Storagely has received approval to offer Reserve with Google to eligible self-storage operators, giving participating facilities a way to connect their storage inventory, pricing and online rental experience with Google Search and Maps.
The integration is designed to allow self-storage operators to make available units and pricing more visible to consumers searching for storage on Google, while providing a more direct path from search to an online rental or reservation.
Reserve with Google capabilities in self-storage have historically been more common among real estate investment trusts (REITs) and large operators with the technical resources to develop and maintain their own integrations. Storagely's platform is intended to extend the capability to eligible independent and regional operators without requiring them to build the underlying technology themselves.
"Google is already where an enormous number of storage searches begin," said Austin Simmons, CEO of Storagely. "Reserve with Google gives operators a more visible way to turn that search into action. Our job is to make the distance between someone searching for storage and becoming a tenant as short as possible."
For eligible participating locations, Reserve with Google can provide a Book Online or Schedule action within a facility's Google presence, allowing consumers to move directly toward the rental process while searching for storage.
Storagely said the integration goes beyond adding a booking button by allowing participating facilities to publish information about available storage offerings, unit sizes and current pricing to Google.
Information that can be provided through the integration includes available unit types, sizes, climate-controlled and other storage options, starting prices and links to the appropriate online rental or reservation experience.
The platform is designed to synchronize inventory and pricing information with the operator's current availability, an important consideration for self-storage facilities where unit availability and rates can change frequently.
"Storage inventory and pricing are always changing," Simmons said. "The opportunity is to give Google a much better understanding of the storage options an operator offers, including sizes and pricing, rather than simply knowing where the facility is located."
The integration could also allow consumers to move more directly from a relevant Google search to a corresponding storage option rather than first visiting a facility's general website and searching again for an available unit.
"If the customer has already expressed what they're looking for, we shouldn't make them start over," Simmons said. "That's where this becomes much bigger than a booking button. It's about creating a direct connection between customer intent, current inventory and the storage option they're interested in."
Storagely said the integration could be particularly significant for independent and regional operators that lack the development resources of larger storage companies.
"You shouldn't need to own hundreds or thousands of facilities or maintain a large development team to compete for a customer who is ready to rent," Simmons said. "This gives more operators an opportunity to participate in a customer journey that has historically been concentrated among the biggest companies in the industry."
For eligible locations, the integration is designed to connect Google Search and Maps with the operator's online rental process, publish available storage inventory and pricing, synchronize information as availability changes and provide a way to identify rentals and reservations originating from Google.
Storagely plans to begin making the capability available to eligible customers Sept. 14.
The availability and display of booking actions, inventory, pricing and other storage information remain subject to Google's eligibility requirements and its determination of how information is presented across Search and Maps.
More information is available at Storagely.