What beacon technology means for franchise owners.
By Sylvain Bellaïche
The development of beacon technology has opened up exciting new prospects for franchise owners. With the competition for brick-and-mortar customers in the smartphone era more intense than ever before, the ongoing success of a franchise depends strongly on utilizing technology to increase brand loyalty and sales to current and potential customers.
The International Franchise Association Convention in San Antonio Feb. 20 to 23 foretold a bright future for franchising, but with storm clouds on the horizon.
By Joel Buckberg
So many great ideas and business models jostled for a solid spot on the track for success at the International Franchise Association Convention in San Antonio Feb. 20 to 23. The marketplace for service providers to the franchise space was equally robust, as a marketplace with more than 800,000 business units, 9 million employees and nearly $1 trillion in gross sales merits attention.
Pamper Your Customers with Loyalty Apps
By Nimish Gupta
Many franchises are launching their own loyalty apps because the industry is moving from a brand-centric to a customer-centric focus. It is absolutely vital for brands to connect and communicate with customers at the right place and the right time to remain top-of-mind.
Value-seeking customers want to be rewarded for their loyalty to a business. However, they don’t want to clutter their wallets with paper punch cards or carry plastic cards. Many brands are embracing mobile loyalty apps as a convenient way for their customers to earn and redeem loyalty points.
But simply creating and launching a branded app is not sufficient. The main goal should be gaining long-term traction and repeat users.
NRA Show 2016 debuts new and improved sessions with a focus on increasing audience participation in a variety of ways.
As we rang in the New Year just one month ago, most of us made resolutions that impact our image and the fast-food industry is right along with us. The industry is working overtime to change the way diners perceive its menu offerings and avoid fast food becoming what some are calling a “dirty” word.
Chick-fil-A was one of the first restaurants this year to announce a healthy addition to its menu. The Atlanta-based company will replace its coleslaw with a kale and broccolini salad Monday, saying it is one of the first fast-food restaurants to add “superfoods” to its menu. The “Superfood Side” is made with a blend of hand-chopped kale and broccolini, tossed in a sweet and tangy maple vinaigrette dressing and topped with dried sour cherries and served with a blend of roasted nuts to enhance the flavor and add crunch, Chick-Fil-A said.
Convenient. Affordable. Customer-friendly. These are words that are often associated with consumer-facing retail businesses though rarely with healthcare. That is beginning to change as consumers are relying less on the paternalistic model of the past in which doctors make all the decisions and patients just go along. Instead, consumers are starting to take active control of their healthcare choices. As a result of this shift, providers have begun to unbundle certain routine healthcare practices that can be delivered quickly and easily from the more complex healthcare system.
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