CRM tools and adoption cases for the retail industry

Introduction

With Korona-ka, traditional visit-based sales opportunities are diminishing, and a higher quality sales approach is required. Therefore, “CRM” is attracting attention.

CRMThe company that was the first to introduce it has significantly reduced “Muri, Waste, and Mura” and shifted to a sales method that meets the needs of customers. As a result, many successful cases have been created, including several times achievements.

However, there are many different types of CRM tools that support CRM, and it’s easy to wonder which one to deploy. Therefore, this time, we have focused on retail companies that require further sales ingenuity in Corona and summarized popular CRM tools and companies that are using them.

Please help us when considering the introduction of CRM tools.

CRM tools used in the retail industry

In the retail industry, it is imperative to meet customer needs and build relationships of trust. Therefore, “CRM” is used. CRM is an acronym for “Customer Relationship Management,” which translates to “customer relationship management.”

CRM tools refer to tools that support the practice of CRM and are currently widely used in the retail industry such as supermarkets, convenience stores, and apparel. In the retail industry, which is closely related to customers, communication information such as emails with customers is accumulated through CRM tools. And providing customer-specific needs has become an important marketing tool for enhancing relationships and increasing customer satisfaction.

The retail industry hires for each CRM tool

Now let’s take a closer look at the CRM tools of choice from companies in the retail industry.
From the cases of popular CRM tools, we picked up 25 companies that have adopted the retail industry and summarized the survey results for each CRM tool.

* The survey results are as of August 10, 2021.

Salesforce

CRM tool selected by 150,000 companies worldwide. Introducing companies have succeeded in increasing sales by an average of + 25%, and in addition to CRM tools, solutions such as marketing tools, e-commerce, and customer service are available, and you can build an optimal system by combining functions that meet your needs.

Examples of retail companies:
Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Co., Ltd., Beams Co., Ltd., Kines Co., Ltd., Askul Co., Ltd., Magaseek Co., Ltd., Canon Co., Ltd., Adidas, Barneys Japan Co., Ltd., Oisix La Daichi Co., Ltd., Stocks Company NTT Prala (Hikari TV Shopping), Intermestic Co., Ltd. (Zoff), ASICS Japan Co., Ltd., Wacoal Co., Ltd.

Zoho CRM

CRM tools were introduced by 250,000 companies around the world. It is a highly flexible and extensible tool that allows you to edit layouts, incorporate applications from other companies, and customized web pages into your Zoho CRM account.

Example of a retail company:
Too Co., Ltd.

Customer Rings

We have abundant achievements as CRM / MA for EC mail order and BtoC. Measures such as customer data integration / management / analysis / extraction to email / LINE / SMS / application notification can be realized with one tool. Customer data / purchase / store visit history / CRM / MA tool data integration can be performed.

Examples of retail companies:
Sotheby League Co., Ltd., Mizuno Co., Ltd.

kintone

Cybozu’s cloud service allows you to easily create a system that suits your business without any development knowledge. This system has been installed in more than 20,000 companies, and one in five companies listed in the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange has already installed it.

Examples of retail companies:
ART NATURE Shanghai, JIN Co., Ltd., KOKUYO VIETNAM TRADING Co., Ltd.

BizXaaS®

BizXaaS® is a general term for NTT DATA’s cloud services. Centrally manages product, customer, inventory, and order information, enabling you to provide a seamless purchasing experience across channels. Both on-premises type and cloud type can be provided.

Example of a retail company:
Matsumoto Kiyoshi Holdings Co., Ltd.

KARTE

A CRM tool that allows marketers to create segments and execute measures. Visualize behaviors and emotions on a human axis and connect them to optimal measures.

Example of a retail company:
MonotaRO Co., Ltd.

e-sales manager

With thorough support, we support sales DX from the introduction to the establishment. 95% are firmly established in the organization and the tool with the highest overall satisfaction. It has been installed in more than 5,500 companies. Multi-output (automatically reflected in all by inputting information once) is possible with a single input.

Example of a retail company:
Preco Foods Co., Ltd.

Zendesk

Introduced by more than 100,000 companies worldwide, there are many cases of major domestic companies. Industry-leading customer support software. Received the highest award at numerous awards. Inquiries received from various channels such as telephone, email, website, and LINE can be managed simply on one screen. You can see the response status and priority at a glance.

Examples of retail companies:
FABRIC TOKYO Co., Ltd., Pioneer DJ Co., Ltd.

commune

Developed from the idea of ​​”I want to realize a society where all companies can build co-creative relationships with users by eliminating the” distance/disconnection “between companies and users with the power of technology.”, It is possible to respond speedily with an average of 4 weeks from application to launch.

Example of a retail company:
Adastra Co., Ltd.

Key points for adopting CRM tools

Next, I will tell you the points to check when adopting CRM tools.
There are 5 points to check.

• Clarification of introduction purpose
• Are the necessary functions installed?
• Cloud type or on-premises type
• Whether or not it can be linked with an existing system
• Are our security measures in place?

Let’s take a closer look at each.

Clarification of introduction purpose

The first point is to clarify the purpose of the introduction.
There are various types of CRM tools, but they are roughly divided into the following three types.

Sales type

Analyze customer and project information, increase order rate by process management and development of prospective customers

Field service type

Improve customer satisfaction and service quality by managing everything from reception to service provision

Membership management type for consumer business

It is possible to provide membership functions such as My Page and points, marketing tailored to members, and loyalty management.

CRM can be a wide range of initiatives, so you need to choose a service that suits your company’s challenges. For example, clarify the problems you are having, such as increasing the number of members, reducing the number of cancellations, and improving the contract rate, and decide the main purpose of use before selecting the type.

Are the necessary functions installed?

The second is to make sure that you have the features you need. CRM tools change the services available, so you need to make sure you have the features you want to use.

It has customer management and analysis functions, so let’s take a look at other functions. There is no point unless you can take advantage of attractive features. Instead of choosing the one with many installed functions, you need to focus on whether it can be used to solve your company’s problems.

Cloud type or on-premises type

The third is to confirm whether it is a cloud type or an on-premises type operation method. First, let’s know the characteristics of each.

The cloud is the idea of ​​being able to use the services you need on the Internet. The advantage is that it can be used without the need to prepare software or servers. For example, cloud-based storage services such as “Google Drive” and “Dropbox” are familiar to us. There is nothing physically prepared for these when using them. Similarly, cloud-based CRM tools can be used without any physical preparation at the time of deployment.

On-premises, on the other hand, refers to a server operation method that installs and manages equipment such as servers and networks in-house. Since it is operated in-house, it is easy to customize, such as linking with an in-house system.

As with on-premises, the cloud can be secure in terms of security, but you need to understand the framework of security measures within the cloud.

Also, when comparing cloud and on-premises, one thing that is often overlooked is accounting and tax processing.

When using the cloud, since it is the provider company that owns and manages the equipment, it can be recorded as an expense. However, please note that depending on the type of cloud, expense processing will differ depending on the contract details.

SaaS type

There are a few cases where initial costs are incurred, and monthly usage fees and provider contract fees are treated as expenses.

PaaS type / IaaS type

Monthly usage fees and provider contract fees are recorded as expenses, and customization costs (in-house built systems and applications) are treated as intangible fixed assets.

However, for tax purposes, the cloud treats it as a deferred asset.

In addition, when using on-premises, equipment that meets the conditions for filing is a depreciable asset and is treated as property tax. Since the purchased server becomes its equipment and is treated as an asset, it must be depreciated during the period of use and the cost must be distributed each year.

Whether or not it can be linked with an existing system

The fourth is to check if it can be linked with the existing system. Some CRM tools can work with existing systems. If it can be linked with the system used in the company, it will be possible to operate smoothly when introducing the CRM tool.

Check if the existing system and CRM tools can be linked, and look at the operation method after installation.

Are our security measures in place?

The fifth is whether security measures are in place. CRM tools are used for customer management, so choose a tool that has thorough security measures. For example, if customer information is leaked due to a multi-ware attack, the loss of the company is large and there is a risk of losing trust.

Make sure that measures are taken, such as data encryption and access restrictions.

Key points for adopting CRM tools unique to retail

Next, I will explain the points of adoption of CRM tools unique to retail.
There are three points to check.

• Ease of tracking customer inquiries
• Can it be used intuitively?
• Can you feel free to take the measures you want to try?

Let’s take a closer look at each.

Ease of tracking customer inquiries

In the case of a company that sells products internationally, there are many cases where a person in charge from another country responds to an inquiry and then touches another person with a baton. By making it possible to trace who responded and how the customer’s problem was finally solved, follow-up can be ensured and customer satisfaction can be improved.

In addition, by visualizing inquiries, it is possible to review the business flow such as load balancing for inquiries and to realize feedback on products, which can be useful for analysis and improvement.

Can it be used intuitively?

CRM tools are used not only by marketing departments and engineers but also by sales and sales staff who are busy dealing with customers. If the operation method is special and complicated, the frequency of use will not increase and the immediacy that is the strength of the CRM tool will be lost, and in the end, the supervisor’s report by e-mail will be faster. Therefore, it is very important to select a CRM tool that you do not have to learn the operation and can use intuitively and without stress. If possible, it is better to gather the users and have them operate and gather their opinions before the introduction.

Can you feel free to take the measures you want to try?

It is well known that the quickest way to improve flow lines and conversions is to use PDCA. At that time, if additional development or approval from related parties is required, it will be difficult to easily implement the measures. For example, if you have an A / B test template, you can start from the Plan, that is, the hypothesis-making stage, and it will be easier than ever to discover winning patterns.

summary

“CRM tools” are useful when you want to manage customers, improve customer satisfaction, and take an efficient sales approach. If you check the cases of retail companies introduced this time and the know-how they are being used, you will be able to see how to use them in your own company. In addition, you can select the most suitable tool by controlling the adoption points of CRM tools such as clarification of the purpose of introduction and ease of use of functions. Please try to build a relationship of trust with customers through CRM tools and improve your performance.

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