis.

    So, again, I am looking for out of the ordinary, hip and swanky name for a website selling handmade gift items inspired by, but not restricted to, Indian culture.

    Thanks for your time,
    Ana

  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 12/8/2009 at 9:07 PM Member
    Dear Ana,

    Your "smaller elite class with a keen aesthetic sense and admiration for handmade gift items"? Guess what? That's me.

    I'm serious. I have a small collection of Indian arts and craft items, and if you make a go of this, great—good luck to you and please, be sure to drop me a line to tell me I was wrong.

    But if your venture lasts less than 18 months, remember, "hip", "swanky", "catchy", and "out of the ordinary" are often less than effective when it comes to being selling strategies.

    It's not the name that makes the company, it's the value and benefits and the needs that are met and expectations that are exceeded that make the difference and that keep people coming back.

    Home on the Raj
    Orient and Empire
    Karma and Dharma
    Indian Empress
    Indian Skies
    Inspired By India
    Oriental Inspirations

    I hope these help. Good luck to you.

    Gary Bloomer
    Wilmington, DE, USA
BACK TO TOP

Post a Comment

Related Discussions

Community Info

Top 25 Experts
(Taglines/Names)