opinion How do you think 2023 will be in domain investing?

[Bob Hawkes]

Hi Domain Friends,

I am planning a NamePros Blog article looking ahead to 2023. I need your help!

Please vote in the poll. Also, answer some, or all, of the following questions, providing your answers in the discussion below.

1. What TLDs (up to 3) do you think will be much stronger in 2023?

2. Which (up to 3) TLDs will be much weaker in 2023?

3. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a great 2023?

4. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a poor 2023?

5. Do you think top, mid or lower end of retail market will do best in 2023?

Note that in questions 1 and 2 I am looking for strength relative to the current situation, not about overall strength.

I am looking for perspectives from both experienced and relatively new domain investors.

Feel free to add any comments about how you see the next year in domain name investing.

Thank you in advance,

Bob

 

[Reddstagg]

1. What TLDs (up to 3) do you think will be much stronger in 2023?

.com

2. Which (up to 3) TLDs will be much weaker in 2023?

.xyz

3. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a great 2023?

technology, science, medicine

4. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a poor 2023?

metaverse, NFT, crypto

5. Do you think top, mid or lower end of retail market will do best in 2023?

Lower end - well priced brandables

I think that the people who were early into crypto and thus had made profits jumped ship to NFT and maybe made even more money. They're both on the back burner IMHO. People will be looking for the next big thing and this cold come from either technology, science or medicine.

There will be many good names dropped as funds dwindle so 2023 will be a good year for those with healthy budgets and a will to take a gamble.

Rgrds,

Redd

 

[johnn]

My wife said it depends on the names that you have.
The Year has nothing to do with the sales. Good names will always be sold and crap names will sit in one place forever.

 

[mwzd]

1. What TLDs (up to 3) do you think will be much stronger in 2023?

.ai
.in
.xyz

2. Which (up to 3) TLDs will be much weaker in 2023?

low end .com

3. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a great 2023?

web 3
finance
property

4. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a poor 2023?

consumables
jewellery
luxury goods

5. Do you think top, mid or lower end of retail market will do best in 2023?

top end will do much better
the mid will remain where it is
the lower end the bottom has already dropped out

 

[Armageddon]

What TLDs (up to 3) do you think will be much stronger in 2023?
.US
.CC

 

[Shaan Chopra]

1. What TLDs (up to 3) do you think will be much stronger in 2023?

.xyz has already started to rattle, .io and .net still have a lot of potential

2. Which (up to 3) TLDs will be much weaker in 2023?

.com and .org will be weaker

3. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a great 2023?

ai, blockchain and travel

4. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a poor 2023?

luxury items and real estate

5. Do you think top, mid or lower end of retail market will do best in 2023?

mid and lower will do extremely well

 

[twiki]

1. What TLDs (up to 3) do you think will be much stronger in 2023?

.com , no doubt. Edit: also .ai somewhat ( fueled by ChatGPT induced wave of changes )

2. Which (up to 3) TLDs will be much weaker in 2023?

.xyz, .co ( both already going down in my opinion), possibly .io as well.

3. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a great 2023?

tech and finance. there will be a rebound from this.

4. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a poor 2023?

NFT is already bust. Meta (but it is a keeper for later if you're a believer). I keep my best meta names.
Also anything crypto even bitcoin related, with the exception of very good brandables.

5. Do you think top, mid or lower end of retail market will do best in 2023?

Top to mid market, definitely.

Lower end = dead zone. This is already happening and will only get to be worse for reasons I've mentioned already in this forum.

 

[dirk]

much stronger in 2023?

Cctlds and .com will continue to be the biggest contender in a large part of the world.

2. Which (up to 3) TLDs will be much weaker in 2023?

.XYZ I would presume as it's mainly adopted within a certain niche and the cool kids club of 2022 is the boring kids club of 2023.

Maybe .com (I know it contradicts No1) as the pool of good, affordable and undeveloped domains is drying up quicker each and every year.

3. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a great 2023?

Energy. Climate. Ai. I've had offers for each and every energy related domain I own and they account for the highest ROI and shortest hold time.

4. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a poor 2023?

Meta

5. Do you think top, mid or lower end of retail market will do best in 2023?

Lower end. this will change over time as it will deplete the pool of "acceptable" domains and prices will go up again once sellers realise they've undersold their assets.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

Could I make a little request? I see that a few people (I have no idea who) are downvoting some of the responses. Let me try to convince you why that is not logical, in my opinion. I am asking people to give their opinion on various questions. That is their opinion. How can you have the knowledge to say you disagree that is their opinion?

You can very well have a radically different opinion. By all means please respond in the thread and tell us your opinion. But please, think carefully before using dislike or disagree in this thread.

Thank you for at least listening to this request.

And thank you. to all who have responded. I really appreciate the time you took to do so.

Take care everyone,

Bob

 

[Jim H]

1. What TLDs (up to 3) do you think will be much stronger in 2023?
.xyz .app .link

2. Which (up to 3) TLDs will be much weaker in 2023?
low end .net .io .co

3. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a great 2023?
web3 crypto bio

4. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a poor 2023?
finance
real estate
science and technology

5. Do you think top, mid or lower end of retail market will do best in 2023?
top end will remain where it is
the mid will remain where it is
the lower end the bottom has already dropped out

IMHO.

 

[Sumeeth]

1. What TLDs (up to 3) do you think will be much stronger in 2023?

Com, io and xyz

2. Which (up to 3) TLDs will be much weaker in 2023?

co, vc, in

3. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a great 2023?

Crypto Or blockchain, web3, finance

5. Do you think top, mid or lower end of retail market will do best in 2023?

Lower

 

[AEProgram]

Layoffs will continue and that means more people will try going on their own. Even those not laid off, will start becoming more serious about going on their own.

The pandemic drove the revenues up of many companies that offer services for people starting their own business (GoDaddy, Fiverr, Wix, Shopify and many others). The layoffs will do the same.

Offering payment plans for domains will become more important. People are more open to using domains that are not .com so offer a payment plan if you have .coms or you might risk losing them to another extension. People have a lot less money then they did a year ago and the recent credit card debt data confirms how bad things are.

The crypto and stock market downturn is hurting a lot of people too. A lot of people are realizing that a better route for them to make money is selling a product or service. This is great for domains.

As domainers we should try to be as flexible as possible with potential buyers right now.

 

[jhm]

Some will say 2022 was good, some will say bad. This is one business where waiting is far more prevalent, than expected performance. Its anyone's guess. Maybe hazarding a guess at "how do you see your portfolio holding up in the next decade, and why" (referencing extensions / niches of interest, especially those out the ordinary). How 2023 will be for you (specifically) and other time periods for that matter, is a very individual result IMO

 

[NameInbox]

 

[VadimK]

Hi Bob,

The optimist side of me saying it will be ''much better'', the realist side of me - ''same overall'', and that's why, averaging, I voted ''somewhat better'' ))

1. What TLDs (up to 3) do you think will be much stronger in 2023?
Stronger will go .org, imo. Dot com will definitely remain strong too.

2. Which (up to 3) TLDs will be much weaker in 2023?
Xyz. Now I am inclined to believe it's been a huge bubble.

3. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a great 2023?
Energy, cannabis, eco-bio.

4. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a poor 2023?
retail items, NFTs.

(Both crypto and meta can go equally up or down, imo).

5. Do you think top, mid or lower end of retail market will do best in 2023?
Lower to mid. I'd say low XXXX will be the most popular price amongst the buyers. For the top end of retail - I simply don't understand where the average Joe (Joe's new startup) will get his top buck to buy the XXXXX name, with shrinking economies, raised gas and energy prices and evaporating jobs.

 

[zomainhacks]

My gut says it will be more or less like the second half of 2022 but my rational reasoning says that much depends on how China will handle the spread of Covid.
Let's see what will happen, fingers crossed

 

[Mkt Sales Leads]

Hi Bob,

The optimist side of me saying it will be ''much better'', the realist side of me - ''same overall'', and that's why, averaging, I voted ''somewhat better'' ))

1. What TLDs (up to 3) do you think will be much stronger in 2023?
Stronger will go .org, imo. Dot com will definitely remain strong too.

2. Which (up to 3) TLDs will be much weaker in 2023?
Xyz. Now I am inclined to believe it's been a huge bubble.

3. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a great 2023?
Energy, cannabis, eco-bio.

4. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a poor 2023?
retail items, NFTs.

(Both crypto and meta can go equally up or down, imo).

5. Do you think top, mid or lower end of retail market will do best in 2023?
Lower to mid. I'd say low XXXX will be the most popular price amongst the buyers. For the top end of retail - I simply don't understand where the average Joe (Joe's new startup) will get his top buck to buy the XXXXX name, with shrinking economies, raised gas and energy prices and evaporating jobs.

SME/Joe Average startup will look for affordable .io, .co, .org and sensible brandable .com names (not plooppyfaa/Twrkl) in the 1 to 5k range until the day they get their millions in funding for their unicorn one word .com

 

[NickB]

1. What TLDs (up to 3) do you think will be much stronger in 2023?

.com | .ai | .org

2. Which (up to 3) TLDs will be much weaker in 2023?

if it's even possible to be much worse - .horse | .cheap | .faith

3. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a great 2023?

Ai / Human Augmentation - specifically around brain/computer interfaces, neuromorphic chips and brain mapping.

Cognitive Computing

Advanced Materials - Smart, Biological and Nano

4. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a poor 2023?

Retail | Automotive | Housing

5. Do you think top, mid or lower end of retail market will do best in 2023?

Mid point

 

[Bob Hawkes]

Thank you so much everyone who has replied. Interesting reading and good diversity of predictions!

I hope some others will vote and comment. I am probably going to run this article the last week in December, so still a little bit of time to respond, but not that long.

Thanks again,

Bob

 

[Lega.cy]

1. What TLDs (up to 3) do you think will be much stronger in 2023?
.com
.ai


2. Which (up to 3) TLDs will be much weaker in 2023?
.xyz
.co

3. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a great 2023?
energy, health, AI

4. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a poor 2023?
metaverse/nfts, real estate, advertising

5. Do you think top, mid or lower end of retail market will do best in 2023?
lower end i.e low $x,xxx will be strong as people will start looking for alternative ways to generate income
top domains will continue performing
mid-range will struggle the most

just my 2c, thanks @Bob Hawkes

 

[Embrand]

Thanks, Bob.

I think it is always difficult to predict. In a way that is one of the fascinating things about this business... Anyway, I will give it a go:

1. What TLDs (up to 3) do you think will be much stronger in 2023?
.com, .io and one new extension that will be all the new rage - maybe .one

2. Which (up to 3) TLDs will be much weaker in 2023?
.zyx, .co and .ly

3. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a great 2023?
AI, finance and healthcare

4. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a poor 2023?
Crypto, NFTs, luxury goods

5. Do you think top, mid or lower end of retail market will do best in 2023?
Top end - big companies have learnt that premium domains cost and still have the funds to buy

 

[Bob Hawkes]

Just for fun, I thought I would save my personal opinions. I have no crystal ball, and really little idea what 2023 will hold. I am prepared to be surprised.

1. What TLDs (up to 3) do you think will be much stronger in 2023?
While .com will continue to dominate, I don't think it will be much stronger in 2023. I expect .org to continue to grow in aftermarket, but not a big leap. So what might be poised for a big leap?
.cloud I think lots of legs still in ?AAS and the right terms with .cloud fit that.
.ai I think this is the most obvious one that will probably have a great 2023.
.network I think collaboration and networking will be important themes, and great words (only) in .network may find buyers.

2. Which (up to 3) TLDs will be much weaker in 2023?
.app While we will continue to see great .app sales from time to time, maybe decline.
.net. I don't think it will be dramatic, but I think some substantial drop will happen.
.xyz Possibly not a ton weaker, but given the collapse in NFTs and crypto, it's hard to imagine that the .xyz, that mainly is a play to web3 startups so far, won't take some hit.

3. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a great 2023?
decentralized niche services Clever ideas from small companies, offered from cloud.
artificial intelligence But I see main growth in businesses that apply AI, not the primary producers of AI.
insurance and security I think we will see insurance enter areas we did not see before, novel insurance products, and also new ideas in security, both online and physical.

4. What sectors or niches (up to 3) will have a poor 2023?
sports and entertainment I could well be wrong, but wonder if a pause in these, including some of gaming and esports.
education and training I personally invest in and like these, but wonder if peak is over, including that spurred by remote options.
canna, CBD, etc. I don't know or invest in these, but the growth of a few years ago has peaked out I think. Probably my biases at play here.

5. Do you think top, mid or lower end of retail market will do best in 2023?
I am not sure. I think the ultra top will always do well.
With the economy where it is at, and job layoffs, I wonder if the top of the lower end, or lowest part of middle, names in $1k to $2.5k may be best performers.

I see I am with a minority, but overall I voted that 2023 will be somewhat worse than 2022, even taking into account a weak summer and early fall in 2022.

I hope that I am wrong.

-Bob

 

[poweredbyme]

2023 will be worse than 2022
2024 will be worse than 2023
2025 will be worse than 2024

We will see the worst economic crisis in history in somewhere between 2025 and 2029.
After the seeing worst, we will enter to a new age with largest economic wealth and improvements in all areas of life in history. That's how human evolution works.

 

[Mkt Sales Leads]

2023 will be worse than 2022
2024 will be worse than 2023
2025 will be worse than 2024

We will see the worst economic crisis in history in somewhere between 2025 and 2029.
After the seeing worst, we will enter to a new age with largest economic wealth and improvements in all areas of life in history. That's how human evolution works.

You're probably right on the first point.
Not so much in the second point but still a possibility.
2025 will prob be the recovery year (if not 2024)

Crappy names should be dropped during these times

 

[DomainNature]

I have a thin Russian book on Astrology from the 90-tees, it has predicted war for this year which came true, however it say that the 2023 the year of Rabbit/Cat will be more peaceful, that is why in my opinion this will be a year of preparation because the following years will be more challenging.
This how it translates as a general for 2023 year of Rabbit/Cat for everyone.

This year, apparently, will be calm, as the next one may be stormy. Arrange receptions, read, chat near the fire. The year will be joyful for diplomats.