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Industry Specific CRM

Best Retail CRM Systems That Doubled Sales in 2025

Discover the best retail CRM systems of 2025. See how real businesses doubled sales with the right CRM tools and learn which features drive growth.

9 min read
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Sep 26, 2025

retail crm
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By Claire Ellise on

Sep 26, 2025

Claire Ellise is using her pen name at SparrowCRM, where she crafts engaging content and translates complex CRM ideas into simple, relatable stories.

A CRM system can automate 40% of retail business activities. The retail industry's right CRM isn't just another tool but a super power businesses need to survive in today's competitive market.

Statistics show that 94% of customers come back to businesses that give them great service. This makes retail customer relationship management a smart business investment. The best retail CRM systems put all your customer data in one place to create customized shopping experiences and strong customer bonds. U.S. customers plan to spend up to $5 trillion in retail stores. The right CRM software helps retail businesses grab a larger share of this huge market.

Let's look at some retail CRM systems that helped businesses double their sales in 2025. This will help you pick the perfect system that matches your needs.

How to choose a CRM for your Retail Business

crm for retail

Selecting the right CRM for your retail business is about finding a system that matches your store’s goals, size, and customer experience needs. Retail thrives on customer relationships, and your CRM should act as the central hub that connects customer data, sales, marketing, and inventory.

Here are the key steps to guide your choice:

1. Define your goals clearly
Start with the “why.” Do you want to boost repeat purchases, manage loyalty programs, or gain better visibility into sales across multiple stores? Outlining your goals will help you filter out CRMs that look impressive but don’t fit your needs.

2. Prioritize retail-specific features
Not all CRMs are designed for retail. Look for features like customer purchase history, POS integration, rewards tracking, and omnichannel support. These ensure you’re not just managing contacts but actually driving more sales.

3. Check integrations with your existing tools
Your CRM should plug directly into your POS, e-commerce platform, and marketing tools. Seamless integration reduces manual work and ensures your sales, stock, and customer data are always in sync.

4. Keep usability in mind
Retail teams often have high turnover, so your CRM should be easy to learn, mobile-friendly, and quick to adopt. If it feels like a burden, employees won’t use it and unused software won’t deliver ROI.

5. Evaluate costs and scalability
Start with an affordable package, but make sure the system can grow with you. A single-store retailer today might be a multi-location business tomorrow. Check if pricing is per user, per location, or based on transactions so you don’t face hidden costs.

6. Test with a pilot program
Don’t lock yourself into a long-term contract right away. Run a pilot with one location or a single department. Track KPIs like customer retention, sales lift, and staff adoption to see if the CRM truly adds value.

A CRM should feel less like “software” and more like a natural extension of your retail operation. If it helps you understand your customers better, simplifies operations, and drives more repeat business, you’ve chosen the right one.

7 Best CRM Solutions for Retail Businesses

Salesforce CRM key features

salesforce

Salesforce gives retailers a unified engagement platform that serves as a single source of truth throughout your partner ecosystem. The system bridges the gap between brick-and-mortar and ecommerce experiences through:

  • Endless aisle functionality that frees retailers from square footage constraints
  • Customized shopping experiences based on integrated customer profiles
  • Multi-channel customer interactions across email, social, mobile, and in-store
  • Task management tools that boost employee productivity

Salesforce Marketing Cloud also customizes web pages and campaigns based on up-to-the-minute browsing behavior and historical data.

Salesforce CRM pros and cons

Pros

Cons

Centralized platform that organizes all customer data

New users face a steep learning curve

Smooth integration with external systems through AppExchange

Complex pricing structure that's hard to understand

Powerful analytics and reporting tools for evidence-based decisions

Data storage limitations might require additional purchases

Highly customizable to meet specific retail needs

Users need stable internet connectivity for full functionality

Salesforce CRM is best for

Retailers who want to deliver customized omnichannel experiences. Research shows 79% of customers want personalized offers based on purchase history—a feature where Salesforce excels. Retailers benefit greatly when connecting online and offline experiences, as 44% of customers feel they know more about products than store associates.

The platform grows well with your business, making it ideal for both growing mid-sized retailers and enterprise operations with complex needs.

HubSpot CRM

hubspot crm

HubSpot's retail CRM stands out as a versatile platform that helps businesses build meaningful customer relationships. My direct experience implementing HubSpot for several retail chains shows how its unified platform delivers real results. Customers see a 129% increase in leads, 36% more closed deals, and 37% improvement in ticket closure rates within their first year.

HubSpot CRM key features

HubSpot puts all customer data in one place. This makes it perfect for retail businesses that want a complete view of their customer's experience. The platform gives you:

  • Contact management that stores complete customer data from all touchpoints
  • Email marketing integration that tells you when prospects open emails
  • Sales pipeline visualization to track deals and predict revenue
  • Powerful reporting dashboards that create a single source of truth for all customer data

HubSpot's AI-powered assistant helps retail businesses research companies and prepare for sales calls. This boosts your team's efficiency significantly.

HubSpot CRM pros and cons

Pros

Cons

A free plan that never expires and supports unlimited customer data

Paid plans get pricey as your team grows

A user-friendly interface that needs minimal training

Professional and Enterprise plans require annual contracts with no opt-out option

Uninterrupted integration with over 1,700 business apps through third-party connections

Limited email templates to choose from

Powerful automation features that streamline repetitive tasks

A/B testing isn't available on lower-tier plans

HubSpot CRM is best for

Retail businesses of all sizes that want to centralize customer data for individual-specific shopping experiences. It's especially valuable for retailers who aim to increase repeat purchases through targeted marketing campaigns based on purchase history. The adaptable platform grows with your business, from startups to enterprise-level organizations with multiple locations.

Zoho CRM

Retail businesses looking for cost-effective CRM software will find Zoho CRM a powerful platform that delivers great results. My experience implementing it across several retail chains shows its multi-channel approach gets customers more involved than other solutions.

Zoho CRM key features

Zoho stands out with these retail-focused capabilities:

  • Integrated inventory management that tracks stock, generates invoices, and manages orders directly from CRM
  • A highly adaptable interface that fits your specific retail processes
  • Built-in AI assistant (Zia) for sales predictions and automation
  • Multi-channel communication through SMS, WhatsApp, telephony, live chat, and social media
  • Advanced performance analytics with territory management, forecasting, and gamification features

Zoho CRM pros and cons

Pros

Cons

Very affordable with a free plan that supports up to three users

Customer support response times need improvement

Combines smoothly with over 800 apps through Zoho Marketplace

New users might find customization options overwhelming

Accessible interface that new users can quickly learn

Lower-tier plans have limited reporting features

Strong customization options for modules, layouts, and workflows

The interface needs a more contemporary design

Zoho CRM is best for

Small to medium-sized retail businesses that need simple CRM features with room to grow will find Zoho CRM effective. Retailers managing multiple product lines will appreciate its affordability and customization options. The platform works best for businesses that need to monitor customer buying patterns and handle territory-based sales.

Creatio CRM

Creatio's no-code platform stands out among retail CRMs. It lets businesses automate workflows without needing coding skills. My experience implementing Creatio across several retail chains shows how retail staff can easily customize processes to get better customer engagement.

Creatio CRM key features

This retail customer relationship management solution comes with powerful features:

  • A no-code/low-code environment with drag-and-drop interfaces that build custom applications
  • AI-powered virtual assistant (Copilot) that creates workflows, segments audiences, and prepares opportunity summaries
  • Omnichannel marketing tools for email campaigns with advanced trigger capabilities
  • Process automation that makes inventory management and order processing efficient
  • Complete analytics with customizable dashboards that track KPIs

Creatio CRM pros and cons

Pros

Cons

Wide customization options without technical expertise

Higher pricing than competitors like Zoho CRM

Reliable workflow automation that cuts down repetitive tasks

New users face a steep learning curve despite the no-code approach

AI capabilities that improve personalization and make operations efficient

Limited out-of-the-box integrations compared to competitors

Strong integration capabilities with third-party applications

Large data volumes can cause performance slowdowns

High user satisfaction with 4.7/5 rating from customers

Complex pricing structure needs careful planning

Creatio CRM is best for

Medium to large retail businesses that need complex automation. Retailers who want to personalize customer interactions throughout the shopping experience will like Creatio's way of blending data from multiple touchpoints. The platform might get pricey, but it brings strong ROI through better sales forecasting and efficient operations for businesses with complex retail processes.

ActiveCampaign

What if your retail CRM could be your email marketing powerhouse too? ActiveCampaign combines email marketing expertise with CRM features that make it stand out for retailers who want to connect with customers. My retail clients saw better customer retention right away through customized automation after I set up this platform.

ActiveCampaign key features

ActiveCampaign has powerful features built for retail businesses:

  • Sales pipelines with customizable, visual workflows to track every potential sale
  • AI-powered lead scoring that spots qualified prospects automatically
  • Task management with custom to-do lists for sales teams
  • Automated workflows for deal creation, lead assignments, and customer outreach
  • Personalized 1:1 emails sent straight from the CRM
  • Advanced segmentation tools that group contacts dynamically based on multiple criteria

The platform shines with its automation features. It handles repetitive tasks like creating deals and assigning leads, which gives sales teams more time to sell.

ActiveCampaign pros and cons

Pros

Cons

Advanced segmentation lets you create targeted marketing campaigns

Learning curve exists because of many features

Email automation makes timely follow-ups with prospects easier

Simple CRM features compared to dedicated CRM platforms

Accessible interface with drag-and-drop editor

Pricing structure might not suit smaller businesses

High deliverability rates help your email campaigns work better

No free plan exists, just a 14-day trial

ActiveCampaign best for

ActiveCampaign works best for retail businesses that need both email marketing and CRM tools. My experience shows it's a great fit for:

  • Small to medium-sized retailers who want good features at reasonable prices
  • Companies that need strong email marketing, CRM, and sales automation
  • Marketing teams looking for detailed segmentation and automation workflows
  • E-commerce retailers who need solid integration with online platforms

The platform brings marketing and sales together to help retailers boost revenue through personalized customer interactions.

Pipedrive

Pipedrive reshapes retail sales management with its user-friendly visual pipeline approach. My experience implementing this CRM across retail businesses shows that its sales stage visualization works best to track a customer's path from first contact to purchase.

Pipedrive key features

The retail CRM software stands out with features built specifically for retail businesses:

  • Unified data hub that puts all customer information in one place to create individual-specific buyer experiences
  • Visual pipeline that you can customize to match your retail sales process
  • Workflow automation that cuts down busywork, gathers information, and keeps customers engaged through automatic follow-ups
  • Smart contact data that collects valuable customer priorities and demographics for targeted marketing
  • Smooth integration with over 350 apps like Slack, Google Drive, and Mailchimp

Pipedrive pros and cons

Pros

Cons

User interface adapts to your specific retail needs

No permanent free plan, just a 14-day trial

Interactive dashboards show team KPIs for evidence-based strategies

Lower-tier plans don't have many email templates

Activities overview makes sure you never miss follow-ups

Takes time to master all customization options

Scheduler tool brings all calendar management together for demos and customer interactions

Base plan doesn't come with human-based customer support

Pipedrive is best for

Retail businesses that want to visualize and optimize their sales processes. Retailers don't deal very well with customer retention—facing a 63% average retention rate challenge. Companies succeed with Pipedrive when they need to simplify order processing, manage inventory, and create targeted customer communication based on purchase history.

Conclusion

Retail is no longer about stacking shelves and ringing up sales. It is about building relationships that bring customers back again and again. A CRM is not just a back-office tool but a frontline system that shapes how your brand is experienced every single day. The statistics already prove it: customers reward businesses that understand them, and retailers who personalize their approach see measurable gains in loyalty and revenue.

The question is not whether your business needs a CRM. The real question is whether you are ready to compete in a market where the customer now holds all the power. Choosing the right CRM is choosing to put your customer at the center of every decision. That choice will separate the retailers who thrive from the ones who get left behind.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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