“[In 2017] brandable domain names will continue to be a popular form of investment for many domainers.” – James Iles
Some brandable domains are classic. I’m talking about names like NatureLab ($22K), FoodFuture ($25K), MarketingToday ($1.5 mill), and Altavista ($3.2 mill). But if you’re like me and you’re focused on brands for startup companies with relatively shallow pockets, then brandable names and keywords can be a bit more temporal, jumpy and trending.
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As 2017 rolls clearly into view I’m looking back at the events and forces that shaped the brandable domaining space this past year. From where I sit there were a number of notable changes and events that impacted the brandable domain niche and could have an influence on our domain strategies moving forward. They’re at least worth noting and considering as we look ahead, evaluate and visualize for the coming year.
Sales & inventory are up
Self-reported sales at leading brandable marketplaces continue to improve. Although they’ve yet to release their 2016 sales totals, BrandBucket reported in their May Sellers Newsletter, that “Q1 sales dramatically outpaced last year’s Q1 and early Q2 sales.” This indicates a potentially strong sales increase year over year. Simultaneously, brandable marketplace inventories increased dramatically with some marketplaces almost doubling their 2015 inventory levels.
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Brandroot, the fast growing and popular brandable domain name marketplace run by Michael Rader launched a newly designed website earlier this week. The reboot brings an updated, cleaner, more contemporary and stylish look to Brandroot.com. Featuring a new logo, streamlined design and an improved range of new features, the new site provides potential buyers with easier access to brand domain names most relevant to their industry and business idea and a improved checkout process.
Unique to the industry is Brandroot’s “favourite and share” feature for entrepreneurs looking to buy a name for their business idea but who would like input from business partners, friends or family. The way this works is that they favourite each name they like while browsing through Brandroot’s inventory, compiling a small catalogue of their favourite names in the process. They can then share their short-list of names by email or through a custom link on Facebook, twitter or LinkedIn and invite people to cast a vote to help them make a choice: (more…)