Explorage Rebrands As SelfStorageBooker.com

UK-based Explorage, an online self-storage marketplace that allows consumers to comparison shop rates and services and reserve units online, has unveiled its new rebranding: SelfStorageBooker.com. According to a press release, the rebrand came at the suggestion of marketplace users.

“Explorage was the name I came up with for the business when I very first had the idea,” said Anne Roberts, founder and CEO. "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.”

Roberts adds that some people weren’t sure how to pronounce it either, often giving it a “French accent. “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, it didn’t align with our mission of making life easier for people."

The rebrand also comes with a new mascot: Steve the Squirrel. “He’s not just any squirrel,” adds Roberts. ““He’s a native red squirrel from Anglesey, where the Red Squirrels Trust Wales work hard to protect the endangered species.”

Roberts and her team donned large squirrel hats to promote the rebrand during the Container Self Storage & Traders Association (CSTA) Conference in London last week, when the new name and mascot were first revealed.

Despite the rebrand, the company will continue to use Explorage.com as the main interface. “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,” Roberts said. “It’s an exciting time for the business, and with the new name and mascot, there’s a real sense of momentum building.”