Second Warehouse's Stuart Kerrison Wants You to Earn More Money

from TPi December 2018 - #232

PSI Enters the World of Pro Audio with Adamson Systems

INTERVIEW

SECOND WAREHOUSE’S STUART KERRISON WANTS YOU TO EARN MORE MONEY

The audio pro talks to TPi about the additional revenue his company now offers the European rental sector with new CashBack feature. The new scheme will see rental companies earn money when renting equipment in…

It’s been just over a year since Australian pro audio legend, Stuart Kerrison, ventured to TPi HQ in South Manchester from his home in Norway - also the base for online platform, Second Warehouse. Kerrison’s exciting new venture for the Pro AV market, which essentially tells companies where they can find the kit they want, how quickly they can get it and how much it’ll cost, reached its initial client target by over 200% in it’s first year. In short, the uptake has been phenomenal and momentum isn’t slowing down.

Clearly, Kerrison and his team of developers and researchers have created a much-needed service, and the updates keep coming. For the first time, rental companies will now earn money from hiring in pro AV equipment, thanks to the ground-breaking new feature. It will provide users with up to 3% CashBack against the amount they’ve spent on equipment hire within the system, over the course of the year. Providing a valuable

source of income for the rental sector, CashBack leads a series of new features on the platform, delivering a mixture of functionality with the potential to fundamentally change how the pro AV rental sector operates.

Since its launch, Second Warehouse has reinvented the way businesses manage cross-rental. On both desktop and mobile devices, companies of all sizes are able to trade in a safe, fast, secure, monitored and costeffective environment. So, how did the incentive come about? “For a rental company, it’s a whole other, new income source,” said Kerrison. “And who doesn’t want another income source for their business? It was a no-brainer. I got the initial idea from my local supermarket; you know when you’re at the till and you see these adverts giving you reasons why you should shop there; they would add up what I was spending in a year, and at the end of the year, they’d pay me back. Not with points, or coupons, but with cash in the bank. It’s such a weird idea, but of course, it attracts loyal customers.

STUART KERRISON

Second Warehouse’s Stuart Kerrison.

end users, and within that, the touring professional. This sees the introduction of the third new perk of using Second Warehouse; SOS Mode, which has been designed specifically for those knee-trembling moments on the road when equipment fails and a replacement has to be located, pronto. Anyone who activates SOS Mode will be able to instantly send an equipment request via email and SMS to every Pro AV supplier within the local area to find the gear they need, within 12 hours. Are the days of pleading for help on social media at 3am UK time when you’re on tour In Japan over? They just might be! And, thanks to CashBack, you can even make money on the deal.

“When we launched, Second Warehouse promised to revolutionise the pro AV rental sector, and I believe that these features, especially CashBack and SOS Mode, are very significant steps towards delivering exactly that,” added Kerrison. “CashBack offers an entirely new income stream for rental companies and our wider users. It has never been done before and it means that if you hire AV equipment through any means other than Second Warehouse, you’re literally throwing money away.”

Trondheim, Norway, may be the home of Second Warehouse’s unassuming HQ, but we get the feeling it’s also about to become the holy grail of rental house know-how, and every roadie’s digital destination. TPi www.secondwarehouse.com

Why wouldn’t that translate to what we’re doing? If people rent via Second Warehouse, they get money back, no hidden small print, just cash flow going back into their business.”

The CashBack system provides users with real cash payouts for the equipment they rent in. All users will receive 2% CashBack on the total value of rentals they make, while those who have rented 10 times or entered at least 50 qualifying items into their Second Warehouse inventory will receive 2.5% CashBack. Interestingly, the cash payouts will occur twice per year, providing users with time to accumulate a bi-annual lump sum.

He continued: “Our users will quite easily rent tens of thousands worth of gear each month, so with CashBack of up to 3%, accumulated over the course of six months, they can expect to see significant returns when payouts occur. Equipment cross-hire has long been a life-line method of making money within the rental sector. Now with the introduction of CashBack, we’re making it possible to make money even when you hire equipment in.”

The introduction of CashBack leads a wealth of new features designed to make life easier for rental companies and sound professionals. Upcoming additions include the ability to simultaneously compare rental quotes from multiple suppliers, and to search for equipment with a single button push courtesy of the new Second Warehouse Gear Finder service.

“Second Warehouse is so new, that there’s no precedent for how to do this. We wanted to create an incentive and we also wanted to become an automatic, time-saving hub. Gear Finder is also a new part of the system that, if no suppliers have what you need, sends out enquiries. It’s like having a digital secretary!” enthused Kerrison.

“Instead of picking up the phone and going about finding gear in the usual ways, by using us, they’re earning money, and we’re creating work for our suppliers, which is the whole point. Having been involved with manufacturers and service companies myself for years, in many different capacities, I know they have a limited budget to work with, which can be frustrating at times. This tool will quickly give you the best price, quickly, then reward you for using it.”