Are You Mobile?
Four in ten Australians are using mobile Internet devices to access the Internet on a daily basis, mainly at home or at work even if they have access to a computer.
The number one reason that people use computers is for Internet browsing and with the advent of smart phones and mobile devices, people are turning away from traditional computers.
It is commonplace for people to use small tablets many iPads and smart-phones whilst they are watching television: often interacting with television shows. That’s why you see Twitter and Facebook information across the bottom of the screen; it’s the new way to television companies can interact in real time with their viewers.
We used to have Tim Tams whilst we watched TV, now we have tablets..
What does this mean for self storage? Our WebStor division which creates many websites for self storage sites regularly monitors the type of usage of self storage websites we have created and we have noticed a double-digit growth in the use of mobile devices accessing those self storage websites.
Mobile Internet usage is considered mainstream and usage is commonplace across most age groups, including potential renters.
One of the most interesting statistics recently released by Sensis, showed 82% of those using mobile products on the Internet are searching for products or services. 65% use their phones and tablets to pay bills and 47% use them to view video content. Only 56% use their mobiles for social media.
In retail environments shoppers are increasingly using smart phones to check the pricing of goods online or with other retailers prior to purchase. It’s commonplace to see people walking around department stores and bulky goods retailers checking their phones – in reality they are comparing prices prior to purchase.
In this new paradigm, self storage operators need to ensure that the website is mobile friendly -you must ensure that customers can easily find you on a mobile device and more importantly contact you and they need to see a map of your location.
The trend to mobile devices is continuing – with large computer companies making decisions to change the form factor of common everyday computers to much smaller units, which in time will end up as notebooks and laptop PCs. Intel, the largest processor manufacturer in the world will stop making user replaceable chips so they can focus on integrated mobile technologies this year. This means you can bet that within two years that the mobile platform will overtake the desktop platform in homes and businesses.
Whilst we have seen screen sizes rise dramatically from 15 inch to 27 inch monitors which are currently a hot item, we will see mobile phones with larger screens and we will also see hybrid devices between mobile phones and notebooks, Galaxy already make one of these devices which has a 7 inch screen.
Internet trends are moving very rapidly – but it’s important that your self storage facility stays on top of the latest technology trends as it’s just too easy to get left behind. You no longer have the backstop of the Yellow Pages to drive phone calls to your self storage businesses and therefore you must have a large web presence.
A mobile version of your website will make it easier for your mobile enabled customers to find you.
There are now over 45 billion web pages on the Internet, your business has a one in 45 billion chance of being found, so it is important to make sure that when people are searching for you that they can read your website easily and moreover do business with you immediately.
Research shows that three out of every four people use the Internet to search for products are looking for prices, yet less than 20% of sites display them. There is a basic imbalance between what the customer wants and what self storage facilities provide and there is only one real way to fix it. Display your prices on the Web.
You are either competitive with your pricing or you’re not and every self storage facility has a unique reason why customers should do business with them. It’s not really any different to the old days – people could ring around for prices anyway.
With customers making purchasing decisions and doing their own research online, those sites that choose not to display pricing may be skipped over for those that do, especially when people want to buy.
Buyers are wary when prices are not displayed and generally believe that the product may be too expensive, they make that call without ever calling you. When you have a simple contact form, potential customers see you mining that information so that you can contact them and try and sell them something. Not many respond to that technique.
Have you ever walked around a car yard and said “There are no prices , lets go”.
With over 1000 online move ins completed by the RapidStor technology (used by SiteLink users) it is evident that people will buy for the price that is listed on your website and importantly technology like RapidStor works in the mobile environment giving the ability for people on phones and tablets to decide on a space.
In the old days we used to call this “Asking for the sale” – remember the sales coach who used to tell you “Don’t forget to ask for the business?” That’s what a technology like RapidStor does – it asks for the business and gives the customer who is ready to buy the opportunity to buy now.
Ask us about a mobile version of your website, it’s not that expensive and importantly you are providing a
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