Mini warehouses is a business concept that has become increasingly popular in the modern age, both as a core business backed by financially strong investors, but also as a side-hustle for the everyday man or woman. In the light of this development, it will become crucial for existing and budding warehouse owners to find ways to set themselves apart from the competition.
One company that seems to offer some useful lessons in this regard, is a Scandinavian mini warehouse chain called Flexistore. Their operations started from their main office in Oslo, but with an innovative business strategy and a long-term sense of purpose, they have – in only five years – opened departments in Bergen, Stavanger, and other large cities.
By and large, they have become one of the country’s biggest competitors on the market, and below we will share some of the lessons that mini warehouse owners can learn from this Scandinavian company.
- They were also interviewed in London Business Magazine recently, which you can read in their mini warehouse interview series (but make sure to read ours first!).
Fully controlled by an app
With a customer journey that is exclusively based around the use of an app, this company has removed some critical factors that affect customer satisfaction. These include not having to call someone to rent a mini warehouse, tell them when they are done using the warehouse, sign contracts in person, or collect and retrieve keys for the storage – which leads us to their next point of innovation.
Digital keys for convenience
For a long time, the standard has been to give clients normal, physical keys for mini warehouses. It has simply been the norm, and before digital keys started appearing on the market, it was one of the only feasible solutions available. That time is now bygone, however. By giving customers access to digital keys, their experience of renting a mini warehouse has become more convenient than ever before. In the past, you would have to depend on the warehouse owner being present to get the keys and give them back (and we all know that they are not always present, so we have to agree on times with them).
A purpose centered around sustainability
Customer experience is, as shown above, one of the areas in which this Scandinavian company has been innovative. But that’s not all. One of the most important public goals of Flexistore, as announced on their website, is to provide the most environmentally friendly and modern storage solution in Norway. This means that their business strategy is not only centered around profits and customer satisfaction, but also environmentally beneficial operations that contribute to the ecosystem’s well-being. In turn, this bolsters their image as a genuine force for good, giving them a strong renown in their field.
Takeaways for mini warehouse owners
What mini warehouse owners across the world can learn from this Scandinavian company, is that user friendliness and sustainability can and should play hand in hand when it comes to business. In the long term, this will increase the likelihood that a business attains both a higher sense of purpose, and increased profitability that comes with its genuine efforts to work toward something that is greater than itself.
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