You don’t need me to tell you that the online marketplace is competitive—and it’s only getting worse.
That’s why it is more important than ever for e-commerce businesses to constantly seek ways to streamline their operations, boost their sales, and foster stronger relationships with their customers. A common strategy is to tie your e-commerce platform to a customer relationship management (CRM) system, which can capture data about your buyers that your marketing and sales teams can use to their advantage.
However, not all CRM platforms are created equal.
Many CRM platforms can collect and consolidate data, but leading platforms such as HubSpot take it further. Using native integrations, HubSpot delivers three key advantages to revolutionize the way your business engages with your audience, optimizes marketing efforts, and personalizes customer interactions.
Advantage 1: Customer Engagement Through Abandoned Cart Recovery
You’ve got a customer to your site, they’ve browsed through your products, and they’ve moved a few things to their cart. Then—poof—they’re gone. The global cart abandonment rate is sitting at just over 70 percent, so the ability to chip into this market has big potential upsides.
With HubSpot CRM integration, e-commerce sites will be armed with the customer information they need to effectively re-engage customers who have abandoned their shopping carts. Businesses will be able to pinpoint the reason for cart abandonment, segment customers based on their browsing behavior, and send tailored messages encouraging them to return and finalize their transactions.
Businesses with HubSpot Sales Pro and Enterprise or Marketing Pro and Enterprise can also use built-in features to automate the process of creating personalized emails to remind customers of their unfinished purchases, including offering incentives or addressing concerns that may have led to the abandonment. Not only does this targeted approach recover lost sales, but this level of personalization and proactive engagement can significantly increase the likelihood of conversion.
Advantage 2: Optimized Remarketing Strategies
Another key advantage of an e-commerce and CRM integration lies in the ability to refine remarketing strategies.
Traditional remarketing campaigns often target a broad audience, including those who have already made purchases. This approach not only wastes advertising budget but also risks annoying customers with irrelevant ads. By integrating a CRM system such as HubSpot, businesses can gain a deeper understanding of their customers' behaviors and preferences, enabling them to create more precise segments from which to build remarketing strategies. For example, a campaign can be focused exclusively on individuals who haven't yet converted, thereby optimizing ad spend and improving campaign efficiency.
In practice, this advantage could help an e-commerce store that sells fitness equipment precisely identify customers who visited the site and showed interest in a particular treadmill model but did not proceed to buy the treadmill. Instead of showing all visitors the same ads for treadmills, the store can specifically target these interested parties, excluding those who have already purchased.
This strategic exclusion ensures that advertising dollars are spent effectively, engaging potential customers who are genuinely interested and likely to convert rather than bombarding existing customers with redundant promotions.
Advantage 3: Automated and Personalized Email Communications
The third major benefit an e-commerce site can realize with CRM integration is the ability to automate and personalize email communications based on customer interactions and purchase history.
This feature is particularly valuable for e-commerce businesses looking to maintain long-term relationships with their customers, providing them with relevant information and offers at the right time. For instance, a business can set up automated emails to notify customers when it's time for product maintenance or to suggest complementary products based on past purchases. This personalized communication can both enhance customer satisfaction and encourage repeat business while also introducing upselling opportunities.
Here’s what this HubSpot CRM integration with an e-commerce site could look like: Consider a parent who purchases diapers for their 9-month-old baby from an online store. By analyzing their purchase data, the store can infer that the child will soon be entering the toddler phase, during which different products—such as walking shoes or developmental toys—might be needed. With a CRM integration, the store can automatically send emails to the parent, recommending age-appropriate products just as they become relevant. This proactive approach not only meets the customer's needs but also builds trust and loyalty between the customer and the brand.
Bringing It All Together
Integrating the native power of a CRM system such as HubSpot with an e-commerce platform offers a wide range of benefits, from recovering abandoned carts and optimizing remarketing strategies to automating personalized email communications and many more. Together, these advantages help e-commerce businesses run more efficient and customer-centric operations, capable of adapting to the evolving needs and expectations of today's online shoppers.
As businesses continue to seek innovative ways to stand out in the crowded e-commerce space, investing in CRM integration can be the strategic advantage that allows them to stand out and sustain growth.
Want to learn more about how your e-commerce business can tap into these and other benefits with your own HubSpot CRM integration? Click the link below to get started.
