February 24, 2026 – If you are not using AI tools to enhance your franchise lead generation process, you will be in a small minority by the end of this year according to the 2026 Franchise Development Lead Generation Survey. More than 88% of brands surveyed will be using at least one AI tool by the end of 2026.
February 22, 2026 – Faced with aggressive goals for system growth, increased competition, and technological transformation of lead generation, franchise developers employed AI to gain advantage and lower costs. As evidence, only 11.3% of respondents said they will not be using AI by the end of 2026.
February 18, 2026 – Franchise systems responding to the 2026 Franchise Development Lead Generation Survey reported increased overall spending on lead sources in 2025, along with changes in usage. When asked about 2026 plans, more than 45% reported increasing budgets for one or more of their chosen sources. Among sources surveyed, only Google is expected to decline in usage in 2026.
February 16, 2026 – Most systems responding to the 2026 Franchise Development Lead Generation Survey reported increased spending in 2025, along with changes in usage, where higher costs per lead were a factor for most sources.
February 11, 2026 – When asked about spending changes among the largest sources of prospects in 2025, about 23.3% of franchise development teams already using Meta, Google, franchise directories (portals) or brokers said there was no change in their spending on these sources. On the other hand, 76.7% made tactical changes in their budget allocations.
February 9, 2026 – For lead generation sourcing in 2025, franchise development teams coalesced around four major platforms, after much experimentation in 2024. From the 2026 Franchise Development Lead Generation Sources Survey, however, respondents reported abated experimentation in TikTok, while LinkedIn continued to grow in usage.
February 2, 2026 – Some franchises across all size ranges grew beyond expectations in 2025, but the 201-500 unit segment was most active in modifying plans to take advantage of what they saw as opportunistic conditions.