Why name shops after your own district?
Shops named after different districts are a frequent sight in the winding alleys of Dhaka city. But what do business owners hope to achieve by this? How do customers feel about it? The Business Standard set to find out
Soura is a second-year student at a university in Dhaka. Born and raised in Gaibandha, he left his hometown two years ago to pursue higher education. Yet, the time spent away has not diminished his longing for his home district.
When he first moved into his bachelor mess, he spotted a restaurant named "Gaibandha Hotel." The hotel was more expensive than his mess and the taste was nothing great either. But still, whenever he had a chance, he would eat there.
In this massive city, the hotel offered Soura a sense of familiarity and comfort. It felt like he knew everyone there, from the owner to the customers. It's not just this particular hotel that Soura has an affinity to, wherever he goes in the city, he is drawn to anything named after his beloved Gaibandha.
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Countless people from across Bangladesh are constantly migrating to Dhaka in search of work but for those who have been living here, finding such shops named after different districts is not new. It is a frequent sight in the winding alleys of Dhaka city. But what is the aim of business owners when they name their shops like this and how do customers feel about it? Is it really an effective business strategy? The Business Standard set out to interview various shop owners and customers to uncover the truth.
A business strategy to attract customers
For the last 20 years, Mohammad Nijamuddin has been running a corner store named "Noakhali Store" in the capital's Uttar Khan area. He moved here from Noakhali when he was just a young man and named his store out of love for his home district. At the time, he didn't pay much heed to how the name would affect his business. But based on the last 20 years of experience of running the store, he has found some advantages.
"When people from Noakhali see the name they come to shop here. Sometimes we end up reminiscing about Noakhali and become friends. This nostalgic pull that people have towards my shop does bring some extra business for me," said Nijamuddin.
Next to the Noakhali Store is a shop named "Brahmanbaria Hardware and Paint," owned by Mohammad Shamim, hailing from Brahmanbaria district. He had decided upon the name as a marketing strategy to attract customers.
"A lot of customers are attracted to my store out of a regional nostalgia. If I had named my store after myself, or someone else, I would have lost out on this extra business," explained Shamim.
It's not just the nearby locals who are drawn to such businesses; its allure reaches far and wide across the city. Rajan, an employee of "Kishoreganj Hudel" located in Mohakhali informed TBS that the owner named the restaurant after his home district two years ago. But it's not just the name that has attracted so many customers hailing from Kishoreganj, but also the use of their regional dialect inside the hotel.
"We get customers from distant areas because of our hotel name. They come from places like Uttara, Farmgate or Mirpur and bring their friends along. A customer once told me that they hadn't gone home for one and a half years and whenever they come here, it reminds them of home," added Rajan.
On the corner of Moghbazar stands "Cumilla Store." Iqbal, the current owner of the shop informed TBS that his father named the store after his district when it was first established back in 1956.
"We get all sorts of customers from different places but we do get more customers from Cumilla because of that shared longing. They treat this place like it's their own. That feeling of belonging to one's own home guides us all," said Iqbal.
It is almost the same story in other establishments named after different districts, from Uttar Khan's "Chandpur Telecom," Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Sarani's "Tangail Oil and Auto Store," New Market's "Lakshmipur Bastralaya" to Moghbazar's "Bikrampur Hotel and Restaurant" and "Noakhali General Store."
Customer's trust in their district's businessmen
"I have been living in Dhaka for around 30 years. I have been speaking standard Bangla with my children, neighbours and my colleagues for so long that I almost forgot the Sylheti dialect. But when I come here and speak to the owner, it feels as though I have found one piece of Sylhet in Dhaka. Anytime I have to do a bit of shopping I always come here, guided by my longing to speak in Sylheti," said Joynal Abedin who was buying some chips from Motijheel's "Sylhet Store."
Habibullah was buying some beef from Uttar Khan's "Faridpur Gosto Bitan," when he echoed a similar sentiment. He believed that the owner would give him the highest quality meat based on their kinship.
According to Ramzan, a long-time expatriate in Mauritius, who was shopping at "Noakhali Store", seeing your home town's name on a store or a product can be very emotional.
"When I was living abroad, I would happily spend double the price if I saw a Bangladeshi product, like a packet of Tk10 chips or a Tk25 water, just because it had the 'Made in Bangladesh' tag. This is something only those who live far away from their homeland can appreciate," Ramzan added
Soura, Joynal Abedin, Habibullah or Ramzan are just a few among many who feel drawn to establishments with their hometown's name. But Nilufer, another Dhaka resident, believes that this is a kind of phenomenon that only benefits smaller establishments.
"If everyone was drawn by seeing their district's names on products then bigger businesses would also follow suit and name themselves after different areas. But this is the sort of thing you can mostly find in the alleys or localities of the city," Nilufer opined.
How effective is this marketing strategy?
Dr Mohammad Shahidul Islam, Assistant Professor of Marketing at BRAC University, believes this strategy is only partly effective. According to him, most owners name their businesses this way without much thought or planning.
"The name of a product or business will always influence consumer behaviour in some way. Naming a store after a district will help foster closeness with the customer and that influences their decision-making," he said.
"We often have to migrate to various areas for our jobs. This type of migration is why this naming strategy is so popular. However, from a sustainable business strategy standpoint, it is not very effective."
