The Internet has changed the way people shop, but the garage storage industry remains largely unaffected by these changes. What do you think? Should there be an online exchange where you can shop for and buy garage cabinets or some other garage storage solution — a site that could match buyers and sellers of the garage cabinets themselves, but also promote providers of installation and maintenance services? Maybe allow personal organization consultants into the mix, as well?
The most obvious need is for an online marketplace where specialty manufacturers of garage storage solutions can present their wares in the context of industry standards and comparison shopping. Further, you could imagine such an online marketplace having certain tools, like a layout tool that would allow you to place drawings of the garage cabinets you envision using — along with your other garage storage ideas — in a to-scale drawing of the available space in your garage. Does that sound useful to you?
The business model for such a “garage cabinet marketplace” remains to be seen. Charging manufacturers placement fees (or perhaps a per-transaction charge like an affiliate fee) might work. However you cut it, though, being able to do comparison shopping among all the specialty providers of high-quality garage cabinets would be a real benefit to the home handyman interested in a spiffy garage or to space-challenged homeowners looking to make the most of their storage opportunities.
The alternative would be to go to some big box home improvement store for your garage cabinets. Lowes or Home Depot have your garden-variety cabinets, but those seldom appeal to the premium buyer. Today’s premium buyer wants selection, superior goods and lasting quality. That combination can only be provided by the specialty manufacturers of high-end garage storage solutions, and those purchases can be vastly expanded by bringing all of the available options to a centralized marketplace with tools like the layout tool mentioned above, financing packages, perhaps, and access to reliable installation services. The installation services component is a big part of this equation, and you would want service providers to be qualified by garage system and disciplined by a reputation monitoring system managed at the online exchange.
As utilizing available storage spaces in our homes in the most efficient way possible becomes more and more important, we think it’s high time for the garage cabinet industry to move online and start providing 21st century services to discerning buyers. What do you think?