There is one element of being an ecommerce brand that is particularly different from bricks-and-mortar retailers.

Lack of face to face communication.

And in a world that is increasingly craving connectivity and community, this can become problematic.

So ecommerce brands need to work even harder to improve relationships with their customers and audience. And a CRM can help them to do just that.

In fact, in our opinion a CRM is integral for any successful ecommerce brand.

So we have written this blog post to introduce the benefits, and guide ecommerce brands through the initial steps of implementing a CRM into their business.

How does a CRM benefit ecommerce businesses?

At Bright Dials, we are big advocates of CRMs for any business. It’s what we do.

But as the ecommerce landscape is changing so rapidly, we particularly recommend a CRM for any ecommerce brand.

Here’s why:

Centralised data

For ecommerce brands, customer data can quickly become overwhelming. They need to manage data of potential customers, current customers, distributors, wholesalers, and more.

Once this data starts becoming messy, mistakes start to happen.

Fortunately, one of the main purposes of a CRM is to keep all of this data in one central place. Including contact details, behavioural data, communications, and purchases.

The result is that everyone in the ecommerce business can easily access the most up to date information. Without having to spend time going through notes, emails, and outdated documentation.

Automated marketing

To make up for the lack of face to face interaction, ecommerce brands need to get their communications spot on.

This means sending the right message, to the right person, at the right time.

But for an ecommerce brand that has thousands of contacts and customers, doing so manually is near impossible.

With the help of a CRM, ecommerce brands can automate these communications. Whilst barely having to lift a finger. This could be purchase confirmations, sales and promotions, welcome emails, newsletters, and ratings requests. Whatever an ecommerce brand needs.

And once the work is finished in setting these communications up, brands can sit back and relax.

Personalisation

But sometimes sending the right message at the right time isn’t enough for ever-demanding customers.

Consumer expectations from ecommerce brands are increasing. They want to receive a one-to-one, personalised experience in all of their communications.

Brands can utilise their CRM to improve the personalisation of their communications. They can start simply using segmentation. Sending different communications to different segments of customers who share similarities, such as age or interests.

Or for more advanced ecommerce brands, they can utilise the data within their CRMs alongside dynamic content to really boost the personalisation of their communications. Dynamically populating emails and landing pages with content tailored to the individual.

This could include recommended products, replenishment campaigns, personalised promotions, or abandoned basket reminders.

Streamlined processes

As well as automated communications, a CRM can help ecommerce brands to automate their processes.

Sales teams spend 17% of their day on data entry. That equates to almost a day every week for full time workers.

CRMs can offer support by scheduling calls, entering data, logging customer service tickets, and automating reporting.

CRMs can also help support marketing processes. With data all in one accessible place, marketers can establish the end-to-end ROI of their campaigns to inform future activity. Without having to go through endless reports, analytics, and disparate data.

Supports business growth

Last but not least, a good CRM will grow with any ecommerce business.

Whether a brand is looking for better data management, improved lead tracking, or personalised communications, CRMs can scale up as businesses do.

As CRMs are so flexible they also be applied to growing departments in a business, whether that be marketing, sales, or customer service. Businesses simply need to keep their CRM up to date and manage it effectively.

How can your ecommerce brand implement a CRM?

Implementing a CRM can seem like a daunting task for a business. And it’s important to get it right from the start.

To begin with, there are a few areas to consider before starting the implementation process:

• The software you require it to integrate with, such as ecommerce platforms or finance software
• The data you will need to migrate into your CRM, such as contact details
• The scalability of a CRM, and if it can grow with your business
• The ongoing training and support available from the supplier

To ensure this process is managed correctly from the beginning, we recommend working with a CRM and automation expert, such as Bright Dials, so that you are supported throughout the entire process.

If you’d like to find out more download our Ultimate Guide to CRM. Or book in for a free consultation call so we can understand your needs and guide you in the right direction.