Top 10 Retail CRM Software in 2023

Customer data management is especially challenging for retailers due to the ever-increasing and evolving customer demands. Thus, successful retail operations require the capacity to effectively manage huge amounts of customer data. Research shows that retail companies implement automated solutions to increase productivity, enhance revenue streams, and reduce costs.¹ Indeed, the global retail automation market is projected to exceed $30 billion by 2030, illustrating this upward trend (See Figure 1).

Source: Statista

Figure 1. Global retail business automation market size in 2021 and with projections till 2030.

One of the applications of automation in the retail industry is Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software. However, with an abundance of options on the market and various business factors to consider, finding the right CRM solution can be challenging. To remedy that, this article:

• Explains the usage of AI-enabled CRM software in the retail industry
• Presents the CRM software capabilities in retail
• Examines the best retail CRM software in the market
  to help businesses in finding the right retail CRM software that satisfies their needs.

What is retail CRM software?

A retail Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is a specialized tool that helps retail businesses manage and analyze their interactions with current and potential customers. It collects and organizes a wealth of customer data from various touch points such as:

• in-store interactions
• online purchases
• customer service inquiries
• social media engagement
• mobile interactions

in one centralized location.

The primary goal of a robust retail CRM software is to create a comprehensive view of each customer. This allows retailers to personalize their marketing efforts, improve customer service, and ultimately, increase customer loyalty and sales.

9 retail CRM software capabilities to consider while narrowing down your options

1- Order & delivery management

Retail CRM software can automate the entire order and delivery process. This involves taking customer orders, following them through the fulfillment process, and ensuring they are delivered on schedule. Customer satisfaction increases due to reduced errors, increased efficiency, and prompt delivery.

2- Deployment

This refers to how CRM software is utilized within a business’s operations. It can be set up as a hybrid model, on-premises, or in the cloud (SaaS). Each model has advantages and disadvantages specific to it. For instance, on-premise CRM can provide more control and customization possibilities, whereas a cloud-based CRM platform is often more scalable and costs less upfront.

3- Real-time monitoring

This feature enables retailers to monitor vital real-time inventory levels, customer interactions, and sales data. With real-time monitoring, a company can respond quickly to changes, such as refilling a popular item or resolving a consumer query. This is critical in connecting CRM platforms with other systems, such as inventory management or point-of-sale (POS) systems.

For instance, a grocery store could use a CRM system to instantly see when a popular product is running low and needs to be restocked.

4- 360° customer view

Retailers can gather and analyze consumer data from all touch points, including online, in-store, and mobile, with a 360° customer view. This provides a comprehensive insight into the consumer’s preferences and behavior, allowing for targeted marketing and better customer service.
For instance, a furniture retailer could use CRM to see that a customer first visited their website, then visited their physical store, and finally made a purchase through their mobile app.

5- Predictive lead scoring

This capability employs artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to predict the possibility of a lead becoming a customer based on their purchase history or behavior. It assists sales teams in focusing their efforts on the most promising leads.

6- No-code capabilities

Retail CRM software often includes features that allow users to customize the tool without needing to write code. No-code CRM platforms help employees use the CRM software more confidently and with ease.

7- Reporting & analytics

CRM software can gather vast quantities of data, which can then be examined to yield valuable insights. Businesses can monitor essential metrics and KPIs using the reporting function, and analytics can find trends, patterns, and potential opportunities.

8- Calendar

The calendar feature in a CRM application helps schedule and track all events, tasks, and activities. This can range from monitoring sales appointments to organizing marketing campaigns or customer support schedules. It’s vital to ensure that nothing goes through the holes and that every customer engagement is timely.

9- Customer support

CRM systems often include a customer support module that may handle customer inquiries, manage support tickets, and provide a platform for communication between the customer and the support team. This speeds up response times, addresses issues more quickly, and improves customer experience.

After identifying whether the vendors provide the capabilities presented above, we narrowed our vendor list based on some criteria. We used the number of B2B reviews and employees of a company to estimate its market presence because these criteria are public and verifiable.

Therefore, we set certain limits to focus our work on top companies in terms of market presence, selecting firms with:

• 500+ employees
• 150+ reviews on review platforms including G2, Trustradius, Capterra
• at least one Fortune 500 reference

The following companies fit these criteria:

1- Creatio

2- monday Sales CRM

3- Vymo

4- ActiveCampaign for Sales***

5- Freshsales***

6- Hubspot Sales Hub***

7- Pipedrive

8- Salesforce Sales Cloud***

9- Zendesk Sell

10- Zoho CRM

Here is our analysis of the top vendors providing Customer Relationship Management Software in the retail industry. We have analyzed the vendors in terms of market presence and commercials (e.g., free trial & price). You can sort Table 1, for example, by the ratings.

Vendor	Employee size	Reviews	Price	Free trial	Ratings (out of 5)*	Deployment
Creatio	575	225	Starts from $25 / month per user	Available	4.6	Cloud Mobile Desktop
monday Sales CRM	1747	535	Starts from $10 / month per user	Available	4.7	Cloud Mobile Desktop
Vymo	500	155	Not provided	N/A	4.6	Cloud Mobile
ActiveCampaign for Sales***	830	1,350	Starts from $19 / month per user billed annually	Available	4.5	Cloud Mobile Desktop
Freshsales***	7,500	1,050	Starts from $15** / month per user	Available	4.5	Cloud Mobile Desktop
HubSpot Sales Hub***	8,000	10,000	Starts from $50 / month for two users	Available	4.4	Cloud Mobile
Redtail CRM	85	130	Starts from $99 / month per data base	Available	4.3	Cloud Mobile Desktop
Pipedrive	950	1,600	Starts from $14.90 / month per user	Available	4.2	Cloud Mobile Desktop
Salesforce Sales Cloud***	75,000	14,000	Starts from $225 / month billed annually	Available	4.3	Cloud Mobile
Zendesk Sell	6,300	600	Starts from $19** / month per user	Available	4.2	Cloud Mobile
Zoho CRM	5,000	2,400	Starts from $14 / month per user	Available	4	Cloud

Here, we also analyzed the capabilities and features of the retail CRM software explained above. As all vendors offer order & delivery management and reporting & analytics capabilities, we didn’t include these in the table. You can sort Table 2, for example, by the no-code capabilities.

Vendor	Real-time monitoring	360° customer view	Predictive lead scoring	No code capabilities	Calendar	Customer support	Quality of support (out of 10)*
Creatio	Available	Available	Available	Available	Available	Phone Support 24/7 (Live Rep) Chat	9.1
monday Sales CRM	Available	Available	Available	Available	Available	24/7 (Live Rep) Chat	8.8
Vymo	Available	Available	Available	N/A	Available	Phone Support	8.8
ActiveCampaign for Sales***	Available	Available	Available	N/A	N/A / syncs with other tools	Phone Support Chat	8.6
Freshsales***	Available	Available	Available	N/A	N/A / syncs with other tools	Phone Support 24/7 (Live Rep) Chat	8.9
HubSpot Sales Hub***	Available	Not provided	Available	Not provided	N/A / syncs with other tools	Phone Support 24/7 (Live Rep)	8.6
Redtail CRM	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Available	Phone Support	8.9
Pipedrive	Available	N/A	Available	Available	Available	Phone Support 24/7 (Live Rep) Chat	8.3
Salesforce Sales Cloud***	Available	Available	Available	N/A	Available	Phone Support Chat	7.9
Zendesk Sell	N/A	Available	Available	N/A	Available	Phone Support 24/7 (Live Rep) Chat	8.5
Zoho CRM	Available	Available	N/A	Not provided	Available	Phone Support 24/7 (Live Rep) Chat	7.5

*Based on G2 reviews

**This price is relevant when paid annually. If a company chooses a monthly subscription, then the price is $25 / month per user for Zendesk Sell and $18 / month for Freshsales.

*** Companies that include CRM as part of a broader set of offerings typically have a larger workforce or receive more evaluations than businesses focusing exclusively on providing CRM services.

Transparency statement:

AIMultiple serves numerous tech companies, including Creatio.

For those interested, here is our data-driven list of CRM software.

If you need help in your vendor selection process, we can help:

Find the Right Vendors

1. “Business benefits of AI according to retail executives worldwide in 2023“. Statista. Retrieved May 18, 2023.