.ORGANIC domain operator Afilias today announced the results of a poll in which “nearly 70% of respondents believe that some companies are misrepresenting themselves as “organic” to command a premium price, and 60% would like a reliable way to distinguish real organic providers online from the pretenders. That’s why almost 60% of respondents claimed they would be more inclined to visit a site on .ORGANIC, which is restricted to verified organic entities, than legacy .COM sites when searching for organic products.”
“The research showed the depth of confusion consumers feel when searching for organic products online: 43% of respondents acknowledge that they can’t easily differentiate who’s truly organic and who’s not when they are researching or shopping online; whereas only 5% claim they don’t have such a problem. 69% think companies should stop associating themselves with the term “organic” if they are not.
1 in 4 consumers believe that true organic companies and products SHOULD have a .ORGANIC web address, as only verified organic entities are allowed to have one.
Afilias commissioned independent research agency YouGov to undertake this research. Conducted in mid-November 2014, the research surveyed over 3,200 U.K. and U.S. Internet users (2,057 and 1,147 adults respectively). The findings were sampled and weighted to be nationally representative of each nation (adults aged 18+).”
Despite the results of the survey, as we sit today, there are only 396 domain names registered under .Organic according to ntldstats.com
“Despite the results of the survey, as we sit today, there are only 396 domain names registered under .Organic according to ntldstats.com”
I think it’s also because .ORGANIC domains are not registrable by everyone, but they are restricted to individuals, businesses or organizations that are certified organic by an Approved Standards Body or otherwise are eligible under their Registration Policy.
In order to activate a .ORGANIC domain, it’s mandatory to first complete a specific verification process.
So that would mean that only companies or businesses can own one correct?
How many companies are eligible under those standards in the world to register one?
Mike,
Both individuals and companies can own one, but they need to have specific eligibility requirements.
I think you can find more details here: http://get.organic/registration_policy
Anyway, making a rough guess, IMHO more than 396 entities (individuals and companies) in the world should be eligible … 🙂
Actually IMHO, .org is also a valid (and shorter) alternative for anyone involved in the ORGanic world 🙂
perhaps a mark of how much speculation is buying new gtlds vs actual businesses.