AMAZON – The “everything store” has quite a fascinating history. Have you ever wondered how this topmost E-commerce website got its name? The history behind its name is as engaging as the wide range of products it delivers. Interesting, right? So, let’s look at the perfect answer to why is Amazon called Amazon after the world’s largest rainforest and longest river i.e. Amazon.
Why is Amazon called Amazon?
The name came up after several trail names that were rather unreasonable. After Cabadra.com to Awake.com, Browse.com, Aard.com, Bookmall.com, and Relentless.com, Bezos finally took refuge in the dictionary and went on to scan up, finally settling in for it.
He took up the name with the reference being to the largest river in the world not by its reach of it, but by its depth and drainage of it. He firmly believed the “A” in “Amazon” will always stand out first alphabetically and also his main view was to introduce it as the vastest online selling bookstore. Look at it now, the world’s largest “everything store”.
From “Amazon: The Book Store” To “Amazon: The Everything Store”
Starting with books, Jeff Bezos was always visionary about his company being a store that would deliver any and everything in the top e-commerce retail world. The makeshift office at the beginning was in a garage. Every little hard work has finally paid off to get this company the name it has today.
Let’s look a little deeper into the history
Originally, back in the 1990s back when CEO Jeffrey Bezos was working on the website with regards to developing it as the largest bookstore, he decided to name it “CADABRA, INC”. The main motive here was to link to the reference word “abracadabra” i.e. nothing but a term used in magic. However, the lawyer intended to refer to the website as “cadaver” which is nothing but unsuitable as well objectionable leading to the brand sink.
Furthermore, in the mid-90s, Bezos and his then-wife Mackenzie went on to look for more suitable names. Indeed, it wasn’t an easy job to settle in for an eye-catching yet relatable name for a company.
The duo went on to register various names that still work indirectly and link you to the official page of its today. However, it still wasn’t working out and Bezos had to find a middle ground.
Time and again the name was often not impressive enough until one fine day Jeff finally walked into his garage which was the then office of the company and announced the name “Amazon”. That is when the new and final URL was registered on November 1, 1994.
According to Bezos, the name was established with a view of having a large reservoir of retail products and thus this name was considered.
The most quoted from the book “The Everything Store” by author Brad Stone, while breaking the news of the name of the company Bezos said, “This is not only the largest river in the world, it’s many times larger than the next biggest river. It blows all other rivers away”.
It indeed has taken the world by a swirl making it the largest and most preferred e-commerce website.
Amazon over the years…
Setting up a company requires a lot of perseverance and that is something Jeff Bezos put in dedicated leading to getting its position today.
From getting started in his garage, he now owns a huge company with a net value of nearly more than $300 billion.
Today, it stands out to be the first choice option to check anything and everything. It stands out to be A1 and indeed A-Z.
Some interesting facts about Amazon
Besides the intriguing and tedious history behind its name, it tends to have some interesting facts like:
- It is known to have about 6000 dogs at its Seattle work campus. Indeed, a wonderful pet-friendly environment.
- Besides finding most of the day-to-day things, the only things that can’t be purchased on Amazon are houses, live pets, cars.
- Amazon’s logo depicts a smile that goes from A to Z meaning that it’ll deliver everything to anyone from any place in the world.
- Every employee spends two days every two years working at the customer service desk. Even the CEO.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does Amazon operate worldwide?
- Yes, it is currently the largest online marketplace serving countries worldwide.
- Is Jeff Bezos still the CEO of Amazon?
- Jeff Bezos stepped down as CEO of Amazon on 5 July 2021, after 27 years since he started the e-commerce giant in a garage.
- Do the employees of Amazon get a special discount on their purchases?
- It offers a 10% employee discount. They cap the annual discount at $100.
