Explorage.com bites the bullet

Gaerwen, Wales Jun 24, 2024 (EMWNews.com) – 18 months after launching the UK’s fastest growing marketplace for self storage, Anglesey based Explorage.com has unveiled a consumer facing brand SelfStorageBooker.com, which will become the new name and home for the platform. The move came after regular feedback that people just didn’t know what Explorage was or does!

Speaking about the change, Founder and CEO Anna Roberts shared, “Explorage was the name I came up with for the business when I very first had the idea. I had taken feedback on various names and words, and “Explorage for self storage” had a nice ring to it and gave us a unique angle.”….. “Two problems became apparent, however. One; it just didn’t land in terms of translating what we do. If you’re a household name like Amazon or Dyson, with billions of pounds to go at, then it’s only a matter of time before people start to absorb the brand into their daily language, but as a start up in a young and growing market, we simply need to do what we say on the tin. Two; people weren’t sure how to pronounce it, with a French accent being one we hadn’t seen coming! From our perspective, customers could say it however they wanted as long as they remembered it, but the fact that many hesitated or felt uncomfortable with how to pronounce, it didn’t align with our mission of making life easier for people.”

The new brand is being championed by a mascot the team has had close to their hearts for some time, “Steve”, the squirrel. “In fact, he’s not just any squirrel”, says Anna, “he’s a native red squirrel from Anglesey, where the Red Squirrels Trust Wales works hard to protect the endangered species”. Steve has quite a back story, he’s not your cute cuddly kind, and he refuses to acknowledge that he is a squirrel at all. He claims he’s just a regular guy who works hard for his family, who are the driver for his need of self storage!

The team unveiled the new name at the CSTA (Container Self Storage & Traders Association) conference in London on Thursday where Anna was presenting, having honoured “Steve” in the drinks reception the evening before by wearing large squirrel tails. The new name was received with instant approval and has been a hit on social media too.

Talking about what becomes of the name “Explorage” Anna says, “We’re still keeping Explorage.com as the main interface between our fantastic self storage operator network and the technical engine that sits under the hood of SelfStorageBooker.com. Customers will still also be able to use and book self storage on Explorage.com as before, it’s simply that we are going to let that brand grow organically in its own time, while we put all our marketing energy into SelfStorageBooker.com”.

Self storage is a fast growing sector that is becoming more popular in the UK and Europe. This year the UK market toppled the £1billion mark in annual revenue. The industry continues to grow at pace as more and more customers discover how useful it can be as a solution to needing more space, especially during life changing events like moving house, building a business, divorce and bereavement. Container based outdoor storage has seen a particular boom, with the number of recorded facilities at 1012, an increase of 37% on the previous year according to the Self Storage Association. Yet the sector is still hugely fragmented with independent facilities and smaller chains of stores making up around 83% of the industry in the UK.  

Anna says, “It’s an exciting time for the business and with the new name and mascot there’s a real sense of momentum building.”

SelfStorageBooker.com is encouraging people to get involved with spotting “Steve’s” in the wild to support the Red Squirrels Trust Wales. They can be logged at http://www.redsquirrels.info/submit-a-sighting/