Facebook grabs the e-commerce beach! It's the turn of the "e-commerce" series of domain names to become popular again?

Recently, according to foreign media reports, Facebook has announced the launch of the "Shops" feature, allowing businesses to create free storefronts on Facebook and Instagram as a move into the e-commerce sector.

Subsequently, Jamie Zoch, the founder of DotWeekly, revealed on Twitter that Facebook currently holds a large number of domain names related to "shops," such as shoplike.com and shoplikeme.com.

Facebook has always emphasized the application and maintenance of domain names, so registering a large number of related domain names aligns with its style as it enters the e-commerce industry. Because the e-commerce industry is closely tied to the internet, having a domain name that resonates with the brand is an excellent practice for building brand awareness and attracting users early on. Today, let's take a look at the top ten e-commerce platforms and see what domain names they are currently using!

1. Tmall

"Tmall," formerly known as Taobao Mall, is a comprehensive online shopping website and a B2C platform created by Alibaba Group's Jack Ma. Tmall's official website domain is Tmall.com, and they also own domains like tianmao.com/.cn.

2. JD.com

JD.com is a self-operated e-commerce enterprise in China, with subsidiaries such as JD Mall, JD Finance, Paipai.com, JD Smart, O2O, and Overseas Business. Its official website domain is JD.com, a premium two-letter domain that JD.com acquired for 30 million USD. JD.com also owns domains like jd.cn/.cc, 3.cn, jingdong.com, baitiao.com, paipai.com/.cn/.com.cn, jingjing.com, dongdong.com, VG.com, wanggou.com, and pifa.com, demonstrating its emphasis on domain names.

3. Suning.com

Suning was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Nanjing. Suning.com ranks among the top three B2C platforms in China and is a leading commercial enterprise in the country. Its official website domain is suning.com, and it holds 18 domains, including yifubao.cn and biu.cn/.com.cn.

4. Vipshop (VIP.com)

Vipshop was founded in August 2008 and is known for selling discounted branded goods online. Its official website domain is VIP.com, which it acquired for 2 million USD.

5. Taobao

Taobao is a popular online shopping platform in China, founded by the Alibaba Group in May 2003. Its official website domain is the two-character domain taobao.com.

6. Gome Online

Gome Online, formerly known as Gome Electrical Appliances, is one of China's leading e-commerce platforms. Its official website domain is gome.com.cn, and it owns 13 brand-related domains, including gome.cn.

7. Pinduoduo

Pinduoduo is a leading mobile shopping app in China, focusing on C2B group buying. Its official website domain is pinduoduo.com, and it recently acquired the pinduoduo.net domain. Pinduoduo is a rapidly growing e-commerce platform and should consider domain name deployment as a priority.

8. Dangdang

Dangdang is a well-known comprehensive online shopping mall founded in November 1999. Its official website domain is dangdang.com, and it also protects dangdang.cn/.com.cn.

9. Amazon

Amazon is the largest e-commerce company in the United States, with a market value of 1.22 trillion USD and over 2,569 domains. Some of its notable domains include z.cn (Amazon China), A9.com (product search and advertising technology), and aws.com (Amazon Web Services).

10. Yihaodian

Yihaodian is an e-commerce website in China known for pioneering the "online supermarket" concept. After being acquired by JD.com in 2016, it changed its official website domain to yhd.com. However, brand-related domains like yhd.cn/.com.cn are not protected.

As we can see, many of these e-commerce platforms use pinyin or abbreviated domain names, which resonate well with Chinese consumers. A concise and representative domain name can enhance user-friendliness and brand recognition. As the importance of domain names continues to grow, more and more companies in the e-commerce industry are upgrading to brand-appropriate domain names, following the example of Facebook.

The e-commerce industry heavily relies on the internet and faces intense competition with new players entering the market. Therefore, startups should follow Facebook's example and secure relevant domain names early on to establish a strong presence in the industry.