When we think coworking, we usually think of startups and regular office spaces, but what about eCommerce coworking? Your eCommerce business could benefit significantly from being in a coworking space with advantages such as affordability, flexibility and community. If you join a coworking space that specifically caters for eCommerce, the advantages are even greater.
With a tonne of small to medium sized eCommerce businesses in the Australian market, coworking and eCommerce make the perfect pair. In recent months, many people are starting to outgrow their garages or are simply looking for a better solution. The growth of online shopping isn’t slowing any time soon and we’re expecting eCommerce coworking to be the same.
Lower costs and maintenance
One of the major benefits of coworking for all types of businesses is the money and time savings. Hiring a private office space or an entire warehouse space would be a significant cost, especially if you want to be located in a central location like Sydney. However, with a coworking space, economies of scale and shared communal spaces helps to keep costs low.
On top of saving money, you save a lot of the time you would have to do just to maintain your workspace. For example, your internet, meeting rooms, cleaning, rubbish collection and other tasks are typically taken care of for you. All you have to do is pay the monthly fees and you get everything you need.
Flexibility terms
On top of getting lower costs, coworking contracts tend to be flexible. For example, at Workit, you get to scale your space up and down depending on how your team changes. There are no complex contract changes or waiting periods. However, some coworking spaces will have hidden fees involved, particularly if you wanted to leave the space. Make sure to double check!
Community and collaboration
Something unique to coworking is the community and collaboration aspect. If you’re looking to grow your network, coworking is perfect for you. You’ll find that some coworking spaces will target a specific area of businesses. For example, coworking spaces for the companies in the Asian market or coworking spaces for startups.
eCommerce coworking at Workit
Now that we’ve gone through the general benefits of coworking, we’ll go through some of the benefits of coworking spaces made for eCommerce. Workit launched Sydney’s first eCommerce Hub last year and are in the process of launching our next space at the moment. Our eCommerce Hubs have unique solutions for eCommerce businesses that you won’t find at a typical coworking space.
Our eCommerce Hubs are perfect for all kinds of businesses in the eCommerce market. For example, on top of traditional eCommerce businesses, you’ll also find eCommerce finance businesses, eCommerce consultants, product photography businesses, videographers and more. There’s a great close-knit community with tonnes of support and synergy.
Storage space and warehouse to rent
In addition to dedicated desks and serviced offices, we offer showroom and storage spaces. If you’re one of the many growing, Australian eCommerce businesses, this is the perfect solution. Our eCommerce Hubs are located in Alexandria which means you get affordable pricing while being right outside of the Sydney CBD.
These spaces range from 10sqm to 150sqm and can be used however suits your eCommerce business. For example, many of the businesses in our space will use the space for storage and warehousing, picking and packing, and as an office space. You can easily move into bigger or smaller spaces as your business changes.
Loading docks and walkie stackers
A major benefit of our eCommerce Hubs is that you can get stock shipped to our locations without a hassle. You’ll find large loading docks so that you can unload shipments of both pallets and containers. We also provide walkie stackers as an alternative to forklifts. These are easy to use and don’t require you to have a license.
Goods in and out shipping station
Not only do we make inbound shipments easy, we make outbound shipments easy as well. We have a goods in and out shipping station where packages are picked up at least once a day by all the major courier companies. It’s a hands-free shipping station meaning you can drop off your packages and go.
Meeting rooms and photography studios
Other facilities we have include meeting rooms and photography studios. We have a simple online booking system and don’t charge any extra fees. Our meeting rooms are perfect for team catch ups or client meetings, and our photography studios come with both small and large cycloramas.
Onsite business services
Our mission is to provide all the tools your eCommerce business needs to thrive. One of the ways we do this is by providing a range of onsite business support services. This includes a digital marketing agency specialising in paid advertising, and accounting services to provide support in accounting, tax management, bookkeeping and business planning.
In a few months time, we’ll be offering 4PL services as well. This will involve onsite 3PL services as well as an integrated cloud-based software system for you to manage orders, inventory, shipping and warehousing. By not having to worry about operations, you have more time to scale your business.
How to get started with eCommerce coworking
If you’re interested in the unique facilities that come with eCommerce coworking, it’s time to get in touch with the Workit team! The process is super simple. Fill out the contact form and let us know what you’re looking for or ask us any questions you might have. One of our friendly staff will get back to you promptly. You can then arrange to come in for a tour of one of the spaces and to get a quote.
