With the massive competition in the emerging startup ecosystem in India, there is no lack of options for consumers. Hence, just providing efficient services might not be enough; it is equally important to stand out in the congested crowd of service providers.
To strike as unique as possible to the public eye is an uphill task. The first thing, however, a consumer would notice about a company is not the service efficiency or privileges it provide, but the name it wears. To make the first impression count, many startups have come up with names that sound cool and uncanny to the ears.
‘Giftxoxo’ is one such example. A startup that helps people gift their loved ones came up with this unique name ‘Gifting with Hugs and kisses’. There is a feel in the name itself.
Manoj Agarwal, Co-founder, Giftxoxo, says, ”Giftxoxo came across during a dinner chat with friends when someone got a message from his girlfriend with XOXO in it which meant Hugs and Kisses. It suddenly struck us like why not keep it GiftXOXO. We checked this with some 100 people and everyone kind of liked it.”
“Name has helped us in many ways. It brought us good recall as it was a hard to pronounce name and once people learned it they never forgot. It was also a clutter breaking and intriguing name which connected with youth immediately,” added Agarwal.
Another such example would be RAW Pressery. The name immediately inflicts a notion on people’s mind about the startup’s function.
Anuj Rakyan, MD and Founder, RAW Pressery, says, “We wanted the name to be literal and emotional. Our juices are made of raw fruits and vegetables, free of extra added content. To be RAW is to be naked and unmasked. It is our attitude, energy and belief – to be honest and transparent. As bread is made in a bakery, milk in a dairy, beer in a brewery – thus cold-pressed juice is made in a ‘Pressery’.” As simple as that.
Voonik, a fashion market place which guides like a personal assistant, has even taken its name from the word ‘unique’. Sujayath Ali, Co-Founder, Voonik, says, ”The name, Voonik, is a play on the word Unique. We wanted a neutral name that did not have any previous connotation.”
While naming Jugnoo, the founders had to go deep in the feels. “The word has a nostalgic feel to it. It’s a name that one remembers when one sees an auto with a Jugnoo sticker zip past. It definitely added to the market value because of its curiosity quotient,” says Samar Singla, CEO, Jugnoo.
Urbanclap, on the other, describes perfectly its services through its name. Two hands (service providers and customers) are needed to clap. The company aims to bring together on its platform service providers (from yoga instructors to party planners among others) and urban customers.
“My suggestion to them (founders) was to select the simplest name possible,” said Abhiraj Bhal, co-founder, UrbanClap.
