It’s a known fact that when the world economy undergoes changes – either positive or negative – global franchising is standing by to pick up on new trends or gaps in the market and presto – you have a new franchise concept.
The buzz word in global franchising is ‘flexibility and adaptability.’ Whether because of the need to inject some life into stagnant franchise brands or as a result of the new world order brought about by the recession, franchising is embracing alternatives in a big way – either by coming up with innovative areas to franchise or simply by allowing their franchisees more flexibility when it comes to adapting their existing brands to operate in ‘non-traditional’ ways to help with their bottom line.
Some of the trends in global franchising that are coming to the fore include:
1. Smaller, more cost-effective franchise models with reduced franchise fees, lower startup costs, fewer employees and reasonable rents.
2. Looking at new, less expensive alternate locations beyond the shopping malls and strip malls to expand into such as stand-alone kiosks, corporate catering, campuses, sporting events, etc.
3. Investigate alternate markets for franchising expansion. Whether it’s incorporating a brand within a convenience store or service station or expanding an education franchise by linking in with school programmes, has already been tackled by local franchisors and is proving to be very successful.
4. Operating in tandem with other non-competing brands is another way to expand the brand into new alternate markets using the support of other brands and untapped markets.
5. Looking at business sectors where there is an appetite for franchising. This could be in the health sector, where home care has seen enormous growth internationally to the education and child-care sector, the second-hand market or the home improvement field.
6. Niche markets are offering one-of-a-kind franchises that give one the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a new franchise trend. Whether it’s in offering a unique ‘gourmet’ food experience or whether it’s in the ‘green’ space of energy saving technology or the more environmental space of recycling, these are the new frontiers in franchising.
7. Staying ahead of the game when it comes to identifying changes in customer behaviour, tuning in to social media trends and making sure that your franchise uses the latest in digital developments is crucial to long-term survival.
This article was first published on fasa.co.za. It is republished here with permission.
