Best retail CRM software 2024

The retail industry is going through a disruptive phase where physical retailers must combat online marketplaces to survive and thrive. Providing top-notch customer experience is crucial to converting prospects and building a loyal customer base.

However, achieving customer loyalty is much easier said than done, thanks to constantly changing customer preferences, fluctuating markets, and fierce competition. B2C retail businesses directly dealing with consumers must take the challenge head-on every day.

Solution? Get the best CRM system for retail.

Retail CRM software is a perfect tool to win over your customers that handles all customer-related operations. It tracks all customer touchpoints from various channels and provides deep insights into buyers' needs, preferences, and behavior. Empowered with this information, you can improve customer engagement and build a reliable customer base and brand loyalty. 

In short, an effective customer relationship management solution is crucial to your retail business to earn customer loyalty and increase your profits. However, the outcomes from a CRM will be as good as the choice you make in picking the right platform. Here's comprehensive research for the top 11 retail CRM software solutions to guide your decision.

How we analyzed and shortlisted the best CRM tool for retail businesses

This comparison is based on user experience, reviews, and ratings. We evaluated each tool's proficiency in integration, automation, reporting, and amongst other things. Moreover, we have considered G2 and Capterra reviews to know users' views, likes, and dislikes to provide a well-rounded comparison. This comprehensive approach equips you to make an informed decision and identify the tool that best suits your needs.

Now, let’s quickly look at the final list of CRM systems for retail businesses and their features. 

Top 11 CRM for Retail Businesses  

1. Freshsales

2. Bigin

3. Zendesk Sell

4. Pipedrive

5. Copper CRM

6. Monday CRM

7. Hubspot

8. Insightly

9. Salesforce Essentials

10. Pipefy

11. Bitrix24

1. Freshsales

Freshsales is among the best CRMs for retail business. It helps identify high-intent leads, accelerate follow-ups, and translate powerful sales insights into revenue with effective automation.

Key features

• Comprehensive customer information: 360-degree view of customer information with easy-to-read visualizations to help frontline reps harness the power of customer data to increase sales. 

• Centralized communication: Omnichannel customer support and engagement through emails, chat campaigns, calls, messengers, SMS, and Zoom meetings. Multichannel connection takes your products, offers, campaigns, and post-sale services to the customer in the ways best-suited to them. 

• Deep insights: Quick, actionable insights by highlighting relevant activities, sales sequences, and last contact information to help retail businesses capitalize on every opportunity to upsell, cross-sell, and deliver personalized customer experience.

• Automation: It provides automation for sales sequences, workflow, profile enhancement, and conversation routing saves time, effort, and more, and it increases the overall productivity of your staff. 

Pros:

• Workflow and marketing automation, quote generation, account management, and built-in phone (as a part of the growth plan) give you a comprehensive solution to improve efficiency.

• Omnichannel support with calls, live chats, messages, apps, and AI-powered chatbots for connecting customers through their preferred method. 

• Contact scoring to identify loyal customers and actively increase customer retention.

• Freshsales constantly innovates and rolls out quarterly updates with enhancements and new additions to meet the dynamic needs of the retail industry.

Cons:

• Features like contact scoring, sales sequencing, AI-based automation, and others are not available in the free version. However, it gives you a good tour of the product features and workflows before you pay for it.  

• Some users find data mismatches and download issues with analytics reports. However, the company addresses bugs and feedback promptly. 

Pricing details:

2. Bigin 

Are you a small business or a retail startup looking for affordable customer relationship management? Bigin from Zoho CRM is a popular option for tight pockets, specifically simplified for small businesses and small teams. It effectively consolidates all customer-facing operations from marketing and onboarding to support and relationship management.

Key features:

• Accessibility: End-to-end mobile accessibility gives agility to physical retailers.

• Affordable: Affordable pricing to suit small retail businesses.

• Customer operation: Streamlined customer operations to enhance customer experience.

• Collaboration: Seamless teamwork and collaborations help you make the most of every point of sale for all your branches and channels. 

Pros:

• User-friendly interface with intuitive navigation, saving time and effort.

• Simple and effective lead control feature.

• Simplified sales funnel and customer relationship management.

Cons:

• Broad outreach that wastes time and effort on cold leads that are not likely to revive. Other tools provide targeted marketing features to enhance the sales pipeline and conversions.

• Basic customer engagement is time-consuming. 360-degree customer data view and insights by other solutions are the key to engagement.

• It deploys a generic sales strategy that does not fit all. With other software, you can customize sales activities and create multiple sales pipelines for a dynamic approach. 

Pricing details:

 3. Zendesk Sell

The unavailability of the full context of a customer account is a prominent reason for sales reps' low productivity. If your sales team struggles with the same issue, Zendesk Sell can be an effective solution. It helps deliver a great customer experience and achieve revenue targets.

Key features:

• Productivity tracker: A productivity tool to measure progress.

• Analytics: Advanced analytics to gain deep insight into customer data.

• Complete view: Comprehensive customer view from sales to service empowers sales reps and service executives.

• Engagement: Multichannel engagement to enhance connection with the customer. 

Pros:

• Affordable for small retail business.

• User-friendly interface to accelerate operations for handling the in-store rush.

• Multi-language support to engage with the local audience.

Cons:

• Deal creation requires Outlook (add-on), a feature that is part of the package in many other alternatives.

• Lacks automation for entering customer data supported in other cloud-based software.

• Lacks email automation and marketing integration available in other alternatives.

Pricing details:

 4. Pipedrive

If your team needs robust proposal features and collaboration for deals, Pipedrive is a must-consider CRM software. It is a customization tool that lets you track progress as you grow.

Key features:

• Lead Management: Lead and deal management for increasing conversions and revenue.

• Tracking: It offers customer communications tracking to enhance customer relationships.

• Time saver: Automation, analytics, and report generation that saves time and effort to free your staff to serve customers.

• Integration: Integrate CRM Mobile app and other apps to give agility and mobility to battle online markets.

Pros:

• Low-cost AI for deal insights that's really helpful in the retail industry.

• All-around direct-sale CRM with lead and deal management.

• Proposal generation to capture major clients.

Cons:

• Unlike many other retail CRM software, it does not offer a free version.

• It is expensive when you look for full contact timelines and revenue forecasts, an integrated feature in other solutions. 

• No workflow automation until the Advanced plan.

Pricing details:

5. Copper CRM

Most sales teams are familiar with Google tools. They prefer CRMs with a similar interface and smooth integration with Google Workspace. Copper is the best retail CRM software for such users.

Key features:

• Integration: Seamless Google tool integration that most in-store staff are familiar with.

• Tracking: Deal and opportunity tracking to assist sales reps.

• Contact management: Efficient contact management.

• Filters: Instant view of the entire relationship history to sort and filter leads.

Pros:

• Intuitive interface that is similar to Google products.

• Effortless integration with Gmail, Drive, Calendar, and Sheets.

• Solid pipeline management.

Cons:

• In contrast to other software, it offers no free plans.

• Expensive contact scoring, a feature that is crucial for retailers and affordable in other CRM solutions.

• Need at least a professional plan for non-Google integration.

Pricing details:

6. Monday CRM

The Monday CRM, next on the list of the best retail CRM software, offers features for every role in your company: business leaders, teams, account managers, IT, and operations. It streamlines and tracks the entire sales cycle, identifies growth opportunities, accelerates follow-up, and more.

Key features:

• Customization: It is customizable to your sales cycle.

• Integration: Smooth integration with numerous tools to help increase sales productivity and avoid duplication.

• Automation: Automation for repetitive sales tasks.

• Better view: Instant overview of each deal.

Pros:

• Spreadsheet-like data entry with board customization that most teams are familiar with.

• Sales process tracking to have a clear picture of customers' journeys.

• The high degree of customization.

Cons:

• It mandates a minimum count of users for paid plans, while other software has no such cap.

• Lead scoring is expensive. Affordable CRM solutions fit all such features to your pocket size.

• You need the enterprise plan for post-sale management tools. Other solutions provide functionality to enhance post-sales activities at much lower prices.

Pricing details:

7. HubSpot

A CRM for free can be a huge advantage if yours is a small pocket business constrained heavily by budget. HubSpot is a comprehensive CRM solution that manages marketing campaigns, customer services, content management, and other enterprise operations.

Key features:

• Analytics: Contacts, leads, and business insights on a dashboard to streamline end-to-end retail functions.

• Better visibility: Transparent sales pipelines with interaction tracking for complete visibility into customers' journeys.

• Marketing automation: Marketing tool for ads, email marketing, and landing page creation to empower your physical stores for the combat with retail e-commerce.

• Communication: Quick responses to customers' queries through ticketing and live chats.

Pros:

• Free plan for unlimited users with all crucial features, suitable for all, from small retail stores to exclusive branded outlines.

• All-in-one CRM for sales, service, marketing, and content management.

• Highly intuitive interface and easy navigation that saves time and effort.

Cons:

• Paid plans are expensive. Advanced versions from other solutions are much more affordable.

• Unlike other solutions, calling, payment processing, and sales automation are not free. 

• Account-level overviews are expensive.

8. Insightly

Insightly is one of the best CRM software in the B2B space. It is popular for project-based retail services such as software development, marketing agencies, etc. Insightly's B2B relationship tracking can significantly boost your relationship-driven referral marketing.

Key features:

• Customization: The customizable sales process with lead and opportunity management to identify new customers and retain older ones.

• Project management: Project management to streamline projects such as seasonal updates, holiday sales, mergers, acquisitions, and expansions.

• Relationship linking: Recording relationship linking to build strong partnerships with partners and suppliers.

• Marketing customization: Native marketing campaign customized to your specific needs.

• Scanning: A mobile app with voice note and card scanning functionality to empower your digital transformation.

Pros:

• Project management built into CRM software.

• Strong mobile CRM application for agile operations.

• Relationship-linking to manage connections with your contacts.

Cons:

• You need separate products for marketing and customer service at additional costs, which is a part of most other CRMs.

• It has discontinued its free-forever plan.

• The automated lead assignment is expensive. Such intelligent routing is crucial for retail business and part of many other solutions at reasonable rates.

Pricing details:

9. Salesforce Essentials

Salesforce Essentials, a replacement for SalesforceIQ CRM, is a comprehensive CRM solution to fuel your sales, services, and marketing productivity. Powered with every tool you need to run your business, it helps deliver a holistic customer experience.

Key features:

• Tracking: Sales process tracking from onboarding to service.

• Centralized data: Multichannel customer support, including chats, emails, social media integration, and more customer journey visibility.

• User interface: Dashboard interface for real-time reports, analytics, valuable insights, and pipeline visualization for dynamic pricing, offers, and more.

• Automation: Automated management of leads, opportunities, and customer data.

• Project management: Project management features with invoicing.

Pros:

• Easy to set up and customize for non-technical retail staff.

• Making physical retail stores mobile with mobile apps.

• Automatic email logging to simplify recording interactions with suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders.

Cons:

• Marketing Automation is missing, while it is a prominent feature in other solutions.

• A difficult learning curve compared to other easy software.

• It is not budget-friendly for startups and SMBs, while many free and affordable options are available.

Pricing details:

10. Pipefy

Pipefy is an end-to-end workflow management solution streamlining business processes such as purchase, acquisition, onboarding, invoicing, and more. This no-code solution automates and accelerates business processes and delivers greater control over the soaring volume of service requests.

Key features:

• Real-time tracking: Enhanced collaboration and real-time process routing for quick service and improved customer experience.

• Customization: Customizable documentation and process design to fit your business needs.

• Process management: Comprehensive process management with real-time monitoring for better control.

Pros:

• Easy integration and pipeline customization. 

• Email automation for specific processes.

• Assistance for onboarding to help your staff learn and get familiar with the software.

Cons: 

• A difficult learning curve for non-IT sales teams.

• Limited features and slow.

• Expensive CRM, considering feature limitations, while others are feature-rich and affordable.

Pricing details:

11. Bitrix24

Another entry in the best CRM tool for the retail industry list is Bitrix24—an all-in-one tool that simplifies your business operations and enhances efficiency. It encapsulates project management tools, CRM, CRM marketing, analytics, and more.

Key features:

• Complete digital sales suite: client management, customer support, and marketing campaign automation.

• Automation: Virtual office and online business automation suite to manage workflow.

• Templates: It offers templates for creating marketing material and online stores.

Pros:

• All components integrate seamlessly as a single online service.

• No restrictions on the number of users.

• Social intranet for employees.

Cons:

• Overwhelming interface and difficult learning curve compared to other solutions with intuitive interfaces.

• The mobile experience is not user-friendly and has limited functionality compared to other feature-rich software.

Pricing details:

How to choose the best retail CRM software?

Finding the best CRM tool for the retail industry that suits budget and delivers value can be an uphill battle. But if you get this right, it can save time, cut costs, and boost productivity. Here's a list of features to look for in CRM solutions.

1. Centralize customer information

Reasonable CRM solutions unify and centralize all customer databases, tasks, and notes. You can see the big picture at a glance. It gives your team complete customer context with modern views that are quick and easy to search, sort, and organize.

2. Multichannel communication with clients

Reach your customers where they are. A customer relationship management software must enable omnichannel communication in the customers' preferred way. Some common interactions are:

• Email: Send, track, and manage sales emails. 

• Live chat: Proactive engagement and speedy support to improve customer experience.

• Calls and SMS: Greetings and updates through SMS and high-quality calls with logging, recording, and monitoring features.

• Messengers: Real-time support through WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Apple Business Chat, and Line.

3. Easy-to-use analytics dashboard

CRMs allow performance assessment and strategic optimizations using AI-powered deep analytics and predictions. It empowers your team with action-oriented sales insights and forecasts through interactive visualizations via dashboards. These AI-backed tools generate deep deal insights, contact scoring, and next-best-action suggestions to convert more walk-ins.

4. Marketing automation

The best CRM software for retail must automate mundane tasks and liberate your team for more productive activities. Automation of sales processes helps reduce human efforts through event-based triggers. You can also automate outreach campaigns with behavior-based triggers, manage follow-ups, and route conversations to the right expert.

5. Inventory management

Inventory management is a crucial aspect of retail business. Your offers to your customers are as good as your inventory and catalog management. This CRM feature helps configure price models, taxes, and discounts in multiple currencies.

6. Loyalty program campaigns

A customer relationship management software provides a bird's eye view of sales sequences and your customers' activities. These insights form the basis of your loyalty programs. With precise information about your loyal customers and customer behavior, you can efficiently design and optimize your campaigns.

7. Tool integration

Imagine you get to integrate your CRM system with the apps you love and use daily. It immediately boosts your comfort and efficiency with the tools. A CRM solution with extensive app integration blends with your existing ecosystem seamlessly and enhances your efficiency.

How much does retail CRM software cost?

Estimating your investment in a robust retail CRM software can be perplexing. Keep in mind that CRM solutions typically charge monthly fees per user.

The general price range of CRM in the retail industry varies broadly depending on various factors. The feature set grows as you move to the higher side of the price bracket. However, most CRM providers offer discounts to bring your favored features within reach.

Some brands also offer free CRM versions for small businesses. Freshsales is a strong candidate for being the best retail CRM software in that category. Unlike other CRM solutions, Freshsales' free version is feature-rich. It helps improve business performance and drives revenue. Its paid versions are also more affordable than competitors—that makes Freshsales the front-runner.

Benefits of retail CRM software?

1. Improved prospecting

Multiple teams often work on cold leads, wasting a significant amount of time. Retail CRM software enables precise lead segmentation based on interest, behavior, activities, and past purchases. It helps the teams identify high-quality leads and deliver focused service.

2. Prioritizing right deals

Customer relationship management software provides complete pipeline transparency. You can track deals' progress, quickly understand the current status, and focus on the most profitable ones.

3. Unmatched customer support

Nearly 90% of customers expect an immediate response, and 60% need responses in less than a minute, a speed only possible with CRM platform's AI capabilities/chatbots. These bots resolve common issues without human intervention and route territory-based queries to specific reps if required.

4. Enhanced conversion rates

A CRM system tracks customer activities and provides detailed information about customers' preferences and needs. This information helps you pitch the right products and deals to walk-in customers and increase conversions. CRMs also unify customer interaction data that helps optimize marketing campaigns and interaction personalization.

5. Enhanced upsell and cross-sell

More than 70% of sales reps that upsell or cross-sell believe these strategies can drive up to 30% of the business revenue. CRMs assist you in spotting the right prospects at the right time with the right product combos to capitalize on these strategies.

6. Trustworthy analytics and reporting

Most modern CRM platforms are AI-powered. They gather and process customer information from various sources, generating accurate, valuable, and actionable insights. You get these actionable reports on your dashboard, fueling rapid and informed decision-making. 

7. Proliferate customer satisfaction

A CRM system harvests information about customers' behavior, past questions, history, and more. You can leverage this information to deliver precisely to the customers' needs and improve the overall customer satisfaction index

8. Stay ahead with precise sales forecasts

How easy would business become if you could look into the future? By analyzing historical data and current market inclination, CRMs make precise forecasts that help you strategically plan your campaigns, personalize services, and optimize operations to boost sales and revenue generation.

9. Time, effort, and cost-saving through automation

Automation is an integral part of CRM systems. From data entry to sales sequences, you can automate all repeating jobs. CRMs can automate workflow, follow-ups, reminders, profile enrichment, conversation routing, and more, saving significant time, effort, and cost.

10. Real-time collaboration

Modern retail models have diluted the siloed working. Sales, marketing, and other teams work together towards common business goals of increasing sales and revenue. CRMs enable real-time collaboration to support the model and draw its maximum benefits.

Spreadsheet software may not suffice as a retail CRM tool

1. Manual entry 

Retail businesses acquire enormous customer information from various sources such as website interactions, social media, and purchase history. Spreadsheets require manual entry of this data.

2. Time-consuming

Working with spreadsheet software is time-consuming. You have to use formulas and pivot tables to link data elements, which the best retail CRM software does in just a click.

3. No real-time collaboration

Collaboration in spreadsheet software is limited to file sharing. But real-time collaboration? Not possible. While Google Sheets allows simultaneous access, it offers fewer features.

4. Lack of scalability

Spreadsheet software can quickly become insufficient with the evolving customer relationship. These tools become messy and disorganized with the growing customer base.

5. No attachment storage

While modern CRMs automatically link attachments to the right contact, there is no need to attach additional invoices, emails, quotes, etc., in spreadsheet software.

6. Inefficient reporting 

Creating reports in spreadsheet tools is manual and takes a longer time to create. Additionally, adding visualizations takes more time and effort but offers limited features.

7. Data security 

Retail businesses store large volumes of sensitive data, such as financial and personal customer information. Spreadsheet software is prone to security threats and cyber-attacks.

8. No lead management 

These spreadsheet software do not provide any lead management feature. For instance, they do not alert you about an upsell opportunity or a follow-up call.

9. No analytics

Spreadsheet software has no analytics features. They cannot derive insights from customers' purchase history or buying behavior. It can be a huge setback for retailers in today's fast-paced AI-driven world.

10. Delayed searching and sorting

To find customer information, you must look for the correct file and search for the desired record. In times when customers are demanding responses in less than a minute, delays in search and sorting can mean loss of leads and, eventually, business.