What is an ecommerce CRM?

It is software that keeps each customer's orders, browsing and messages on one record, so you can segment customers and send emails based on what they bought. Some are marketing platforms built on store data, like Klaviyo and Omnisend. Others are sales CRMs, like HubSpot, that sync orders from your store.

Do I need a CRM if I use Shopify?

Not at first. Shopify lets you build customer segments that update as people buy and send marketing messages to them. Add a CRM or marketing platform when you need branching automations, product recommendations in emails or revenue reports by campaign.

Is Klaviyo or HubSpot better for an online store?

Klaviyo suits stores that sell to consumers and want emails and texts triggered by browsing and order history. HubSpot suits stores with a sales team or wholesale buyers who need deals and tasks alongside marketing. Klaviyo charges by active profiles, while HubSpot charges by seat.

Is there a free CRM for ecommerce?

Yes, with limits. On November 4, 2026, Klaviyo's free plan covered 250 active profiles and 500 emails a month, Omnisend's covered 250 contacts and 500 emails, and HubSpot's free CRM covered 2 users and 1,000 contacts. Each makes sense for testing or a very small store.

How much does an ecommerce CRM cost?

Entry prices checked on November 4, 2026 were $16 a month for Omnisend Standard at 500 contacts and $20 a month for Klaviyo at 251 to 500 active profiles. HubSpot Starter listed at $20 a seat a month, with a lower new-customer price. Costs rise with your list or your team, so price each tool at double your current size.

Will a CRM import my past orders?

Many do when you first connect your store, but check before you commit. HubSpot's Shopify data sync, for example, brings orders and abandoned checkouts across from Shopify. Ask each vendor how far back the import goes and whether refunds come across too.

How to choose a CRM for your ecommerce store

For an online store, a CRM is where each customer's orders, browsing and messages sit on one record, so you can email the right people and see who is worth looking after. Most stores end up choosing between three kinds of tool: a marketing platform built on store data, such as Klaviyo or Omnisend; a sales CRM that pulls in orders, such as HubSpot; or the customer tools already inside Shopify. The right one depends on who buys from you and who on your team will use it.

Decide what the CRM has to do

Start with how you sell. If you sell to consumers, almost all the CRM work is marketing: segments built from order history, abandoned cart emails, win-back campaigns and reports on what each email earned. A marketing platform with customer profiles covers that.

If you also sell wholesale, take custom orders or have people who call or email buyers, you need deals, tasks and a pipeline as well. That points to a sales CRM such as HubSpot that can sit beside your marketing tool or replace it.

Then answer three practical questions:

How many people will log in? Some tools charge by seat, others by contact.
Do you need a help desk for order questions, or do you already have one?
Which store platform are you on, and are you likely to move?

Check what your store already gives you

Before you buy anything, look at your store's own tools. Shopify lets you build customer segments from rules, and those segments update on their own as customers buy. You can send marketing messages to a segment through Shopify Messaging, which includes email. For a new store with a few hundred customers, that may be enough for the first year.

You outgrow it when you want automated sequences that branch on behavior, product recommendations in emails or revenue reports by campaign. That is the point to add a dedicated tool.

Find out how store data gets into the CRM

The integration matters more than the feature list. A CRM that only receives a customer's email address cannot segment by what they bought. Check which records sync, in which direction and how fast.

HubSpot's Shopify data sync is a good example of what to look for. It syncs contacts and products both ways, brings orders and abandoned checkouts across one way from Shopify, and updates records within 10 minutes of a change. Companies sync only on Shopify Plus. Klaviyo's Shopify integration brings in customer profiles and order data, and tracks product views once you turn on its app embed in your theme.

Ask each vendor three questions: does it import past orders when you connect, does it handle refunds and does it pull in your product catalog for emails? Then test the answers during the trial.

Match the pricing model to your list

Store CRMs charge in different ways, and the difference grows with your list. Prices below were checked on November 4, 2026, in US dollars.

Klaviyo charges by active profiles, meaning contacts you can email. Its free plan covers up to 250 active profiles and 500 emails a month, and paid email plans start at $20 a month for 251 to 500 active profiles.
Omnisend charges by contacts. Its free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 emails a month, and Standard costs $16 a month for 500 contacts with 6,000 emails.
HubSpot charges by seat. Its free CRM covers 2 users and 1,000 contacts. Starter lists at $20 a seat a month, with a new-customer price of $7 a seat a month billed yearly or $10 billed monthly.

Price each tool at your current list size and again at double it. A store that grows its list quickly feels contact-based pricing first, while a store with a large team feels seat pricing first.

Make sure the core store automations are on your plan

Most stores set up the same few automations first: abandoned cart, browse abandonment, a post-purchase follow-up and a win-back for customers who have gone quiet. Omnisend, for example, ships prebuilt flows for abandoned carts, browse recovery, post-purchase follow-ups and win-backs.

Check that the plan you can afford includes each one, and that you can branch on what the customer bought. Branching lets you, for example, send a refill reminder 25 days after someone buys a 30-day supply.

Plan how new contacts get in

A CRM only works with the people in it, so look at how you will capture visitors who have not bought yet. Most store CRMs include sign-up forms. If you want more control over pop-ups and timing, a separate tool can feed your CRM. Convertful builds pop-ups, floating bars, welcome mats and spin-to-win widgets for Shopify and WordPress sites, and sends sign-ups to Klaviyo, HubSpot and other email tools. Whichever route you take, record where and when each person agreed to marketing, and keep that separate from order emails, which customers get anyway.

Make sure you can see revenue by source

Ask how the tool credits a sale. You want to see revenue per email, per automation and, ideally, per traffic source, so you know which campaigns paid for themselves. Check that this reporting is on the plan you intend to buy.

Platformly is built around this. It brings in orders through its Shopify app and WooCommerce plugin, along with sales from Stripe and Paddle, and ties each one to the email, link or source that brought the customer in, with five attribution models to compare. It also shows revenue per subscriber and what a lead is worth, scores leads, and runs its automations, texts and shared inbox on the same customer records. A store specialist such as Klaviyo goes further on emails built from what each shopper browsed.

Test it with your own store

Use the free plan or trial to connect your real store, not a demo. Import last year's orders, then build one segment you would actually use, such as customers who bought twice but not in the last 90 days. Send yourself a test email to that segment and check that the products, names and order details come through correctly. If the segment or the email takes you more than an hour to build, your team will feel that every week.

A shortlist to start from

Klaviyo suits stores that want emails and texts triggered by each shopper's browsing and order history.
Omnisend suits small stores that want email, texts and web push in one set of prebuilt automations at a low entry price.
HubSpot suits stores with a sales team or wholesale accounts that need deals and marketing on the same records.
Platformly suits Shopify and WooCommerce stores that want every sale traced back to the email, link or source behind it.
Shopify's own segments suit new Shopify stores that are not ready to pay for another tool.

Our guides to ecommerce CRM software and WooCommerce CRM plugins compare more options with current prices.