How one franchisor has “uberized” franchise operations

In this first of a two-part interview, Edible Arrangements founder and CEO Tariq Farid describes how, after observing the phenomenon of the Uber effect in technology and other industries, he realized it could be introduced into the franchise model as well.

And when it comes to technology, Farid is more than an outside observer.

From the outside looking in, the Edible Arrangements franchise system is fairly simple — open a store where you can create amazing arrangements made from fresh fruit that deliver a WOW factor. That simple idea has turned Edible Arrangements into a global icon with more than 1,300 locations around the world.

Behind the scenes, however, Farid has created a business model that from the very beginning has taken advantage of the latest technologies to set itself apart from any competitors.

Since he opened his first flower store as a teenager and created his own software programs to run the operations when he couldn’t find anything available to meet his needs, Farid’s companies have used technology to grow and innovate. In this interview he explains how the successful franchise companies of tomorrow will be the ones who truly embrace emerging technologies and harness their power for their franchisees.

An “Edible Arrangements Entrepreneur”

Among the many things that sets Edible Arrangements apart is the approach to franchisee education. Edible Arrangements no longer focuses on teaching its new (and existing) franchisees how to make fruit arrangements because the franchise owners typically are not the ones designing the arrangements. Instead, franchisees learn how to become an “Edible Arrangements entrepreneur.” The franchisor focuses on providing the technology franchisees need to train the people who will actually design the arrangements.

Another aspect of the “Uber effect” that Farid has implemented is a complete transformation of the old-school training systems. The days of writing a manual, sending it out for printing and binding, then overnighting the manuals to franchisees are long gone. Rather, Edible Arrangements took the plunge with a hefty up-front fee to develop a digital training program utilizing short videos. This “app” has the ability to be accessed from any platform – from iPhone to desktop – and has, in fact, saved the organization a huge amount of fees that used to be spent on printing and transportation. Not only that, but evolving into the digital age has made this franchise brand much more appealing to Millennial franchise buyers!

Breaking Down the “Uber Effect”

Digitizing the training platform has not only proven more effective (by training the franchisee to run the business and the employees to design the arrangements), but it exponentially increased efficiency on the side of the franchisor. When a market change abruptly requires an update to the training program, it’s not a problem. The franchisor records another short video, uploads it, and deletes the old one. Franchisees are up to date in a matter of minutes.

Farid broke down the “Uber effect” into three easy steps any franchisor can follow:

•         Stop everything now!
•         Pretend today is day-one (regardless of how long the concept has existed).
•         With today’s technology, what would you do differently?

Current franchisees, franchisors, and prospective franchisees can all take something away from Part 1 of this fast-paced discussion between two internationally-recognized franchise experts!

More information about Edible Arrangements products, locations and franchise opportunities is available at edible.com.

More information about Naranga’s business solutions is available at naranga.com.

Categorised in: Franchise Concepts, franchise information, Franchisor

This post was written by Dr. John Hayes