Online marketing for a retail franchise in non-food starts with a simple customer question: which shop near me has this product, and is it open now? The NFV counts 7,713 non-food locations across 180 franchise brands, the largest group of shops in the franchise sector. We make sure every shop answers that question online: on Google, Apple Maps, Bing, in AI assistants and on social.
How many non-food retail franchise brands are there in the Netherlands?
According to the NFV franchise statistics for reference year 2025, non-food is the sector with the most shop locations. An average franchise brand has 43 locations, calculated from the NFV figures. Every shop has its own map listing, its own opening hours and its own product range. That is exactly where the online marketing work lies.
| Characteristic | Non-food | Average across all sectors |
|---|---|---|
| Franchise brands | 180 | 936 in total |
| Locations | 7,713 | 34,937 in total |
| People employed | 77,000 | 438,800 in total |
| Turnover (excl. VAT) | €13.5bn | €50.5bn in total |
| Average locations per franchise brand | 43 | Varies by sector |
| Turnover per location | €1.75m | €1.45m |
| People employed per location | 10.0 | Varies by sector |
How do customers find the right non-food shop online?
A shopper often searches by product or brand first, in Google, in an AI assistant or after seeing a social post. Next they want to know which shop has it, when it is open and how to get there. The final step is a visit or an order they collect in store. Every step is measurable per location, provided the data is correct.
The franchise brand's central website handles the first part. The second part stands or falls with a strong page per location and with profiles that say the same thing everywhere.
How do you make products and stock findable per shop?
A customer looking for a product does not want to drive to a shop where it is not in stock. That is why, where possible, we link the product range to the location. It starts with the location page: which product groups, brands and services does this shop offer, and how do you check whether something is in stock? If your till system or online shop supports a stock feed per shop, we display it on the page and in the structured data.
Central range, local accents
Head office manages the product information and brand copy. The location supplies what is different locally: an extra product group, a repair service or a seasonal range. AI drafts a text per shop and a person checks it before it goes live.
Product searches in Google
For product searches, your shop competes with online shops. A strong location page plus search engine optimisation for chains ensures that both the franchise brand and the nearest shop are visible.
Work together on measurable results, not on an annual contract. Start with the free visibility scan.
How do you set up click and collect online for each shop location?
Click and collect connects the online shop with the physical store. For the customer it must be clear per location: can I collect here, from when and until what time? We put that information on the location page, in the profiles and in ads with a local focus. That way you can see per shop how many online orders are collected and which channel generated them. For campaigns we use online advertising for retail chains, with a budget you pay directly to the platform.
| Component | Head office | Location | Us |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online shop and ordering process | Manages | Passes on collection times | Checks the link per shop |
| Collection information online | Sets the rules | Reports deviations | Publishes it on page and profiles |
| Stock per shop | Supplies the data | Keeps the shelves stocked | Displays it where the system allows |
| Local campaigns | Approves budget | Chooses promotions | Manages and reports |
Why must shop opening hours be correct on all map platforms?
Late-night shopping, Sundays, bank holidays and refurbishments: shop hours change often and differ by municipality. If a time is wrong on one platform, a customer ends up at a closed door. Many chains only manage Google, while iPhone users search in Apple Maps and Bing Maps also shows listings. In Apple Business Connect you manage photos, logo, opening hours and Showcases per location. In Bing Places you register each location, verify it and keep it up to date. We do this from one master list for all three. You can read about the differences in Google Maps, Apple Maps and Bing compared.
In the Local SEO Benchmark Franchise Chains 2026, only 40% of 500 Google Business Profiles studied were fully completed. For the checks in Google we use Google Maps management for chains.
| Component | Why | How we measure it |
|---|---|---|
| Identical opening hours on three maps | Customers trust the map, not your site | Weekly comparison with the master list |
| Special hours on bank holidays | This is where it most often goes wrong | Check in advance for each bank holiday |
| Product groups and services in the profile | Customers see immediately whether the shop fits | Completeness per profile as a percentage |
| Link to the location page | Takes the customer to stock and click and collect | Website clicks per location |
| Route requests | Strongest signal of a shop visit | Profile statistics per month |
How do you find new franchisees for shops online?
If your franchise brand is growing or a shop is looking for a successor, you want candidates with the right own capital in the right region. We recruit on results via your own site and channels, without an advertising package on someone else's platform. You pay nothing up front, then per verified introduction plus a success fee on signing, with amounts agreed in writing in advance. See how recruiting on results works. For candidates: have the figures and contract reviewed by an independent franchise lawyer and accountant; this is not legal advice.
What does online marketing cost per shop of a non-food franchise brand?
We work with fixed, published prices per location per month, excl. VAT: Basic €199, Growth €400 and Full service €600. Full service includes local landing pages and GEO (AI visibility). Social media, SEO, ad management and recruitment have a fixed monthly price on quote. Every month you see the figures in the dashboard, via clear results per location. Want to see which other channels are available? Take a look at the complete overview of services or the sector overviews.
Other sectors follow a different search path. So also compare marketing for service franchises, marketing for food and hospitality franchises and marketing for healthcare, sport and wellness franchises.
| Component | Choice | Per month (excl. VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| 35 shops | Growth at €400 | €14,000 |
| 8 shops in large cities | Full service at €600 | €4,800 |
| Total fixed costs | 43 shops | €18,800 |
| Click and collect ad management | On quote | Fixed monthly price |
A pilot first
We start with the free-of-charge visibility scan per shop and a pilot with a group of locations for a fixed period. Only then does the roll-out follow. There is no annual contract.
What does a location outside the Google Maps top 3 cost you?
This calculation uses Dutch figures instead of American click-through rates. The average revenue per franchise location comes from the Dutch Franchise Association (NFV) statistics, reference year 2025. Nobody can say in advance exactly how much revenue a location loses without a top position in Google Maps, with a Google Business Profile that is not in order, or without proper review management. So you calculate a scenario per cause: a few percent of revenue going to a more visible competitor. Add them up and you see the combined cost.
| Sector | Revenue per location per year | 1% revenue missed | 3% revenue missed | Growth package (€4,800 a year) as share of revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All sectors (average) | €1,445,000 | €14,450 | €43,350 | 0.33% |
| Services | €480,000 | €4,800 | €14,400 | 1% |
| Hospitality | €1,230,000 | €12,300 | €36,900 | 0.39% |
| Health care | €1,270,000 | €12,700 | €38,100 | 0.38% |
| Non-food retail | €1,750,000 | €17,500 | €52,500 | 0.27% |
| Food retail | €2,910,000 | €29,100 | €87,300 | 0.16% |
| Other brands | €680,000 | €6,800 | €20,400 | 0.71% |
- 6 of the 100 largest Dutch franchise chains reply to a Google review within 24 hours; the average response time is 6.8 days and 90% has no demonstrable review management process.
- Only 40% of the 500 Google Business Profiles examined is fully completed.
- In the measurement one review was viewed around 15,000 times on average: an unanswered complaint stays visible to thousands of people.
- 42% of consumers would rather not do business with a company that never replies to reviews (BrightLocal 2026).
Sources: NFV Franchise Statistics, reference year 2025 (34,937 locations, €50.5 billion revenue); Local SEO Franchise Benchmark 2026 (100 largest chains, 500 profiles); sector model on franchiseseo.nl (in Dutch). The percentages are scenarios you choose, not a measurement or a promise. We do not promise rankings or revenue.
Questions about online marketing for non-food shops
How do you make sure customers see which shop has a product in stock?
What should be online per shop about click and collect?
Why do you also manage shops in Apple Maps and Bing Places?
How many non-food franchise locations are there in the Netherlands?
Who decides the content of a shop's location page?
Should a chain's shops post on social media themselves?
How do you measure whether online marketing brings more shop visits?
Do non-food shops also appear in answers from ChatGPT or Gemini?
How do you recruit franchisees for a non-food franchise brand?
What does online marketing cost for a retail chain with 40 locations?
Sources
Gijs Bodenstaff
Franchise marketer, local SEO and GEO specialist, author
Request the free visibility scan and see per shop whether opening hours, profiles and location pages are correct.
How do retail chains use social media for their shops?
According to Newcom's National Social Media Survey 2026, 14.6 million Dutch people use social media, on 4.5 platforms on average. Instagram has 8.9 million users, YouTube 10.6 million. In retail a mix works: head office shows products and campaigns, the shop shows the team, new arrivals and local promotions. How to divide this is explained in social media per location. We supply draft posts per location that fit the national planning, and measure which posts lead to clicks to the shop page.