CentralNic Group plc (AIM:CNIC), the internet platform business which derives revenues from the global sale of domain names, has told DirectorsTalk that its client Radix FZC (“Radix”) has announced the launch of the new Top-Level Domain (“TLD”) .STORE, using CentralNic as the exclusive back-end technology platform. .STORE is an alternative to traditional domain endings such as .com, .net and .co.uk, catering to the global e-commerce market.
Under this exclusive contract, domain name retailers such as GoDaddy, 1&1 and Tucows will be empowered to sell .STORE domains globally as a new alternative ending for e-commerce and other websites. CentralNic’s platform obtains more sales of new TLDs than any other technical backend provider according to industry statistics website ntldstats.com.
Radix is already well-established as a leader in Top-Level Domains, having already launched .website, .space, .online and .site, all of which are among the top 20 most registered new TLDs (from a total of 978 launched to date). All of these domains also exclusively use CentralNic as their technical backend partner.
.STORE will be the first new TLD to cater to established brands, small businesses & start-ups that want to build an online store and join the e-commerce market. E-commerce has been a continually growing space as online retailers expand to new geographies and traditionally physical retailers enter new markets through the internet. According to the 2015 Global Retail E-Commerce Index, the global e-commerce market is expected to have grown by more than 18% in 2015 to $995 billion. Statistics provided by Domainsbot, the domain analytics expert, also show that there are currently over 1.7 million e-commerce enabled websites, of which 1.1 million are standalone e-commerce websites, and 600,000 are domains redirecting users to e-commerce sites.
CentralNic CEO Ben Crawford said: “Radix has pulled off another significant coup in obtaining the .STORE TLD and in bringing it to market as the first e-commerce TLD. CentralNic values our long term relationship with Radix, which has already emerged as one of the most successful companies in the new Top-Level Domain space, and is excited to be Radix’s partner in ensuring the smooth launch and supporting the expected growth of the .STORE TLD.”
Sandeep Ramchandani, VP and Business Head, Radix commented: “CentralNic is a trusted and proven partner of Radix and we have great confidence in their technical expertise in meeting our expansion goals in global markets. While the purpose for .STORE is specific to websites and platforms that offer products or services for sale online, the target market is global and highly diverse. We see a great fit for traditional owner managed businesses as they make their way into selling online, as we do for modern start-ups with a commerce motive. The entire spectrum can look to find their ‘brandname.STORE’ which would be their perfect gateway to a dedicated web commerce site, or short URL to their internal commerce specific landing page. During the first few years, we see most demand coming from existing brands looking to use it as a short, clear and precise call-to-action in their marketing messages.”
.STORE will also be applicable for both online and offline storage providers, including warehousing service providers, online and cloud storage platforms and companies offering data storage devices such as hard drives and DVDs.
The Sunrise period for .STORE is now underway. During this period certain trademark holders will be invited to secure domain names in the format ‘TheirTrademark.STORE.’ This will be followed by the Early Access Phase (EAP) commencing on 7 June, which allows anyone to register domain names on a first-come, first served basis by paying an early access fee. The .STORE TLD will enter the General Availability (GA) period on 14 June 2016 and will be available via leading Domain Registrars such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, 1&1, 123-Reg
