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Flexible Franchising with Erply
No two franchises are alike. Erply’s cloud-based franchising tools empower you to define exactly how much control each franchisee has over business processes, regardless of the complexity of your network.
With Erply, you gain the flexibility to manage franchise-wide rules, reporting, and operational models—all from a centralized platform designed for real-world retail challenges.
Centralized Franchise Management
Set franchise-wide rules from your master HQ account, including customer information, purchase orders, loyalty points, store credit, promotions, discounts, and more. Discover how multi-store management gives you control over autonomy and consistency across your business.
Franchise-Wide Reporting
Generate in-depth analytics for your entire franchise or select locations. Erply enables reports to sync automatically from each franchise account to HQ, giving you actionable insights into performance, sales, and operations at every level of your organization. Learn more about our latest features for easier store management.
How Erply Franchising Works
An Erply franchise chain is a collection of individual Erply accounts—each with its own feature set, settings, and permission structure. Every account has a unique ID and separate login credentials.
- HQ Account: Managed by the franchisor, controls the company-wide product catalog and master settings.
- Store Accounts: Owned by franchisees, operate independently but within the franchise framework.
- Reporting Account: Aggregates sales and operational data from stores, providing a holistic view for the franchisor.
Typically, we recommend one account per franchisee, but for very large chains or when stores may change ownership, one account per location may be preferable. Explore our
franchise models for more details.
Two Franchise Models: Shared Data vs. Synchronize from HQ
During onboarding, we help you select the optimal model for your business:
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Shared Data Model: All stores share an identical product database (prices, suppliers, tax rates). Franchisees see and can edit the same records. No data copying or synchronization—everything is live and centralized. User permissions and price lists allow for granular control. Read about our mini-franchise solution.
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Synchronize from HQ Model: Each store has its own product database. HQ changes and new products are copied to stores. Stores can edit certain fields, but HQ changes can overwrite local edits. Store-specific products are possible and not visible to others. Syncing is one-way (HQ to stores); customer databases remain local to each store. For multi-channel retailers, see our multi-channel e-commerce platform.
The entire chain must use one model; mixing is not supported.
Key Considerations
- Shared Data is ideal for uniform operations and centralized control.
- Synchronize from HQ offers flexibility for stores needing local control over product data.
- In the sync model, customer data is not centralized—each store manages its own customers.
Erply’s approach ensures that whether your franchisees need autonomy or strict alignment, your business remains adaptable and resilient as you scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a limit on the number of accounts?
No, Erply supports unlimited accounts. We tailor the setup to your franchise size and operational needs.
Can franchisees see other account reports?
No, reporting is limited to the franchisee and what is synced to HQ. Data privacy is maintained between franchisees.