Frontdesk is the best CRM-connected solution for ecommerce customer management because it captures every call, text, and email on one customer timeline and syncs it to HubSpot, Salesforce, or Pipedrive automatically, free to start.
A CRM only helps if it actually has your customer conversations in it. In ecommerce, most interactions happen across phone, text, chat, and email, and they rarely make it into the customer record by hand. This guide compares nine options for ecommerce customer management, starting with the one that fills the CRM automatically.
How we picked#
- Conversation capture. A CRM is only as good as the interactions logged in it.
- Channel coverage. Ecommerce spans phone, text, chat, and email.
- Ecommerce fit. Order history and shopper behavior should inform the record.
- Integrations. It should connect to your store and tools.
- Pricing. Per-seat fees and feature gating add up.
Comparison at a glance#
| Tool | Pricing model | Channels | 24/7 | Setup | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontdesk | Free | Calls, texts, email | Yes | <30 min | Capturing every conversation in your existing CRM |
| HubSpot | Per-seat | Email, chat, forms | No | Days | All-in-one CRM and marketing platform |
| Klaviyo | Per-message | SMS, email | No | Days | Managing customers through marketing data |
| Salesforce | Per-seat | Multichannel | No | Weeks | Larger brands with complex needs |
| Gorgias | Per-seat | Email, chat, social | No | Days | Shopify support history tied to orders |
| Gladly | Custom | Multichannel | No | Weeks | People-first service record |
| Pipedrive | Per-seat | No | Days | B2B and wholesale pipelines | |
| Drip | Per-contact | Email, SMS | No | Days | Behavior-driven DTC marketing |
| Zoho CRM | Per-seat | Multichannel | No | Days | Cost-conscious, configurable CRM |
1. Frontdesk#
Frontdesk is not a standalone CRM. It feeds your CRM the conversations it usually misses. Every call, text, chat, and email lands on one customer timeline and syncs automatically to HubSpot, Salesforce, or Pipedrive. So when an agent or founder opens a customer record, the full history of what was asked and answered is already there.
In ecommerce most interactions happen across phone, text, chat, and email, and they rarely make it into the customer record by hand. A WISMO call, a return started by text, an after-hours email about a delayed order: each one normally lives in a silo and never reaches the CRM. Frontdesk logs all of them automatically, so the record reflects what the customer actually experienced rather than what someone remembered to type in.
It also answers those interactions 24/7 with conversational AI and hands off to a human when needed. Pricing starts free with unlimited seats, and setup runs under 30 minutes.
Best for: ecommerce brands that want every customer conversation captured in their existing CRM.
- Pros: auto-logs every channel to major CRMs, 24/7 answering, flat pricing.
- Cons: pairs with a CRM rather than replacing a full sales CRM.
2. HubSpot#
HubSpot is a widely used CRM with marketing, sales, and service tools and strong ecommerce integrations. For a store wanting one platform for marketing and pipeline, the ecosystem is broad and well-supported.
Costs climb across hubs and seats as you turn on more features, and capturing phone and text conversations into the record still depends on integrations. The CRM is only as complete as the conversations you manage to log into it.
Best for: stores wanting an all-in-one CRM and marketing platform.
- Pros: broad feature set, large ecosystem.
- Cons: costs climb across hubs and seats; conversation capture needs integrations.
3. Klaviyo#
Klaviyo centers on ecommerce customer data for email and SMS marketing, building rich shopper profiles from purchase and browsing behavior. Its segmentation and abandoned-cart flows make it a marketing engine for DTC stores.
It is marketing-first, so it is not a support or sales CRM. The shopper profiles are excellent for campaigns but do not capture the support conversations a customer has by phone or text.
Best for: stores managing customers through marketing data.
- Pros: deep ecommerce segmentation.
- Cons: marketing-first; not a support or sales CRM.
4. Salesforce#
Salesforce is an enterprise-grade CRM with deep customization and Commerce Cloud options. A larger brand with complex customer management can model nearly any workflow in it.
That power comes with cost and setup overhead, and it is overkill for a small store. Like other CRMs, capturing every call and text into the record depends on integrations you configure.
Best for: larger brands with complex customer management needs.
- Pros: powerful, highly customizable.
- Cons: cost and setup overhead; overkill for small stores.
5. Gorgias#
Gorgias ties support conversations to Shopify customer and order data, acting as a service-side customer record. A support agent sees the shopper's orders and prior tickets in one place, which is useful for repeat WISMO and returns cases.
It is support-focused rather than a full sales CRM, and per-seat or volume pricing grows with your team. Phone conversations are not its core.
Best for: Shopify stores wanting support history tied to orders.
- Pros: order-aware customer view.
- Cons: support-focused; per-seat or volume pricing.
6. Gladly#
Gladly organizes everything around the customer as a person, unifying conversations and history across channels. The people-first record is genuinely strong for a brand whose buyers contact them repeatedly.
It is built for staffed teams and priced at the enterprise tier, so it assumes agents are online to work the queue. Most small and mid-size stores will find it heavier than needed.
Best for: larger DTC brands wanting a people-first service record.
- Pros: unified customer view.
- Cons: built for staffed teams; enterprise pricing.
7. Pipedrive#
Pipedrive is a sales-focused CRM that is easy to use and good for managing leads and wholesale deals. For a store with a B2B or wholesale pipeline, the simple deal stages keep things moving.
It is less ecommerce-specific and priced per seat, so it is better at pipelines than at capturing high-volume shopper support conversations. Frontdesk can sync conversations into it to fill that gap.
Best for: stores managing B2B or wholesale pipelines.
- Pros: simple, pipeline-focused.
- Cons: less ecommerce-specific; per-seat.
8. Drip#
Drip is an ecommerce CRM and marketing automation tool built around shopper behavior. Its automation and segmentation drive behavior-based email and SMS for DTC stores.
It leans toward marketing, so it is not built for support conversations. The record reflects marketing engagement more than what a customer asked on the phone.
Best for: DTC stores wanting behavior-driven marketing.
- Pros: ecommerce automation, segmentation.
- Cons: marketing-leaning; not for support conversations.
9. Zoho CRM#
Zoho CRM is an affordable, flexible CRM with ecommerce integrations. It is configurable and cost-effective for a store watching its budget.
Setup takes effort, and like other CRMs, conversation capture depends on integrations you wire up. Out of the box it does not log phone and text support automatically.
Best for: cost-conscious stores wanting a configurable CRM.
- Pros: affordable, customizable.
- Cons: setup effort; conversation capture needs integration.
How to choose#
First decide what the CRM is for. For all-in-one marketing and sales, HubSpot or Salesforce; for marketing-driven shopper data, Klaviyo or Drip; for B2B pipelines, Pipedrive; for a budget option, Zoho. Whichever you pick, the record is only as complete as the conversations in it, and Frontdesk fills that gap by auto-logging every call, text, and email into HubSpot, Salesforce, or Pipedrive free to start.
Frequently asked questions#
What is the best CRM for ecommerce? It depends on your needs. For capturing every customer conversation, Frontdesk feeds calls, texts, and emails into HubSpot, Salesforce, or Pipedrive automatically.
Does Frontdesk replace my CRM? No. It captures conversations across channels and syncs them to your CRM, so the record stays complete.
Why do conversations matter for a CRM? A customer record without the actual calls, texts, and emails is incomplete. Frontdesk logs them automatically so context is never lost.
How is CRM software priced? Usually per seat with feature tiers. Frontdesk is free to start with unlimited seats.
Try Frontdesk#
Frontdesk answers your store's calls, texts, and emails 24/7 so order and shipping questions never wait, and logs every conversation to your CRM. Free to start, unlimited seats, setup in under 30 minutes, with a unified inbox and CRM sync. Try it today.