Storelocal, a cooperative created by independent self-storage operators to offer member benefits with economies of scale, has signed a lease-to-transfer agreement with technology-development firm Tenant Inc. The partnership will allow Tenant Inc. to integrate its platform with Storelocal’s “Tenant” suite of services, including access control and mobile management, expanding the co-op’s move-in technology offerings to members, according to a press release.

Tenant Inc. launched this month offering the self-storage industry “a flexible, modern option” to integrate multiple technology-based marketing and operational components onto a single platform. The infrastructure is designed with an open API (application programming interface) to allow storage operators “to use components of their choice and conduct all business in one place and with ease,” the release stated.

“For the first time in our industry, self-storage has a development platform that delivers a seamless consumer experience and integrates all components of the business,” said Lance Watkins, CEO of both companies. “This takes the owner out of the mode of buying one technology after another and replaces a collection of disjointed components with an integrated system that works.”

The Tenant suite is powered by a global distribution system (GDS), similar to the integrated network used by the airline and hospitality industries. The suite includes components such as access control, digital signage, local search engine optimization, marketing websites, a mobile manager and paid search. “GDS is platform-agnostic software that processes data aggregated from many different sources," according to Jeremiah Jacks, chief technology officer at Storelocal.

Storelocal leverages the combined strength of its membership for services such as customer acquisition, financing, marketing and technology. The coop also owns online self-storage directories StorageFront.com and SelfStorageHounds.com. Its total membership includes more than 1,200 self-storage facilities through its owner-member companies.

Sources:
EIN News Desk, Storelocal Announces Lease-to-Transfer of Tenant Technology Suite to Tenant Inc.
EIN News Desk, Tenant Inc. Announces the Formation of a New Technology Company to Support the Self Storage Industry
Storelocal, Website