With the rapid development of e-commerce, it is impossible to imagine managing an online store in 2024 without using a CRM system. According to Grand View Research, the global market for CRM solutions will reach $96.5 billion by 2027. This significant growth is largely due to the development of online commerce around the world.
Many major players of the Ukrainian market, such as Rozetka, Make Up, Moyo, EVA have long and successfully used CRM. But the advantages of this approach are open not only to the industry leaders – any online store can get them, regardless of size and budget.
Implementing a CRM system for an online store allows you to personalize communication with each customer, control the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, forecast demand, optimize assortment and automate routine. As Salesforce statistics show, businesses that use CRM, on average, increase revenue by 29% and the satisfaction of their audience by 35%.
How many calls and sales will I get by ordering contextual advertising from you?
CRM system for online store is a specialized software for managing relationships with the customer base. Its main purpose is to collect, store and analyze all possible information about the interactions between a business and its customers in order to improve the quality of service, sales and other indicators.
Usually, all customer data is stored in disparate Excel spreadsheets, notebooks or even in managers’ heads. When someone calls with a question about their order, it can take a long time to find relevant information, clarify details with colleagues and formulate an answer. This approach is inefficient and often leads to confusion, errors and frustration for both parties.
With Customer Relationship Management, which is how CRM stands for, everything changes. The system itself accumulates the complete history of interaction in a single profile – from the first visit to the pages to after-sales service. Client contacts, all their references, agreements, current status and much more are collected here.
When a person calls an online store, you can immediately open their profile with all the information collected in the CRM. An employee of the company can see what the person has already bought, what questions and wishes they had. This allows you to give an accurate and complete answer every time, without putting the call on hold or redirecting the customer to another department.
Why does an online store need a CRM system?
The main goal of any online business is not just to attract attention, but also to retain the audience, turning them into loyal customers who will come back again and again. To achieve it, you will have to provide impeccable service at all stages – from application processing to after-sales service.
Implementing a CRM for an online store gives any business the opportunity to:
Collect all order data in one interface
Without a CRM, your employee has to constantly switch between tabs and services to keep track of incoming messages and not miss anything. This is inconvenient, time-consuming, and often results in lost requests.
The CRM system solves this problem. It accumulates requests from several sources – the website, marketplaces (Allo, Prom, Rozetka), messengers, social networks, OLX, etc. After that the system itself distributes them among free employees according to the selected rules.
Speed up order processing
The faster you process an order, the higher the likelihood of successful transactions. After all, if a customer doesn’t get a quick response, they may change their mind or leave for a competitor.
With CRM you can respond to new requests instantly. The system instantly records each incoming message and sends a notification to the responsible manager. The latter gets in touch with the customer within 30-60 seconds and discusses the details of the purchase before the latter “cools down”. Such promptness makes a great impression on people and helps to finalize the deal.
Structure information on each customer
Do you truly understand your audience? After all, to build a trusting relationship, it’s not enough just to know a person’s name and phone number. You need to take into account the entire process of interaction – what he ordered, whether he had questions or complaints, how often he buys and much more.
With CRM, you can finally create a holistic portrait of each customer. The information collected in one profile will include:
Contacts and personal information;
List of all purchases with amounts and statuses;
Appeals to chat, mail and call-center;
Comments from managers about customer requests and wishes;
Information on payments, deliveries and returns;
Reactions to advertising campaigns and promotions.
So, if a client has already ordered a certain item from the catalog, the manager can ask about his impressions and suggest complementary products. And if a person had problems with delivery last time, the employee will try to make the new cooperation as comfortable as possible.
Synchronize sales and stock
When trading on several sites, you run the risk of experiencing unsynchronized stock. This is when the website states that everything is in stock, but after placing an order, it turns out that the required item is out of stock. You have to apologize to the buyer and change the terms, and this is always unpleasant.
With CRM you will avoid such mishaps. Such systems integrate with your warehouse and update information on stock on the website, in marketplaces, on price lists. If a product runs out – its status changes automatically. And vice versa – the arrival of new items will be instantly reflected in all catalogs.
Automate business processes
Imagine how much time employees spend on routine – calling, sending reminders, updating information. On the scale of a large online store, this can be hundreds of hours every month! But why overload people with routine work when you can entrust it to automation?
Smart CRMs will inform customers about all changes. Payment has been received, the shipment has been transferred to the delivery service, the parcel has arrived at the pickup point – at each stage, the CRM will send an email, SMS or even a voice message. Imagine, a robot will call and tell you in a pleasant voice that the order is on its way. Agree, this is convenient for both the seller and the customers.
Get more detailed statistics
The system allows you to build any reports on sales, managers, product categories, advertising sources. Every contact between brand and audience, conversion to purchase, hryvnia spent and earned is taken into account here. You will see bottlenecks, be able to forecast demand and plan purchases.
Thanks to detailed analysis, you will easily identify the most profitable and unprofitable positions, revenue per customer and even traffic channels. You will be able to measure seasonal fluctuations in demand and prepare for peak loads, recognize trends in customer behavior. This knowledge can be applied to assortment formation, pricing and more.
Increase advertising effectiveness
Based on a detailed profile of each client, the system allows you to create ultra-precise audience segments for advertising targeting. For example, you can select customers from 25 to 35 years old, who ordered cosmetics of a certain brand and have an average check above 2000 hryvnias. And send this group a special offer with new products from your favorite brand.
Or create a list of all the people who have a birthday coming up to give them a nice discount. Targeting based on information from CRM allows you to show advertising to those who are really interested in it, and bypass the rest. This helps to increase the return on every hryvnia invested in promotion and not to waste money.
What types of CRM-systems are there?
When choosing a CRM, you need to take several factors into consideration. First of all, they differ depending on the niche and deployment model. Let’s take a look at each of the factors.
Deployment Model
Cloud-based solutions (SaaS) are hosted on the provider’s servers and are accessible from anywhere in the world via the internet. This is convenient if your employees are far away or often travel on business trips. In addition, cloud CRM is usually cheaper and well suited for small companies with standard business processes.
But boxed solutions are installed on the company’s own servers. This gives more opportunities for control and fine-tuning for the specifics of a particular enterprise. Such systems are more expensive, but better suited for medium and large companies with complex processes.
Niche
In addition to the deployment model, CRMs are divided into universal and industry-specific. Universal ones are suitable for most companies, but may not take into account certain nuances of their work. Industry-specific ones, on the contrary, are tailored to the specifics of a certain area – for example, online commerce, finance or manufacturing.
When choosing a CRM, be sure to understand what is more important to you. For online stores, it may be quality processing of the customer base, order management and work with external services (transportation services, payment gateways, etc.). Financial companies are more important developed analytical tools.
How to choose a CRM system for an online store?
From the chosen option largely depends on the quality of work with customers, management of incoming requests from them and other business processes. So what CRM to choose for an online store? Be sure to take into account the following points:
Usability. First of all, look at the interface of the platform. It should be intuitive, so that not only programmers but also ordinary employees can work with the service. Of course, some training will still be needed, but it should be as simple and quick as possible. It is good if the developer provides a starter training – this will speed up mastering and initial customization.
Technical support. Even the most user-friendly programs sometimes fail. That’s why it’s so important to have prompt and qualified technical support. Find out when it is available, how to contact it, and whether it is possible to assign a personal specialist to your company. For Ukrainian businesses, it is a plus if the developer is also from Ukraine – then there will be no problems with time differences and language barriers. Also familiarize yourself with documentation and training materials.
Deployment model. Cloud services are faster to deploy, easy to scale, and don’t require hardware rental costs. But if speed and security are critical for you, it is better to choose a boxed version. For example, if you often use personal data of your customers and are obliged to ensure its safety in accordance with the law.
List of integrations. A modern online store uses many tools – payment gateways, delivery services, mailing lists, etc. Make sure that the platform supports integration with familiar tools. Pay special attention to the ability to connect popular messengers (Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram) – according to Eurasian Insights, 63% of Ukrainians prefer to communicate with brands through this channel.
Import and export. If you are switching to a new CRM with an existing database, you will have to transfer all contact information, order history, stock balances, etc. Therefore, be sure to check in what format you can upload information from the old system (Excel, CSV, etc.) and whether the new system accepts them.
Availability of API. It is highly desirable that CRM can interact with CMS (OpenCart, WordPress), ERP, payment acceptance services (LiqPay, Portmone) and delivery services (New Post, UkrPochta). It is for this purpose it is important to have an open API. Then all information will be synchronized automatically and will not need to be transferred manually.
Timing and complexity of implementation. Ask the developer how long the implementation takes on average, what stages it includes, and what will be required from your side. If you plan to connect telephony, find out whether its setup is included in the standard package of services. It is good when the launch timeframe is measured in days or weeks, not months.
Possibility of customization on request. No matter how extensive the initial functionality of the service may be, sooner or later you may need to customize it for your business and specific tasks. Find out if the developer is ready to perform such implementations, how quickly, and how much it will cost.
Top 10 best CRM for online store in Ukraine
Today there are dozens of such services in Ukraine. But with such a variety, how to choose the best option that will suit a particular business? We have collected for you a rating of the best CRM-systems for online stores from 10 positions:
How many calls and sales will I get by ordering contextual advertising from you?
This is a system created by Ukrainian specialists, which means that it is fully adapted to the specifics of our market. Its key features are:
Automatic processing of incoming orders and creation of TTN. The manager will be able to easily track the status of the order and control the process of interaction with the postal service.
Integration with SMS newsletters to inform customers about the status of their purchases.
Work with social networks, messengers, mail and telephony. All communication is collected in one place, nothing gets lost.
Use of PRROs and online cash registers directly in the CRM.
There are tools for dropshipping sales.
Powerful analytics and reporting for making the right management decisions.
Prices start from 615 UAH/month for 1-2 users. The more people you connect, the more favorable the tariff: from 3 to 9 people – 279 UAH for each, from 15 – fixed 2790 UAH/month. At the same time, you can test the platform for free for the first 14 days.
KeyCRM
Another platform from Ukrainian developers, which is ideal for automating the work of an online store and sales through Instagram pages and marketplaces. It will also be useful for companies working in the service and beauty industry. Its main advantages:
All business management tools are in one window. You no longer have to switch between different programs. KeyCRM combines financial accounting, personnel control, analytics, leads.
Collect information from all sources. It does not matter where the order came from. The service will collect all requests in one office. This guarantees that no leads will be lost, all requests will be processed almost instantly.
Convenient communication. There is no need to constantly check messengers, mail, social networks – all messages will be inside CRM. The ability to instantly answer questions and create orders right in the correspondence – a significant convenience for any business.
Detailed analytics. It will help to identify the best-selling products and track the dynamics by category. It will prompt growth points and help to optimize the assortment.
The price is 697 UAH ($19) per month for 200 hits, 2000 leads, 20000 messages. This is quite enough for a start. And if the volumes grow, you can always buy additional limits for only 330 UAH ($9).
One Box
Another powerful system of Ukrainian development. Its main feature is its modularity. You can customize it to your needs using hundreds of available applications. And if you need help, third-party developers and detailed documentation are at your service.
What it can do:
Data Management. All collected information will be in a single database with easy access for authorized personnel.
Communication. All communication channels – from phone and email to social media and messengers – in one place. You won’t miss a single contact.
Automated marketing. You can build effective campaigns to attract and retain audience, increase the average check.
Sales control. From order receipt to shipment and fulfillment. Everything you need will be pulled up automatically.
Analytics and reporting. Clear reports and dashboards on all key metrics will help you make informed management decisions.
Integration with Monobank and CheckBox. Thanks to this you can generate fiscal receipts directly in the system.
The cost of this platform depends on the format you choose. A cloud solution will cost 1064 UAH ($29) per month. You can save a bit by paying 10970 UAH ($299) for a year. For installation on your own server, the price will be 25650 UAH ($699) for the year of connection and 7300 UAH ($199) for each subsequent year. In all cases the price is per user.
CleverBox:CRM
Well suited for a beauty salon, barbershop or online cosmetics store. This platform is able to handle:
Customer base. Imagine that a regular customer has come to you. When you open his profile, you will immediately see all his visits, purchases, amounts spent. With this information, you will be able to make him a personalized offer that he will not be able to refuse.
A convenient log book. For example, the foreman is sick and won’t be able to come out. Thanks to the records you will see who to alert and reschedule.
Stock count. Are you running out of a certain shade of hair dye? The system will warn you in time to replenish the stock and not to be left without an important product at the most inopportune moment.
Task control. Let’s say an employee needs to make a call to your visitors to remind them of the appointment. You set him this task and quietly go about your other business, knowing that nothing will be forgotten or lost.
Loyalty program. Set up bonuses for customers on their birthday or for a certain number of purchases. CleverBox will automate this process.
Control of finances. Do you need to calculate your salary, taking into account the hours worked by your colleagues and percentages? The platform will do it for you, saving you from the routine with tables and formulas.
KeepinCRM
When choosing such a platform, you want to find a solution that will cover the maximum of your needs. And not only now, but also in the future, when the business grows. KeepinCRM can be an excellent option.
Let’s analyze the capabilities of the service using specific examples:
Working with clients. Let’s say you need to process a new request. In this case, a lead card with all the necessary information can be created in just a couple of clicks. And when he makes a purchase, it can be transferred to the profile of a loyal customer. The entire history of interaction will be saved.
Task control. As in the case with other similar systems, in KeepinCRM you can distribute tasks for employees and monitor the process of their fulfillment.
Transaction management. Thanks to KeepinCRM you will not miss any stage of interaction with the customer – from preparation of documents to shipment of products and receipt of payment. Everything will be under control.
Combining online and offline sales. The system synchronizes inventory for all sources, automating accounting for both channels.
Control of finances. At any time, you will be able to track profits for each individual customer, and their transactions. Searcy will also show paid and unpaid invoices to keep you up to date.
Warehouse accounting. For example, you are planning a big sale. KeepinCRM will show you the product balances, thanks to which it will be possible to calculate in advance the necessary number of units in the warehouse. There will be no shortage or excess.
Communication with suppliers. Let’s say you receive a defective product. Through a convenient interface you will be able to issue a return to the supplier with all the documents so that there is no confusion in the control of purchases and mutual settlements.
Work with documentation. The platform offers extensive tools for processing and creating accounting documents. This includes a large number of editable templates.
For testing you can try a free plan with basic functions. And to get the maximum, you will have to switch to the advanced plan for 299 UAH per month per user. These investments will easily pay off by automating routine and increasing the efficiency of business processes.
NetHunt
If your company uses Google Workspace, NetHunt is the perfect solution as a CRM. It is designed specifically to integrate with Google services. Its other advantages include:
Email processing automation. Let’s say you receive an order via email. The platform itself will create a lead card from the email, collecting all the necessary information. And the correspondence history will be saved and will be available at any time.
Full control of the sales funnel. For example, you are conducting a large deal. In your personal cabinet, you will be able to create a separate funnel for it and track movement at every stage. Everything – from the first contact to the signing of the contract – will be in one place. You will always know where the deal stands and what actions need to be taken.
Nothing will be forgotten or lost. Let’s say a manager has promised a client to prepare a quotation by the end of the week. He sets himself a goal with a clear deadline and receives a reminder at the right time. The task will not get lost among other things and will be completed on time.
Reporting in a couple of clicks. The service will show you all the key metrics – the number of new leads, successfully closed deals, average check, conversion rate. You will get a clear picture of each closed deal.
Wide integration possibilities. In addition to Google Workspace, you can connect Facebook messenger, Linkedin. In the future, the developers promise integration with Twitter, Trello, MailChimp, Slack.
Access from PC and smartphone. This is a browser extension that seamlessly integrates into your workflow. There are also mobile apps for working from anywhere in the world.
In terms of price, NetHunt starts from 10€ per month. To just try out all the features, you can activate a 14-day trial period. This is enough to see if this platform is suitable for your tasks.
Asteril CRM
A simple and convenient solution created by Ukrainian programmers. This system stands out:
Affordable integration. It easily connects to popular CMS (OpenCart, PrestaShop, Wellshop), marketplaces, social networks, messengers.
Useful tools for analytics and control. You will have access to purchase history, customer segmentation by various criteria. In stock and keeping records of stock balances, tracking shipments, controlling finances.
Bulk work with goods. Here you can load items in bulk or add them manually, easily move them between warehouses, make reservations and shipments directly from the order tab.
Triggers deserve special attention. They will help you automate routine and improve communication. For example, managers will receive notifications to call back or check payment. And customers will receive messages reminding them to confirm an order or pick up a delivery.
Asteril is a fully cloud-based service available on a subscription basis. You can choose one of four tariffs depending on your scale and required functionality.
Prices start from 299 UAH per month. Then there are tariffs for 599, 955 and 1795 UAH per month depending on the set of functions. And to evaluate it all, you can take advantage of a free 7-day trial period.
LP-CRM
Developed specifically for optimizing sales in online stores, lendings, marketplaces and retail. Its main advantages:
Easy connection with popular marketplaces and services. It is especially easy to connect to Ukrainian marketplaces Prom and Rozetka. Synchronization with postal operators (Novaya Pochta, Ukrposhta), mailing services, IP-telephony, cash registers is also available.
Facilitation of routine processes. From creating bill of lading to moving transactions through the funnel based on status. This frees up employee time for more important tasks and increases overall productivity.
Convenient interaction with the warehouse. You will get full control over product balances, item movement, detailed information on goods from each order.
Advanced analytics. LP-CRM tools will help you analyze customer behavior, evaluate the effectiveness of advertising campaigns and managers’ work. This data will prompt business growth points.
Control access and actions of the team. This includes flexible distribution of rights and limiting the visibility of information for individual team members. You will also see how many and what messages the staff sends out and how they communicate by phone.
LP-CRM offers 5 tariff plans – from 378 UAH per month for basic to 5676 UAH per month for maximum. They differ in the number of available users and processed orders. Functionally, all tariffs are the same. A 14-day trial period is available.
HubSpot CRM
HubSpot is one of the most popular CRMs all over the world, but in the Ukrainian market it is used less often. The main feature is the availability of a completely free basic version. This is a great opportunity to evaluate without cost the key features, including:
Detailed customer and partner profiles. Everything you need to know about customers and partners and interactions with them is stored. You will always know what stage the interaction is at.
Sales funnel management. You will easily be able to control the movement along the funnel, forecast the volume of sold goods, identify “bottlenecks”.
Set and track goals. Schedule calls, meetings, and other activities right in HubSpot and monitor their completion.
Email Marketing. Create and send newsletters, analyze them.
Automate workflows. Set up automatic assignment of tasks, sending emails, audience segmentation by specified criteria.
Detailed reporting. Generate reports on sales, effectiveness of advertising campaigns, and other indicators.
Advanced plans with additional features are available from 15 euros per month.
Zoho CRM
As part of the Zoho ecosystem, CRM from this developer easily integrates with its other services to build seamless business processes. Key features:
Single database. Store everything you need in one place.
Forecasting and automation. Zoho is able to forecast the required volume of goods based on general transaction information. And automate routine tasks from invoicing to reporting.
Centralize marketing. Launch and track advertising campaigns in different channels directly from CRM. Analyze the impact of each channel and optimize costs.
Advanced analytics. Built-in forecasting tools will allow you to predict results based on historical events and then generate them in the form of a detailed report.
AI-based tools. Zoho uses artificial intelligence technology to analyze, identify potential deals, and predict customer churn.
Access from portable devices. Manage your business and contacts from your smartphone or tablet. The mobile app gives you access to all key features.
How to smoothly implement CRM for an online store?
For the transition to go smoothly and bring the expected fruits, you will have to act step by step and involve the team. Here are some practical tips.
Start by defining your goals and metrics. What exactly do you want to improve? Perhaps optimize the processing cycle, email conversion rate, or prevent potential customers from leaving. Record your current metrics and set quantitative benchmarks that you want to achieve in 3, 6, 12 months after implementation.
Develop a phased transition plan. Don’t risk drastically changing everything in one go – it could paralyze the store for a while. It is more rational to move in small iterations. For example, at the first stage transfer the customer base, then set up automation, then connect advertising channels, etc.
Pay attention to motivating your employees. Installing new software is not enough – your people have to want to use it. Explain to the team why the new software is necessary and how it will make their daily work easier. Organize training, reward the most active users. Consider tying KPIs and bonuses to activity metrics in the new system.
Monitor metrics and continuously optimize performance. Most platforms offer powerful built-in analytics tools – make the most of them to identify potential growth areas. And don’t be afraid to experiment – test optimization hypotheses and scale successful practices.
Revise business processes and roles to fit the new realities. Any CRM implementation inevitably entails the transformation of familiar algorithms. Some routine operations will become a thing of the past, functions will be redistributed. It may be necessary to revise the organizational structure and staff motivation. Don’t resist these changes, but lead them – you’ll reap the benefits faster.
