news The New Land of Opportunity? An Inside Look at India's Emerging Domain Market

[Ron Jackson]

A new Cover Story is out at DNJournal.com. It’s all about the domain market in India – one that many believe is poised for explosive growth. India already has 300 million internet users (second most in the world to China) and they are expected to have 500 million within two years – but only 2% of small businesses there have a website! With 98% left to go, there is obviouly a LOT of room left to grow. To get more insight into this unique situation we huddled with several experts on the Indian market who told us what is happening there now and what they expect to see in the future. You can read “The New Land of Opportunity? An Inside Look at India's Emerging Domain Market” here: http://www.dnjournal.com/cover/2015/august.htm

 

[Arpit131]

I am glad that people like Zak Muskovitch and Ron Jackson are able to see the huge potential that India carries in the domain world as well as in the entire internet world.

 

[BrandChimp]

Sweet News for .in investors!

 

[HeyNow]

Sweet News for .in investors!

Not really.

 

[BrandChimp]

Not really.

I don't understand why it's a bad news.

 

[HeyNow]

I don't understand why it's a bad news.

I never said "... it's a bad news ...." I said it's "not really" sweet news.

Look, dot-in has been around a long time. It's seen its domainer-driven artificial peak, then subsided. In a country with a population of over a billion people, with over 300 million internet users (if you believe that number), there is something terribly wrong if the ccTLD for that country hasn't already kicked every other ccTLDs ass. What's wrong? Well, in a country where a healthy chunk of the population still poops in holes in the ground with no plumbing, and plumb jobs include customer service call centers for DirectTV and other cynical corporations, it's safe to say it's going to be a long time before any substantial progress will be made relative to dot-in fever.

When the biggest goal of the citizens of India is NOT to beat-feet to the United States or western Europe to start a better life, then that country's ccTLD will become truly important. Until then, look for mediocre performance, no matter what the hype-masters proffer here and in interviews with the domainer "news" webrags.

Remember back in 2009 I believe, or perhaps later, when that fool Igor from Neustar told us in an interview how big things were planned for .us in the coming months.. Then the months and years went by with nary a marketing strategy, nor any follow-up by the woefully inadequate domain industry press. But don't worry, you can go to domainer conventions and hear auction cheats speak about themselves and their take on the business.

Wake up.

 

[baseballworld]

I have always said once they advance more with that population market will sore for dot in and com.

 

[Kate]

There is often a misconception among domainers that population increase, or increase in the number of Internet users is going to boost usage of domain names. There is no correlation between the two.
Internet users don't need domain names to be on the Internet. They just need IPv4 (or v6) addresses, that they get from their ISP. Even in the Western countries, still not many people own their own domain names. They are mostly used for business purposes.

So the bottom line is that the market for .in is not 1 billion potential customers, not even the 300 million that are online today.
The growth of Internet usage and the growth of .in are two completely different things loosely related to each other.

That being said, .in is gaining ground. The problem always is, the slow pace of growth vs your own investment horizon. When people are not in for the long haul, there is a perception that everything around you just moves way too slowly.

 

[DomainVP]

I've gotten a few decent offers out of India over the past year.

On the whole I find that inquiries from India are much more respectful and have higher starting price points than inquiries from anywhere else. Everywhere else wants to play the "i'm a teacher" or "$100 firm" game.

 

[kemjika11]

I never said "... it's a bad news ...." I said it's "not really" sweet news.

Look, dot-in has been around a long time. It's seen its domainer-driven artificial peak, then subsided. In a country with a population of over a billion people, with over 300 million internet users (if you believe that number), there is something terribly wrong if the ccTLD for that country hasn't already kicked every other ccTLDs ass. What's wrong? Well, in a country where a healthy chunk of the population still poops in holes in the ground with no plumbing, and plumb jobs include customer service call centers for DirectTV and other cynical corporations, it's safe to say it's going to be a long time before any substantial progress will be made relative to dot-in fever.

When the biggest goal of the citizens of India is NOT to beat-feet to the United States or western Europe to start a better life, then that country's ccTLD will become truly important. Until then, look for mediocre performance, no matter what the hype-masters proffer here and in interviews with the domainer "news" webrags.

Remember back in 2009 I believe, or perhaps later, when that fool Igor from Neustar told us in an interview how big things were planned for .us in the coming months.. Then the months and years went by with nary a marketing strategy, nor any follow-up by the woefully inadequate domain industry press. But don't worry, you can go to domainer conventions and hear auction cheats speak about themselves and their take on the business.

Wake up.

Here is someone who doesnt get the full picture of .in!

 

[Hybrid Names]

.iN is thousand time better than new gtlds.
Many startups are using and buying .INs

Now .IN registry is thinking promote .in extension. you can read more about here http://nixi.in/

 

[the_poet]

.IN is not for flippers, .IN is a long term investment (just like all serious investments).

 

[Hybrid Names]

.IN is not for flippers, .IN is a long term investment (just like all serious investments).

Right..

 

[HeyNow]

Now .IN registry is thinking promote .in extension. you can read more about here http://nixi.in/

Sure. Just like Neustar taled and wrote about promoting .us. Think about it. Talk about it. Keep domainers' money coming in any way possible, including misleading promises of "marketing."

Even that tiny third-world shithole Tuvalu has a more successful ccTLD, with a tiny, minuscule fraction of the population of India.

 

[HeyNow]

.IN is not for flippers, .IN is a long term investment (just like all serious investments).

Money from "flippers" is just as serious as money from non-flippers.

 

[kemjika11]

Money from "flippers" is just as serious as money from non-flippers.

Hell no. Are u serious? Why do u think people usually flip crap on NP? Cuz if they flip their gems they get nothing.

 

[the_poet]

Money from "flippers" is just as serious as money from non-flippers.

Not really.

 

[Hybrid Names]

Sure. Just like Neustar taled and wrote about promoting .us. Think about it. Talk about it. Keep domainers' money coming in any way possible, including misleading promises of "marketing."

Everyone want to make money. you, me everyone
if you know they want your money than why don't leave domaining ?

Even that tiny third-world sh*thole Tuvalu has a more successful ccTLD, with a tiny, minuscule fraction of the population of India.

Wow, this is not right way to talk about any country
tiny / third-world / sh*thole

 

[BrandChimp]

More people, more startups, more .com and .in.

We can't compare .us with .in because in the US they have used the .com as their cctld. .us is still new to them. In fact in India, they know .in. They've seen it everywhere.

 

[HeyNow]

Everyone want to make money. you, me everyone
if you know they want your money than why don't leave domaining ?

I have to a great extent. I don't give my money to new gTLDs. I don't give my money to Snapnames, Flippa, or any other entity I consider unethical and/or smarmy. I don't give my money to domainer conventions who would then use that money to hire "guest speakers" who are auction cheats or typosquatters.

If you decide to opt-out of the cheesy, smarmy, cesspool of domain "players," then by default you have substantially left the business.

The worst Neustar has done is sent Igor what's-his-name out there spewing BS about future marketing and "exciting things to come." I still give them money for renewals, because in spite of them, I believe the ccTLD of the USA has more potential than ANY ccTLD for third-world countries whose populations are desperate to leave.

 

[the_poet]

The worst Neustar has done is sent Igor what's-his-name out there spewing BS about future marketing and "exciting things to come." I still give them money for renewals, because in spite of them, I believe the ccTLD of the USA has more potential than ANY ccTLD for third-world countries whose populations are desperate to leave.

Do you mean .US? .US is used only for government and institutional websites. No end user potential at all.

India a third world country? LOL Ever heard of BRICS?!

 

[HeyNow]

Do you mean .US? .US is used only for government and institutional websites. No end user potential at all.

Wrong. General use since 2002. Lots of end-users, like www.shell.us

Last time I checked, Shell Oil Company wasn't a government/institutional entity. Perhaps you misspoke.

 

[HeyNow]

India a third world country? LOL Ever heard of BRICS?!

Here are the members of BRIC: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Of course, if you're living in Haiti, those 5 alternative might sound good. But if you're living in the USA, they are nothing but third-world choices. Poverty, repression, disease, funeral pyres in the public streets (India), lack of plumbing, etc. You can keep all of them. Go ahead, you can have my space in any of those countries.

 

[the_poet]

@HeyNow If you think .us is one the most valuable ccTLDs in the world, then I hope you'll to get rich off it.

 

[alexdon82]

There is no doubts that .in names will cost a fortune someday, but not tomorrow, not in 2-5 years, maybe we will need to wait 10-20 years till this happens.In short- middle term .in are solid, but not great investments comparing to .com for example, because there is only 0.1-1% of endusers who really able and ready to pay for .in domains. For rich counties like US, Great Britain, Germany and so on, there is much higher conversion on their cctlds, than for .in.

@HeyNow, i understand your point on .us names. But problem of .us names is US companies are to rich to care about .us, they prefer .com, dotcoms seems to be an official cctld for States and not .us.