case studyfinanceoperations

Case Study Idea: How a Franchise Saved 30% on SaaS Costs by Consolidating Tools

mmymenu

2026-02-16

8 min read

An anonymized case study blueprint showing how a franchise cut SaaS spend 30% via tool consolidation—baselines, intervention, metrics, and ROI.

Hook: Your franchise is paying—and losing—more than you think

Franchise operators tell us the same thing in 2026: AI-powered point solutions multiply by committee, integrations fail in production, and menu updates take hours (or days) across POS, delivery marketplaces, and websites. Every unused app is a recurring tax on margin. In this anonymized case study structure you'll get a repeatable blueprint—baselines, the consolidation intervention, and measurable before and after metrics—that a multi-unit franchise used to cut SaaS spend by 30% while improving operational speed and reducing errors.

Why consolidation matters now (2026 context)

Late 2025 accelerated two clear trends: an explosion of AI-powered point solutions and a sharper push toward usage-based pricing models. As MarTech commentators noted in January 2026, many stacks are bloated with underused platforms and accumulating "martech debt" that drags teams down rather than delivers value. Consolidation is no longer optional—it's a strategic shift toward fewer platforms that do more, with better integrations and governance.

Key 2026 drivers that make consolidation urgent

Usage-based billing: vendors now charge on active usage, increasing unpredictability in spend.
API-first platforms: modern tools make a consolidated approach technically feasible and lower integration cost.
AI and automation: centralized systems can apply AI consistently to inventory, pricing, and menu personalization.
Operational governance: franchise compliance and brand consistency require single sources of truth for menus and pricing.

Case study structure: How to document a consolidation project (anonymized)

Below is a templated structure you can apply to any franchise consolidation project. Each section explains what to measure and how to present results so stakeholders can approve a rollout quickly.

1. Executive summary

One paragraph that answers: Who (franchise), What (tool consolidation), Why (cost, speed, UX), and the headline result (30% SaaS savings). Keep it factual and numbers-focused.

2. Baseline audit (the "before")

The baseline sets the performance and cost benchmarks. Collect the following:

Tool inventory: list every paid platform used by operations, marketing, POS, online ordering, and delivery—include license count and annual contract value (ACV).
Actual spend: monthly and annual SaaS spend by tool (include shadow IT subscriptions).
Usage metrics: active users, frequency of updates, API calls, and overlap (where two tools do similar tasks).
Operational metrics: time to update menus across channels, error rate in menu data, average time to onboard a new menu item, and number of cross-location price exceptions.
Customer impact metrics: online menu conversion, order abandonment rate, and delivery order accuracy.

Example baseline (anonymized):

Annual SaaS spend: $250,000
Number of paid tools: 18 (6 critical, 12 supplemental/duplicate)
Average menu update cycle: 48 hours to push price change across POS, website, apps, and marketplaces
Menu data error rate: 4.8% (mismatches across channels)
Online menu conversion: 1.9%

3. Problem diagnosis

Use the baseline to identify root causes. Common findings:

Duplicate functionality across tools (e.g., three tools that define prices or manage menus).
Poor integrations (one-way exports, manual CSVs, inconsistent API use).
License inflation (seats activated but not used).
No single source of truth for pricing and product data.

4. Consolidation criteria and vendor selection

Define a scoring matrix to make objective choices. Typical criteria (weighted):

Feature coverage vs. current needs (30%)
Ease of integration / API maturity (20%)
Security and compliance (10%)
Pricing model and predictability (15%)
Vendor roadmap and AI capabilities (15%)
Support and training (10%)

For a franchise, favor platforms that centralize menu management, integrate with POS and marketplaces, and support role-based governance.

5. Intervention plan (the "how")

Structure implementation in phases. Below is a tested playbook used in the anonymized example:

Discovery sprint (2–3 weeks): fine-grain inventory, stakeholder interviews, API capability checks, and a pilot site selection.
Pilot & integration (4–8 weeks): implement the consolidated platform at 2–3 pilot locations. Build connectors to the POS and top delivery partners. Measure update speed and data accuracy.
Training & governance (2 weeks): role-based training for ops managers and a new playbook for menu updates.
Rollout (6–12 weeks): phased rollout across all franchise locations with scheduled cutovers and parallel running of legacy tools for 2 weeks.
Optimization (ongoing): tune automations, apply AI-driven pricing recommendations, and enforce license right-sizing.

6. Implementation checklist (practical tasks)

Export canonical product and pricing data from each tool into a neutral format (CSV/JSON).
Map SKU/PLU equivalencies and resolve naming conflicts.
Build API connectors or use an iPaaS—test for idempotency and rate limits.
Set up single sign-on (SSO) and role-based permissions to control who can publish changes.
Implement audit logs and alerts for failed syncs.
Negotiate contract exits and align renewal dates to avoid overlap fees.

Measured impact: the "after" (sample anonymized results)

Use the same metrics you captured in the baseline so stakeholders can see direct causal changes. Below are the anonymized outcomes from the franchise consolidation project.

Financial results

Annual SaaS spend: dropped from $250,000 to $175,000 (30% savings)
License efficiency: reduced active license count by 40% through seat reallocation and contract terminations
Payback period: consolidation costs (integration + training) recovered in 6 months

Operational results

Menu update speed: from 48 hours to under 10 minutes to publish across POS, website, and delivery platforms
Menu data error rate: from 4.8% mismatches to 0.6%
Labor savings: saved 1.5 full-time-equivalent (FTE) hours per day in centralized ops work—equates to ~3900 labor hours annually

Customer and revenue impact

Online menu conversion: improved from 1.9% to 2.6% (a 37% relative lift) — improvements in conversion are comparable to on-prem conversion gains described in smart checkout & sensor experiments.
Order accuracy: improved, reducing refunds and remakes by 18%
Time-to-market for promotions: reduced from 5 days to same-day, enabling faster revenue capture for limited offers

Intangible and governance benefits

Stronger brand consistency across locations
Clear audit trails and compliance with franchise agreements
Centralized analytics that feed menu profitability decisions

How to calculate ROI and validate the 30% claim for your franchise

Use this simple formula to estimate FY1 ROI after consolidation:

ROI = (Annual SaaS Savings + Annual Labor Savings + Revenue Uplift) - One-time Implementation Costs

Example (anonymized):

Annual SaaS savings: $75,000 (30% of $250k)
Annual labor savings: $120,000 (1.5 FTEs @ $80k fully loaded each)
Revenue uplift: conservative estimate of $60,000 through conversion and promo speed
Implementation costs: $120,000 (integration, data cleansing, training)

ROI = ($75k + $120k + $60k) - $120k = $135k net in Year 1. Payback in ~10 months. If you need help modeling this in a spreadsheet or aligning it to your P&L, templates and public-doc best practices like Compose vs Notion for public docs are handy for board decks and shared templates.

Common obstacles and how to mitigate them

Consolidation projects stall for predictable reasons. Here’s how to address them.

Obstacle: Vendor lock-in fear

Mitigation: Choose systems with open APIs and clear data export policies. Insist on exit terms in contracts and maintain canonical exports of product data periodically.

Obstacle: Internal resistance to change

Mitigation: Run a pilot with clear KPIs, include ops managers in vendor selection, and allocate time for hands-on training. Use the "sprint vs. marathon" playbook—some changes need rapid pilots, others require phased adoption (referencing MarTech: "When martech requires a sprint — and when it demands a marathon", Jan 16, 2026).

Obstacle: Hidden costs (integration and custom work)

Mitigation: Budget for durable integration work and favor vendors with pre-built connectors for major POS and marketplace partners. Use an iPaaS to reduce custom code if you have many endpoints.

Advanced strategies for maximizing the benefits (2026 and beyond)

After consolidation, pursue these advanced tactics to capture ongoing savings and operational leverage.

AI-driven price optimization: centralize price and elasticity data so AI models can recommend localized prices and promotions across the franchise. See practical AI consolidation examples in AI replace/streamline case studies.
Event-driven automations: publish menu changes automatically when inventory or supplier pricing triggers occur.
Cross-platform analytics: combine menu, POS, delivery, and CRM data into a single analytics layer for precise profitability metrics by SKU and location.
Usage-based monitoring: track active usage to avoid surprise charges from vendors moving to metered pricing models.
Continuous contract alignment: align renewal dates to facilitate future consolidations and re-negotiations.

Template: Board-ready summary slide (3 bullets + 3 charts)

When you present to leadership, keep it crisp:

Headline: "Consolidation reduced SaaS spend by 30% and cut menu update time from 48 hours to 10 minutes."
Three metrics: Annual SaaS spend (before/after), Menu update time (before/after), FTE hours saved (annual)
Three charts: Spend by vendor (before/after), Menu update SLA trend, Conversion lift by month

Checklist before you start

Complete a full tool inventory within 2 weeks
Designate a single project owner and executive sponsor
Identify 2–3 pilot locations that represent your typical operational variance
Allocate a budget that covers integrations + 3 months of parallel operation
Prepare communications and training materials for franchisees

Proof points and references

Industry commentary in January 2026 highlighted the costs of overgrown stacks and the need to be intentional about martech investment (MarTech, Jan 16, 2026). Our template incorporates those insights: measure what you use, prefer APIs and open data, and treat consolidation as both a technical and organizational program.

Final takeaways

Measure first: baselines unlock the ability to prove impact.
Prioritize integration: a single source of truth for menus and pricing is the key lever.
Plan in phases: quick pilots build confidence, broad rollouts scale value.
Expect 20–40% SaaS savings: conservative modeling shows 30% is achievable for many multi-unit franchises.

Call to action

If you run a franchise operations team and want this anonymized case study as a downloadable, editable template—including the spreadsheet used to calculate ROI and the vendor selection matrix—request our Consolidation Playbook. Or schedule a 30-minute assessment with our menu and integrations team to map your current stack and estimate your franchise's potential savings and operational uplift.

mymenu

Contributor

Senior editor and content strategist. Writing about technology, design, and the future of digital media. Follow along for deep dives into the industry's moving parts.