A retail CRM is a software that supports customer-facing B2C sales, which tend to involve frequent repeat transactions. The best retail CRMs include a point-of-sale (POS) system and inventory management tools that analyze customers’ shopping patterns and purchase history. We evaluated the top retail CRMs that help ecommerce and brick-and-mortar stores reduce costs and satisfy customers while selling faster and smarter.
Here are the top six retail CRM software:
- Square POS: Best overall retail CRM for pricing and features (free starting price)
- Zoho CRM for Retail: Best retail CRM software for customization (15-day free trial)
- Salesforce for Retail: Best software for reporting and analytics (30-day free trial)
- Freshsales: Best retail CRM software for contact management (free starting price)
- Bitrix24: Best CRM software for managing online retail stores (free starting price)
- Lightspeed: Best CRM for customer acquisition and retention (14-day free trial)
All of the retail CRMs evaluated are good options and scored highly in one category or another. However, overall, we found that Square POS offers the best value for those seeking a retail CRM, scoring the highest for core features and ease of use, and tying for pricing. Check out how each fared across six categories below, including primary use cases, summary of features, and pricing plans. To see how we evaluated each retail software, jump down to our explanation.
Note: All per-user prices are with a one-year commitment unless noted.
Top 4 Retail CRM Features
The best options for retail software include these functions:
Secure in-store and online payments for your products or services, and process your sales transactions in one integrated system.
How We Evaluated the Best Retail CRMs
To round up the top CRM software for retailers, we first defined the six weighted categories based on the factors that tend to be the most essential for users. Then, we included several subcriteria, which summed up to an overall score out of five. Finally, we determined an overall score for the retail CRMs on our list and identified a primary use case for each option.
Evaluation Criteria
A retail CRM is industry-specific software that manages touch points between a retailer and customers. Hence, we assigned the most weight to cost and core features, followed by ease of use. We also considered each option’s level of customer support, customization, and third-party app integrations to round out our evaluation.
We scored each software based on subscription prices, CRM or eCommerce offered per plan, free trial period, terminal plan inclusion, and/or free-forever plan features.
We evaluated key functions like point-of-sale systems, inventory and order management, register or checkout functions, payment processing, and loyalty programs.
Here, we considered how easy it is to set up and use each software and looked into each option’s knowledge base. We also combed through real user reviews on sites like G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius.
With this category, we looked at feedback from verified users on review sites like G2 and Capterra and the type of support provided by each software through phone, email, and live chat.
Retailers must tailor their software to suit the needs of their business, so we explored customizations offered by each CRM for POS, reporting and dashboard, web forms, fields, and more.
We reviewed how well each option syncs with native or third-party apps like accounting tools, marketing campaigns, social media, and more.
Bottom Line: Best Retail CRM Software
Retail management and POS hubs are multifaceted systems that integrate inventory management, sales, and customer relationship management. Use our list to narrow down your choices and find the right fit for your business. If you’re specifically managing an online-only store, check out our editorial review of the best ecommerce CRMs. You can also read our list of the top CRMs for salespeople if you prefer a general CRM over an industry-specific one.
