So, you think you know everything there is to know about self storage. That’s what we thought too, but the The Self Storage Association UK Annual Survey revealed 6 interesting facts that gave us some new insights about the industry.
Did you know any of these?
30% of consumers believe they can only access their goods in self storage
In 2014, 35% of customers believed that they only had access to their goods, but many stores offer help with storage staff, removal services and even packing and unpacking your items. While bigger brands may offer higher discounts, it’s these little services from the smaller storage companies that provide value for money.
48% of people do not believe they have anything to put into self storage
It’s understandable that many people don’t realise what they get when they sign up for self storage, because 48% don’t believe they need it. However, life is fickle and there are any number of occasions that could require you to need self storage in the not-so-distant future including, travelling, divorce, moving house or decluttering while doing home restorations.
53% agree that self storage offers a range of unit sizes to suit people’s needs
It appears that the range of sizes offered for self storage units suits the majority, though the survey did reveal that demand is growing faster than supply. As a result, we should expect to see some changes after the 2017 survey has been completed.
35% of consumers agreed that self storage contracts are flexible from 1 month to 12 months or longer
This was 37% in 2014 and 2015, which means self storage users are becoming increasingly aware of how cost can affect their payments. The image of self-storage is becoming a lot more fluid than the static image storage used to portray. Customers are therefore expecting contracts to reflect this fluidity and flexibility.
33% of people do not know how much a storage unit would cost
In fact, what is even more shocking is that a further 55% believed storage prices to be cheaper than they actually were. This is down to the majority of big storage brands offering discounted rates for the first 4-12 weeks before hijacking their prices.
The result is a much heftier fee at the end of the year. Customers looking to save money on their self storage should compare brands that don’t necessarily offer discounts for the first 3 months but a lower overall cost. Again, if they offer extra services like ‘man in a van’ and removal help, you will get more bang for your buck too.
71% of businesses intend to increase prices next year
Due to the rise in demand, it’s no wonder that the larger storage companies are looking at putting their prices up. So our advice is to look for the outliers. The smaller companies that may not necessarily offer space in town centres but on the outskirts. They’ll be cheaper in the long run, offer extra services you may not associate with self-storage and help you keep your costs down for another year.
