The first of the gTLD blockbusters? Assessing the ‘.shop’ launch figures

This week the ‘.shop’ gTLD hit general availability, with the registry behind the string revealing that it registered almost 40,000 domains in the first 30 minutes of sales. Watchers of the expanded online space – particularly trademark owners seeking to gauge the need for defensive registrations – have been awaiting the launch of strings that go truly mainstream. So is the early performance of ‘.shop’ a sign that the blockbusters are now arriving?