Zouchuqu = selling domains to Chinese firms at big prices
Chinese firms upgrade their domains as they go global.
Some Chinese terms are worth knowing since they give you a big picture regarding domains desired by corporate China. One of them is “Zouchuqu”.
Zouchuqu (走出去) means “going global” or literally “to go out”. Here’s how to pronounce it.
The Zouchuqu initiative was launched by the Chinese government in 1999 to encourage Chinese firms to go out and invest globally. Over the years, many Chinese firms have gone out and are operating in various locations across the globe. In 2017, China (Hong Kong combined) was No. 3 in overseas investment as stated by Wikipedia.
Going global requires an upgrade to a domain matching the brand and in the .com extension, and Chinese firms are willing to pay spectacular prices for such domains.
The following top 5 acronym LLL (letter-letter-letter) .com domains were sold in 2013 as stated by Namebio.
| Domain | Price |
|---|---|
| DJI.com | $300,000 |
| RSS.com | $135,000 |
| LSN.com | $100,000 |
| OPS.com | $100,000 |
| DOA.com | $74,400 |
DJI.com really stands out. Why? Since China-based drone maker DJI purchased it to upgrade from DJI-Innovations.com (which now forwards to DJI.com).
Let’s look at another example. The following top 5 two-syllable LLLL .com domains were sold in 2016.
| Domain | Price |
|---|---|
| Vivo.com | $2,100,000 |
| Kiwi.com | $800,000 |
| Veda.com | $100,000 |
| Guji.com | $40,001 |
| Zeku.com | $37,500 |
The price of Vivo.com is spectacular. Why? Since China-based handset maker Vivo purchased it to upgrade from VivoGlobal.com (which is a simple landing page now).
The lesson is obvious. Capitalize on Zouchuqu and the upgrade opportunity. Do you have a domain that lies in the upgrade path of a well-funded Chinese firm? End user research is key. For details, read “Three steps to Chinese end user research“.
