A guest installment by ISS Online Content Editor Tony Jones

Shopping in the 21st century is about convenience. There's so much available at our fingertips that if we think of something we might like or need, there's usually a website where we can order that product or download it immediately. This all occurs at the click of a button from any personal computer or mobile device.

With increased use, online shopping has become common for conducting business transactions, purchasing products and services that pertain to a company's daily operation, or getting general industry education and training. At Inside Self-Storage, we believe the time is right to include our industry in the mix.

The ISS team is excited to announce the opening of the Inside Self-Storage Store, the worlds first on-demand, online market for industry insight and education. The ISS Store is a central hub allowing self-storage owners, operators, developers and investors to obtain cutting-edge information and educational resources, including guidebooks, digital magazines, educational videos and webinars, manager training courses, and exclusive offers on self-storage services from several leading business partners.

Through this diverse product mix, independent owner-operators, multi-facility owners and even real estate investment trusts can leverage premium content focusing on facility operation, development, construction, finance, real estate, legal issues, marketing, technology, and important trends and market data. The scope of the ISS Store is unprecedented in the storage industry, and we believe its delivery of premium educational content will fulfill many of your evolving business needs.

The launch of the store coincides with the Inside Self-Storage World Expo, March 14-16, in Las Vegas, but you can start browsing its "aisles" by visiting www.insideselfstoragestore.com. Whether youre new to the industry or a grizzled veteran, you'll find critical information, education resources and business services, all available on demand and at the touch of a button.

One of our goals is to develop and deliver tools and resources that not only will enable you to run your storage operation more effectively but gain a competitive advantage in your marketplace. The inventory within the store will evolve, change and grow over time, so be sure to visit often to see which new products or services may apply to you.

Select webinars and expo-education sessions, for example, will be available after events occur as either downloadable videos or audio files. Self-storage owners, managers and investors who may not be able to travel or attend all events during the show will be able to purchase and view specific sessions to help them better their business.

All self-storage owners need powerful, innovative strategies to create a positive impact on their customers and revenue. To help with that endeavor, the ISS Store includes exclusive offers on business services from some of our valued partners. These services address marketing and staffing solutions, and include industry-performance reports.

The market intelligence contained in the these reports comes from the Self-Storage Industry Group of Cushman & Wakefield, a leading real estate and consulting firm, and draws on 20 years of historical and current industry, market and property-specific data. The data stems from the work Charles Ray Wilson started in 1992, when he founded Self Storage Data Services. Rays work remains the only comprehensive source for real-time performance benchmarking and research reports in the business. He partnered with C&W in June, and we are excited to join with them to exclusively deliver this treasure trove of intelligence to investors and self-storage businesses of all sizes.

The time has never been better or more important for self-storage owners and operators to make informed decisions regarding their businesses. The ISS Store is designed to deliver the insight and educational resources that will assist you run and grow your facilities effectively. Please take a few moments to peruse the site at your leisure and see what is currently available. If there are specific topics, business services or market intelligence you would like to see included in the stores inventory, please let us know, and well see what we can do to develop and deliver those resources to you.