You can use the critical store data and customer info effectively only when it’s organized, accessible, and actionable. For Shopify merchants, this is where a CRM integration comes in.
Integrating a CRM with a Shopify store streamlines sales workflows, personalizes marketing, and offers unique insights. So brands can move beyond just selling the products and build real long-term relationships. For this integration, you can opt for top CRM options like HubSpot, Zoho CRM, Zendesk, Brevo, etc.
In this blog, we’ll look at the best CRM for Shopify, along with the integration approach and how it would benefit your store. But first, let’s see how CRM works for Shopify.
What is a CRM?
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) helps businesses manage and improve their interactions with customers. This includes storing customer information, tracking sales, managing marketing campaigns, and providing customer support.
By centralizing all this information, CRM helps businesses streamline operations, make data-driven decisions, and ultimately build stronger customer relationships.
How Does a CRM Work for Shopify?
A CRM connects your Shopify store with customer data and sales activities. Here’s a simple workflow to understand how it functions.
- Data Capture from Shopify: CRM automatically pulls customer details, order history, browsing behavior, and interactions from your Shopify store.
- Organize the Customer Data: All the customer data collected by the CRM is stored in one place. It creates complete customer profiles for easy access and analysis.
- Segmentation & Insights: Customer segmentation groups the customers based on behavior, purchase patterns, and preferences. It helps identify high-value and returning buyers.
- Align Sales & Support: The segmented data will be used by sales and support teams to manage leads, resolve issues faster, and deliver consistent UX.
- Reporting & Optimization: Performance reports highlight trends, customer lifetime value (CLV), and conversion gaps. It ensures data-driven improvements.
Integrating a CRM with Shopify connects purchase history, behavioral patterns, and support tickets into a single database. It transforms raw customer data into data-driven, actionable insights for an efficient Shopify store.
Top Shopify CRM Apps: How to Choose the Best One?
Nowadays, there are some outstanding CRM apps available for Shopify eCommerce websites. We’ll cover the top ones and showcase their highlights to help you choose the best one.
HubSpot
HubSpot offers a free CRM that includes features like contact management, deal tracking, email marketing, and live chat. It also integrates with other HubSpot products and services, including marketing automation and sales software.
That makes it a good option for businesses already using the HubSpot platform or seeking an all-in-one CRM solution.
Pricing: CRM starts from $15 per month.
Zendesk
Zendesk is a customer service solution that offers a variety of features, including ticketing, live chat, and a knowledge base. It also integrates with other Zendesk products and services, including Sales and Support.
Pricing: Starts from $19 per month.
Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM is a sales CRM software that offers a variety of features, including contact management, lead scoring, deal tracking, and reporting. It also integrates with several other Zoho products and services, including marketing automation and email marketing.
Pricing: Starts from $14 per month.
Klaviyo
Unlike traditional CRMs, Klaviyo is a specialized customer data and marketing automation platform built especially for eCommerce. With Klaviyo, Shopify merchants can use store data for personalized marketing. They can build dynamic customer segments for individually curated campaigns. It enables performance-driven marketing for higher customer lifetime value (CLV).
For example, customers can get special offers for their most-browsed product and category.Pricing: Starts from $20 per month.
Nutshell
Nutshell CRM is a simple and powerful sales and marketing CRM that helps B2B teams close more deals. It has all the core CRM features you need, as well as additional features that can help you accelerate your business growth, such as email tracking, pipeline management, and reporting. Nutshell is a good option for businesses looking for an easy-to-use, affordable CRM.
Pricing: Starts from $13 per month.
Agile CRM
Agile CRM is an all-in-one CRM software that helps businesses automate their sales, marketing, and service processes. It includes features for contact management, lead scoring, deal tracking, email marketing, and social media marketing.
Pricing: Free plan available for up to 10 users. Start from $8.99 per month.
Brevo
While Brevo is not a CRM itself, it is an email marketing platform that can integrate with Shopify and other CRM systems. Brevo offers features such as email marketing, SMS & WhatsApp marketing, marketing automation, and forms. For businesses looking to streamline their marketing workflows, the Brevo and Shopify integration allows seamless data syncing, helping you run personalized campaigns and track customer behavior effortlessly.
Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans start from $8.08 per month.
Salesforce
Salesforce CRM is a customer relationship management tool that helps businesses manage and improve their customer relationships. It includes features for sales, service, marketing, and commerce. However, it is important to note that Salesforce CRM can be expensive for small businesses.
Pricing: Starts from $165 per month.
But how do you choose the best one among these? Let’s look at what to consider.
How to Choose the Best CRM for Shopify Stores?
Choosing the right CRM can significantly impact your Shopify store’s efficiency and customer satisfaction. There are some key factors to consider:
Core CRM Features
- Contact Management: Efficiently store and manage customer information, including contact details, purchase history, and preferences.
- Sales Pipeline Management: Track sales opportunities from lead generation to closure, visualize the sales funnel, and forecast revenue.
- Marketing Automation: Automate marketing tasks like email campaigns, social media posting, and lead nurturing.
- Customer Support: Manage customer inquiries, track support tickets, and provide timely resolutions.
Shopify Integration Features
- Seamless Sync: Ensure that customer data, orders, and product information are automatically synced between Shopify and your CRM.
- Real-time Updates: Stay informed about the latest customer activities and order statuses in real-time.
- Automated Workflows: Create automated workflows to streamline tasks like lead assignment, order fulfillment, and customer follow-ups.
Advanced Features
- Predictive Analytics: Leverage AI-powered insights to identify trends, predict customer behavior, and make data-driven decisions.
- Customer Segmentation: Group customers based on demographics, behavior, or preferences to tailor marketing campaigns and offers.
- Mobile Accessibility: Access your CRM on the go to manage customer interactions and sales activities from your smartphone or tablet.
- Integrations with Other Tools: Seamlessly integrate with other tools like email marketing, social media, and accounting software to streamline operations.
The best CRM for your Shopify store will depend on your specific business needs and budget. The suitable choice will help optimize your sales process, improve customer relationships, and drive business growth.
If you need help with choosing the most suitable CRM for your Shopify store, get our Shopify development services.
How to Integrate CRM with Shopify?
We assume you have followed the previous section and chosen the best Shopify CRM to enhance your business operations. Make sure you have considered your business needs to determine which CRM features are essential.
After the selection, you can follow these steps.
Install the CRM App
Once you’ve selected a CRM with a Shopify app, the installation process is relatively straightforward. For platforms such as HubSpot, Zendesk, Zoho CRM, and Salesforce, there are Shopify apps available. You need to install the app of your chosen CRM.
Step 1: Access your Shopify admin panel.
Step 2: Look for the “App Store” icon in the left-hand navigation menu.
Step 3: Use the search bar, find, and open the specific CRM app you’ve chosen (e.g., HubSpot, Zoho CRM, etc.).
Step 4: Click the “Add app” button.
You may be prompted to authorize the app to access your Shopify store’s data. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the authorization process.
Step 5: Once installed, the app will be added to your Shopify admin panel.
After the installation, you will need to configure the app for CRM integration.
Configure the Integration
Configure the app’s settings to specify which data you want to sync between Shopify and your CRM. This might include customer information, orders, products, and more.
Step 1: Grant the CRM app permission to access your Shopify store’s data. This typically involves providing API keys or OAuth tokens.
Step 2: Configure the app to sync customizer info along with order and product details. These may include order numbers, products, quantities, and shipping details as well as product names, descriptions, SKUs, and prices.
Step 3: Set up automated workflows to generate leads, ensure order fulfillment, and integrate customer support. That is key to ensuring smooth operations on your Shopify store.
Step 4: Customize the fields and workflows to your specific requirements. You can have it automate particular tasks like sending personalized email campaigns or triggering specific actions based on customer behavior.
Finally, test the integration to ensure that data is syncing correctly and workflows are functioning as expected.
Regularly check for updates to the CRM app and Shopify to ensure compatibility and optimal performance.
You can also use the Shopify API to connect your CRM directly to your store If you need further help with CRM integration on your store, hire our professional Shopify development company. But are there any significant benefits of this integration?
Benefits of Shopify CRM Integration
Integrating a CRM with your Shopify store can significantly enhance your business operations and improve customer relationships, as suggested by the name. Here are some key benefits:
Centralized Customer Data
A single source of truth for all customer information, including purchase history, preferences, and interactions. Data-driven insights to make informed business decisions.
Enhanced Customer Experience
Tailored marketing campaigns and offers based on customer behavior and preferences. Quick and efficient resolution of customer inquiries and issues. CRM helps ensure a smooth and efficient checkout process.
Streamlined Sales Process
Streamline tasks like lead generation, opportunity management, and sales forecasting. Increased sales productivity and faster deal closure. Accurate forecasting based on historical data and real-time insights.
Improved Marketing Effectiveness
Precisely target specific customer segments with relevant marketing messages. Nurture leads through personalized email campaigns and other marketing initiatives. Foster stronger customer relationships through effective communication.
Enhanced Operational Efficiency
Automate repetitive tasks, such as data entry and report generation. Minimize manual effort and human error. Focus on high-value activities and strategic initiatives.
If you need help with achieving significant business growth, integrating a CRM with your Shopify store could be excellent. You can hire dedicated Shopify experts from our expert team to get it done.
Let’s Conclude
If you want to create a competitive eCommerce eStore, one of the key integrations is a CRM as it may help streamline operations, improve customer relationships, and boost sales.
When selecting a CRM, consider factors like your business size, budget, and specific needs. Popular options include HubSpot, Zoho CRM, Brevo, Salesforce, etc. The best CRM for your Shopify store depends on your specific needs and budget.
If you need help with this integration and more advanced ones, connect with us today!
FAQs on Shopify CRM Integration
Q1. Can I use a free CRM for my Shopify store?
Yes, you can use a free CRM like HubSpot or Zoho CRM. However, free CRMs often have limitations in terms of features and storage capacity. If you need advanced features or have a large number of customers, you may need to consider a paid CRM.
Q2. Can I automate tasks with a CRM integration?
Yes, you can automate various tasks, like creating customer profiles, sending automated email campaigns, assigning leads to sales rep, and tracking sales pipelines.
Q3. How do I ensure data privacy and security with CRM integration?
Choose a reputable CRM provider with strong security measures. Regularly review and update security settings. Additionally, consider using encryption to protect sensitive customer data.
Q4. How long does it take to set up a CRM integration with Shopify?
Integrating CRM into Shopify may take anywhere from a few minutes to several months; it depends on the complexity of the integration. You can set up the native integrations like Klaviyo or HubSpot in a few hours, but custom API integrations for enterprise or even mid-size stores may take anywhere from 3 to 6 months.
Q5. How do I choose a CRM for my business?
To choose the right CRM for your business, you need to identify specific business requirements and define a budget. Then you can select a user-friendly system that integrates with existing tools. Make sure you go for a tool that prioritizes mobile accessibility, robust reporting, and automated workflows.
