Amazon is an online retail giant that is absolutely littered with products with unreadable and unrecognizable brand names. From UI Osmuff Wheel to Lux and Kirksen, it's hard to believe that this wasn't always the case. But where did these strange names come from? Are these names from some foreign language that doesn't translate well to English?
The answer to the second question is actually no. While many of these off-the-wall brands are from China, the names are just as fanciful and meaningless there as they are in the English-speaking world. But before we get into why that is, let's take a step back and explain where these brands even come from.
As China is the largest country in the world by population, only a few very large companies dominate the online shopping landscape there. We're talking companies such as Taobao and Tmall. It can be hard for smaller companies to compete in these markets, so some Chinese sellers are looking to the American market instead. Amazon even holds huge conferences for these folks in China, interested in making money on Amazon, a practice that began circa 2015.
Not only is it a big opportunity for the sellers, but it also gives Amazon another source of cheap goods they can use to undercut other American retailers like Walmart. But why does this mean these brands have to use such nonsensical names? The reason is that it makes it much easier for these brands to obtain a trademark.
Having a trademark is extremely important for selling on Amazon. The company has a program called the Brand Registry that provides sellers with benefits such as reduced fees, cash back, help with marketing and advertising, and more. To participate, however, a seller has to have a trademark that has been registered. It's usually much easier to get a trademark approved for a nonsense word or random string of letters than it is for one with a meaning, as it's unlikely that another company is already using that trademark.
This way, they can avoid the arduous process of getting a trademark approved that is too similar to a different company's existing brand. The US Patent and Trademark Office has complained of being flooded with these trademark applications. Even though one of the main reasons companies typically register a trademark is so they can build a strong and identifiable brand, it's not necessary for many product categories on Amazon.
If you're looking for a stand mixer, you might think of KitchenAid or trust Yeti if you need an insulated bottle. But if you just need a pair of scissors, a garden hose, or a bowl for your dog, these aren't items where a dominant brand has a strong share with the public. Instead, good reviews will get the product pushed to the top of the Amazon results, which is what will drive sales far more than memorable branding.
However, even though buying from one of these brands might seem like a good idea to save money, please make sure you check to see that there are reviews that sound like they're from real people. Amazon hasn't had a very good track record of cracking down on fake reviews or ensuring that these products are properly labeled and meet US safety standards. Though Amazon claims that this is something they continue to work on, so try not to get sucked in just by a cool design and a good price.
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