Unusual Use Cases for On-Site Cold Storage
Many of the most common use cases for on-site cold storage solutions seem obvious. Your local grocery store makes use of portable cold storage units during the holidays, helping to keep extra turkeys on-hand. Industrial concerns use on-site cold storage to chill vital chemicals and ingredients while also keeping them close by. Breweries, fisheries, wineries, and dozens of other businesses utilize these units for storage of both finished and in-progress products.
Ever Thought of These Use Cases?
But those are some of the most well-known uses for portable on-site cold storage. What about some… lesser-known use cases? After all, portable on-site cold storage is a flexible, powerful technology. It can be placed on any number of sites, allowing for convenient cold storage that makes any number of processes more efficient and productive. What else could it be used for, then?
Let’s take a closer look at a few less-well-known use cases for portable on-site cold storage… and why they might make sense for you.
#1 – Curbside Order Staging
American consumers love curbside and in-store pickup. This report indicates over a third of shoppers used BOPIS (buy online, pick up in-store) shopping methods in 2024, and that percentage will only grow from here. Grocery stores, floral shops, and other businesses can use on-site portable cold storage to stage curbside orders closer to the pickup zone. That means more orders get to more customers more quickly, and everyone’s happier with that.
#2 – Festivals and Concerts
How do you keep a few thousand people refreshed, especially when they’re spread across a festival site? Instead of forcing thousands to squeeze into a handful of concession stands, bring the concessions to them. Electric portable on-site cold storage units can be placed almost anywhere and don’t leave diesel fumes lingering in the air. Instead, use them to set up water and drink stations that can serve people faster while keeping them closer to the festival action.
#3 – Farmers’ Markets
When it comes to produce, nothing beats buying fresh, locally grown goods. Farmers’ markets can take advantage of electric portable cold storage by using it to help vendors keep more great fruits, vegetables, and plants on-hand. Unlike hand-held coolers and bags, electric cold storage can maintain a precise temperature indefinitely. Your customers will walk away with better food and a better experience, looking forward to their next visit.
#4 – Pop-Up Grocery Markets
In some communities, too few food resources are available for the size of the population. When this happens, a “food desert” has formed. To address this all-too-common problem, portable electric cold storage containers can be used as pop-up grocery markets. Since they run off electrical power, these units can be placed in parks, on street corners, or just about anywhere the appropriate electrical cord can reach. Stocked with groceries and manned by attendants, the containers have now become pop-up markets that solve hunger by bringing food straight to those who need it.
#5 – Protecting People from Heat
As global temperatures continue to rise, a growing number of outdoor workers are faced with the very serious dangers of heat stress and heat exhaustion. Current solutions, including misting tents, fans, and “cooler trailers,” can’t keep workers cool enough and are too inefficient to operate. That’s why Portabull created the world’s first cool-down rooms. Completely insulated from outside temperatures and equipped with benches, lights, windows, safety alarms, and easy-open doors, Portabull’s cool-down rooms are made specifically to provide workers the ultimate protection from high heat.
Whatever Your Cold Storage Use Case, Portabull Can Help
Whether your business needs cold storage for a use case that’s common, uncommon, or never-heard-of-before, Portabull has you covered. We serve hundreds of customers across dozens of industries, and we can guide you to the exact-fit solution that makes the most sense for your business. Our large, diversified fleet of electric cold storage units and cool-down rooms operates across the United States, ensuring you complete coverage from a single service provider. Reach out to us today and discover the temporary units that permanently solve your cold storage needs.