In this shimmering era of e-commerce and online businesses, entrepreneurs and business owners must seek modern solutions to store inventory, equipment, and stock. While digital platforms have streamlined the online shopping experience, a physical storage space remains essential to most businesses. 

Self storage facilities offer a practical and flexible solution for these online businesses, providing several advantages that allow for their blossoming success. In a post-Covid world, the stark contrast between how companies used to run and how they need to is more apparent than ever.

Drawbacks of Running a Business From Home

For business owners operating from home, potential disadvantages include:

• A lack of clear separation between work and family life, which affects mental health
• Cluttered home office spaces that are unsuitable for meeting clients or impressing them with the quality of their work
• A need for more suitable space to store files, tax records, spare computer equipment, office furniture, inventory, file backups and other business apparatus
• No scalability for when it’s time for the business to expand

When growth is on the go, the next big step for the homeowner business is renting office or warehouse space…right?

Drawbacks of Renting an Office Space for Your Growing Business

As a busy business owner, you’ll need a space that caters to its unique (and constant) demands. The problem is that you may come across rental area options during your journey that aren’t a proper fit for your business. Here are few disadvantages to consider:

• Lease terms can be strict and can get in the way of your business model and day-to-day operations
• Scalability may not be possible; you may pay too much for space you don’t need, or you may be stuck with a room your business outgrows and can’t make the quick change to keep up with the demand. This rigidity can cut off circulation for your workplace’s lifeblood, leaving your business blue in the face
• The location of a rental property for your business might be too far from home, or where potential clients might need to meet. If the price is affordable but the location is in an unsafe part of town, you will be putting your business at risk

Benefits of Using Self Storage for Your Online Business

Self storage has become an invaluable resource for online businesses, providing a range of benefits that support their growth and efficiency in ways that your home and office rental wishes they could:

Extra Space

Running an e-commerce business means storing your stock in less-than-ideal places when faced with not enough space. With a self storage unit, you’ll have the choice to utilise the storage space (as large or as little as you need) exactly when you need it. Have your deliveries shipped directly to your self storage unit, and the staff on hand will collect it on your behalf at no additional cost — so there’s no need to overcrowd your home with extra stock at any time.

You’ll be thankful for the option to expand or shrink your space at any time due to flexible rental agreements and contracts that most self storage facilities offer. So if you need a bigger space to store seasonal stock at one time of the year but won’t need it for the rest of the year, you can lease out an extra unit or upgrade to a larger one for the time being, and then move back to the smaller one when the rush is over.

Save Money

The average self storage unit costs far less than a brick-and-mortar premises. A self storage unit won’t charge you council tax, business rates, VAT or high rent rates. Instead, you pay one flat price for your unit, regardless of how you use it in your day-to-day operations.

Boosting your space is also more cost-effective, making it perfect for seasonally influenced businesses. Overall, e-commerce businesses could benefit from massive savings when they choose to use self storage, keeping expenses low and profit margins high.

Improved Safety & Security

There is no safer place to keep your stock or important documents than a self storage space. Unlike your home, which only has limited security, a self storage facility comes fully equipped with high-tech security and attentive staff.

Most facilities will have around-the-clock security, CCTV, and fire alarms, and each individual unit will have a security padlock/code and alarm system in place (in addition to the overall alarm system). Your stock will never be safer!

Extra Amenities

Most self storage facilities will offer added extras that allow e-commerce businesses to grow at a rate that works for them. For example, our self storage facilities are happy to take stock deliveries for you and keep them safe until you are ready to collect them.

At StorageWise, we have a staff forklift on-site for loading or unloading pallets for delivery, and we help our customers to load up their vans with pallets of stock. Just ask our friendly staff to assist you. For safe storage, we also offer a range of high-quality packing supplies.

Online businesses can optimise their operations by leveraging self storage facilities, focusing on core activities, and creating a seamless customer experience. Whether it’s a small startup or an established online retailer, incorporating StorageWise’s self storage facilities into your business strategy can yield substantial advantages and contribute to long-term success in the dynamic world of online commerce.

Are you ready to rent a unit but need to know how much space you need? Our business space estimator gives you a visual overview of each of our units and helps resolve which size is best for you! If you have any more questions, call us at +353 61 446 302 or pop by our facility for a visit. Alternatively, you can book your storage unit online easily and painlessly!