The most successful franchise organizations are the ones that ensure that each franchise location has access to all the resources they need. From the grand opening event to seasonal marketing campaigns, the local retail store or restaurant should be equipped with plenty of materials to attract the attention of customers.  

As the national franchisor looks to communicate with its franchisees and make these materials available, a print and distribution provider is, at least in theory, an incredibly valuable partner. Here are four services that your print services provider should be offering in order to maximize the franchise relationship. If you recognize that your current provider isn’t quite meeting your expectations in these areas, it’s time to look into alternatives. Spectra is a great first choice!

1. Ongoing Programs and Brand Management

There are plenty of “normal” print projects that a franchise needs as it gets up and running. These are things like new employee training materials, catalogs, disposable menus, and of course, advertising collateral that is mailed to potential customers in the service area. But not all print providers are set up to handle large format projects as well. This would include banners, large outdoor signs, and window stickers/clings that attract the attention of people passing by the franchise location.

These pieces make a huge difference in the publicity of a new franchise, but if a small print provider doesn’t offer them, it can be difficult to figure out how to get them designed, ordered, and created by another specialty print provider. For maximum efficiency and effectiveness, it’s best to work with a print and distribution partner that can handle all your print needs, including printing on vinyl and other unusual substrates and creating high quality large format pieces.

2. Event Materials

From the franchisor’s standpoint, one of the great advantages of the franchise model is the ability to use the same materials for multiple franchisees. However, again, a print and distribution provider with limited capabilities will have a difficult time maximizing that potential. 

One major benefit of working with Spectra for franchise print services is getting access to Spectra’s world class fulfillment division as well. The integration of these services yields many significant benefits, but one that is particularly valuable for franchise clients is rework/refurbishing. This happens when a franchise returns materials, such as large format signage, promotional products, or printed collateral, that can be placed back in inventory for use at a later date. Restocking these items requires an advanced inventory management system, and the complexity of inspecting returned items, cleaning or repairing them when needed, and returning them to shelves is often something that basic 3PL providers are unwilling or unable to take on. 

Spectra’s team provides rework and refurbishing services for many franchise clients, saving them thousands of dollars as they are able to reuse materials rather than discarding them.

3. Online Storefront

Most of us are very familiar with the experience of using a top-notch retail website like Amazon to order items. Wouldn’t it be great if you could offer the same level of user experience to your franchisees when they are ordering promotional products and printed materials from your inventory?

This is one of the great features that Spectra has developed for its print and fulfillment clients. Through a branded online storefront, a franchisee can access all of the materials and services that their franchisor offers. This is a key element in Spectra’s quest to help the franchisor and franchisee maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of their relationship. 

The franchisor benefits by making the full list of available materials visible to franchisees at any time, without the need to set up a meeting or phone call to walk them through the options. They can add new materials when they are designed and created, remove materials when they are retired, and update materials when they are given a refresher. 

The franchisee benefits from having the ability to browse what’s available, assess their marketing budget, and make decisions about what would be most effective for their circumstances, all on their own schedule. 

4. Customized Storefront Experience

The benefits of Spectra’s online storefront offering extend even farther than those efficiency gains, however. That’s because our system allows for a fully customized storefront experience at the individual level.

When a franchisee logs onto the online storefront managed by Spectra, they create a unique username and password. The franchisor is able to use that unique login to select what items and services within the overall catalog are visible to the user. Franchisees in some areas of the country may need access to different materials, or the franchisor may only choose to offer certain pilot programs in selected locations. The unique login system lets the franchisor have complete control over which franchisees can order any given item.

Another possibility is a tiered membership system. This comes into play more with a national corporation that supplies materials to partner retailers, but it can be applied in the franchise setting as well. A basic tier member may have access to a limited selection of marketing products, while higher tier members can see the entire catalog, or get access to specialty items. 

There are benefits for the franchisee as well: If a customer using the online storefront doesn’t need certain items in the catalog, it simplifies the experience to exclude those items from what the user sees. They can focus more easily on the items that are of use to them and make the best selection possible for their order.

Does your current franchise print provider offer these services? If not, it’s entirely possible that you’re losing money every month in the form of lost opportunities. That cost won’t show up on the balance sheet, but if you were to switch to a provider like Spectra that makes these benefits available to you, you could see significant growth both for the franchisor as well as its franchisees. Explore our website to find more ways that our expert print and fulfillment teams can help your organization thrive.