Lovespace diversifies their self-storage services with a new storage locker project facilitated by unique proprietary technology.

There is always demand for storage space in the UK, even as the country undergoes a time of transition recovering from the pandemic, people are still moving home, having children, renovating houses and changing offices, all processes which often involve using storage services. According to research from the Self-Storage Association UK, in the third quarter of 2020, the industry saw both increased occupancy and revenue return on each square foot of storage space. With sustained demand, it has never been a better time to ensure people have access to a storage service that is simple and streamlined.

Self-storage provider Lovespace operates with that need in mind. Unlike many other storage companies, technology is at the heart of everything they do, creating a service that is seamless for customers and the other businesses they work with. Now they have extended that motivation beyond their warehouse network into a new project to set up storage lockers at several convenient and central locations across the UK.

Lovespace offers nationwide storage space for a range of items of any size, from sofas and bikes to small individual boxes. It works using a collection service, whereby customers can order packing materials, or pack their own boxes, and then have their belongings collected directly from their house. It then is taken away to be stored and is delivered back to a specified location when they are ready for it.

Proprietary Software

Lovespace’s system has been under development in-house since their foundation in 2012, and their app is designed specifically to make tasks simpler for their storage facilities, third-party contractors and their customers too. With their experience in the industry, the team knew what to prioritise, making it easy to onboard new storage facilities, drivers and individuals to make a network that is fully flexible and integrated across several locations and stakeholders.

Alongside that, everything is gradually leaning towards more self-service, and keeping that in mind, Lovespace has adapted the stages of booking storage space to customer preferences, making it more efficient and giving greater control to the individual. Due to this use of technology, booking storage has never been easier, and for even less hassle, the app has an in-built support team feature coming soon, which allows customers to troubleshoot their own problems and have access to a range of FAQ answers that would otherwise require a member of the Lovespace team to solve.

Exciting new ventures

Building on technology at its heart, Lovespace’s latest project involves the placement of lockers at train stations which customers can simply book and drop their items off at. They are then taken away and stored, and when customers are ready, they can pick their things up from the same or another convenient location. The scheme is in partnership with Transport for London and launches in mid-October.

Having a physical pick up and drop off point gives customers ultimate control during the storage process, creating a simple and accessible way to arrange having items stored, without the need to be home at the time of pickup. The in-house technology underpinning the project allows people to book through the Lovespace website, receive a unique locker code, notify the driver that items are in the locker, and track the storage process throughout using the unique barcode assigned to each box. 

The venture taps into a growing market in localised lockers and supports landowners in capitalising on space in new and interesting ways. All facilitated by advanced and evolving technology, it has the potential to create a mutually beneficial commercial relationship between businesses, whilst also providing an innovative new storage service for customers.

“We’re very excited about where the storage locker project might take us”, says Emily Snape, Customer Director at Lovespace. “It is quite a new venture for us and uses space in a completely new way. However, we’re confident that our in-house technology will succeed and produce an easy and smooth service for our customers”

She adds, “Lovespace is a technology company as much as we are a self-storage provider, and so we’re hoping to pioneer and extend our digital system to facilitate this scheme as it grows. Working with TFL and other stakeholders as we go will require the system to keep evolving, and our developers have always risen to the challenge so far”.