Measures the Change-Response Gap: how fast industries are changing versus how fast companies are responding. 50 means they are even. Higher means the gap is wider.
October 2026: Direct Sales & Franchising scores 56 (Narrow Gap), with a Change Score of 56 and a Response Score of 44. Evidence this month was limited to three events. Franchise and direct selling groups lobbied Congress on September 14 and September 24. McDonald's unveiled an $8.5 billion plan to help its franchisees use AI.
Direct Sales & Franchising companies are keeping up with about 80% of the change. Evidence: Thin (3 sources).
History: May 59 · Jun 59 · Jul 59 · Aug 57 · Sep 57 · Oct 56
The ledger has no new in-window evidence on customer demand for franchises or direct selling this month. Last month, McDonald's, the burger chain, reported U.S. comparable sales up just 0.8% on August 4. Any read on demand this month has to come from that earlier context and not from new data.
The ledger has no new in-window evidence on seller counts or franchise hiring this month. Last month, the Direct Selling Association's research foundation counted 5.2 million direct sellers in 2025, down from 5.4 million. One workforce detail did appear in September. McDonald's says its AI platform will handle scheduling across its restaurants (Fortune).
McDonald's unveiled an $8.5 billion franchisee support plan at its September 23 Investor Day (Fortune). The company says the plan targets 250 basis points of efficiency gains (Fortune). It covers more than 46,000 restaurants (Fortune). Last month, Real Brokerage closed its $880 million purchase of RE/MAX on August 24.
Both trade groups took policy fights to Washington. The International Franchise Association, the franchise trade group, opened its Advocacy Summit on September 14 with more than 400 franchise leaders (L'Express Franchise). They lobbied for a federal franchise bill that had 142 House co-sponsors (L'Express Franchise). On September 24, the Direct Selling Association brought 105 people from 15 companies across 26 states to Capitol Hill (Direct Selling News). They argued against a proposed worker-classification rule that could reclassify independent distributors as employees (Direct Selling News).
The ledger has no new in-window evidence on culture inside franchise or direct selling networks this month. The DSA's Capitol Hill event was framed around worker independence (Direct Selling News). Last month, Taco Bell said in July that locations using voice AI reported better employee retention.
McDonald's is widening an AI platform called ArchIQ, which Google built (Fortune). The plan extends it to drive-thru ordering, inventory management, and scheduling (Fortune). It would reach more than 46,000 restaurants (Fortune). Last month, Yum, the parent of Taco Bell and KFC, said its Byte platform had cut stockouts 85%, a figure the company reported itself.
McDonald's used its September 23 Investor Day to put numbers on its AI plans. It set a target of 250 basis points of efficiency gains from an $8.5 billion franchisee support plan (Fortune). The target is a company goal, not a result. The ledger shows no earnings-call AI figures from other franchisors this month.
The ledger has no new in-window evidence on AI hiring at franchisors or direct sellers this month. Last month, Wingstop, the chicken wing chain, said on July 29 it hired its first Chief AI Officer. No September item shows a similar hire.
McDonald's put the most money on the table. Its $8.5 billion franchisee support plan is built around broadening the ArchIQ AI platform (Fortune). The platform covers drive-thru ordering, inventory management, and scheduling (Fortune). The plan spans more than 46,000 restaurants (Fortune). Last month, Restaurant Brands, the parent of Burger King, said it had spent $194 million of a planned $550 million technology and kitchen fund.
The product news came from McDonald's and Google. ArchIQ is an AI platform Google built for McDonald's (Fortune). McDonald's plans to use it for ordering, inventory, and scheduling (Fortune). The ledger shows no other new product launches or partnerships from franchisors or direct sellers this month.
McDonald's followed through on a schedule it set earlier. On its August 4 call, it pushed AI detail to its September 23 Investor Day. That day it unveiled the $8.5 billion plan (Fortune). The ledger has no evidence on how fast the rollout across 46,000 restaurants will move.
The score of 56 reflects a Change Score of 56 and a Response Score of 44. Change leads response by 12 points. Each indicator is rated 0 to 5 in half points by two independent reviewers, and the ratings shown are their average. How we score.