Your name is something that plays a quite important role in defining your identity. You get labeled by the name for the rest of your life. You do not want to be stuck with something that makes you have to correct every person who pronounces it. Naming your kid and your company can arguably be just as hard. You never want the name to be a limitation. Be it because you are trying to completely switch directions. A name can make or break the way in which a company is perceived. Take Amazon as a prime example, the naming process can be a tedious task. But essentially, getting it right is just as important.
The Naming Process
In 1995, during Amazon’s first launch, CEO Jeff Bezos had a vision for the company. A vision that drew a picture of Amazon experiencing significant growth. So much so that it dominated the e-commerce world. From the very beginning, Bezos believed the company to be “an everything store.” Based on extensive research, Bezos concluded that books would be a viable product to sell online. However, the initial promise and aim was to deliver any book to anybody in the world.
According to Brad Stone’s book, “The Everything Store,” was initially named as “Cadabra, Inc.”. The intent was to reference the word “abracadabra”, which means magic. But as pointed out, reasons of obscurity made them re-think the name.
The Largest River
In mid-90’s, Bezon and his wife started exploring the different opportunities. They even decided to register themself under various domain names such as Awake.com, Bookmall.com, Browse.com., etc. Fun fact, they registered the company under the name Relentless.com. To this day they’ve kept it and any time you look up that name your browser gets redirected to Amazon.com.
Following which Bezos decided to skim through the “A” section of the dictionary. Primarily because it is the first alphabet. Keeping in mind that back then, all websites were listed alphabetically.
After scanning through the entire section, he landed on “Amazon”. He wanted to name the company after the largest river on the planet. Hence, affirming that it would be the world’s largest bookstore as well.
In Brad Stone’s book, he writes about how Bezos walked into their garage – “makeshift office” at that time. Declared that “Amazon” would be the new company name. All while giving that he didn’t particularly care about anybody else’s opinion about it.
E-commerce domination
Initially, Amazon’s business idea was met with skepticism. People believed that Amazon would struggle in the marketplace to already existing chains such as Barners and Noble and Borders. But beating all odds, it continuously kept growing.
Additionally, the company decided to rapidly expand in various other areas. Amazon even started initiatives where other websites could sell their products on Amazon for a commission. Bezos stuck to his initial strategy and quickly began installing a wide range of products. By the year 1999, the brand was selling music, video games, electronics, home décor, toys and so much more.
While offering this wide range of products broadened the brand, eventually Amazon thrived on consumer royalty and profitability. The various additional tools provided better recommendations. For example: The website’s tools recommended products based on the customers purchase history and search. Furthermore, they encouraged the practice of writing reviews where other consumers could determine whether the product was worth it. Appropriately enough, this lead to foster a “community” where people helped each other find the kind of products they wanted without any hassle.
Vision and Mission
Their vision is to be perceived as the world’s most consumer-centric company. Amazon is seen as a place where people to find and buy anything they wish to whenever they want to from wherever they want to.
According to research, Amazon’s vision, mission and values encourage over 68% of employees.
Conclusion
In conclusion, naming a company is no easy task. Having to use a word or a few words to determine your entire process is a laboring and demanding task. Therefore, while Amazon took a little while to get its name, the name is now one that the entire world resonates with. It has a clear and precise explanation as to why it’s the name it’s named.
