I’m writing this in early April 2020, and right now, we’re all spending more and more time at home. This has meant changes for all of us.

It’s also changed the way people transact their everyday purchases. With google only 1 meter away, we are moving towards a self-serving society. No wonder we are resistant to making a phone call.

The market is now trained to be on-line, whether we want food, transport, or new shoes.

Overwhelmingly though, renting storage is different. It still requires a customer to choose one particular facility and either pick up the phone and call, or access that facility’s website. This forces customers to either phone or google—not just one, but often many Self-Storage complexes to find information on availability, price and access. It’s a difficult ask, in today’s world, but is there’s a better way…?

By now, we’re all familiar with online real estate portals such as realestate.com.au, domain.com.au and airbnb.com. These sites have proven incredibly successful because they offer range and choice; they enable customers to explore a wide range of options without call or enquiry reluctance.

For individuals and companies looking for storage space, the best example I know is Spacer.com.au. For potential customers wanting storage space, “Spacer” offers the one website  to access in the same way those other real estate site do.

So if you have excess capacity in your Self-Storage Complex, especially non-generic space such as hard-stand, car storage or extra land, Spacer may be able to supply you with additional income.

But what about Self-Storage itself?….well that’s an interesting question. Unlike housing or commercial property where each property is unique, Storage space “itself” is fairly generic.The actual location of the space being one of the very few distinctive features.

Otherwise, because storage space is generic, it is easy to imagine that if one particular website was to list comparable, generic space across numerous self-storage facilities, discounting would be one of the easiest variables to change and of course this can only mean one thing and that’s not an outcome any of us want.

So, what do we do with a tool like Spacer.com.au?, well to me, perhaps take advantage of it with any non-core space you may have outside of your self-storage facility. Who knows those new customers who contact you on that space may have additional storage needs anyway. Best of all it’s free to list and the cost is based on only on success.

If you’d like an introduction to the founding director of Spacer, please contact us.

(BTW, I have no financial or beneficial interest in this and only forward this as a thought to assist. And a further note National Self Storage use the site and have a shareholding in it(not that, that matters..but just so you know)