9th
SmartName Shops - Instant eCommerce Sites
We have initiated coverage of SmartName this month, largely due to their new ‘SmartName Shops’ program.
SmartName is the premium service from Name Media - the parent company of Active Audience and GoldKey. They purchased the SmartName service that was originally developed by Ari Goldberger and Larry Fischer in March of 2007. NameMedia quickly moved the parked domains to their new system that offers over 500 themes (including all of the themes available at Active Audience and GoldKey and more). Some long-time customers balked at the changes, so NameMedia brought back the older platform as “SmartName Classic” for those original domain owners (many of whom had created custom templates for their domains). New applicants are added to the new platform. Many of the services at SmartName are similar to those at ActiveAudience and GoldKey, but SmartName also offers some unique services, such as the new “SmartName Shops.” You can request a SmartName account here, but be aware that this is a fairly selective program.
SmartName Shops are full-fledged ecommerce sites that you create almost instantly. TechnologyLiquidators.com is the most basic site that can be created. This one took about 2 minutes to build. Spending more time will get you an even more customized shop, such as BabyBag.net. It’s worth your time and effort to do this, as the custom text you add can help search engine rankings. You can also buy AdWords or other ads to send people to your SmartName Shops. Is this the return of arbitrage? I guess it depends on how well Shopping.com monetizes your stores.
