E-commerce and Self-Storage: How to Stay Relevant with Today’s Technology

Ah, yes, we live in the technology age.  We get our news, entertainment, health information and appointments, and even schooling online. Shopping habits have also evolved to online in the past decade — and certainly even more so in the past 9 months. Whether you’re in the market for a new car, storage unit or just a pair of shoes, chances are that you’ll do your research and purchasing online – without ever having seen (or touched) the product. It’s become so easy to search for what you need by filtering the specifics you’re looking for, weeding out different brands and options, and getting an apples-to-apples comparison before making your purchasing decision. Some online retailers will even display a comparison chart for you, which makes it super easy. The ball is definitely in the consumer’s court, and it’s digitally driven.  Here are some ways our industry can stay ahead of the digital curve from the experts at Boxwell. 

Know Your Customers

Today’s shoppers can take their time browsing through sites, getting to know a brand and reading its reviews. There are shoppers who just “know when they know” and don’t need much pondering before they make the decision to purchase, and there are those who put items in their cart and return to it later (often multiple times). As a business owner, it’s important to make the shopping process clean and transparent for all varieties of shoppers. Think about what’s important to those looking to purchase your product or service — and know your competition. What other brands are your potential customers considering? Be sure to showcase your goods in a way that allows visitors to your website easily see (and understand) what they’re really getting with your brand – especially if they’re looking solely online. Figure out which features are going to secure the sale.

Top 4 Considerations When Browsing Self-Storage

Let’s take a look at the things that will obviously make a difference when a consumer is looking at their options:

1. QUALITY – does your product stand the test of time? Is it guaranteed? It is comforting when a company stands behind their product 100% and is willing to replace or refund an item based upon its quality.
   
   
2. INNOVATION – what sort of research has the company done to make their product the best it can be? With new materials and creative ideas, just about everything can be updated to its finer self. If you’ve done a lot of market research and made improvements to your product, be sure to highlight that.
   
   
3. VALUE – just because it’s good does not mean it has to be expensive. Consumers are constantly looking for a good cost to benefit ratio. If you can offer incentives or coupons to your customers, do so. Sometimes even just the smallest deal will make the sale. 
   
   
4. TESTIMONIALS – it’s definitely helpful to be able to read about other consumers’ experiences with a product or service. As a society, we’ve grown accustomed to letting others do the test runs. What are the pro’s and con’s? Read a review. Be sure to proudly display these reviews on your site.
   
   

Determine Which Marketing Strategies Will Best Showcase Your Product

It’s not just the essential products that are doing well online during the pandemic — the self-storage industry is also growing. With the need for a more hands-off approach during COVID, self-storage facilities have had to adapt their sales and marketing strategies to stay in the game. Whether you sell products directly from your website (think: running shoes or jewelry) or you rent storage units and need to show potential customers the in’s and out’s of your facility, having a strong online presence is key. Showcase your product online with good photography, videography and written copy. During these times when in-person retail has become next to obsolete (and relatively unsafe), we especially rely upon the visuals and information coming through a computer screen. Be sure that your product is well illustrated with clear photos and descriptions that show all the features and specific nuances you want to highlight. Videos are also an important marketing tool. You can walk the consumers through the experience of your product and give them notion of being there first-hand. 

Track Your Online Visitors

As a business, it would be wonderful to know exactly what your customers are looking for, right? What are the key words people are using to search for your particular product or service? Luckily, you can track what your website visitors are searching for with online analytics. Know where your visitors linger on your site and from what page they eventually make contact with you or purchase a product. Take a look at what this data reveals to determine what (and how) you want to showcase your products in the future. There is typically more than one touchpoint from which a consumer will see your brand and make their purchasing decision. Be certain that your products and services are consistently represented across the channels — on social media, through marketing emails, on your website, and in your blogs and news articles. Know the features about your product or service that consumers are seeking and highlight those throughout the web.

Be Available for Your Customers

Consumers are quickly getting used to having all their purchasing resources and options at their fingertips. With convenient and comprehensive online offerings, self-storage businesses can stand out amongst the competition and thrive online. The shift to an online retail world makes it important for businesses to tell their story and present their product clearly on their website. Be sure to also have your “Contact Us” button easily visible, as many consumers will have additional inquiries about your product or service. After all, it’s great knowing that a real person is available for you in the digital age. Meet your customers where they want you, which is easily accessible and searchable online. 

Boxwell provides storage solutions for all kinds of businesses. We achieve this by staying true to our product and really listening to our customers, our partners and each other.

Our products include drive-up self-storage units, relocatable self-storage units, portable storage containers, residential storage containers, moving containers, and restoration containers. Intended to help you increase your business’ revenue-generating space, our portable containers and relocatable self-storage units are flexible, stackable, and beautiful! Boxwell is here to ensure that our products help you achieve your business goals.

Work with a Boxwell representative to decide on an ideal, moveable storage unit mix, custom colors, door configurations and more. Once the order is placed, your Boxwells will be delivered, installed, and ready to rent. Check out www.boxwell.co or call (303) 416-6280 today!