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A strong customer relationship management (CRM) strategy keeps your brand top of mind for retailers long after their first order. With organized contacts, clear segments, and consistent, on-brand emails, you’ll turn one-time buyers into repeat customers.
This checklist covers the core tools and steps to build a wholesale CRM strategy that will help you engage more retailers and convert more wholesale orders. To dive deeper into using Faire’s CRM tools, check out our recent webinar on email marketing strategy.
1. Keep your customer list clean
Why it matters: Clean, accurate customer data keeps your emails reaching the right buyers, improves deliverability, and boosts the effectiveness of your campaigns.
☐ Regularly import and update your customer contacts on Faire (1-3 times per quarter).
☐ Add existing wholesale customers.
☐ Add prospective customers to drive new business.
☐ Add churned customers to re-engage (e.g., no orders in the last six months).
☐ Use custom tags to track source (e.g., “NYNOW25” for tradeshows).
☐ Remove inactive contacts annually.
Pro tip: Ditch the bulk lists. Avoid purchasing and sending to bulk lists. The best CRM results come from high-intent contacts—think website sign-ups, trade shows, inbound leads, social media, etc. Focus on people who want to connect with your brand.
2. Create audience segments
Why it matters: Smart segmentation makes outreach feel personal and relevant, boosting open rates, clicks, and reorders.
☐ Use Faire’s built-in segments: Abandoned Cart, Last Ordered 60+ Days, Faire Direct Eligible.
☐ Create and save your own segments based on order history, location, review submitted, and more.
☐ Edit columns to understand more about your customer lists (e.g., Date added, Location, etc.).
Our top segment picks:
- Abandoned cart: Added items but didn’t check out (new or repeat buyers).
- Unused credit: Customer signed up via your Faire Direct tools and has 50% off (up to $150) + free shipping for one year to use with you.
- Products purchased: All customers who have purchased a specific product from you in the past.
3. Build great emails
Why it matters: Consistent, on-brand emails keep you top of mind and drive repeat wholesale purchasing.
☐ Aim to send one segmented email per week, with coverage to all your customers each month.
☐ Balance sales-driven and story-driven emails (50/50 mix).
☐ Use the in-portal campaign templates for ease (collections, promo codes, or new products).
☐ Use merge tags to automatically add customer information (store name, first name, Faire Direct discount).
☐ Get creative with your email designs—apply your brand colors, fonts, and layouts for consistency.
Top tip: Need some more inspiration? Check out BonBon’s email marketing examples here.
4. Optimize your emails to drive reorders
Why it matters: The better your emails perform, the more retailers see them, click them, and reorder. Clean data, strong deliverability, and consistent follow-ups turn visibility into sales.
☐ Remove bounced, unsubscribed, and invalid contacts accordingly.
☐ Track campaign results for seven days post-send to capture full engagement.
☐ Track click-rate data (not just opens) to identify genuine interest and reorder intent.
☐ Re-target engaged retailers with reorder or new-arrival campaigns.
☐ Personalize follow-ups for top customers during key seasons.
☐ Review which campaigns drive the most orders and sales—double down on what works.
Top metrics explained:
- Open rate: Percentage of delivered emails opened.
- Click rate: Percentage of retailers who clicked on a link in the email.
- Orders from opens: Orders placed within 7 days of opening your email.
- Orders from clicks: Orders placed within 7 days of clicking a link.
- Hard bounced: Permanent delivery failure (invalid or inactive address).
- Soft bounced: Temporary delivery issue (full inbox or server offline).
Take your CRM strategy further
Automations
Why they matter: Automated emails reach retailers at the perfect moment to reorder or re-engage.
☐ Use “Faire Direct customers who have unclaimed credit to your line” to remind retailers that their offer expires in three days.
☐ Use “Customers who haven’t reordered in 60+ days” to encourage retailers to restock.
Faire Messenger
Why it matters: Messenger templates help you reach buyers one-to-one with timely, personalized nudges.
☐ Use “Item in cart” and “Request review” templates to follow up directly with buyers.
☐ Thank first-time buyers for purchasing and keep them updated on expected ship dates to build trust.
☐ After a trade show or new launch, send a short message with 1–2 SKUs and a link to your Faire shop.
The bottom line
A strong CRM doesn’t just keep you organized—it drives repeat sales. Clean data, smart segmentation, and well-timed, on-brand emails make it easier for retailers to remember you and reorder.
Even small improvements—like updating contact lists, refining segments, or refreshing email design—can have a measurable impact. The more consistent your outreach, the stronger your buyer relationships become.
Keep coming back to this checklist, and visit our Help Center or Faire Learning Hub to learn more about how to grow on Faire.
