In every business, there are a number of dynamics which shape the unique processes of that business, and it is necessary to incorporate those dynamics into the CRM of the business. Retail business is no different. Since, unlike manufacturing businesses, these aren’t involved in a production process and, unlike healthcare, they do not need detailed insights into patients as well as medical practitioners, these businesses need a solution custom-built to solve the very issues of the retail industry.
Furthermore, the unique requirements of retail businesses include insights into customers i.e. demographical information as well as psychometrics. Retail businesses also depend on having uninterrupted communications with their suppliers, as well as a robust customer support system, to name a few. Owing to these differences, retail businesses need a solution which perfectly fits their industry requirements.
SuiteCRM is Perfect for Retail Businesses
No CRM can perfectly fit the processes of a business in a particular industry. Such software solutions have to be made to align with those processes. Such is the case with SuiteCRM.
SuiteCRM’s open-source architecture allows businesses to incorporate all their relevant dynamics into their SuiteCRMs through customization. There are other open-source solutions available out there in the market, however, none is as flexible and robust as is SuiteCRM. After some customization of SuiteCRM, the CRM system will reflect the business processes of the retail store as perfectly as a mirror. Learn the features of your very own SuiteCRM for retail.
What Makes SuiteCRM the Best CRM for Retail
There are a number of benefits associated with using SuiteCRM for your retail business. These are outlined as follows:
- Tool for customer segmentation
- Execution of more effective marketing campaigns
- Streamlined business operations
- Consolidated data on one platform
- The satisfaction of customers through better support services
Features of SuiteCRM for Retail Businesses
A number of features have to be added to SuiteCRM to make it a suitable CRM for retail businesses. Some of these features include:
Customers’ Module
Since, in the retail business, you will be directly dealing with the end customers, you need to maintain a proper customer database so you can point out marketing opportunities and provide impeccable customer service. Use this module to provide discounts to recurring customers, execute loyalty programs while also cross-selling or upselling in the process.
Suppliers’ Module
As mentioned before, uninterrupted communication with your suppliers is mandatory in retail businesses. Having a dedicated module for suppliers in your CRM helps you stay on the same page as your suppliers. This will also allow you to analyze your relationship with suppliers, allowing you to take advantage of any possible discounts.
Inventory Module
Inventory management is one of the most significant functions of a retail business. Accurate documentation regarding inventory including the units sold, purchased, warranty duration and the manufacturing and expiry dates of products is set to streamline the inventory management of a business. This is all possible in SuiteCRM, with the addition of a custom Inventory module.
After-Sales Services
This is especially required for businesses selling products with warranties or offering support or other such services. Installation and fitting services would also be included in this category of service. Such businesses often have to keep track of the warranties being offered for the products they sell as well as of the claims that happen as a result. Furthermore, installation and fitting service schedules have to be set. These after-sales service processes can be streamlined with the help of this module.
Tools Integrated with SuiteCRM
Customization is one part of making a CRM suitable for one particular industry vertical. Another major part of this process is the integration of third-party tools or plugins with SuiteCRM. This is meant to increase the functionality of the CRM manifold. One such required integration is SuiteCRM integration with payment gateways. This is set to help you with your payment processing needs. Then there are also some SuiteCRM Plugins, RT Telephony, which will make communications easier between you and your customers or suppliers. RT GSync will seamlessly integrate your Google apps, including Gmail and Google Contacts and Calendar, with your CRM so that not much of your time is wasted in switching between multiple platforms to carry out your processes, helping you focus on more crucial tasks of your business.
Reflection of Your Business Identity
The features mentioned above are common to all the businesses in the retail industry. However, all businesses, even though they belong to the same industry vertical, tend to have a unique approach to their business. This results in differences in operations and processes, which might make certain CRM configurations useless for a business entity while others might be extremely crucial. Therefore, it is recommended to get your SuiteCRM for Retail Businesses further customized to help it perfectly fit your business. This is not only applicable to custom fields or modules, but also to the theme and layout so that the CRM is a true reflection of your brand identity, endorsing the values of your business into the minds of the users of the CRM.
Key Takeaways
The retail industry is a major industry, being one of the industries primarily responsible for the satisfaction of customers since it is a customer-facing industry. Therefore, in order to be successful, businesses require the best retail CRM which can help them overcome some of their weaknesses while focusing more on their strengths. Such is the case with SuiteCRM.
SuiteCRM offers many benefits to retail businesses, offering insights, acting as a platform for executing marketing strategies as well as providing a space for recording the internal processes of a business. Get it customized to the structure of your business model and achieve higher levels of growth with it.
RT Dynamic is an Official SuiteCRM Partner and has considerable expertise in SuiteCRM Migration, Customization, Integration and more. Get in touch by filling out the Contact form. We’d be glad to help you with your CRM needs!