Delivering the highest level of excellence requires more than operational efficiency. It demands coordination across the entire value chain: sales, inventory, merchandising, and customer experience – all need to work together in real time with precision.
This is where Customer Relationship Management (CRM) comes into play. Far from being just a back-office system, a well-integrated CRM empowers brands to orchestrate every stakeholder and touchpoint involved in the retail journey. It brings structure to complexity, enabling a consistent, high-quality experience across channels and locations.
At OWT, we help premium retailers implement CRM environments that do exactly that and thereby create the foundation for exceptional retail execution.
1. Define business needs with end users in mind
To build a smooth retail execution process, it is essential to start with a clear understanding of the real-world challenges faced by both the brand and the people on the ground like store staff, field teams, and retail partners.
Common pain points may include:
- Limited visibility into real-time sales data.
- Inaccurate or delayed stock replenishment.
- Inconsistent merchandising across locations.
- Varying levels of training and onboarding among field teams.
By gathering direct feedback from end users – especially retail staff and field teams – and mapping out friction points in daily operations, it becomes possible to identify what truly matters. This input helps prioritize the most impactful features and ensures the CRM solution is not only aligned with strategic goals but also with the needs of those who use it every day.
Once these requirements are clearly defined, implementing CRM becomes more focused and efficient, laying the groundwork for a retail execution journey that delivers measurable results.
2. Select a CRM tailored for luxury retail
Once the brand and user priorities are clear and key functionalities defined, the next step is to evaluate and select a CRM that can truly support these requirements.
From our experience, an effective CRM for luxury retail must support the following:
- A real-time 360° view across sales, stock, and store performance.
- Seamless integration with existing systems such as ERPs and POS.
- The flexibility to scale with innovations like predictive AI and advanced personalization tools.
By choosing a CRM that brings together these essential capabilities and aligns with both user expectations and operational demands, brands can build a future-ready system that remains adaptable and customizable as business and technology evolve.
3. Surround yourself with the best expert for a flawless integration
Bringing the right integration partner on board from the outset can make all the difference between a smooth rollout and a disjointed, costly project.
These experts are not only responsible for the technical implementation—they also help translate business needs into scalable, user-friendly solutions that deliver real value.
We believe a standout integration partner should:
- Follow an agile development framework to allow rapid and continuous iterations.
- Provide ongoing support and adapt the solution as brand and user needs evolve.
- Help turn sales team members into digital ambassadors by providing immersive training.
Choosing the right partner means setting your CRM project up for success—and unlocking immediate ROI through faster adoption, fewer disruptions, and measurable impact.
4. Roll out progressively to maximize impact
When rolling out a CRM too quickly, you risk overlooking key requirements and faulty workflows, leading ultimately to poor user satisfaction and inefficient processes. A well-planned pilot phase helps avoid these pitfalls by allowing you to test the solution in real-world conditions before a full-scale launch.
From our experience, an effective pilot should:
- Involve strategic stores that reflect a variety of market conditions or operational models.
- Track key performance indicators (KPIs) in real time to surface insights and issues early.
- Allocate time to refine the solution as insights emerge from user feedback and performance metrics.
By starting with a focused pilot, you create the conditions for scalable success: easy adoption, informed improvements, and a CRM that delivers real impact.
5. Continuously innovate the retail execution
Implementing a CRM system is not a one-time effort: as technology, market dynamics, and customer expectations evolve, so too must your CRM. Continuous innovation is key to keeping retail execution aligned with rising customer demands and competitive industry standards.
For instance, we’ve identified several key trends shaping the future of retail execution:
- AI-powered sales forecasting for smarter, data-backed planning.
- Data-driven merchandising that adapts in real time.
- Virtual in-store assistants that offer a more personalized customer experience.
However, brands struggle to implement new innovative solutions. This is often caused by a lack of team buy-ins and can be overcome by demonstrating the CRM’s immediate value such as time savings, better inventory management, or increased conversion rate. The more visible the impact, the more acceptance there is for change.
Once teams are more receptive to change, it becomes easier to innovate and introduce new technologies. In turn, its impact can also be instantly tracked within the CRM. This cycle allows brands to continuously innovate, ensuring that they stay up to speed with the most latest trends.
Conclusion: CRMs make excellence the norm in retail execution
Successfully implementing a retail execution solution on a CRM platform means orchestrating a model where every action and every decision is based on precise data and a strategic vision. In a sector where excellence is the norm, this approach allows luxury houses to transform their boutiques into immersive, high-performance and perfectly synchronized experiences.
Your ideal partner for an optimized retail execution
OWT is the ideal partner for implementing a retail execution solution in the luxury and watchmaking sector. Thanks to our expertise in CRM/CXM platforms and our understanding of business issues, OWT optimizes in-store execution, merchandising management and the orchestration of customer interactions. Our agile, end-to-end approach, omnichannel integration and tailored support ensure effective implementation and successful adoption, perfectly adapted to the requirements of luxury houses.
