Self Storage price comparison sites, and Storage.co.uk
If you are in search of your nearest self storage facility, you may ask Google for a “self storage price comparison site”. What happens next?
Well, in the UK the response will be a list of self storage price comparison sites to choose from. They include www.comparethestorage.com, www.storage-companies.co.uk and www.spacefinder.co.uk.
Each price comparison site has its own individual way of working. Usually, the user will have to enter a location or a postcode to narrow down the geographical search. In other words: where do you want to find self storage? The price comparison site will then list a number of self storage facilities near the location you have entered.
Sponsored price comparison sites
Some price comparison sites will list self storage facilities from a limited number of brand names ‒ some of which may be quite a distance from the geographical location that you have selected. If this is the case, there is a fair chance that these companies are paying some kind of subscription or fee (perhaps based on a percentage of sales) for the listing, and they will be prioritised in the search, possibly to the exclusion of all others.
If the price comparison site lists prices on their pages, next to individual companies, there is a fair chance that it too will be sponsored by the companies listed ‒ because such a site will require constant monitoring and updating by the companies in question. How otherwise can a price comparison site that lists prices keep up-to-date?
It might be possible for an independent price comparison site specialising in washing machines or motor mowers to patrol the markets for the best prices, but the self storage industry is far less transparent about prices, which may fluctuate according to such factors as the season, or occupancy rates (how full a self storage facility is at any given time). Many self storage companies prefer to tailor their prices to customers, rather than publish their prices on their websites.
Pricing transparency
Here at Storage.co.uk we feel that companies that offer pricing transparency should be encouraged, in the interests of the consumer. Potential self storage customers want to be able to find out how much storage will cost, pure and simple, without having to submit all their details (including telephone number) as part of a multi-level application for a quotation.
For that reason, The Storage.co.uk Award for Pricing Transparency is specifically “awarded to firms who put prices on their websites” which are “assessed for simplicity, accessibility and clarity”.
But this lack of pricing transparency is not likely to vanish any time soon.
The Storage.co.uk quote service
So how can self storage customers find out which company offers the best deal in the location that is most convenient to them? This is a question that Storage.co.uk asked.
Storage.co.uk is an independent self storage advice website. It set out to create a database of all the self storage companies and facilities in the UK ‒ currently nearly 1,200 facilities operated by some 750 companies. It receives no subscriptions or sponsorship from the companies that it lists.
Given the nature of the market, Storage.co.uk decided that the fairest and best service to potential self storage clients was a quote service. By clicking on a button saying “Get quotes from four storage centres near you” visitors to the website are taken to a page where they can fill in just four simple boxes with their contact details (email only) and needs. This information is then forwarded to the four (or up to eight) nearest companies listed, which then have the option to respond and supply prices.
Internet searches rule
The self storage industry is becoming increasingly enmeshed with the Internet. A recent survey (January 2011) of UK self storage companies by Storage.co.uk found that most respondents receive over 60% of enquiries from the Internet (some over 80% and 90%); many self storage companies, it seems, now use very little advertising in other media to maintain their occupancy rates.
This is reflected in the high level of traffic passing through Storage.co.uk. It is hard to be precise about the value of business it generates, as the Storage.co.uk quote service hands over applications to the self storage companies, who then interact directly with these potential clients. But we do invite users of the quote service to evaluate it and tell us the outcome, and on the basis of this voluntary submission we can see that a considerable volume of business is flowing through the website towards the self storage companies in the form of confirmed sign-ups.
This view is reinforced by discussions with self storage company owners and managers, one of whom recently reported six sign-ups from just nine referrals in one month.
As a broad rule of thumb, self storage customers tend to stay on average for about a year (less long in the more expensive facilities, longer in the less expensive ones). The average spend is somewhere in the region of £1500 a year. So six sign-ups are worth perhaps £9000 in turnover ‒ and that may well be a conservative estimate.
The Storage.co.uk quote service is not exactly a price comparison site, because we feel that is not the right model for an independent website for the self storage industry — but it seems to be doing the business!
3 Responses to “Self Storage price comparison sites, and Storage.co.uk”
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The post is really nice.I appreciate it…..
When checking out different storage companies you want to review their policies and services. What are their hours of service, do they offer insurance, how do you pay and how they bill, what type of security do they offer for your belongings?
when checking out different storage companies you want to review their policies and services. What are their hours of service, do they offer insurance, how do you pay and how they bill, what type of security do they offer for your belongings?