Looking for the perfect CRM to boost your ecommerce business? You’re in the right place. Picking the right tool can feel like a big decision, but it’s key to building strong customer relationships and increasing sales. We’ve got something for everyone, from free options like Bitrix24 to powerful tools like Zoho CRM Plus.
We’ve sifted through the options and tested the best ones out there. In this blog post, we’ll cover the top ecommerce CRMs and explain why they stand out.
Ready to find the perfect fit for your business? Read on.
11 Best CRM for eCommerce Businesses in 2024
Omnisend
Omnisend is a powerful e-commerce marketing automation platform. It started as an email marketing platform but has grown to offer a range of features aimed at helping e-commerce businesses grow and automate their marketing efforts.
Pros & Cons
- Specializes in e-commerce
- Comprehensive marketing automation
- Free plan available
- Supports multiple platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Wix
- Advanced email segmentation and landing pages
- Focused solely on e-commerce, which may not suit other businesses
- Some users find it not as intuitive as other platforms
- Limited functionality for non-e-commerce businesses
Our Experience
Our experience with Omnisend has been largely positive. We found the platform’s e-commerce specialization very helpful. The range of automation tools allows us to easily set up and manage campaigns. The integration with other platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce streamlined our processes.
However, we did notice a learning curve. Even though it’s not extremely difficult to use, it took some time to get fully comfortable with its features. The detailed email segmentation and advanced analytics are particularly useful for targeted marketing campaigns.
On the downside, the focus on e-commerce might be limiting for businesses that do not operate in this space. Despite this, for those who do, Omnisend’s tools are quite effective and yield good results.
Pricing Plan
Omnisend offers a variety of pricing plans tailored to different needs.
- The Free plan includes all features but limits the number of emails you can send per month.
- The Standard plan starts at $16 per month and offers unlimited contacts and a higher email limit.
- The Pro plan, which begins at $59 per month, includes advanced tools and priority support for growing businesses.
- There’s also an Enterprise plan for larger companies, with pricing based on specific needs and larger volumes of emails.
Each plan provides increasing levels of support and features, making it scalable for businesses as they grow.
Metrilo
Metrilo is a comprehensive ecommerce analytics and CRM platform that helps businesses understand customer behavior and improve engagement.
Pros & Cons
- Comprehensive and powerful ecommerce insights
- Ability to create complex multi-filter campaigns
- Excellent customer service
- Beautiful and easy-to-use layout
- Unable to customize the dashboard
- Cannot create email automation based on additional customer fields
- It is difficult to generate precise emails for highly customized websites
- Some critical features are missing
Our Experience
We found Metrilo to be an intuitive tool for ecommerce analytics. Its interface is user-friendly, and it offers powerful insights into customer behavior—the ability to create sophisticated campaigns with multiple filters made targeting specific customer segments easier.
Customer service was particularly impressive, responding quickly and effectively through chat. However, we did encounter some limitations. Customizing the dashboard wasn’t possible, which made it hard to tailor the interface to specific needs.
Additionally, we could not set up email automation based on extra customer fields, which was a drawback for more personalized marketing.
Overall, the platform provided valuable insights but had some restrictions that might affect businesses with specialized needs.
Pricing Plan
Metrilo offers three main pricing plans:
- Essential Plan: Starts at $119 per month. This plan includes ecommerce analytics, dashboard support, and product insights.
- Pro Plan: Priced at $199 per month. It includes a customer database with individual profiles, activity live view, and retention analysis.
- Premium Plan: The cost is available upon request. It offers enhanced features and additional support tailored to larger businesses or those with more advanced needs.
These plans cater to various business sizes, from growing ecommerce brands to established enterprises.
Capsule
Capsule CRM is a reliable tool designed to streamline sales pipelines, analytics, and contact management for e-commerce businesses of all sizes.
Pros & Cons
- User-friendly interface
- Contact management features
- Effective sales pipeline tracking
- Integration with various apps and tools
- Strong performance management capabilities
- Limited advanced features for larger enterprises
- Potential learning curve for new users
- No built-in email marketing tools
- Limited customization options
- Slightly more expensive compared to some alternatives
Our Experience
We found Capsule CRM to be intuitive and straightforward to set up. The interface is clean, making navigation easy even for new users. Managing contacts is seamless, and the tool provides comprehensive insights into our customer interactions. Integrating with apps like Mailchimp and Google Workspace enhances its functionality.
One drawback we noticed is the learning curve. While it’s user-friendly, new users might need some time to get fully accustomed to it. Also, larger enterprises might find the lack of advanced features limiting. Customization options are present but could be more extensive to cater to specific business needs.
Overall, Capsule CRM excels in performance management and provides a solid platform for e-commerce businesses to manage their sales pipelines effectively.
Pricing Plan
Capsule offers three main pricing tiers tailored to different business needs:
- Free Plan: Suitable for up to 2 users and 250 contacts, with basic features.
- Professional Plan: $18 per user/month, includes advanced features, support for up to 50,000 contacts, and integrations.
- Teams Plan: $36 per user/month, offers everything in the Professional plan plus team-based features and additional customization options.
Each plan provides a 30-day free trial, allowing businesses to explore the platform before committing.
Less Annoying CRM
Less Annoying CRM is tailored for small businesses and startups. It offers easy-to-use features and straightforward pricing. It emphasizes simplicity without compromising essential tools for managing customer relationships.
Pros & Cons
- Budget-friendly at $15 per user per month.
- 30-day free trial.
- Unlimited contacts, pipelines, and custom fields.
- Task management and calendar features.
- User-friendly with a minimal learning curve.
- There is no free plan.
- Limited features compared to competitors.
- No built-in email marketing or advanced automations.
- Lacks mobile app and live chat support.
- No project management or inventory management.
Our Experience
We found Less Annoying CRM’s interface very straightforward. Setting up contacts and tasks was intuitive. While simple, the dashboard effectively showed pending tasks and pipeline stages.
One advantage is its simplicity, which minimizes the learning curve. Even team members new to CRM could navigate it easily. However, the lack of built-in email marketing and advanced automation tools is noticeable, especially for teams used to those features.
The most significant downside was the absence of a mobile app. This can be a limitation for teams that often work on the go. Additionally, not having 24/7 or live chat support means waiting for assistance during business hours.
Pricing Plan
Less Annoying CRM keeps its pricing straightforward. It offers a single plan at $15 per user per month. This fee includes unlimited contacts, pipelines, custom fields, and task and calendar management.
The 30-day free trial provides ample time to evaluate its suitability for your business needs. No tiered pricing or hidden fees, making budgeting predictable and easy.
Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM offers valuable tools to streamline various business operations. It provides reliable features and flexible pricing plans, making it suitable for businesses at different stages of growth.
Pros & Cons
- Excellent for automation.
- Comprehensive inventory management.
- Integrates well with other Zoho products.
- User-friendly interface.
- Cost-effective for small businesses.
- Limited advanced reporting in lower-tier plans.
- A steep learning curve for new users.
- Customer support could improve.
Our Experience
Using Zoho CRM has been quite fulfilling for our team. The automation features reduce manual work significantly, giving us more time to focus on strategy. Its integration with other Zoho products like Zoho Books and Zoho Inventory provides a seamless experience.
The interface is intuitive, but it took us a bit of time to get fully acclimated. This platform is especially beneficial for managing customer relationships and tracking sales leads from initial contact to final purchase. While its advanced features are impressive, they do require some time to master.
One downside we noticed is that the in-depth reporting tools are only available in higher-tier plans. Also, although Zoho provides many online resources and tutorials, its customer support isn’t as responsive as we’d like.
Despite these hurdles, Zoho CRM remains a powerful tool for small and medium-sized businesses.
Pricing Plan
Zoho CRM offers several pricing plans to accommodate businesses of various sizes:
- Free Plan: Basic CRM tools for up to 3 users.
- Standard Plan: $14/user/month, includes core CRM features.
- Professional Plan: $23/user/month, adds advanced features like workflow automation.
- Enterprise Plan: $40/user/month, includes advanced customization and analytics.
- Ultimate Plan: $52/user/month, offers premium features such as enhanced AI and advanced data analysis.
These plans offer flexibility and scalability, ensuring businesses can find a pricing tier that meets their needs while staying within budget. It’s worth noting that opting for an annual subscription can lead to significant savings compared to monthly payments.
HubSpot
HubSpot is an easy CRM platform designed for businesses of all sizes. It offers various marketing, sales, and customer service features, making it suitable for many industries.
Pros & Cons
- User-Friendly Interface: Simple and intuitive design.
- Automation: Strong marketing and sales automation tools.
- Scalability: Easily scales with your business.
- Integration Capabilities: Works well with apps like Shopify and BigCommerce.
- Free Tier: Offers a free version with essential features.
- Cost: Advanced features can get expensive.
- Limited Customization: Some reporting features lack flexibility.
- Sales Focused: The service side lacks customizable solutions.
Our Experience
Using HubSpot, we found the interface extremely intuitive, making it easy to manage customer relationships and sales pipelines. The real-time sales funnel view is especially helpful for tracking interactions via email, social media, live chat, and phone calls.
Automations are a game-changer for small teams, allowing us to set up workflows and streamline processes effortlessly. Despite its strengths, we did encounter limitations in reporting capabilities, making it hard to create complex reports.
The support team, however, is responsive and helpful, mitigating some of the platform’s shortcomings.
Pricing Plan
HubSpot offers a range of pricing options:
- Free Tier: Includes essential CRM features.
- Starter Plan: Starting at $45/month, it adds more advanced functionalities.
- Professional Plan: $800/month, best suited for growing businesses needing detailed analytics.
- Enterprise Plan: At $3,200/month, it offers extensive customization and support.
These plans allow businesses to choose based on their size, needs, and budget, providing room for growth without overwhelming upfront costs.
Freshworks
Freshworks offers a comprehensive CRM tailored for ecommerce, making it easier to manage customer relationships, capture leads, and close deals faster. It has various features beneficial to businesses looking to streamline their sales processes.
Pros & Cons
- AI-powered features
- User-friendly interface
- Customizable dashboards
- Integrated with various ecommerce platforms
- Scalable with business growth
- Higher price point for premium features
- Learning curve for advanced features
- Limited offline capabilities
Our Experience
We found Freshworks CRM to be an incredibly useful tool for our ecommerce business. The AI-powered features help us predict sales trends and automate mundane tasks, saving us significant time. The user-friendly interface made onboarding quick and easy, even for non-technical staff.
The customizable dashboards allow us to tailor the information to meet our specific needs, giving us better insights into our sales pipeline. Integration with popular ecommerce platforms was smooth, enhancing our ability to manage customer data efficiently.
However, the premium features come at a higher price point, which might not be feasible for all small businesses. There’s also a learning curve associated with using some of the more advanced features, which could be daunting for beginners.
Despite these drawbacks, the benefits make Freshworks a valuable asset for our sales strategy.
Pricing Plan
Freshworks offers multiple pricing plans designed to fit various business needs:
- Free Plan: Basic features suitable for small teams.
- Growth Plan: $29 per user/month, including additional automation tools.
- Pro Plan: $69 per user/month, offers advanced analytics and multiple integrations.
- Enterprise Plan: $125 per user/month, provides comprehensive features, including enterprise-grade security and compliance.
These plans cater to businesses at different growth stages, allowing them to choose a plan that matches their requirements and budget.
Nutshell
Nutshell is a powerful CRM designed for retail and e-commerce businesses. It offers unique features that help manage customer relationships, streamline processes, and promote growth.
Pros & Cons
- User-friendly interface
- Effective customer segmentation tools
- Seamless integration with Shopify
- 14-day free trial available
- Comprehensive customer support
- Limited customization options
- It can be pricey for small businesses
- Advanced features might require a steep learning curve
Our Experience
We have found Nutshell’s interface straightforward and easy to navigate. The CRM’s customer segmentation tools help us effectively target specific groups. Moreover, Nutshell’s integration with Shopify is seamless, simplifying our e-commerce operations.
One downside is the limited customization options. Smaller businesses might find the pricing steep as well. Advanced features are powerful but may require some time to master.
Overall, our experience with Nutshell has been positive due to its comprehensive customer support and functionality.
Pricing Plan
Nutshell offers flexible pricing plans suitable for different business needs.
- Starter Plan: $16 per user/month, including basic CRM functionalities.
- Pro Plan: $42 per user/month, offers advanced features like sales automation and team collaboration tools.
- Free Plan: 14-day free trial available for all features.
These plans ensure that businesses of various sizes can find an option that fits their budget and requirements.
Salesforce
Salesforce is a solid tool with many features tailored for sales automation and customer relationship management. It is especially suited for large businesses that need a customizable and scalable solution.
Pros & Cons
- Extensive customization options
- Powerful lead management and scoring
- Impressive reporting tools
- Integrates with over 1,000 platforms
- No free plan is available
- Higher cost compared to competitors
- Steep learning curve
- Maintenance can be time-consuming
Our Experience
Using Salesforce has been both rewarding and challenging. The platform’s strengths lie in its ability to be customized to fit our unique sales processes. We could tailor lead scoring and management to match our specific needs, which resulted in more efficient sales cycles.
On the downside, the initial setup was quite complex. We spent considerable time setting up the integrations and customizing the workflows. Training our team to use the platform also required significant effort, as it’s not the most intuitive system at first glance.
Despite these challenges, the payoff has been worth it. Salesforce’s depth of insights has improved our sales performance. Integrations with our other tools, like marketing platforms, have also streamlined our operations.
Pricing Plan
Salesforce offers several pricing tiers to cater to different business needs:
- Essentials: $25 per user/month (billed annually)
- Professional: $75 per user/month (billed annually)
- Enterprise: $150 per user/month (billed annually)
- Unlimited: $300 per user/month (billed annually)
The Essentials plan includes basic CRM needs, while the Professional plan suits small to medium-sized businesses with more complex needs.
The Enterprise plan offers advanced features and customization.
The Unlimited plan provides the most extensive features and support, including 24/7 customer service and unlimited customization.
These pricing plans provide flexibility, but it’s important to note that necessary add-ons and customizations can incur additional costs.
Copper CRM
Copper CRM is a workflow solution specifically made for businesses using G Suite. It simplifies your sales process by integrating seamlessly with Google apps. This CRM is known for its ease of use and strong automation features.
Pros & Cons
- Easy integration with G Suite
- User-friendly interface
- Good automation tools
- Excellent customer support
- Limited customization options
- It can be expensive for small businesses
- Lower flexibility compared to other CRMs
Our Experience
Our team found Copper CRM to be highly intuitive, thanks to its seamless integration with Google apps. Setting up contacts, managing email communication, and tracking deals became more efficient.
The interface is clean and easy to navigate, significantly reducing new team members’ learning curve.
On the downside, we noticed the customization options were limited. While the predefined fields and workflows are helpful, they may not suit businesses with more complex needs.
Customer support, though excellent, sometimes struggled with more advanced technical questions. Nonetheless, Copper CRM remains a solid choice for those already invested in the Google ecosystem.
Pricing Plan
Copper CRM offers several pricing plans to cater to different business needs:
- Basic Plan: $29 per user per month, ideal for small teams starting out.
- Professional Plan: $69 per user per month, provides advanced features for growing businesses.
- Business Plan: $129 per user per month, suitable for larger teams needing more tools and integrations.
Each plan offers a 14-day free trial to test the features before committing. We found the Professional Plan to balance features and costs best, supporting most business requirements without breaking the bank.
Podium Inbox
Podium Inbox consolidates all customer interactions into a single, streamlined interface. This tool is crafted to improve communication speed and efficiency, making it a popular choice for ecommerce businesses.
Pros & Cons
- Centralized communication
- Multi-channel support (chat, reviews, voicemail)
- Instant responses via text
- User-friendly interface
- Limited to communication functionalities
- It may require integration with other CRMs for additional functionalities
Our Experience
Using Podium Inbox has been a game-changer for our team. The platform effectively consolidates all customer communication channels into one place, allowing us to respond swiftly to customer queries.
The multi-channel support is particularly beneficial because it means we can handle chats, reviews, and voicemails without switching platforms.
We noticed a significant reduction in response time due to its instant text reply feature. However, Podium Inbox focuses on communication, so we found ourselves needing to integrate it with other CRM tools for a more comprehensive solution.
The interface is intuitive and user-friendly, requiring minimal training for our team. Overall, the primary benefit has been enhanced customer satisfaction owing to faster and tailored responses.
Pricing Plan
Podium Inbox offers various pricing plans to fit different business needs. Their basic plan starts at $249 per month and includes core features like messaging, reviews, and webchat. Higher-tier plans include additional features such as more extensive analytics, higher message volume limits, and advanced support options.
For businesses looking for a more custom-fit solution, Podium offers tailored pricing based on specific requirements. These plans can include deeper integration with other platforms and additional user accounts.
While the pricing might seem steep for small businesses, the value it provides in terms of improved communication efficiency and customer satisfaction can justify the cost.
Final Thoughts
After researching and comparing various ecommerce CRM options, one is the best choice.
Salesforce is our top pick for ecommerce CRM. It excels at scaling businesses, making it an excellent tool for small and large online retailers.
Salesforce offers:
- Comprehensive Client Management: Helps track customer interactions and improves retention.
- Scalability: Grows with your business.
- Integration: Connects seamlessly with various ecommerce platforms.
- Automation: Streamlines sales processes.
Using Salesforce will undoubtedly boost our customer relationship management, making our ecommerce operations more efficient and lucrative.
Our Selection Process
We started our process by scouring the market for the most popular CRM options available for ecommerce businesses. Our initial list included over 50 different CRM platforms.
Next, we narrowed down our selection to 20 CRMs based on user reviews, popularity, and feature sets.
We then performed a head-to-head comparison to evaluate these CRMs. Our criteria included:
- Ease of Use: How easy it is to set up and navigate the software.
- Features: Key functionalities like inventory management, order management, and payment processing.
- Integration: How well the CRM integrates with other business tools and apps.
- Cost: Pricing plans and value for money.
- Customer Support: Availability and quality of customer service.
During testing, we focused on top CRMs such as Bitrix24, Zoho CRM Plus, Freshsales, Pipedrive, HubSpot CRM, Odoo CRM, and Insightly CRM.
We used a standardized scoring system, assigning each criterion a weight. For example, we gave core functionality 25% of the total score, as it’s crucial for ecommerce operations.
We also ran real-world simulations, such as managing a Shopify store with Insightly CRM and handling inventory with Zoho CRM Plus.
Our comprehensive testing ensures we recommend only the best CRMs that offer real value for your ecommerce business.
What is eCommerce CRM?
eCommerce Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a software solution that helps online businesses manage customer interactions. It’s designed to streamline processes, improve customer satisfaction, and boost sales.
We can use eCommerce CRM to manage customer data, track purchase history, and manage communication channels. This helps us better understand our customers and provide personalized experiences.
Key Features of eCommerce CRM:
- Customer Data Management: Keeps all customer information in one place.
- Sales Tracking: Monitors sales and revenue.
- Communication Tools: Manages emails, chat, and social media.
With eCommerce CRM, we can automate tasks like sending follow-up emails or segmenting customers based on their behavior. This saves time and keeps us organized.
Some eCommerce CRMs also integrate with other tools, such as inventory management and marketing automation. This makes it easier for us to run our online store efficiently.
Overall, eCommerce CRM is essential for any online business looking to grow and maintain strong customer relationships.
What to Look for in the Best CRM for eCommerce
When searching for the best CRM for eCommerce, there are several key features we should prioritize.
Integration Capabilities: It’s important that the CRM integrates well with our existing tools and platforms. Look for CRM options that work smoothly with popular eCommerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce. If we use accounting software like QuickBooks, that integration is a plus, too.
User-Friendly Interface: A complicated CRM can slow us down. We need a CRM with a clean, intuitive interface so our team can quickly adopt it without extensive training.
Automation Features: Automation can save us a lot of time. Look for CRMs that offer automated workflows for email marketing, order tracking, and customer follow-ups. This helps us focus more on growing our business.
Inventory Management: If the CRM has built-in inventory management, that’s a major benefit. This feature helps us keep track of stock levels, manage reordering, and avoid overselling.
Customer Support Tools: Excellent customer support tools are essential. We should look for a CRM with features like live chat, help desks, and ticketing systems to keep our customers happy and engaged.
Reporting and Analytics: Data-driven decisions are crucial. The CRM should offer detailed reports and analytics on key metrics like sales, customer behavior, and marketing performance. This helps us understand what’s working and where we can improve.
Scalability: As our eCommerce business grows, our CRM should grow with us. Ensure the CRM can accommodate a larger customer base and more complex operations without a hitch.
Understanding these features can help us choose a CRM that meets our needs and helps our eCommerce business thrive. For example, tools like Zoho CRM are known for automating sales processes, while HubSpot CRM is a great free option for growing brands.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need CRM for ecommerce?
Yes, CRM systems help streamline your sales and marketing efforts. By tracking customer interactions and preferences, we can tailor marketing campaigns, improve customer service, and drive sales growth.
Do I need a CRM if I have a website?
A website alone cannot effectively manage customer relationships. With a CRM, we can collect and analyze customer data, automate workflows, and communicate more efficiently with our customers, leading to better customer satisfaction and retention.
Does Shopify have a CRM?
Shopify does not have a built-in CRM but integrates with various CRM tools like HubSpot CRM and Zoho CRM. These integrations allow us to seamlessly manage customer data and marketing efforts within our Shopify store.
Does Wix include a CRM?
Wix offers a CRM feature called Ascend. It helps us manage customer interactions, automate marketing tasks, and generate insights from our website’s traffic. It’s a useful tool for small ecommerce businesses using Wix.
Do you need CRM for ecommerce?
Definitely. CRM systems optimize our customer engagement strategies. They help us manage communications, automate processes, and gather valuable insights. This allows us to create personalized experiences that foster customer loyalty and boost sales.
Is Klaviyo a CRM?
Klaviyo is not a traditional CRM but primarily an email marketing platform. However, it includes features that allow us to segment and target customers based on their behavior. For ecommerce businesses, it serves well alongside a dedicated CRM tool.