UK SELF STORAGE INDUSTRY REPORT 2023

ATTITUDE TO AUTOMATON A major change in the industry in recent years has been the industry’s greater use of automation, through access control, security customer sign up, marketing, electronic locks and online move in processes.

When we asked how people prefer to contact a store on a gender basis, we saw that males are more likely to visit a store, whist females are more likely to email or call a store. This is valuable information for operators to consider when setting up their websites and online offerings. These patterns have been largely the same since the COVID pandemic, where the preference to use online jumped considerably.

SELF STORAGE

This allows some operators to reduce or entirely remove staff from their stores without reducing the ability of the customer to access their unit. The adoption of fully unmanned sites is relatively low in the UK, compared to markets such as Sweden, but it is growing, particularly in smaller regional locations. Since 2020, comfort with visiting unmanned stores has increased from 38% to 45% - although there is a nuance with levels of willingness.

ANNUAL REPORT 2023

GENDER PREFERENCE FOR CONTRACTING A STORE?

39 % 35 % 8 % 10 % 28 % 24 %

WILLINGNESS TO USE AN UNMANNED/AUTOMATED STORE

CALLING SELF STORAGE CENTRE DIRECTLY ON THE PHONE

50

MALE

FEMALE

40

30

22 % 27 %

20

BY USING E-MAIL OR ANOTHER ONLINE METHOD TO DIRECTLY CONTACT SELF STORAGE CENTRE

10

2022

BY VISITING THE SELF STORAGE CENTRE

2023

44 %

45 %

34 %

29 %

26 %

38 %

38 %

23 %

18 %

15 %

18 %

12 %

17 %

9 %

0

VERY WILLING

NET: NOT COMFORT ABLE

DON’T KNOW

NET: COMFORT ABLE

FAIRLY WILLING

NOT VERY WILLING

NOT AT ALL WILLING

%

3 % 4 %

DON’T KNOW

NONE OF THESE

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