Best CRM for Distributors
Distributors need CRM solutions that unify B2B and B2C data, strengthen customer relationships, and drive operational efficiency. The right CRM helps distributors manage complex sales processes, perfect retail execution, grow customer satisfaction, and unlock new revenue through flexible ecommerce platforms. Industry-specific solutions built for consumer goods distributors deliver profitable growth by activating disparate data, building brand relevancy, and increasing efficiencies across all business functions.
Ideal Customer Profile
Consumer goods distributors managing B2B relationships with retail customers, requiring integrated planning and execution capabilities, retail execution management, order fulfillment, and ecommerce solutions to drive revenue growth and reduce cost to serve.
Common Pain Points
- •Disconnected data across B2B and B2C channels making it difficult to build unified customer views
- •Inability to digitize relationships from sales goals to sales plans to execution at specific customers
- •Lack of perfect retail execution capabilities to ensure products are properly positioned and promoted
- •Complex order management and fulfillment processes that slow down post-purchase journeys
- •Limited ecommerce capabilities preventing customers from easily reordering products
- •Inefficient trade promotion management reducing profitability and growth
Top CRM Picks
1 expert-vetted recommendations
Ranked recommendations based on feature depth, pricing transparency, and adoption within the industry.
Perfect For
Distributors needing integrated B2B and B2C capabilities to digitize customer relationships and drive profitable growth
⚡ Key Features
- Consumer Goods Cloud for Service to grow customer satisfaction and revenue
- Consumer Goods Cloud for Retail Execution to unlock perfect retail execution
- Commerce Cloud for flexible ecommerce and B2B ordering
- Order Management and Fulfillment for perfect post-purchase journeys at scale
- Einstein AI for personalized playbooks and guided selling
- Trade Promotion Management to boost revenue and profitable growth
- Unified data activation across disparate sources
- Industry-specific solutions built on Salesforce platform
Pros
- ✓Proven experience in consumer goods and distribution industry
- ✓Integrated planning and execution capabilities in one platform
- ✓AI-powered personalization and guided selling
- ✓Flexible ecommerce platform for B2B commerce
- ✓Scalable order management and fulfillment
- ✓Unifies B2B and B2C data for complete customer view
Cons
- ✗May require significant implementation for full feature utilization
- ✗Pricing not transparent, requires sales consultation
- ✗Enterprise-level solution may be complex for smaller distributors
"Southern Glazer's Vice President of Sales & Service CRM reports successfully digitizing relationships from sales goals to sales plans to execution at specific customers, eventually building orders through the platform."
Buying Guide
Step-by-step guide to finding your perfect CRM
Strategic considerations to shortlist the right CRM platform for your workflow, tech stack, and growth roadmap.
- 1
Evaluate your business needs across B2B and B2C functions to determine which capabilities are essential for your team
- 2
Choose a CRM that can unify and activate disparate data sources to build complete customer views
- 3
Look for industry-specific solutions built for consumer goods distributors rather than generic CRMs
- 4
Prioritize platforms with integrated planning and execution capabilities to connect sales goals to customer execution
- 5
Consider AI capabilities for personalized playbooks and guided selling to improve sales effectiveness
- 6
Ensure the solution includes retail execution management if you need to perfect in-store positioning and promotions
- 7
Verify ecommerce and order management capabilities if you want to enable customer self-service and reordering
- 8
Assess trade promotion management features to drive profitable growth and promotion effectiveness
FAQ
Common questions answered
Quick answers to common questions digital teams raise when evaluating CRM platforms.
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