Today we continue our series of articles on naming. We have already written an introductory article where we described 12 ways to come up with a company name. We also have material with examples for naming a clothing brand, a chain of stores and a restaurant. This time we will talk about naming a furniture company.
We have described 7 ways to come up with a name with examples of stores and companies that already exist (international brands, as well as local markets in Russia and Ukraine). And at the end of the material you will find a list of mistakes and pitfalls to avoid.
How to name a furniture company: start with research
You should not start a name search without doing your research. A desk search using open sources and a few free programs will be enough. You should look for existing competitors in the niche. This way you can come up with a name that will not be consonant with a competing business.
Furniture naming: find the positioning
Before you start coming up with a name for a furniture factory, it is worth determining the positioning of the company in the market. To do this, you will need to answer 7 questions. If you do not have an answer to one of them, or you do not yet know how to differentiate yourself, conduct a deeper research. Your task is to find an open niche.
1. Who are you and what do you do?
– We make designer furniture on individual orders, under the parameters of a particular dwelling and the wishes of the client).
2. For whom?
– For affluent consumers who appreciate quality and individuality, support the trend “buy domestic”, appreciate beautiful things and are willing to pay extra for it.
3. What need does the brand fulfill ?
– A request for exclusive premium category merchandise for people who want to stroke their ego and those interested in contemporary art.
4. Who are the main competitors?
– Other designer furniture studios as well as showrooms with high-end foreign furniture.
5. What is the difference from your competitors?
– We bet on exclusive design, artist’s talent, handmade work and quality materials (we will ride the organic trend, tell about our own lands where wood is grown and new trees are planted).
6. What is the benefit to the consumer?
– Satisfying the need for an exclusive product, giving you a sense of belonging to something special and a guarantee slightly higher than the competition.
* An imaginary premium furniture company is given as examples of answers
Read also: 8 winning brand positioning strategies
Once the answers have been received, you can start looking for a name for the furniture company. Don’t forget that in it you start from the CA and the brand image. But it is not necessary to reveal a unique selling proposition in the name.
You can order a desk study of the desired market segment in KOLORO. Leave the technical worries to us, and take care of the development strategy yourself.
Ways to come up with a name for a furniture business
1. Come up with a name for furniture production: abbreviation
The most famous furniture manufacturer and realizer in the world has done just that. Yes, the name IKEA is an acronym, a subspecies of an abbreviation. It consists of the first letters of the founder’s first and last name (Ingvar Kamprad) and the name of the farm where Ingvar was born (Elmtaryd Agunnaryd). The creator put the facts of his biography into a sound word that can be easily pronounced in any corner of the globe: from Rio to Wellington.
In a quick search for other name-acronyms, we came across the store “VDM” (Vse For Mebliv). This is a classic acronym that has a direct relation to what the store does. The plus side of such a name is its brevity. However, there is an obvious disadvantage – 3 meaningless letters-consonants are poorly memorized. Therefore, you will still have to use a transcription in communication. This means that the idea of an abbreviation dies.
2. How to name a furniture showroom: a descriptive way
The most popular way to create a furniture name is to play up the essence of the company, its features. For example, one of the furniture stores in Kiev works with modular furniture. Its name is Smart Box, and there is also a slogan – “smart furniture”. Their main product is modular furniture designs, from which you can put together different types of shelves, vanity units, tables or shelving units. The name of the company reveals all this and echoes the fashion for smart-living. The second point is very important, because it also focuses on the brand’s target audience.
3. How to name a furniture store: the use of humor
The name of the furniture factory (and store at the same time) “Dubok” is a diminutive form of the word oak. In the context of furniture production it can be considered appropriate, as oak is a popular raw material for this sphere. However, humorous and diminutive-lascivious “Dubok” does not look serious and would be more suitable for a store of children’s furniture. Especially since oak furniture is considered a premium option, and in this segment humor is not sold. If the company does not claim to be premium, then the choice of the root “oak” is a strange decision.
But the store of designer furniture PAPATYA managed to stay stylish, trendy and use humor in the name. The name consists of references to “Party” (party) “Patio” (patio), from the German word translates as “daisy”. It’s cheerful and sonorous. And the fact that the main category of goods is chairs and tables, many of which are designed for outdoor use, reinforces the positioning of the furniture brand. In addition, describing itself, the company talks about technology and innovativeness. the name helps this image, you can’t even say that it belongs to a 70-year-old brand.
Do you want to order the development of naming that will be relevant even after 70 years? Contact our branding agency, we will find the right tone!
4. How to name a company with custom-made furniture: emotional naming
Many companies are not tied to the sphere of activity when developing the naming of furniture. This is what the Atmo company did. The name conveys their mission – to create not furniture, but an atmosphere for the home. The plus side of this name is its simplicity and brevity. The minus is its popularity. There are several companies in Ukraine with similar names:
- “Atma” – production of sanitary hygienic equipment;
- “Atma is a ceramics manufacturer;
- Atmasfera 360 is a spherical theater;
- “Atmosphere” is a shopping center.
A non-unique generic name can benefit from: being poorly remembered or associated with another company.
5. Coming up with a name for a furniture store: a hint from the books
Looking into literary works is a good idea. Titles like “12 Chairs” or “Moydodyr” (for a sanitary ware store) are well remembered, evoke memories in consumers and give rise to positive associations.
6. Naming for a children’s furniture store: open a fairy tale
Furniture for children – segment. where fairy tale names will be most appropriate. The Papa Carlo factory, the Little Kingdom store, or the Bibu playhouse (b-boo – the sounds children often make) – such emotional names are the key to parents’ hearts.
7. How to name a furniture production: tell us about yourself
More than 60 percent of furniture stores sell what they make themselves. To make the customer aware of this, they add the phrase “from the manufacturer” to the slogan or text logo. However, it is possible to go the other way and reflect this feature in the name. This is what the brand Woodwerk did, which reflected in the name the main components of its brand – “Wood” (wood) and “Werk” (production, work). And this is a perfect 2-word description of everything the company does. Let’s venture a guess that the creators were guided by Mark Zuckerberg and his Facebook.
How to name upholstered furniture: an example from Ukraine
The company Pufetto makes sofas, armchairs and beds. Its name has the root “Puf” in it, which tells us about the range (something soft, something for sitting). The second aspect of the name is its Italian sound. It’s there for a reason, there are 2 Italians in the Pufetto team: a designer and an architect, they are responsible for the look and construction of the sofas. Like the previous example, this name tells a story about itself and creates a quick and accurate self-portrait in one word.
Importantly, they have extended this to the line of names as well. Each series has its own name, all of them containing Italian motifs:
- Fiorella;
- Dimaro;
- Forli;
- Modena;
- Belluno;
- Bergamo, etc.
Read also: Naming for the line: what’s the point and how KOLORO does it
How to name a furniture factory – Pufetto brand example
Furniture company naming: pitfalls
- The name of the furniture website should not be different from the name of the company, otherwise it will confuse consumers. Therefore, when naming should monitor and select only those names whose domain names are free. It is also worth checking the availability of names on pages in social networks.
- Discard the most obvious variants and those that do not evoke any emotions. Such names are poorly remembered and can only be “hammered” into the heads of consumers by very aggressive advertising.
- Test for negativity. Sometimes words are associated with something good in your head, but other people have mixed or negative feelings about them. Therefore, you should test the final versions on a couple dozen people who fall under the definition of your target audience.
- If you are inventing a new word, or using words from a foreign language, check it out with a native speaker. Spelling, sound and slang meanings are things you should be interested in. The point is doubly important if your brand is planning to enter a foreign market.
- Register the name. This will lend weight to the company and keep you safe from scammers trying to use your name for profit when you become successful.
We hope that our tips will help you. But don’t forget that we can also help you. Contact KOLORO for furniture naming service, we will come up with a name that will captivate the consumer and tell the story of your brand.
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