Held on November 11 every year, more commonly referred to as 11.11, it’s the one day in the year when you will see massive discounts on all shopping platforms—both physical and e-commerce. 11.11 Global Shopping Festival is a day that most businesses will not miss out after seeing the popularity of the sales and the amount of sales volume one can earn in just one day. As such, it is critical to prepare well ahead of 11.11 if you own a business. Here are three tips to get you started.

1. Optimise your website and app for mobile use

Based on statistics, people buy a lot of things online and with time, it seems like more people are making those orders through their mobile phones. That is why it is important that businesses perfect their mobile experience so that there is a higher conversion rate when consumers enter the web store or app interface.

Prior to the 11.11 sales period, businesses should make sure that their pages and products are well laid out. From showcasing the best deals to the best-selling products, your business should have clear headings and consistent branding across web pages. This will be useful for SEO purposes too. Businesses should also ensure that the website and app have a good loading speed and do not crash upon a large-scale web volume entering the page.

2. Advertise and communicate your promotional deals early

Despite being called the 11.11 sale, we all know that many businesses will tend to launch their pre-sale deals before the actual 11.11 sale date. A savvy shopper will definitely scour various sites to see what deals are worth buying. It would be strategic for businesses to advertise and communicate their promotional deals early. Advertisements should be done on relevant social media platforms and platforms your target audiences tend to see and engage in. With these advertisements, you might also reach out to new audiences or audiences that tend to have similar behaviours as your current customers. These will help boost your sales volumes as 11.11 might be a good time for new customers to try out new products they have been wanting to test.

Businesses can also engage Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) and influencers to reach out to the mass audience. It is key to reach out to the right audience if you are selling a niche or specific item to ensure that you will achieve a good sales volume during the sales period.

3. Ensure that you bring in enough business stock

If you are running an 11.11 promotion or a special deal, always ensure sufficient inventory for those items that are high in customer demand or under the sales or flash deal category. With sufficient goods available, you will be able to fulfil all of your business enquiries and sales faster too! For those in the dropshipping industry, it is also good to prepare a storage space in advance so that you will not have storage issues when all your goods arrive.

If you are looking for reliable and safe storage space, you can always try Extra Space Asia Self Storage. Extra Space Asia is the region’s dominant operator in self-storage solutions.

Today, Extra Space Asia has 72 facilities across Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Taiwan and Japan. With a wide selection of storage solutions and flexible plans to choose from, you will be able to find a suitable storage unit to store your business inventory. Check out our 11 storage facilities located around Singapore, accessible 24 hours for customers and highly safe & secure too!

Contact us at 6771 3100 today to find out more about our wide range of storage services.

Psst… if you have read till here, we have some good news to share! We will also be having some exciting 11.11 deals in November. So, do keep a lookout if you are looking for extra space this November.

By: Michelle Lee

Smart storage units are the latest technology in the self-storage industry. Instead of a traditional storage space door secured by a lock, smart storage allows users to access their storage unit using their smartphones! This is done by integrating a wireless smart lock system into the self-storage unit.

At Extra Space Asia, we are Singapore’s first self-storage company to integrate the award-winning Noke smart security technology into our self-storage system, offering a keyless self-storage experience.

Here are two benefits of our keyless smart storage unit for your consideration!

Experience seamless convenience

We believe that your storage experience should always come first, and our keyless smart access storage system offers you the most convenient self-storage experience.

You will no longer need to remember your PIN code or handle a physical lock and key to gain access to your storage unit. All you need is your smartphone!

Enjoy peace of mind

At Extra Space Asia, our keyless smart access storage also offers our customers a wealth of on-site data for both security monitoring and predictive analytics on top of our existing security system.

This means that all smart storage unit activity is monitored in the app, and our customers will only have access to the area where their storage space is located.

Furthermore, all our keyless smart access storage space is equipped with End-To-End Bluetooth Encryption, thanks to Noke, an award-winning smart security solution!

Share access with your friends and family

Another benefit of Noke that customers frequently use is the shared access feature. This allows our customers to share and control access to any family or friends all without being required to be physically present at the storage unit!

There are many reasons why you will store at a self-storage facility. It can be because you are storing your belongings during the moving transition or just your toy and hobby collections.

One question we often receive from our customers on self-storage is how to know which storage unit is the right fit for their storage needs.

Did you also know that the price differences between renting small and medium storage units can be more than $800 a year? It pays—literally—to estimate the correct storage unit size you need before renting the storage unit.

Here, we will answer that question and show you how to pick the perfect storage space.

Perform an inventory check of all your belongings

The first step to estimating the storage space size you need will be to identify all belongings you would like to store.

Count all boxes and identify any fragile items or odd-shaped items that might not be stackable. Be sure to note down everything so that you can refer back to it at a later stage.

Double-check your home storage options

Before renting a self-storage unit, it is always advisable to double-check your home storage options. This step ensures you have used all your available storage space at home and do not pay extra for a larger storage unit.

The difference between a small and medium-sized storage space is around $800 per year. As such, we will always advise you to ensure that all home storage is fully utilized before considering storing at a self-storage facility.

Calculating the storage space required

After confirming the remaining belongings to be stored at a self-storage facility, you will need to calculate the space required.

When picking a storage size, find out the square footage (sq. ft.) required. To achieve this, stack the items like how you will store them if they are placed in your storeroom. Once done, multiply the total length and width of your belongings. Remember to buffer some extra space to factor in future storage needs.

It is not advisable to take a storage space with the exact dimension that leaves no room for additional belongings unless you are sure that you do not plan to store anything else in the future.

To help calculate your required storage space, you can refer to our storage size estimator guide or simply drop our customer service advisor a call at 6771 3100!

Whether you are looking to move out or reclaim some space at home, it can be very stressful. It is important to be as prepared as you can to minimise the problems that you might encounter. To help make the process easier, ensure that you are prepared with the proper materials. Here are the top five must-have packing supplies that you will need.

Moving Boxes

When it comes to packing supplies, the most important one of them all is… the box. Boxes are vital for decluttering regardless of the size of your belongings. As such, obtaining moving boxes should be your priority. One crucial detail that you should remember when purchasing the moving boxes is to ensure that it is sturdy enough to carry all your belongings. You will likely require boxes in an assortment of sizes. It is also wise to get more boxes than you think you will need to prevent that extra trip down to the DIY shop to get more. While packing your belongings, keep items that are similar in the same box. Categorising will allow you to be more organised in the future when you decide to unpack. At Extra Space Asia, we provide a selection of boxes for your needs. Check out our Box Shop to find out more.

Bubble Wrap

The next important packing material that you need is Bubble Wrap. While sturdy moving boxes protect your fragile belongings, it is not enough to prevent breakages during loading and unloading. This is where bubble wrap comes into play. The most common mistake that you can make is thinking that bubble wrap is for professional use only. Bubble wrap should be used by everyone who wants to safeguard their prized belongings. Protect any fragile belongings such as glasses, vases, and oversized picture frames by wrapping them up in layers of bubble wrap. It can even serve as dividers inside moving boxes, serving as an extra layer of padding. Most DIY shops sell bubble wrap. However, if you really can’t find any, try our Box Shop for an affordable option.

Marker Pens

While not typically known as a packing material. You must have at least one marker pen when you are packing. The purpose of the pen is to label all the boxes and list the items in each of them. While almost everyone will have one at home, it is never too late to double-check before starting your packing journey.

Heavy-duty Clear Packing Tapes

Once you have packed all of your belongings into the boxes, you will need to secure them with heavy-duty clear packing tape. Tapes are essential for packing as it keeps your boxes secured and reinforced. On top of this, you may also need to use some tape to secure the bubble wrap in places around fragile items to ensure that they do not fall out during the move. Ensure that you have purchased the heavy-duty clear packing tape as they are specifically designed for packing. For these, we recommend you do not skimp on the cost as the cheapest packing tape is not going to last. When sealing boxes, ensure that you tape the middle where the flaps meet and along the sides for extra support. If the boxes are heavy, consider crisscrossing the tapes on the box.

Tape Gun

If you are looking to save time and effort while sealing your boxes using heavy-duty clear packing tape, you might want to consider purchasing a tape gun. You might think that the amount of time saved by purchasing a tape gun might not be much. However, owners of tape guns will tell you otherwise.

And the One to Avoid

Avoid packing peanuts. While it seems helpful in protecting your belongings, they are messy and take up tons of space. Instead, your bubble wrap is enough to protect your belongings. If you require additional protection, try using Air-Paq, an inflatable airbag created just for this purpose.Before you purchase any packing materials, we recommend that you search for them at home. Chances are, you already have almost everything at home. However, if you need any essential packing supplies, why not drop us a call to get some from our Box Shop?      

A home office is an office space at home to run official business functions. Start-ups and entrepreneurs commonly use home offices as their very first office to lower the cost of operation. However, as a business owner, there will be times when you feel ready to move out of your home office to an actual office space.

Here are five good indicators to start packing and move to an office space.

Your business is growing quickly

Take a look around your home space. If you feel like your home space is turning into an office space with business inventory occupying more than 50% of your home space or space to work, it’s time to set up an office elsewhere. You can always start by renting a small office space of a good size to fit your business items and office equipment so that the cost of renting an office space is minimal and upsize accordingly.

You are hiring more employees

As your business grows, you will need more manpower to help you in the daily operation of your business, as it will be hard to do everything on your own. When that time comes, you will need to hire more employees, and it might be hard to fit everyone comfortably in your home. This will be the right time for you to look for a new space that is big enough to fit your team and workflow.

The lack of space to store business inventory

Planning to bulk up on inventory for the upcoming festive sales? If this is causing you a temporary space problem, you can always rent a self-storage unit at a storage provider such as Extra Space Asia Self Storage, where you will enjoy unlimited space to store all of your business inventory. Renting a storage unit is like an extension of your office space where you can access your goods and inventory 24/7, any time, any day. You can also be assured that your items are in good hands with the 24/7 CCTV monitoring in the storage facility area. With a wide storage size available at the storage facility, you will also be able to affordably find a storage space to store all of your items. If you need storage assistance, you can always contact 6771 3100, and Extra Space Asia Self Storage will assist you accordingly.

If this space-related problem is a long-term issue, you can always find an office space near a storage facility. This way, you will be able to enjoy ample space for your goods and also a comfortable room to operate your business.

The lack of space to hold client meetings

When you just started your business, most of your client meetings might be at home or a local coffee shop. However, as your business grows, it might look unprofessional to hold all the physical meetings in your home. Firstly, there might be limited space to move around. Secondly, it might be hard to speak about confidential matters with all the employees in the same room. As such, it’s good to consider renting an office space with some rooms so that each function can have room to operate clearly.

Too many distractions at home

We can all agree that working at home is comfortable and ideal for most as everything is within reach. However, it’s not always the best place to work as distractions are too many at home for us to work in peace. Especially if you have kids or rowdy pets at home, distractions make it challenging for us to engage in deep work and stay focused during a meeting.

 

 
By: Michelle Lee

Loading bays are a highly convenient amenity for self-storage facilities. They enable you to load and unload your belongings while staying sheltered from the sun and weather. For this reason, most self-storage facilities should have at least one loading bay.

 

Read on to find out how a loading bay can benefit you when storing at a self-storage facility.

 

Efficiency

With a loading bay, you will be able to park your vehicle as near as possible to your storage area, allowing you to load and unload your belongings with minimum fuss. Furthermore, a loading bay is often beside the cargo lift and trolley bay, granting you easy access to your storage units.

 

Safety

Having a loading bay also reduces the risk of injury as the trolley bay and lifts are close to you. This benefit also means you will be able to immediately unload your belongings onto a trolley, thus minimising the risk of back injuries.

 

Protection from the elements

Singapore has fairly consistent weather whereby it is most of the time — it is hot and humid. However, we are also affected by the two monsoon seasons (Northeast Monsoon and Southwest Monsoon) that can result in a heavy thunderstorm.

 

During these periods, a sheltered loading bay protects you from getting wet and reduces the risk of water damaging your belongings. On hot days, the sheltered loading bay also doubles as a shade while you unload your belongings.

 

If your belongings are temperature sensitive, it is advisable to select a self-storage facility with a sheltered loading bay.

You’ve signed up for a storage space and are waiting eagerly to move in your clutter. But on your first day at your storage unit, you realised a big problem – your storage unit is too small. This is just one of many mistakes that new storage owners make when they sign up. Finding out that you require a place to declutter is important, but so is avoiding these newbie mistakes so that you maximise every dollar that you spend.

Choosing the wrong storage size

One of the biggest mistake people make is selecting a storage unit that is just too small for all their belongings. While it’s understandable that you want to save money by selecting a smaller unit, it’s not advisable to cram all your belongings into a smaller storage unit as you’ll risk damaging them. Instead, you can share with the storage facility managers on the dimension or photos of your belongings, and let them advise you on the storage size required accordingly!

Refusing storage insurance

Insurance exists for a reason, and that is to protect your belongings in the event of a fire, as well as theft by forcible entry and other extraneous perils. While the chances of these happening are low, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. At Extra Space Asia, storage insurances are mandatory. At only $3.21 per month, it’s affordable and provides you with a minimum coverage of at least $1,000. Higher coverages are also doable and affordable as it is always advisable to get an insurance coverage that is comparable to the value of your storage items. If you are unsure of how much coverage you should be getting, simply check with our facility managers on the available coverage and the respective monthly rates of the different insurance policies.

Failing to check storage security features

Singapore is ranked no.1 in order and security, according to the World Justice Project. As such, many people often overlook this important aspect when selecting their storage space. It’s easy to think that no one will steal your belongings in Singapore, as long as they are locked within the compound of the storage facility. However, never take security for granted as being low crime doesn’t mean no crime. Always check that the storage facility has critical security elements such as 24/7 CCTV, controlled access gate, trained security guards and individual storage unit alarms. To find out how safe Extra Space Asia is, click here!

Storing prohibited items

While renting a storage space helps with decluttering your home, there are some things that you just can’t store in a self-storage unit! Here’re some of the items that you should never store in a self-storage units:

• Food – Never store food in your storage unit as they will bring pests into the facility. The last thing you want to find is a cockroach in your storage unit, right?
• Plants – Plants can’t survive in the dark without sunlight and water. Dying plants can rot and damage other belongings in your storage unit as well as invite pests.
• Pets – Locking your pets up in a storage unit with lack of access to food and water is a criminal offence. Your pets deserve your love and attention and should spend their time with you at home.
• Flammable Goods – Never leave hazardous material in your storage unit. Flammable goods such as propane or gasoline do not belong in a self-storage facility and should be stored somewhere that is specialised for them.

If you’ve any questions on what you can or can’t store in your storage space, reach out to our facility manager for their clarification!

Using newspaper to wrap your belongings

Try to avoid using newspaper to wrap your belongings when possible. The inks on the newspaper might smudge onto the wrapped belongings, causing stains and even damage. If possible, purchase proper storage packing materials such as stretch films or bubble wraps from our Box Shop.

Forgetting to label your boxes

Labelling your boxes might seem like an easy task, but it’s one task that many fail to do. Just remember that it’s really frustrating to spend hours and hours looking for something. By labelling your boxes, you’re saving yourself from this frustration.
By: Gary Phua

Self-storage has been around in Asia for almost 20 years, and yet, there are still many misconceptions about it. One of the few myths is that people only rent self-storage space to store their business inventories. But this is not the case as you will read below. Here are some common myths about renting a self-storage space and the truth behind them.

Storage rental is only for business owners

One recurring myth about self-storage is that it is used for business only. But in reality, more people use self-storage to store personal belongings as compared to businesses! From storing seasonal holiday decorations or unused household items to vintage toy and personal wine collection, ‘non-business’ storage owners use self-storage space for a myriad of personal reasons.

Only large storage spaces are available for rental

So untrue! At Extra Space Asia, customers can select from a wide range of storage sizes, from as small as 10 square feet to as large as over 400 square feet. Furthermore, there are a variety of storage types to fit just about your every need.

Spaces are only available for long-term storage rental

Not everyone will require long-term storage, especially if you are storing your personal belongings. Self-storage companies usually offer flexible storage rental period, from as short as 14 days to as long as you require.

Self-storage facilities are dirty

Another perception most people have about self-storage is that its facet is similar to an industrial warehouse. While ‘dirty’ self-storage facilities are rare in Singapore due to the strict rules and regulations, a professional self-storage company should come equipped with modern features and presentable storage units. The key thing to remember is to visit the storage facility first before you make your choice. If you are unsure what to look out for, check out these 4 Useful Tips When Choosing Your Self-Storage Provider in Singapore.

Renting a storage space is expensive

One of the most popular myth is that it is cost-intensive to rent a self-storage space. But did you know? Most self-storage space rentals are affordable, with the cost starting from as low as $50 per month. However, the storage rates differ due to storage size, duration, location and ongoing promotions. To find out about what contributes to a storage space rental rate, find out more about the Cost of Renting a Self-Storage Space in Singapore. Did we miss out on any other common self-storage myths? Let us know! If you are still unsure or have more questions about self-storage, feel free to contact us today.  

By: Gary Phua