Extra income tops reasons for starting a franchise as 93% of 100 survey respondents express interest in AI

What motivates people who have considered or started a franchise, and whom do they turn to for advice? A survey of 100 people published by Web Repo Co., Ltd. found that earning extra income and preparing for retirement were leading motivations. Many respondents also wanted to use generative AI to gather information. For important decisions and fact-checking, however, they preferred to consult people. The findings offer Japan’s franchise community a basis for considering the respective roles of information provision and direct discussion.

Extra income motivates 48%, while 44% cite preparing for retirement

Web Repo, which operates the franchise comparison website Franchise WEB Report, conducted a survey on attitudes towards starting a franchise. According to the company’s announcement, published on Excite News on 25 September 2026, the results appeared in a feature titled ‘2026 Survey on Starting a Franchise and Using AI’.

The most common reason for considering a franchise was ‘wanting to earn more extra income for hobbies and personal life’, selected by 48%. This was followed by ‘concern about retirement funds or wanting work that can be continued well beyond retirement’, at 44%. Two motivations therefore led the responses: supplementing income to enjoy life more fully, and preparing for future financial and working needs.

These figures describe reasons for considering a franchise, however, not the proportion who actually earned extra income or continued running a business after retirement. Prospective franchisees should assess their desired lifestyle separately from the operating requirements of the businesses they are considering.

For example, anyone seeking extra income should check what work they would personally need to do after opening and how much time they would need to spend on the outlet. Those looking for a business they can run over the long term should ask the franchisor not only about earnings, but also whether the daily duties and operating arrangements fit their expectations. This is one way to translate the survey findings into practical questions.

Why respondents choose franchising, and which businesses interest them

The most common reason for choosing franchising as a route into business was ‘not having the confidence or ideas to create a business myself’, cited by 43%. This suggests that interest in starting a business can coexist with uncertainty about developing a concept independently.

The finding highlights the potential value of explaining the practical arrangements for launch and day-to-day operations to prospective franchisees, rather than focusing solely on a brand’s features. However, the figure measures reasons for choosing franchising; it does not assess satisfaction with franchisor support or results after joining a network.

Among business categories, ‘prepared meals, takeaway and delivery-only businesses’ attracted the most interest, at 37%. Businesses serving the takeaway and delivery market were therefore particularly popular among these respondents.

Here, too, interest should be distinguished from growth potential. The 37% figure does not indicate growth in sales or outlet numbers: it is the proportion of respondents interested in that category. It may help prospective franchisees narrow their options, but each brand’s costs, contract terms and allocation of operational responsibilities still require separate checks.

AI for researching reviews and making comparisons; people for important checks

Some 93% of respondents expressed an intention to use generative AI when choosing a franchise. The main intended uses were ‘researching reviews of franchises of interest’, at 42%, and ‘comparing several franchises’, at 37%. Respondents were interested in using AI to gather information about potential options and organise the differences between them.

For ‘fact-checking a franchisor’s explanations and materials’ and ‘checking my own judgement’, however, more respondents preferred consulting people rather than AI. The company’s announcement points to a preference for using AI to collect information while relying on people for important decisions and verification.

Crucially, the 93% figure represents intention, not actual usage. It is neither the proportion who used AI to choose a franchise nor the proportion satisfied with a decision made using it. What the survey does show is strong interest in AI as a decision-support tool, alongside a continuing desire for human advice.

Prospective franchisees using AI could start by asking it to organise comparison criteria or questions for franchisors. Before drawing conclusions from reviews or franchisor materials, they should still check the original sources and put any questions directly to the franchisor or an adviser. The practical distinction is between using AI to organise information and relying on people to explain and verify it.

Treat the findings as 100 people’s responses, then apply them to individual decisions

According to the survey overview, the screening survey covered 2,000 men and women aged 35–64 in Japan. The main survey covered 100 men and women aged 35–65 who had considered or started a franchise. As the announcement gives different age ranges for the two stages, anyone citing the research should preserve and check the stated eligibility criteria for each.

The main survey also includes both people who considered starting a franchise and those who had done so. The overall percentages in the announcement cannot be used to isolate the intentions of prospective owners or the assessments of existing franchisees. The results should be read as response patterns among these 100 participants, rather than definitive evidence of attitudes across Japan’s franchise community.

With those limitations in mind, franchisors can use the findings to better understand income expectations, concerns about developing a business independently, and demand for comparative information. Prospective franchisees can also use them as a prompt to articulate their own reasons for starting a business and ask consistent questions of each option.

The practical starting point is to clarify why you want to start a franchise. AI can help organise information, but the fundamentals of any decision to join a network—including costs, contracts and your own workload—should be checked against documentation and through consultation with people.