It might be time for Alibaba to buy a shorter domain.
Going short seems to be a trend in China. Just look at internet giant Alibaba. The name is well-known, easy to remember, and short at 7 characters only. Still, Chinese consumers think it is too long.
Why? The name is 4-pin (A Li Ba Ba=阿里巴巴) but Chinese consumers love 2-pin names as explained in What’s 2-pin and why does it matter for domain investing?. So, it is nicknamed “Ali” (A Li=阿里), which is frequently found in Chinese news.
The company might have been inspired by the 2-pin nickname because now we see the use of “Ali” in many of Alibaba’s sub-brands. Some examples are listed below.
Sub-brand | Domain | Business line | |
---|---|---|---|
AliPay | AliPay.com | Mobile payment | |
AliExpress | AliExpress.com | Online shopping | |
AliYun | AliYun.com | Cloud services | |
AliHealth | AliHealth.com | Medical supplies | |
AliSports | AliSports.com | Sports news | |
AliTrip | AliTrip.com | Travel services | |
AliMama | AliMama.com | Digital marketing | |
AliGenie | AliGenie.com | Voice assistant on ioT | |
AliCapital | AliCapital.co | VC | |
AliTelecom | AliTelecom.com | Telco services | |
AliMusic | (not found) | Music | |
AliMail | (not found) | Email services |
Is it time for Alibaba to follow its sub-brands and acquire Ali.com to complement Alibaba.com?
Authentic Brands Group, LLC owns the domain. For many years, Ali.com was the official website of Muhammad Ali. After Ali passed away in 2016, the domain forwarded to MuhammadAli.com or Alicenter.org. Currently, the domain sends you to Muhammad Ali’s account on Instagram. So, there may be a chance for Alibaba to acquire Ali.com.
Gregory says
I feel baba.com is a better fit for a full rebrand. It’s shorter, strong CVCV with repeating letters , easy to pronounce, fun to say, and easy to type. That sort of domain is a marketer’s dream. Lastly, it also matches their ticker symbol.
Kassey Lee says
Alibaba as a brand is fine. It’s just that within China it is also referred to as “Ali” so having Ali.com may be helpful.
Showfom says
AliCaptial is not affiliated with Alibaba
Kassey Lee says
Thanks for the correction, Showfom. Alibaba’s VC arm should be “Hangzhou Ali Venture Capital”.
Domain King says
Would be a huge mistake to change names imo.
Drew Platt says
Rick, they could use Ali.com as redirect to the main site.
Kassey Lee says
Rick, there is no need to change name. Alibaba is just fine as a global brand, but they can add Ali.com to their portfolio of “Ali’ domains for brand protection or actual use in China.
jdjjdkgkgklg says
I believe the author is referring to purchasing a shorter domain name and have it forward to their existing name – which would be the sensible move to capture the China market – rather than a rebrand.
Kassey Lee says
Spot on! Forwarding to the corporate domain Alibaba.com is an easy step.
Ali says
Silly brand to begin with anyways, think of Ali baba you think of India or the Middle East and you don’t think of a trusted brand either! To rebrand to Ali which is a Muslim name or even baba which has meaning in Indian Persian and Arabic is even more silly. Best to keep it as is till china decides to completely shut down their operation. Also I find it hard to believe Mohammad Ali’s family would sell Ali.com as his probably second most infamous Ali in the world after Ali in Shia Islam.
Not to mention most Ali GTLD’s names are taken as it’s a popular name in the Middle East, even I had to buy an Ali.gtld off someone few days ago for a personal blog for low $x,xxx
Steve says
Jack Ma came up with the name ALIBABA while in a coffee shop in San Francisco. He had gone through hundreds of names when he asked the waitress, “Do you know the story of Alibaba?” When she said yes, he ran out of the cafe, elated.
Kassey Lee says
I have heard this story too. Thanks for mentioning it, Steve.
Alipost says
I got Alipost.org and im looking up to get Alipost.com someday
alipost.com is owned by Alibaba Group