unilever crm case study

10 Top CRM for Photographers | Updated (2024)

Netflix CRM Case Study: Their Secret Sauce 2024

10 CRM Case Studies From The World’s Biggest Brands in 2024

Tesla CRM Strategy: An Insider Blueprint Revealed (2024)

Walmart CRM Strategy: A Decade-Long Secret You Never Knew

Starbucks CRM Strategy (Everything Worth Knowing – 2024)

Amazon CRM Strategy: The Blueprint Behind The E-commerce Giant

How Crm Is Evolving: The Future Of Customer Relationship Management

How CRM is Evolving: Unlocking the Future of CRM Tools

5 Best CRM Software For Tour Operators & Travel Agencies in 2024

Mastering the CRM Selection Process: Your Ultimate Guide (2024)

Top 7 Best CRM For Event Management | Updated (2024)

Top CRM For Political Campaigns | Updated (2024)

Top 10 Best CRM For Outside Sales Reps | Updated (2024)

CRM VS SRM: What’s the difference?

Top 5 Best Solar CRM in Australia | Updated (2024)

State Farm CRM Case Study: Unveiling the Secrets and Myths

Top 5 Best CRM Software For Businesses in Singapore | Updated (2024)

Top 5 Best CRM Software For Distributors | Updated (2024)

5 Best Pharmaceutical CRM Software | Updated (2024)

Best Crm For Financial Advisors In Canada

Top 5 Best CRM Software for Financial Advisors in Canada

Case Studies
Project Management
Email Marketing
Productivity
Expense Management
Artificial Intelligence
BLOG & INSIGHTS
Category : Case Studies , CRM
Last updated on August 7, 2024
By Viktor. A
No Comments
Posted by Viktor. A

Customers constantly demand deeper and more meaningful relationships with their chosen brands. That’s why organizations use CRM software to better serve their customers.

This article compiles practical CRM case studies from some of the world’s biggest brands, highlighting vital lessons you can replicate in your business.

Before we proceed, let’s look at the meaning of customer relationship management (CRM)

There are two main definitions of a CRM:

1. It refers to a business’s principles and strategies to better engage and retain customers.

2. It is a software system that helps businesses manage client relationships, leads, contacts, and campaigns, allowing companies to automate processes and increase productivity.

Examples of CRM software for lead generation, contact management, and automation include:

The Best Overall

A sales-focused CRM that leverages AI to automate sales, lead & demand generation.

Best Budget Choice

Freshsales automates your sales process, and helps drives sustainable business growth.

Best for Workflows

Customize your workflows to track all aspects of the sales cycle, from lead gen to post-sale support.

Best CRM Case Studies

If you’ve ever looked at brands like Apple, McDonald’s, Amazon, or even Zara, you may wonder how they run such conglomerates and still provide efficient customer service. Keep reading, then; you’re about to find out.

Scott Cook said to focus on the customer instead of the competition. Most of these brands have no superpower. They’ve only learned to focus on one thing—the customer.

When you’re obsessed with delighting your customers, you will devise creative ways of satisfying them.

1. Coca-Cola CRM

The Coca-Cola Company is one of the world’s oldest and most influential brands. With a presence in over 200 countries, Coca-Cola started as a carbonated soft drink business. Today, it is a conglomerate with over 200 product lines servicing billions of customers globally.

Logically speaking, their existence across several decades and their continued relevance and competitiveness say a lot about their customer service. That said, let’s examine their customer relationship management (CRM).

Coca-Cola CRM Case Study:

Inspiring optimism and happiness are at the core of Coca-Cola’s CRM strategy. This is evident in their marketing campaigns , billboards, brochures, commercials, store locations, and products. Coca-Cola uses several enterprise CRM platforms to manage its clients’ relationships and stores globally. They use Salesforce and SAP primarily for contact management. System Applications and Products (SAP) is a strategic enterprise management platform that is quite robust and feature-rich.

While they use SAP globally, they use Salesforce on some of their country divisions to manage their business flow, connectivity, and contact management.

We have billions of transactions a day on Salesforce. And everything is connected collaborative, and mobile.

– Ulrik Nehammer, Coca-Cola Germany, CEO.

2. Zara CRM

When you hear the word “Zara”, what comes to mind is clothing, luxury, and lifestyle. Established in 1975, Zara is a Spanish multi-national retail clothing chain.

They specialize in clothing accessories, beauty, shoes, and other lifestyle products. Zara’s phenomenal success in fashion and beauty is a testament to its solid CRM strategy. They effortlessly delight their customers in a way that leaves them returning for more.

Zara CRM Case Study:

Zara’s CRM elevates its customer’s needs above the company objectives by leveraging transparency, incentives, support, personalization, swift check-out, and social media to achieve this.

Zara CRM starts with its website, which has a simple UI and is highly personalized to suit users’ needs. Then, it’s massively present on social media and contributes to social issues affecting its clientele.

The success of our business is based in principle on the idea of offering the latest fashions at low prices, in turn creating a formula for cutting costs: an integrated company in which it is manufactured, distributed, and sold.

– Amancio Ortega – Founder, Zara Fashion Chain

3. Unilever CRM

Unilever is a British multi-billion dollar conglomerate that deals primarily in consumer goods and consumables. They are arguably the largest producers of soap globally.

Brands like Unilever that have stood the test of time in quality, customer service, transparency, and consistency are worth emulating. With over 400 brands in about 190 countries, Unilever’s CRM strategy is paying off.

Unilever CRM Case Study:

Unilever’s CRM strategy focuses on elevating people’s well-being and helping them enjoy life to its fullest. This singular aim drives their excellent customer experience initiatives, marketing campaigns, products, and positioning.

Another main part of Unilever’s CRM strategy is centered around Value-Based Procurement. They are keen on supporting their suppliers with upfront value. They achieve this by empowering their suppliers and distributors with the tools to better relate to them.

They use Salesforce to support their business community and build solid relationships with their partners.

It’s about digitizing all the aspects of Unilever’s business to leverage the world of data and increase our digital capability in everything we do.

– Alan Jope, CEO at Unilever.

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, known as BMW, is Germany’s leading automobile brand. They’re a luxury car brand and the fourteenth largest producer of motor vehicles . BMW cars are known for their standard, uniqueness, and luxury. Let’s examine BMW’s CRM strategy.

BMW CRM Case Study:

You’ll agree that BMW has become the world’s leading provider of premium automobile products. But the big question is, how did they get there?

BMW CRM case study is not too distant from the others. Firstly, the focus is on treating customers fairly, which is clearly stated in their Supplier Programme . Their suppliers and end-users are at the core of their CRM strategy, which has kept them going.

Additionally, BMW CRM is focused on producing premium cars to attract new customers and retain the existing ones. Fortunately, it works for them. I’ve seen a couple of folks switch car brands to BMW because their cars are more reliable and have the highest quality.

I promise our customers will never have to compromise between driving pleasure and sustainable mobility.

– Oliver Zipse, CEO BMW AG.

5. Tesco CRM

Tesco PLC is one of the world’s leading grocery and general merchandise retailers. With operations in over 11 countries, Tesco is a hyper-growth company swiftly expanding across territories.

Although it started as a grocery store, it has now morphed into several industries such as banking, technology accessories, and a few others. Not just that, they’ve been named among the top customer-friendly organizations.

Tesco CRM Case Study:

Tesco is among the first multi-national brands to adopt CRM software. In 2009, Tesco announced that they were adopting the RightNow CRM (now acquired by Oracle).

Tesco’s CRM was primarily used in its call centres to support its electronics division. It was also used to amplify its omnichannel communication strategy by managing customer data and interactions across phone, chat, and email.

Adopting a CRM helped Tesco be present at all times for their customer when needed across channels. Most importantly, they were able to win the hearts of their customers.

The key to Tesco’s success is the customer-focused culture that has permeated the company.

– Jeremy Garlick, Partner, Insight Traction.

6. Uber CRM

With a presence in 72 countries, Uber redefines how we move and eat. Uber is an American mobility provider that allows people to move conveniently from one location to another. One of the things that makes Uber special is that it’s a mobility startup with no cars. That means it’s servicing two main customer bases: drivers and passengers.

As of the time of writing, Uber has a 72% market share for ride-sharing in the United States, with about 122 million monthly active users.

Uber CRM Case Study:

Uber’s mission is “ Transportation as reliable as running water, everywhere for everyone .” In other words, they aim to make transportation accessible at any time.

The big question is, what CRM does Uber use? Uber uses LiveRamp as its CRM anonymizer. Essentially, it uses LiveRamp CRM to segment users into specific life-cycle stages. This allows Uber to craft personalized and targeted campaigns that resonate with customers.

Furthermore, Uber uses CRM to gain deeper insights into how customers use their apps, the frequency, and overall interaction, and even sample their IDs. With these insights, Uber can better serve and delight its customers. More on Uber’s case study here.

There is a high cost to a bad reputation… it matters what people think of us, especially in a global business like ours, where actions in one part of the world can have serious consequences in another.”

– Dan Khosroshahi.

7. McDonald’s CRM

McDonald’s is a fast-food conglomerate. It is currently the leading food service organization, operating over 30,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. McDonald’s expansion strategy is based on franchises and joint ventures. It also has some sister brands in the fast-food industry that are doing incredibly well.

Mcdonald’s CRM Case Study:

McDonald’s mission statements depict McDonald’s passion for differentiation, uniqueness, and class. McDonald’s CRM case study hinges on its passion for differentiation, which is evident in the architectural designs of its restaurants, food recipes and taste, service delivery, and mode of operation.

McDonald’s uses PowerCenter CRM, which Astute Solutions powers. This CRM helps McDonald’s efficiently manage its huge volume of customer contacts, analyze data, and manage its store location.

The benefits of CRM software to a business are enormous, and McDonald’s is not left out. They use it equally to enhance their marketing efforts and close more deals.

Our sustained performance gives us confidence that our strategy is working, as more customers are experiencing a better McDonald’s daily.

– Steve Easterbrook, CEO, McDonald’s.

8. British Airways CRM

British Airways is a UK-based carrier and one of the most prominent airline groups in the world. Over the years, it has built a reputable brand that has also given birth to several sister brands.

BA Group is a founding member of the Oneworld alliance. It has over 45,000 employees in 100 countries and assists about 40 million passengers annually. So how does it maintain awesome customer service?

British Airways CRM Case Study:

British Airways’ CRM case study is centered around “making their passengers feel confident.”

British Airways uses TCRM BA as its enterprise management solution. The company adopted it in 2002, and since then, they’ve been using it to do the following:

• Campaign management

• Management of loyalty programs

• Leisure database

• External requirements

• Cost savings

Best of all, they use this platform to efficiently manage and schedule all their marketing campaigns internally and externally. They are also used for customer service across channels.

As we prepare for a safe return to travel, we remain focused on offering our customers the most convenient and affordable testing options to support and facilitate a seamless travel experience.

– Sean Doyle, CEO, of British Airways

9. Amazon CRM

Amazon is an American conglomerate that focuses on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It is among the top five most valuable companies worldwide and one of America’s biggest employers.

Amazon, which started as an online book store, is currently dominating up to seven industries. It’s also a customer-centric company famous for its outstanding customer service.

Amazon CRM Case Study:

Primarily, Amazon’s CRM case study follows these four guiding principles:

• Customer obsession rather than competitor focus

• Passion for invention

• Commitment to operational excellence

• Long-term thinking

They aim to become Earth’s most customer-centric company, Earth’s best employer, and Earth’s safest place to work. That drive to become the best led them to create innovative products like I-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Amazon Echo, and Fire TV, to mention a few.

We see our customers as guests at a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.

– Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon

10. Apple CRM

Famously known for their slogan, think differently. Apple is a technology company specializing in consumer electronics, software, and online services. Apple is the world’s most valuable company and the first to hit a trillion in market capitalization.

Apple CRM Case Study:

Like Amazon, Apple is a customer-centric company that is truly obsessed with its customers.

Apple is also obsessed with its product quality. Their products are highly standardized and unique, which is why they enjoy a high level of brand loyalty. Apple’s customers are some of the most loyal globally.

The Apple CRM case study centers around four cardinal points: Apple customer-centric outlets, understanding customer needs, Apple ID, and irresistible branding that works. I explained them in detail here .

Additionally, like Amazon, Apple uses an in-house CRM to manage its customer data, marketing campaigns, and customer relationships. Apple loves owning its processes, so most of its operations are conducted in-house.

Conclusions

These case studies show us the efficacy and formidability of CRM software. When out to efficient use, it can be a potent tool. And it doesn’t matter the size of your business, whether big or small. All you need to do is pick a CRM that aligns with your business goals and run with it.

Looking for a CRM to start with? Here are our recommendations: Zendesk , Pipedrive , Hubspot , Zoho , and Freshsales . Click on any one of them to claim your free trial.

Frequently Asked Questions

Customer relationship management use cases are real-life examples and applications of CRM software and strategies. Like the 10 use cases from big brands listed in this article.

There are tons of use cases for CRM systems, but here are three profound ones: CRM systems can serve as a contact management system, a pipeline system for attracting and converting them paying customers, and a workflow automation station.

Essentially, the main components of CRM are contact and database management, workflow automation, omnichannel marketing capability, and integration options.

Viktor. A is a writer and researcher with experience writing about various topics, including CRM software, SaaS, finance, and technology. When he's not writing, he's swimming and traveling

Top 7 Best CRM for Engineering Firms | Updated (2024)

6 CRM Trends To Watch Out For in 2024 | No.4 Will Shock You

Employ in 150+ Countries Within Hours Without Breaking the Bank.

About crmside.

CRMside is an online resource publication that focuses on CRM case studies, guides, product reviews, and expert tips, aimed at providing our readers with valuable insights and strategies to help maximize their CRM solutions and achieve business growth.

NAVIGATIONS

A Hub For CRM Resources
Affiliate Disclaimer

BROWSE CRMs

Hey! Before you leave…

Take advantage of an exclusive 34% discount on Pipedrive CRM to streamline and optimize your sales processes, from lead generation to deal closure.

Unilever Case Study: Implementing the Real-Time, Digital Enterprise to Unlock Value and Enable Business Growth

August 2014
This person is not on ResearchGate, or hasn't claimed this research yet.

Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts

Abstract and Figures

Discover the world's research

25+ million members
160+ million publication pages
2.3+ billion citations

Recruit researchers
Join for free
Login Email Tip: Most researchers use their institutional email address as their ResearchGate login Password Forgot password? Keep me logged in Log in or Continue with Google Welcome back! Please log in. Email · Hint Tip: Most researchers use their institutional email address as their ResearchGate login Password Forgot password? Keep me logged in Log in or Continue with Google No account? Sign up

Consumer Packaged Goods

Unilever sees 150% increase in intent to purchase with UGC

Unilever sets the bar for user-generated content (UGC) success with a company-wide strategy for making the most of the voice of the customer.

At a Glance

Get more value from UGC.

Look beyond marketing impact to use UGC strategically across the business.

Increase revenue, loyalty, search traffic, customer insights, and product quality.

Purchase intent lift

Interaction with reviews drove a 150% increase in intent to purchase on SimpleSkincare.com

5 ways Unilever maximizes the power of UGC to drive purchase intent, search conversion, and innovation

With more than 400 brands across over 190 countries, Unilever is one of the largest customer products companies in the world. Its innovative use of user-generated content (UGC) goes beyond marketing. Here’s how the brand leverages Bazaarvoice solutions to build loyalty and improve customer satisfaction.

1. Review volume is the foundation of UGC success

Unilever knows firsthand the benefits of UGC.

“Reviews instill a lot of trust among consumers and give them the confidence to make a purchase,” says Jenna Spivak Evans, Innovation and Digital Capabilities Manager at Unilever.

For example, customers who read reviews on the Simple Skincare website have a 150% greater intent to purchase and use the store locator feature.

And more reviews mean better results.

“We see a positive correlation between review volume and number of orders,” says Evans. “Increasing review volume can be as simple as asking yourself, ‘How am I already talking to my customers, what communications do I already have planned, and how can I layer on an ask for a review?’ It’s all about integrating your efforts into conversations you’re already having with consumers.” This approach is also cost-effective because it leverages existing investments. Unilever encourages reviews at multiple touchpoints, from emails to web banners to social media.

Bazaarvoice-powered sampling campaigns are another effective tactic: a recent campaign for Suave generated 5,000 reviews alone, and samples have driven hundreds of thousands of reviews across Unilever brands.

2. Recognizing UGC value beyond conversion

UGC is part of Unilever’s overall brand and marketing strategy. For example, it helps build organic search traffic and engagement.

“Because UGC delivers such rich content, you can see increases in search traffic of 15–25% as a result of using customer-generated content,” says Evans. “You will also see increases in website engagement metrics such as product page views per visit, average time spent onsite, and return-visitor rate.”

Online UGC also influences offline sales. Customers read online reviews before—and during—store visits, building loyalty and engagement throughout the customer journey.

3. Listening to customers and giving them what they want

Unilever acts on reviews to improve products and enhance the customer experience.

“Getting customer feedback provides an ongoing way to gather information about how a product is doing and where there’s room for improvement,” says Evans, who points to an example from the TRESemmé brand.

Reviewers of TRESemmé Keratin Smooth hair care mentioned using a dry shampoo the next day to maintain results—but Unilever had no Keratin Smooth dry shampoo. Unilever used this insight as an opportunity to promote other dry shampoos in its product lines alongside the Keratin Smooth shampoo.

4. Amplifying the voice of the customer

No matter how well a brand crafts its marketing content, it’s never as compelling as consumer content.

“Consumers really need a third party to legitimize the content they read on product detail pages,” according to Evans. “They see reviews as a trusted source for understanding how other consumers like them have experienced the product.”

Unilever’s own research reports that nearly half of shoppers trust user-generated text, video, and images more than brand-created content. In fact, consumers agreed that communication leveraging a review made them trust the Simple Skincare advertisement 38% more than when the same content was framed as a corporate claim.

“When we include reviews in social ads and display ads, we see about a 20–30% improvement in performance,” says Evans. “We also find that those customers are more likely to read other customer reviews of the product when they click through the product detail page.”

Unilever also uses UGC in print ads, inserts, and in-store displays.

5. Broadening the impact of UGC across the larger business

Unilever listens to the voice of the customer in reviews and responds proactively.

“All that customer feedback can provide an ongoing panel for informing R&D, customer service, quality teams, and others about how a product is performing,” says Evans.

In one case, the marketing department identified a trend of complaints about a reformulated product. The quality control department traced the issue to a bad batch, and Unilever provided a replacement to all customers who had reported an issue—along with information about the benefits of the reformulation.

The company is also integrating reviews with CRM for increased personalization.

“Integration of UGC into CRM will give us deeper demographic information and provide an incremental way to understand different customers’ needs,” says Evans.

It’s all part of Unilever’s never-ending quest to make products that people love so much that they want to share their experiences with the world.

Request a demo

About the company

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of food, home and personal care products, with more than 400 brands in over 190 countries reaching two billion customers a day. It has 172,000 employees and generated sales of 53.3 billion in 2015. Over half (57%) of the company footprint is in developing and emerging markets.

Client since 2013

Reviews instill a lot of trust among consumers and give them the confidence to make a purchase.

Jenna Spivak Evans

Innovation and Digital Capabilities Manager

More in this industry

Dole Packaged Foods collects over 2K reviews with new UGC strategy

The fresh fruit and packaged foods producer uses reviews to showcase new products, improve existing ones, and increase engagement with recipes on its website.

Plenty increases awareness of its high quality products with Bazaarvoice

Using Bazaarvoice Ratings and Reviews, Plenty grew and maintained awareness of its premium quality brand. Customer sentiment within Plenty’s reviews not only endorsed the quality...

McPherson's sees a 20% review volume lift with Bazaarvoice Sampling

McPherson’s uses product sampling and UGC to boost reviews on its e-commerce platform and syndicate to partners.

Become a success story.

Let Bazaarvoice help you command your goals and catapult your business.

Want to answer questions at retailer websites?

Respond to consumer questions in real-time.

Looking to sample and review products?

Receive products from your favorite brands in exchange for honest reviews.

Get started

Tell us a little about yourself, and our sales team will be in touch shortly.

Thank you for your interest in Bazaarvoice. A member of our team will be in touch shortly to talk about how Bazaarvoice can help you reach your business goals.

UNILEVER IS A TRAILBLAZER

Unilever grows sustainable brands with salesforce..

“ fpo fpo fpo fpo ” hidden fpo

reduction in solution deployment costs

Service Cloud
Community Cloud
Salesforce Platform
Marketing Cloud

Unilever is a Trailblazer for building a better world.

Through its commitment to sustainability and diversity, Unilever is changing the world for the better. Unilever exists on a grand scale: seven out of every ten households around the world contain at least one Unilever product.

To keep developing great products and driving change, Unilever needed to empower its people with the right technologies and information. “We want to enable our people to deliver the best for our consumers and customers,” said Moran. “And that means enabling them to work as digital natives.”

Digital transformation fuels growth and competitive advantage.

By embracing everything that the digital age has to offer, Moran is helping Unilever travel further and faster than its CPG competitors. “The Fourth Industrial Revolution represents a huge opportunity for us,” said Moran. “By delivering digital insights and digital solutions to our colleagues, retail customers, and end consumers, we can drive greater growth.”

And Moran has a unique approach for connecting the digital dots across the Unilever value chain. “I want to give the power of technology away – it’s too cool to keep to myself. When you put the power of technology in the hands of the people that use it, they become much more productive,” said Moran. “With Salesforce, everyone can be a technologist and a Trailblazer.”

Explore the products that are helping Unilever grow.

Service cloud, community cloud, salesforce platform, unilever empowers employees to develop their own business apps..

By encouraging thousands of Unilever employees to play a part in Unilever's digital transformation, Moran has been able to fast-track innovation – especially when it comes to the development and deployment of apps. Unilever’s IT and business teams have created more than 50 apps on the Salesforce platform, spanning processes as diverse as developing new products and answering employee HR queries to scheduling volunteer sessions and coordinating internal marketing across a community of 12,000 users.

Unilever’s volunteer app, which helps employees create volunteering activities and invite their colleagues to join in, was developed in less than a week using the Salesforce Lightning Platform. “Agility is in Unilever’s DNA; with Salesforce, it’s on steroids,” said Moran. “We can now deploy solutions four to five times faster and it costs us less.” Moran estimates that solution deployment costs have decreased by 40% since its implementation of Salesforce.

“ We said we were passionate about connecting to our customers, now we can do it on a one-on-one basis.” Paul Polman, CEO

Adopting a platform-based approach fast-tracks digital transformation.

Unilever also uses Service Cloud and Community Cloud to help its people work in smarter, faster and more agile ways. “We have a small city of around 100,000 Salesforce users – from finance and HR to marketing and R&D,” said Moran. “It provides our people with a standardised and interconnected platform.”

Evolving from a project to a platform approach was one of Moran’s first objectives when she joined Unilever as Global CIO in 2014. “With Salesforce, we can focus on business needs instead of technology enablers,” said Moran. “It helps us deliver digital solutions very quickly.”

Greater personalisation drives stronger connections.

Providing a rapid response to consumer queries., analytics unlock new consumer insights..

To personalise how it engages with consumers, Unilever wants to become more predictive. With Tableau CRM, it can better understand consumer challenges and desires, as well as the success of trade promotions.

Unilever is also getting closer to its consumers by reinventing its channel model, with some brands now being sold direct through websites powered by Commerce Cloud.

“ I want to democratise the development of technology. With the Salesforce platform, we can give the power away to our business community.” Jane Moran, Unilever Global CIO

Unilever pushes the technology limits with Salesforce.

By exploiting analytics and building more direct consumer relationships, Moran and her IT team can predict future business needs and market trends – and plan for them in advance. “The rate of change is so fast, we need to be able to test new ideas,” said Moran. “With Salesforce, we can push the limits of what technology can do for our business and inspire the next generation of people that want to innovate.”

To maximise future innovation and digitalisation opportunities, Unilever needs to ensure its data is integrated and trusted. “We’ve created a library of adaptive and reusable integrations using Salesforce's Integration capabilities, which enables us to smartly connect our business applications around the globe,” explained Moran.

With operations in more than 190 countries, ensuring data visibility and integrity is essential – especially when there are 22 petabytes in circulation across the business. “With Salesforce, we can see where information flows to and from,” said Moran. “Greater visibility of the data highway enables us to unlock sharper insights and drive smarter actions.”

Continuous learning creates more light bulb moments.

As a lifelong learner, Moran is keen to make the most of not only new data insights but also new technologies and software languages. “I taught myself Python last summer,” she said. “I also use Trailhead as I want to keep learning – and it’s fun. With Trailhead, we can create a great community of developers and inspire business stakeholders to exploit technology for their own benefit.”

Encouraging non-stop learning and innovation is key for Unilever as it continues to unlock the full potential of digitalisation and to create stronger customer and consumer connections. “If you are always learning, then there will be more light bulb moments,” said Moran.

Unilever and Salesforce: Making miracles together.

Every step of Unilever’s digital journey links to its overall goals of changing the world for the better and making sustainable living commonplace. With Tableau CRM, Unilever employees can track their personal sustainability metrics and see how they are helping to safeguard the future of the planet.

“With Salesforce, we can keep driving innovation, agility, and digitalisation – and have a little fun along the way,” said Moran. “We’re evolving together and evolving how we put customers and consumers at the heart of our business.”

Keep exploring stories like this one.

See how KONE lifts its business to new heights with Salesforce Einstein and IBM Watson.

KPN sends customer satisfaction through the roof with Salesforce

Halfords keeps the UK moving safely with Salesforce

Questions? We’ll put you on the right path.

Tom UX/IA Designer / Product Designer / Motion Designer
Send Message

Unilever CRM Optimization and Strategy - Web and Brand Toolkit

Unilever is one of the world's largest producers of consumer goods, owning household names such as Dove, Axe & Knorr.

TASK: Unilever had an ambitious goal to create a billion meaningful one-to-one relationships with its consumers, but brands were currently limited by old legal practices as to how they could engage and target these customers. As a result, customers were being put off by extremely long forms for something as simple as a newsletter, and the individual brands under the Unilever umbrella were getting extremely low conversion rates with their CRM endeavors.

ROLE & APPROACH: As part of the digital platform we were creating for Unilever, we created a leading-class CRM strategy that fitted with their ambitious customer relationship goal. I was brought on to execute the vision phase of the project and to define how it could be rolled out across the Unilever sub-brands. I worked with a strategist to define a full progressive profiling strategy and a toolkit to help the brands understand the key principles of trust and mutual data value exchanges. I also worked with a creative developer and a visual designer to create a high fidelity working prototype that could be shared as a north-star example for the brands.

You are here:

How 7 Companies Use CRM Automation to Increase Revenue

CRM solutions vary from company to company because each company has different dynamics in terms of sales and marketing, products and services, and customer needs.

Therefore a CRM solution is a program that collects all customer data in one place using CRM software.

Interestingly, companies can collect customer information using various tools and methods in CRM software.

Customer relationship management is essential for business success. With a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform, companies can manage, automate, and synchronize every aspect of customer interaction.

Examples of CRM systems include marketing, sales, customer service, and support management platforms that help companies work more efficiently.

The truth is, several aspects of CRM can be complex and boring. But it’s important that you do them yourself or let a virtual assistant help you. Find and hire a virtual assistant from Latin America by visiting VirtualLatinos.com

This in-depth article introduces 7 case studies that show you how the best brands use CRM automation tools to increase revenue.

1. Unilever

Unilever uses CRM to capture real-time customer surveys across all channels and run targeted campaigns to capture customer data. With a range of products, it’s important to segment customers based on their specific needs.

Unilever is one of the big brands that understand how important it is to have customer's information in one place and respond to it.

Unilever has found a solution that has been implemented by marketing technology company Alchemetrics. Alchemetry has completed a project to integrate customer information into a platform called Thrust.

This platform has helped Unilever conduct multi-channel campaigns and utilizes customer touchpoints. An example of this is a trademark of Unilever, Dove.

2. British Airways

It uses CRM to automate a series of ongoing campaigns and customer communications.

For airlines that carry more than 45 million passengers to more than 200 destinations, customer service is one of the most critical parts of operations.

And on a very competitive airline, excellent customer service can be a distinguishing feature.

However, to serve your customers better, you need to understand them very well and use insights effectively. For this reason, British Airways (BA) has decided to use CRM software to achieve this.

BA has decided to include CRM Teradata in Integrated Commercial Warehouses (ICW) to reduce the cost of running a North American campaign and reduce overall external costs.

Teradata CRM allows BA to have email, direct mail, call center, and web feeds in one interface. It provides a platform for their marketing communications, including information about Executive Clubs and BARC (Registered Customers Online BA).

BA can create customer loyalty programs. The advantages of the Executive Club are:

Every customer can participate for free, and there are no fees at this time.
There are benefits because special offers and user data are stored to book flights in the future easily.
Club members receive personalized and targeted communication.
You can get progress points through levels that include blue, silver, gold.

They also managed to free up resources because the analysis team was reduced from 8 to 3. Due to more complex customer reports, the volume of marketing questions increased by 150%.

Marketing costs are reduced because companies increase their email campaigns and reduce their email campaigns. This has helped the company take a new direction with modern strategies and records and revenue growth.

Volvo Construction Equipment integrates multi-channel marketing strategies to increase sales through CRM tools. The company also had a goal to increase leads to sales conversion.

To increase revenue, you need to be able to interact with customers and track interactions across channels.

For Volvo, the challenge is to win more customers. They chose SEO and social media.

Volvo CE uses search engines to drive traffic to its website. When these visitors visit their website, Volvo CE tries to make them a prominent customer by having them subscribe to their monthly bulletin.

Interested parties can also register for a bi-monthly bulletin about the equipment used. For example, a Volvo CE ad posted nearly 300,000 impressions on Facebook.

Of this, 9,485 people clicked on the ad, and 27 turned out to be direct sales for the sale of high-quality products.

They succeeded in leading around $2,000, a reduction in the price of tin (CPL) 30%. When this connection is generated, their data is entered into Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

This is quite easy to implement because the Exact Target (ESP) e-mail service provider is integrated with CRM and its website.

This will send an email about the product that interests you. This means that email is tailored to the specific needs of each user.

They can identify their needs based on the pages they visit on their website, the products they buy, and other relevant information.

4. Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo uses CRM connectivity for social media to attract customers and increase sales Wells Fargo is one of the Big Four banks in the US, with around 70 million customers. With this large number of customers, there is a need for active customer service.

One place where you can offer this service is social media. Wells Fargo uses Salesforce to track all brand names on various social media platforms.

In this way, Wells Fargo can answer consumer questions and respond to their complaints.

In 2013, Wells Fargo was mentioned more than one million times on social media. It consists of positive and negative mentions. With their CRM software, they can track all these titles and communicate with users who are interested in Wells Fargo services.

Cisco uses CRM to increase team productivity and identify new opportunities.

Cisco wants to improve the performance of its advanced technology specialists. They want solutions that will enable real-time, mission-critical, and company-wide collaboration.

Because this is all about completing complex customer requests, a product sales specialist can only spend 30% of his time on strategic activities such as making and selling sales.

As a result, the company implemented the WebEx program to simplify the process. This program is used to solve complex customer problems and to work with fast response teams who are trained to answer tactical questions.

After this implementation, sales representatives spend 20% more time on productive and strategic tasks. They also increase external interactions by 40% and reduce work time by an average of 10%.

Also, users are more satisfied with their services and an average of 4.88 on a five-point scale. All this was achieved by reducing travel costs by 40 to 60% in three quarters.

This is an example of CRM to increase employee productivity in customer service.

6. Bespoke Special Collection

The four Bespoke Collection brands are the best wine, beautiful works of art, and unique customer experiences.

They are tailor-made to provide the highest level of customer experience known to build deep relationships through their loyalty and membership programs.

The Bespoke team also worked hard to understand customer and company behavior related to buying habits.

With the growth of the bespoke customer base, customer data management has become a real challenge.

With the introduction of a CRM solution, business leaders have been able to offer their customers the personal attention their organization has determined from the start.

Investing in social technology provides comprehensive insights about customers that go beyond the frequency of visits and monetary values.

This enables Bespoke to add more interest-based content to local customers and attract potential customers for a more predictable and personalized experience.

7. Activision

Activision is known to players around the world as the brand behind some of the most popular video games. Founded in 1979, the company is active in more than 15 countries.

Modern Warfare 3 2011 edition was the biggest and most successful entertainment startup of its time, generating more than $400 million in the first 24 hours. This is just one of the benchmarks of Activision's success.

The company is proud to offer its players an extraordinary experience that will make them happy and satisfied for a long time after purchase.

Activision uses cloud marketing to monitor social media conversations that are relevant to their products.

The Cloud Service then helps Activision track the calls. Because social media customer service is more cost-effective than traditional methods, Activision has been able to reduce the annual cost of ownership of customer service by 25%.

When it comes to automation and CRM, businesses need to understand that human input is still required, especially at the initial stages of its implementation.

If you want to get started with marketing automation, speak with our expert team at Bloominari, a Marketing Automation Company based in San Diego.

Want to share your expertise with our readers? Learn how to become a contributing author

marketingtips
crmsoftware

Jaime Nacach

Marketing strategist.

I love helping small businesses with their digital marketing and business strategy. I'm a young man with a passion in entrepreneurship and international experience in business development, marketing, sales, and web/graphic design.

Find me on: Team Page | LinkedIn | Google+ | Personal Website

Ukraine 2022

After much consideration, as of today, we have decided to suspend business with Russia and Belarus. We believe this is the most prudent course of action in an extremely uncertain situation. We will of course continue to monitor and assess the situation and will contact you again when circumstances allow.

Welcome back to WARC!

We’ve made some exciting changes since your last visit, bringing you:

Latest category insights straight to your homepage
A new Evidence series on key marketing questions
Category campaign data from recent case studies

Please scan the QR code

10 CRM studies you need to read before you select your next CRM

Take a look at these CRM case studies before deciding which is the best software for your needs

British Airways

Wells fargo.

1. Uber

3. British Airways

4. Wells Fargo

6. McDonald's

8. Unilever

9. Activision

10. Amazon

In a crowded market, discerning what the best CRM software is to meet your needs is difficult. Reviews, statistics, and user feedback are all useful, of course, but sometimes reading evidence of how a brand has employed a CRM tool as part of a specific project is what is really needed to convince businesses that a particular piece of software is a good fit.

The need for a trustworthy CRM case study is made even more pressing given the sheer number of solutions on the market - many with their own strengths and weaknesses, as well as target audiences. For example, would a list of the best CRM for startups be relevant for your company? Or would the best recruitment CRM be more suitable? There are also the best insurance CRMs , the best CRMs for real estate , the best sales CRM , and more to consider.

One of the best ways of answering, “ What is CRM software? ” is to look at the tools already on the market and then, if you want to see how they have been employed effectively by brands in the past, examining some high-profile CRM case studies should be next on your agenda. Below, we outline 10 CRM studies that will demonstrate the full potential of this powerful solution and how it’s been used across a wide range of industries.

Reader Offer: Save 18% on Monday.com annual memberships Monday.com is an easy-to-use and customizable work management platform, enabling teams of all sizes to plan, manage and centralize work. Get started now and boost your team's communication and productivity.

Preferred partner ( What does this mean? )

The 10 CRM studies you need to read

Close up of UBER sign at their headquarters in San Francisco's SOMA district

Today, Uber is known the world over for having disrupted mobility completely, garnering a valuation that dwarfs that of more established players in the automotive space - despite owning zero vehicle assets itself. However, despite its future-first ethos, Uber still depends on CRM software to ensure it is able to harness the huge quantities of data at its disposal.

Uber uses Salesforce CRM software to extract data from individuals who engage with its brand on social media, ensuring that interactions are monitored, complaints are responded to, and all feedback can be put towards the creation of a better customer experience. By piecing all relevant data within a holistic dashboard, Uber can tailor offers, recommendations, and promotions based on previous customer interactions.

Uber has always understood that the real value lies in customer data - not simply providing a transportation service. That’s why it makes more sense to think of it as a technology company; not a taxi firm. With that in mind, finding a suitable CRM platform has long been critical to Uber’s success. This has allowed the company to monitor customer behavior and riding habits - even as it experiences rapid growth.

Another of the great disruptors of the 21st-centrury economy, Airbnb couldn’t have achieved its huge success without relying on a suitable CRM solution. The scale of the Airbnb platform is mind-boggling. The platform boasts more than 100 million guests globally, has listings in 65,000 cities and 191 countries, and is used by an estimated one in every four leisure travellers.

This scale means that Airbnb is privy to huge quantities of data and faces a seriously large number of queries every day. To manage this, Airbnb decided to make use of the Zendesk CRM , which offered the scalability, reliability, and uptime needed to facilitate growth as the number of hosts and guests using the platform continued to rise rapidly.

Airbnb’s Global Customer Experience team uses Zendesk to provide real-time support to customers across multiple channels, with every contact recorded within Zendesk Support. Zebdesk also empowers Airbnb to gain a grip of customer data by providing a 360-degree view of each customer. This means support can be personalized and a better customer experience can be delivered.

The travel industry has bounced back remarkably well after being decimated by the pandemic. Brands have had to reconsider how their revenues are driven, however, with global airline capacity taking several years to return to pre-COVID levels. One of the ways that brands have attracted tourists back in the air is with value-add services like the British Airways Executive Club.

Utilizing the Teradata CRM, the British Airways Executive Club is a loyalty scheme that allows individuals to earn points by purchasing flights, hotel stays, or car rentals through British Airways or its partners. Customers can also save their preferences so repeat bookings are smoother, ensuring a seamless customer experience. They also have the opportunity to work their way up the membership ranks, achieving blue, bronze, silver, gold, or Premier membership.

The British Airways Executive Club demonstrates how CRM solutions can be used to strengthen customer loyalty. The platform allows the airline to keep track of customer preferences so it can offer targeted deals based on their membership level and past bookings.

One of the largest banks in the US, Wells Fargo manages sensitive information for approximately 70 million individuals. But even with its considerable scale, Wells Fargo must continue to uphold the highest standards of customer service - particularly given the competitive nature of its industry. As well as other established financial institutions, organizations like Wells Fargo have also seen their market share come under threat from new fintech start-ups.

In light of the increasingly competitive financial sector, Wells Fargo employs a CRM solution to ensure its many different departments run smoothly and customer communication is seamlessly enabled. This means empowering social media connectivity and collating customer contact across multiple channels.

Wells Fargo has revealed that its use of a CRM has enabled it to greatly increase efficiency so greater focus can be placed on high-value work because certain manual tasks can be streamlined or even automated. This has led to the creation of more optimized platforms, allowing the bank to save time and energy and ensuring customers receive better service.

Once the world’s number one smartphone manufacturer, Nokia’s brand still carries some considerable heft - even if the likes of Apple , Samsung , and Google have taken its smartphone crown. Nokia’s use of the Salesforce CRM has played a major role in ensuring that the company continues to generate significant revenues in a fast-changing market.

One of the major challenges facing Nokia before it began using the Salesforce CRM was how to manage the diversity and scale of its products and markets across different geographies and languages. Salesforce allows Nokia to more easily organize its data - no matter how spread out it is.

Salesforce allows Nokia to select and segment data into specific target groups for more effective lead generation. It has also led to the creation of the Nokia Intelligent Care Assistant, which integrates directly with the Salesforce Service Cloud. This collaboration provides a holistic subscriber view, which enables truly omnichannel customer service, including proactive support. Although Nokia’s brand may not carry the same weight as it once did, without the company’s employment of the Salesforce CRM, it may no longer be around at all.

The fast-food giant McDonald’s has become one of the most recognizable brands in the world - but their success is down to more than just flipping burgers. McDonald’s has a long-running partnership with CRM platform Astute Solutions, which provides the restaurant chain with detailed insights on customer satisfaction levels and other forms of feedback. Providing a breakdown by region or individual restaurant, Astute enables McDonald’s to quickly identify potential customer issues so they can be remediated swiftly.

With McDonald’s serving an estimated 60 million people every day, managing the huge amount of data at its disposal is key to providing a quality service. As such, the company’s CRM provides real-time access to customer information, integrates data from across a network consisting of thousands of restaurants, and provides accurate reports for managers.

Despite McDonald’s global standing, the fast-food space is a crowded one and the restaurant chain is always looking to open new sites and launch new products. In order to gain visibility into what customers want and how best to capture potential new customers, data is key. For an organization of McDonald’s size, managing this data has only been made possible through its use of a CRM.

The automotive space has undergone massive change in recent years and further evolution is predicted for the not-too-distant future. Even though BMW may have been around since the early 1900s, it knows that no firm is immune from disruption - even those that have existed for over a century.

With most vehicles now incorporating an increasing number of software solutions, they represent an effective way for firms to harvest, collate, and analyze data. BMW uses a CRM to realize the benefits that can be unlocked through this data, by capturing data from multiple sources including - whether that includes dealerships, web pages, call centers , SMS, or through direct marketing .

In addition, CRM software has played an essential role in the company’s loyalty scheme, “The Owner’s Circle.” This lets BMW owners of old or new cars register their vehicles online and monitor their car’s financing and maintenance. All this helps to strengthen the post-purchase relationship between the vehicle owner and BMW, allowing them to check the status of their new car order, view the maintenance history of a used car, or get reminders about upcoming service milestones. It’s about maintaining engagement after a transaction has been completed.

One of the world’s largest producers of consumer goods, Unilever manufactures a host of items that are commonly purchased by households across the world, including Dove. Persil, Domestos, and many more. Given the sheer number of goods Unilever produces, it understandably handles a huge amount of customer data. Using SAP’s CRM, Unilever was able to improve its call center capabilities and increase the productivity of its consumer-facing teams.

Unilever has also employed CRM tools to capture real-time information from customer surveys across and run targeted campaigns to capture customer data. The company’s use of the technology has allowed for faster response times to consumer queries and more efficient maintenance of customer databases.

Unilever represents a great example of how CRM tools can provide clarity and unity to a company that has grown far beyond its domestic market and offers products that spread across multiple categories and industries. The analytics functionality, in particular, allows Unilever to better understand consumer challenges allowing the company to apply its innovations and digitalization efforts to the launch of new products.

Activision Blizzard headquarters in Santa Monica, California, US, on Monday, May 15, 2023.

Video game maker Activision is responsible for some of the most popular series in the world, including the likes of Call of Duty , Crash Bandicoot, Guitar Hero, and many others. But where Activision’s only real concern was ensuring sales figures were high enough, now the company’s aim is to build long-lasting customer relationships. For that, a CRM is key.

Making use of the Salesforce CRM, Activision was able to completely overhaul its customer service offering. Before employing the CRM, almost half of all customers experiencing an issue spoke to an Activision rep over the telephone, but today 82% use an online self-service portal, with 10% opting for social channels. This has had a major impact in terms of cost reduction and customer satisfaction levels.

Because of the way that the Salesforce CRM can scour social networks for relevant posts, Activision has been able to get much closer to the gaming community. As such, it has become easier to understand their likes, dislikes, needs, and issues. Challenges have been resolved faster and insights have been put towards the creation of the next blockbuster game

Amazon may be one of the biggest companies in the world but it still requires third-party help in the form of a CRM solution. The e-commerce juggernaut not only provides an online retail site but also offers a popular cloud computing service in the form of Amazon Web Services, which has been using Salesforce CRM since 2006.

Elsewhere, Amazon has crafted its own bespoke CRM strategy to ensure it offers native integration with other Amazon software. The technology giant uses its CRM to share personalized offers and promotions with customers, collect data en masse and store it, and provide recommendations based on an individual’s purchase history.

In the years since its founding, Amazon has seen plenty of companies come and go, but still, it remains top of the tree. Over the years, the company has understood that what sets it apart is not the products it offers, but the data that it has access to. And the best way of managing this is through a CRM.

Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!

Barclay has been writing about technology for a decade, starting out as a freelancer with ITProPortal covering everything from London’s start-up scene to comparisons of the best cloud storage services. After that, he spent some time as the managing editor of an online outlet focusing on cloud computing, furthering his interest in virtualization, Big Data, and the Internet of Things.

"Most epic fail" — CrowdStrike President accepts award after global IT outage

Wipr Review

AI will clean up your next video's messy look and sound

HBS Case Selections

NIO: A Chinese EV Company's Global Strategy

William C. Kirby
Noah B. Truwit

India: Will the Giant Emerge?

Christian H.M. Ketels
Radhika Kak

JPMorgan Chase in Paris

Joseph L. Bower
Dante Roscini
Elena Corsi
Michael Norris

OpenAI: Idealism Meets Capitalism

Shikhar Ghosh
Shweta Bagai

Generative AI and the Future of Work

Christopher Stanton
Matt Higgins

Copilot(s): Generative AI at Microsoft and GitHub

Frank Nagle
Shane Greenstein
Maria P. Roche
Nataliya Langburd Wright
Sarah Mehta

Innovation at Moog Inc.

Brian J. Hall
Ashley V. Whillans
Davis Heniford
Dominika Randle
Caroline Witten

Innovation at Google Ads: The Sales Acceleration and Innovation Labs (SAIL) (A)

Linda A. Hill
Emily Tedards

Juan Valdez: Innovation in Caffeination

Michael I. Norton
Jeremy Dann

UGG Steps into the Metaverse

Shunyuan Zhang
Sharon Joseph
Sunil Gupta
Julia Kelley

Metaverse Wars

David B. Yoffie

Roblox: Virtual Commerce in the Metaverse

Ayelet Israeli
Nicole Tempest Keller

Timnit Gebru: "SILENCED No More" on AI Bias and The Harms of Large Language Models

Tsedal Neeley
Stefani Ruper

Hugging Face: Serving AI on a Platform

Kerry Herman
Sarah Gulick

SmartOne: Building an AI Data Business

Karim R. Lakhani
Pippa Tubman Armerding
Gamze Yucaoglu
Fares Khrais

Honeywell and the Great Recession (A)

Sandra J. Sucher
Susan Winterberg

Target: Responding to the Recession

Ranjay Gulati
Catherine Ross
Richard S. Ruback
Royce Yudkoff

Hometown Foods: Changing Price Amid Inflation

Julian De Freitas
Jeremy Yang
Das Narayandas

Elon Musk's Big Bets

Eric Baldwin

Elon Musk: Balancing Purpose and Risk

Tesla's ceo compensation plan.

Krishna G. Palepu
John R. Wells
Gabriel Ellsworth

China Rapid Finance: The Collapse of China's P2P Lending Industry

Bonnie Yining Cao
John P. McHugh

Forbidden City: Launching a Craft Beer in China

Christopher A. Bartlett
Carole Carlson

Booking.com

Stefan Thomke
Daniela Beyersdorfer

Innovation at Uber: The Launch of Express POOL

Chiara Farronato
Alan MacCormack

Racial Discrimination on Airbnb (A)

Michael Luca
Scott Stern
Hyunjin Kim

Unilever's Response to the Future of Work

William R. Kerr
Emilie Billaud
Mette Fuglsang Hjortshoej

AT&T, Retraining, and the Workforce of Tomorrow

Joseph B. Fuller
Carl Kreitzberg

Leading Change in Talent at L'Oreal

Lakshmi Ramarajan
Vincent Dessain
Emer Moloney
William W. George
Andrew N. McLean

Eve Hall: The African American Investment Fund in Milwaukee

Steven S. Rogers
Alterrell Mills

United Housing - Otis Gates

Mercer Cook

The Home Depot: Leadership in Crisis Management

Herman B. Leonard
Marc J. Epstein
Melissa Tritter

The Great East Japan Earthquake (B): Fast Retailing Group's Response

Hirotaka Takeuchi
Kenichi Nonomura
Dena Neuenschwander
Meghan Ricci
Kate Schoch
Sergey Vartanov

Insurer of Last Resort?: The Federal Financial Response to September 11

David A. Moss
Sarah Brennan

Under Armour

Rory McDonald
Clayton M. Christensen
Daniel West
Jonathan E. Palmer
Tonia Junker

Hunley, Inc.: Casting for Growth

John A. Quelch
James T. Kindley

Bitfury: Blockchain for Government

Mitchell B. Weiss

Deutsche Bank: Pursuing Blockchain Opportunities (A)

Lynda M. Applegate
Christoph Muller-Bloch

Maersk: Betting on Blockchain

Scott Johnson

Yum! Brands

Jordan Siegel
Christopher Poliquin

Bharti Airtel in Africa

Tanya Bijlani

Li & Fung 2012

F. Warren McFarlan
Michael Shih-ta Chen
Keith Chi-ho Wong

Sony and the JK Wedding Dance

John Deighton
Leora Kornfeld

United Breaks Guitars

David dao on united airlines.

Benjamin Edelman
Jenny Sanford

Marketing Reading: Digital Marketing

Joseph Davin

Social Strategy at Nike

Mikolaj Jan Piskorski
Ryan Johnson

The Tate's Digital Transformation

Social strategy at american express, mellon financial and the bank of new york.

Carliss Y. Baldwin
Ryan D. Taliaferro

The Walt Disney Company and Pixar, Inc.: To Acquire or Not to Acquire?

Juan Alcacer
David J. Collis

Dow's Bid for Rohm and Haas

Benjamin C. Esty

Finance Reading: The Mergers and Acquisitions Process

John Coates

Apple: Privacy vs. Safety? (A)

Henry W. McGee
Nien-he Hsieh
Sarah McAra

Sidewalk Labs: Privacy in a City Built from the Internet Up

Leslie K. John

Data Breach at Equifax

Suraj Srinivasan
Quinn Pitcher
Jonah S. Goldberg

Apple's Core

Noam Wasserman

Design Thinking and Innovation at Apple

Barbara Feinberg

Apple Inc. in 2012

Penelope Rossano

Iz-Lynn Chan at Far East Organization (Abridged)

Anthony J. Mayo
Dana M. Teppert

Barbara Norris: Leading Change in the General Surgery Unit

Boris Groysberg
Nitin Nohria
Deborah Bell

Adobe Systems: Working Towards a "Suite" Release (A)

David A. Thomas
Lauren Barley

Home Nursing of North Carolina

Castronics, llc, gemini investors, angie's list: ratings pioneer turns 20.

Robert J. Dolan

Basecamp: Pricing

Frank V. Cespedes
Robb Fitzsimmons

J.C. Penney's "Fair and Square" Pricing Strategy

J.c. penney's 'fair and square' strategy (c): back to the future.

Jose B. Alvarez

Osaro: Picking the best path

James Palano
Bastiane Huang

HubSpot and Motion AI: Chatbot-Enabled CRM

Thomas Steenburgh

GROW: Using Artificial Intelligence to Screen Human Intelligence

Ethan S. Bernstein
Paul D. McKinnon
Paul Yarabe

GitLab and the Future of All-Remote Work (A)

Prithwiraj Choudhury
Emma Salomon

TCS: From Physical Offices to Borderless Work

Creating a virtual internship at goldman sachs.

Iavor Bojinov
Jan W. Rivkin

Starbucks Coffee Company: Transformation and Renewal

Nancy F. Koehn
Kelly McNamara
Nora N. Khan
Elizabeth Legris

JCPenney: Back in Business

K. Shelette Stewart
Christine Snively

Arup: Building the Water Cube

Robert G. Eccles
Amy C. Edmondson
Dilyana Karadzhova

(Re)Building a Global Team: Tariq Khan at Tek

Managing a global team: greg james at sun microsystems, inc. (a).

Thomas J. DeLong

Organizational Behavior Reading: Leading Global Teams

Ron ventura at mitchell memorial hospital.

Heide Abelli

Anthony Starks at InSiL Therapeutics (A)

Gary P. Pisano
Vicki L. Sato

Wolfgang Keller at Konigsbrau-TAK (A)

John J. Gabarro

The 2010 Chilean Mining Rescue (A)

Faaiza Rashid

IDEO: Human-Centered Service Design

Ryan W. Buell
Andrew Otazo
Benjamin Jones
Alexis Brownell

Midland Energy Resources, Inc.: Cost of Capital

Timothy A. Luehrman
Joel L. Heilprin

Globalizing the Cost of Capital and Capital Budgeting at AES

Mihir A. Desai
Doug Schillinger

Cost of Capital at Ameritrade

Mark Mitchell
Erik Stafford

Finance Reading: Cost of Capital

Circles: series d financing.

Paul W. Marshall
Kristin J. Lieb
William A. Sahlman
Michael J. Roberts

Andreessen Horowitz

Thomas R. Eisenmann

Entrepreneurship Reading: Partnering with Venture Capitalists

Jeffrey J. Bussgang

David Neeleman: Flight Path of a Servant Leader (A)

Matthew D. Breitfelder

Coach Hurley at St. Anthony High School

Scott A. Snook
Bradley C. Lawrence

Shapiro Global

Michael Brookshire
Monica Haugen
Michelle Kravetz
Sarah Sommer

Kathryn McNeil (A)

Joseph L. Badaracco Jr.
Jerry Useem

Carol Fishman Cohen: Professional Career Reentry (A)

Myra M. Hart
Robin J. Ely
Susan Wojewoda

Alex Montana at ESH Manufacturing Co.

Michael Kernish

Michelle Levene (A)

Tiziana Casciaro
Victoria W. Winston

John and Andrea Rice: Entrepreneurship and Life

Howard H. Stevenson
Janet Kraus
Shirley M. Spence

Partner Center

Reimagining the employee experience

Understanding the challenges.

Unilever asked us for a vision for its employees globally – a world-class experience which would be dynamic and personalized.

Unilever saw an opportunity to simplify the way employees found information through its many processes, systems and content resources. They realized that such a change would also free up support agents’ time to focus on higher value human interactions.

To understand how the employees felt, we asked them directly. We conducted a qualitative study of one-to-one interviews with employees of all levels, across different markets.

Co-designing the vision

Using this valuable insight, Accenture worked collaboratively with Unilever to co-design their vision, including a Rumble™ that generated ideas to explore and develop. Our long-standing relationship with Unilever brought a deep understanding of their business, which, coupled with our service design approach, enabled the co-creation of a groundbreaking, real vision built on what mattered most to Unilever’s employees.

Unilever had articulated three core pillars that would inspire their new employee experience: human experiences, simple interactions, meaningful impact.

The “Employee Universe” was created to enable the vision, which comprised a matrix of interconnected components, fronted by a chatbot named Una. We created Una’s personality, and designed her human-like conversation to reinforce Unilever’s brand and values. Una becomes a personal assistant, guiding the employee to what they need in that moment. Her conversations were contextually relevant, and continuously improved through a built-in learning loop.

Test, learn and iterate

We ran a “Living Lab”, whereby we would rapidly test, assess and fine-tune throughout to ensure we maximized Una’s impact. We delivered a Proof of Value to demonstrate how new hires would feel about using AI chatbot technology to answer day-to-day queries and test and iterate the underpinning technology.

Employees who tested the pilot enjoyed their initial experience of using Una, giving her a rating of 4.6/5, and 85% employee satisfaction. Our vision and chatbot, plus Living Lab, became the foundation for a broader program of transforming the employee experience at Unilever.

MORE CASE STUDIES

Marriott international.

Travel innovation

First-class ticket to tomorrow

Auris Health

Revolutionizing endoscopy

Connect with us

Unilever goes cloud-only: Accenture and Microsoft complete one of the largest cloud migrations in consumer goods industry

Share on Facebook (opens new window)
Share on LinkedIn (opens new window)
Share on Twitter (opens new window)

Various bottles and packages of products

London and Redmond, Wash., April 3, 2023 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN), Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Unilever (LSE: ULVR) have completed one of the largest and most complex cloud migrations in the consumer goods industry. The migration has helped Unilever – whose 400+ brands are used by 3.4 billion people daily – become a cloud-only enterprise.

Accenture and Microsoft, together with their joint venture, Avanade, worked closely with Unilever to deliver the transformation in just 18 months with minimal disruption to business operations. It has not only helped ensure resilient, secure and optimized operations for Unilever but also provides a platform to drive innovation and growth.

With Azure as its primary cloud platform, Unilever will be able to accelerate product launches, enhance customer service and improve operational efficiency. Additionally, the move to Azure aligns with Unilever’s sustainability commitment by helping the company to build on the progress it’s making towards curbing carbon emissions.

The creation of an agile, high-performing digital core that delivers greater efficiency will provide Unilever with increased computing power to explore new ways of working. Unilever’s adoption of a cloud-only approach will significantly improve business resilience, strengthening security and enhancing control of the IT landscape.

Accenture, Microsoft and Unilever have set a new benchmark for cloud transformation in the consumer goods industry, including:

Unlocking new innovation opportunities, such as utilizing industrial metaverse technologies that use real-time data from factory digital twins to accelerate (light house) factories of the future and build upon existing cloud data platform to power insights and predictions.
Accelerating the ability to identify trends and make decisions faster. By leveraging the power of the cloud, artificial intelligence and its strong data foundation, Unilever can forecast and adapt to changing market needs faster than ever before. For example, this will enable Unilever to achieve perpetual breakthroughs in research and development, allowing for new and innovative products to be developed faster and with greater efficiency.
Embracing the latest in AI to drive better experiences by applying Azure OpenAI Service across Unilever’s business to drive increased automation, enabling better customer and employee experiences.
Reducing its carbon footprint by exiting its datacenters and introducing Green Cloud Advisor, which facilitates Unilever’s transition to a more sustainable and efficient cloud environment.

Steve McCrystal, Chief Enterprise & Technology Officer, Unilever said, “Unilever is a truly data-powered organization. We’re using advanced analytics to make better-informed decisions quicker than ever before. Working with Accenture and Microsoft on this global transformation project, we can respond to ever-changing consumer needs faster, allocate our resources more effectively to focus on what drives growth, and bring services and products to the market faster.”

Nicole van Det, Senior Managing Director and Global Account Executive, Accenture said, “the path to business resilience now and in the future is through total enterprise reinvention – which involves the transformation of every part of the business – with cloud at the core. With access to the full continuum of cloud capabilities, including generative AI, Unilever has the elasticity to drive innovation faster, accelerate growth and continue to set the pace as a digital powerhouse and leader in its industry.”

“Together with Accenture, we’re proud to expand our longstanding partnership with Unilever,” said Judson Althoff, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, Microsoft. “With Microsoft Azure as its cloud foundation, Unilever’s end-to-end digitization will enable rapid innovation across its entire business. From embracing the industrial metaverse across its factories to reimagining how its lines of business can do more with tools like Azure OpenAI Service, Unilever’s digital-first approach will empower it to grow resiliently and exceed the industry’s pace of innovation.”

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world’s leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent and innovation led company with 738,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world’s leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability. We are uniquely able to deliver tangible outcomes because of our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Accenture Song. These capabilities, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients succeed and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com .

About Microsoft

Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

About Unilever

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition and Ice Cream products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 3.4 billion people every day. We have 148,000 employees and generated sales of €60.1 billion in 2022. Our vision is to be the global leader in sustainable business and to demonstrate how our purpose led, future-fit business model drives superior performance. We have a long tradition of being a progressive, responsible business. The Unilever Compass, our sustainable business strategy, is set out to help us deliver superior performance and drive sustainable and responsible growth, while: – improving the health of the planet; – improving people’s health, confidence and wellbeing; – and contributing to a fairer and more socially inclusive world. For more information about Unilever and our brands, please visit www.unilever.com

Media Contacts:

Unilever : [email protected]

Accenture : Tara Burns, London, UK, [email protected]

Microsoft Media Relations, WE Communications for Microsoft, (425) 638-7777, [email protected]

Palantir and Microsoft Partner to Deliver Enhanced Analytics and AI Services to Classified Networks for Critical National Security Operations

Microsoft earnings press release available on Investor Relations website

Microsoft Cloud strength drives fourth quarter results

Microsoft collaborates with Mass General Brigham and University of Wisconsin–Madison to further advance AI foundation models for medical imaging

Microsoft and Lumen Technologies partner to power the future of AI and enable digital transformation to benefit hundreds of millions of customers

Check us out on RSS

Share this page:

Our Expertise

By solutions.

Digital Transformation
Corporate Intranet
Training & Change Management
Migration Services
AI & Automation
Analytics & Business Intelligence
bytechnology
Document Management
Analytics and Business Intelligence
Cloud ERP & CRM

By Technology

Integration Services

Focus Sectors

Insurance Boost efficiency and meet customer needs
Manufacturing Discover smarter ways to increase production
Oil & Gas Optimize production and save costs
Business and Community Make a bigger impact with custom solutions
Construction Meet project deadlines without compromise
Logistics Streamline logistics for optimal performance
Healthcare Deliver better care with the right technology
Legal Empower your practice with robust IT solutions
Finance Drive financial performance to achieve growth

Our Resources

Blog Blogs About Technologies & Applications
Customer Recommendations See What Our Clients Say About Us
Case Studies Discover Our Success Stories
Envisioning Workshop Organize Workshops with Experts
Learn From Experts Get Guidance from Our Domain Experts
Portfolio Visually Explore Some of Our Work
Knowledge Hub Download eBooks, infographics & more
Search for: Search Button

Our Case Studies

Discover how organizations like yours have transformed themselves with our customized IT solutions

The Problem

The solution, website: https://www.unilever.com industry: manufacturing location: canada technology: custom sharepoint framework (spfx) development, digital workplace, intranet, sharepoint online.

Unilever Case study

Revamping Existing Intranet with SharePoint Framework (SPFx): for Unilever

About unilever.

Unilever , a global company with a global purpose with over 400 brand names in 190 countries, has been operating for 125+ years in Canada. They are a leader in sustainable business. Their portfolio includes some of the iconic brands we all come across in our everyday lives: Dove, Knorr, Hellmann’s, Lipton, Magnum, and Axe, to name a few.

Management and Collaboration Issues within Unilever

Unilever, a global brand, has over 200,000 professionals worldwide who work with clients and external consultants, thousands of partners, customers, and vendors; the scale of that teamwork is truly immense—sharing content among that matrix of internal and external colleagues without oversharing presented a challenge. With the outbreak of COVID-19, the crisis has hastened the need for remote collaboration and staying connected. They operated over 30 sites for different departments, designs, and architecture. They wanted to standardize and apply the same corporate theme across all sites, which would be used by suppliers, customers, partners, and employees. Their primary focus is on making collaboration as secure as possible.

Enhancing Collaborative Efficiency with SharePoint Framework (SPFx)

Collaboration is a multifaceted process requiring exquisite attention to protecting internal data and that of its clients, partners, and other external parties. Our team at Evolvous planned and executed the brand-new intranet for Unilever with their desired custom branding and security. Following an analysis of the customer’s requirements, their corporate landing page was redesigned with a news carousel, document storage, and quick links to essential information about corporate branding. It also consisted of

a monthly employee newsletter,
recent press releases,
upcoming events,
time zone, weather, and
an image gallery.

Our team built out different sites on SharePoint for different groups, leveraging SPFx web parts, such as customers, partners, and sellers, to self-serve the information they needed.

The Results Achieved through SPFx Development

With the current intranet in place, the team at Unilever now experiences improved collaboration and improved capabilities. The look and feel of their intranet sites match their corporate theme and branding.

Documentation is organized, and access to information is faster and easier.
The intranet increased their productivity and streamlined the processes.
Dedicated department sites have broken down the departmental silos and have made knowledge management less confusing and more organized.
The brand recognized that SharePoint was another essential way to meet the urgent need to communicate with colleagues, customers, partners, and sellers.
As a result, the Unilever team can now manage their environment more securely and effectively.

Key Performance Indicator Metrics

Total Workforce Impacted

Increase in Productivity

Reduction in Security and Data Integrity Issues

Fill out the form below to download case study.

Error: Contact form not found.

Evolvous is a software consulting firm in Canada offering services for document management, intranet development, business analytics, Robotic Process Automation, ERP and CRM, cybersecurity and more.

Email Address

[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Case Studies
Learn From Experts
Envisioning Workshop
Privacy Policy

Our Offices

Toronto office.

1 King Street West, Suite 4800-54 Toronto, ON M5H 1A1 1-888-354-0555

Corporate Office

1001 1 St SE, Calgary, AB T2G 5G3 403-774-7417

United States Office

800 N King Street Suite 304 2161 Wilmington, DE 19801 United States

More Locations

Unilever—A Case Study

This article considers key issues relating to the organization and performance of large multinational firms in the post-Second World War period. Although foreign direct investment is defined by ownership and control, in practice the nature of that "control" is far from straightforward. The issue of control is examined, as is the related question of the "stickiness" of knowledge within large international firms. The discussion draws on a case study of the Anglo-Dutch consumer goods manufacturer Unilever, which has been one of the largest direct investors in the United States in the twentieth century. After 1945 Unilever's once successful business in the United States began to decline, yet the parent company maintained an arms-length relationship with its U.S. affiliates, refusing to intervene in their management. Although Unilever "owned" large U.S. businesses, the question of whether it "controlled" them was more debatable.

Some of the central issues related to the organization and performance of multinationals after the Second World War can be illustrated by studying the case of Unilever in the United States. Since Unilever's creation in 1929 by a merger of British and Dutch soap and margarine companies, 1 it has ranked as one of Europe's, and the world's, largest consumer-goods companies. Its sales of $45,679 million in 2000 ranked it fifty-fourth by revenues in the Fortune 500 list of largest companies for that year.

A Complex Organization

Unilever was an organizational curiosity in that, since 1929, it has been headed by two separate British and Dutch companies—Unilever Ltd. (PLC after 1981), and Unilever N.V.—with different sets of shareholders but identical boards of directors. An "Equalization Agreement" provided that the two companies should at all times pay dividends of equivalent value in sterling and guilders. There were two head offices—in London and Rotterdam—and two chairmen. Until 1996 the "chief executive" role was performed by a three-person Special Committee consisting of the two chairmen and one other director.

Beneath the two parent companies a large number of operating companies were active in individual countries. They had many names, often reflecting predecessor firms or companies that had been acquired. Among them were Lever; Van den Bergh & Jurgens; Gibbs; Batchelors; Langnese; and Sunlicht. The name "Unilever" was not used in operating companies or in brand names. Lever Brothers and T. J. Lipton were the two postwar U.S. affiliates. These national operating companies were allocated to either Ltd./PLC or N.V. for historical or other reasons. Lever Brothers was transferred to N.V. in 1937, and until 1987 (when PLC was given a 25 percent shareholding) Unilever's business in the United States was wholly owned by N.V. Unilever's business, and, as a result, counted as part of Dutch foreign direct investment (FDI) in the country. Unilever and its Anglo-Dutch twin Royal Dutch Shell formed major elements in the historically large Dutch FDI in the United States. 2 However, the fact that all dividends were remitted to N.V. in the Netherlands did not mean that the head office in Rotterdam exclusively managed the U.S. affiliates. The Special Committee had both Dutch and British members, and directors and functional departments were based in both countries and had managerial responsibilities without regard for the formality of N.V. or Ltd./PLC ownership. Thus, while ownership lay in the Netherlands, managerial control was Anglo-Dutch.

The organizational complexity was compounded by Unilever's wide portfolio of products and by the changes in these products over time. Edible fats, such as margarine, and soap and detergents were the historical origins of Unilever's business, but decades of diversification resulted in other activities. By the 1950s, Unilever manufactured convenience foods, such as frozen foods and soup, ice cream, meat products, and tea and other drinks. It manufactured personal care products, including toothpaste, shampoo, hairsprays, and deodorants. The oils and fats business also led Unilever into specialty chemicals and animal feeds. In Europe, its food business spanned all stages of the industry, from fishing fleets to retail shops. Among its range of ancillary services were shipping, paper, packaging, plastics, and advertising and market research. Unilever also owned a trading company, called the United Africa Company, which began by importing and exporting into West Africa but, beginning in the 1950s, turned to investing heavily in local manufacturing, especially brewing and textiles. The United Africa Company employed around 70,000 people in the 1970s and was the largest modern business enterprise in West Africa. 3 Unilever's total employment was over 350,000 in the mid-1970s, or around seven times larger than that of Procter & Gamble (hereafter P&G), its main rival in the U.S. detergent and toothpaste markets.

A World-wide Investor

An early multinational investor, by the postwar decades Unilever possessed extensive manufacturing and trading businesses throughout Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Unilever was one of the oldest and largest foreign multinationals in the United States. William Lever, founder of the British predecessor of Unilever, first visited the United States in 1888 and by the turn of the century had three manufacturing plants in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, and Vicksburg, Mississippi. 4 The subsequent growth of the business, which was by no means linear, will be reviewed below, but it was always one of the largest foreign investors in the United States. In 1981, a ranking by sales revenues in Forbes put it in twelfth place. 5

Unilever's longevity as an inward investor provides an opportunity to explore in depth a puzzle about inward FDI in the United States. For a number of reasons, including its size, resources, free-market economy, and proclivity toward trade protectionism, the United States has always been a major host economy for foreign firms. It has certainly been the world's largest host since the 1970s, and probably was before 1914 also. 6 Given that most theories of the multinational enterprise suggest that foreign firms possess an "advantage" when they invest in a foreign market, it might be expected that they would earn higher returns than their domestic competitors. 7 This seems to be the general case, but perhaps not for the United States. Considerable anecdotal evidence exists that many foreign firms have experienced significant and sustained problems in the United States, though it is also possible to counter such reports with case studies of sustained success. 8

During the 1990s a series of aggregate studies using tax and other data pointed toward foreign firms earning lower financial returns than their domestic equivalents in the United States. 9 One explanation for this phenomenon might be transfer pricing, but this has proved hard to verify empirically. The industry mix is another possibility, but recent studies have suggested this is not a major factor. More significant influences appear to be market share position—in general, as a foreign owned firm's market share rose, the gap between its return on assets and those for United States—owned companies decreased—and age of the affiliate, with the return on assets of foreign firms rising with their degree of newness. 10 Related to the age effect, there is also the strong, but difficult to quantify, possibility that foreign firms experienced management problems because of idiosyncratic features of the U.S. economy, including not only its size but also the regulatory system and "business culture." The case of Unilever is instructive in investigating these matters, including the issue of whether managing in the United States was particularly hard, even for a company with experience in managing large-scale businesses in some of the world's more challenging political, economic, and financial locations, like Brazil, India, Nigeria, and Turkey.

The story of Unilever in the United States provides rich new empirical evidence on critical issues relating to the functioning of multinationals and their impact. — Geoffrey Jones

Finally, the story of Unilever in the United States provides rich new empirical evidence on critical issues relating to the functioning of multinationals and their impact. It raises the issue of what is meant by "control" within multinationals. Management and control are at the heart of definitions of multinationals and foreign direct investment (as opposed to portfolio investment), yet these are by no means straightforward concepts. A great deal of the theory of multinationals relates to the benefits—or otherwise—of controlling transactions within a firm rather than using market arrangements. In turn, transaction-cost theory postulates that intangibles like knowledge and information can often be transferred more efficiently and effectively within a firm than between independent firms. There are several reasons for this, including the fact that much knowledge is tacit. Indeed, it is well established that sharing technology and communicating knowledge within a firm are neither easy nor costless, though there have not been many empirical studies of such intrafirm transfers. 11 Orjan Sövell and Udo Zander have recently gone so far as to claim that multinationals are "not particularly well equipped to continuously transfer technological knowledge across national borders" and that their "contribution to the international diffusion of knowledge transfers has been overestimated. 12 This study of Unilever in the United States provides compelling new evidence on this issue.

Lever Brothers In The United States: Building And Losing Competitive Advantage

Lever Brothers, Unilever's first and major affiliate, was remarkably successful in interwar America. After a slow start, especially because of "the obstinate refusal of the American housewife to appreciate Sunlight Soap," Lever's main soap brand in the United Kingdom, the Lever Brothers business in the United States began to grow rapidly under a new president, Francis A. Countway, an American appointed in 1912. 13 Sales rose from $843,466 in 1913, to $12.5 million in 1920, to $18.9 million in 1925. Lever was the first to alert American consumers to the menace of "BO," "Undie Odor," and "Dishpan Hands," and to market the cures in the form of Lifebuoy and Lux Flakes. By the end of the 1930s sales exceeded $90 million, and in 1946 they reached $150 million.

By the interwar years soap had a firmly oligopolistic market structure in the United States. It formed part of the consumer chemicals industry, which sold branded and packaged goods supported by heavy advertising expenditure. In soap, there were also substantial throughput economies, which encouraged concentration. P&G was, to apply Alfred D. Chandler's terminology, "the first mover"; among the main followers were Colgate and Palmolive-Peet, which merged in 1928. Neither P&G nor Colgate Palmolive diversified greatly beyond soap, though P&G's research took it into cooking oils before 1914 and into shampoos in the 1930s. Lever made up the third member of the oligopoly. The three firms together controlled about 80 percent of the U.S. soap market in the 1930s. 14 By the interwar years, this oligopolistic rivalry was extended overseas. Colgate was an active foreign investor, while in 1930 P&G—previously confined to the United States and Canada—acquired a British soap business, which it proceeded to expand, seriously eroding Unilever's market share. 15

The soap and related markets in the United States had a number of characteristics. Although P&G had established a preponderant market share, shares were strongly contested. Entry, other than by acquisition, was already not really an option by the interwar years, so competition took the form of fierce rivalry between incumbent firms with a long experience of one another. During the 1920s and the first half of the 1930s, Lever made substantial progress against P&G. Lever's sales in the United States as a percentage of P&G's sales rose from 14.8 percent between 1924 and 1926 to reach almost 50 percent in 1933. In 1930 P&G suggested purchasing Lever in the United States as part of a world division of markets, but the offer was declined. 16 Lever's success peaked in the early 1930s. Using published figures, Lever estimated its profit as a percentage of capital employed at 26 percent between 1930 and 1932, compared with P&G's 12 percent.

Countway's greatest contribution was in marketing. During the war, Countway put Lever's resources behind Lux soapflakes, promoted as a fine soap that would not damage delicate fabrics just at a time when women's wear was shifting from cotton and lisle to silk and fine fabrics. The campaign featured a variety of tactics, including washing demonstrations at department stores. In 1919 Countway launched Rinso soap powder, coinciding with the advent of the washing machine. In the same year, Lever's agreement with a New York agent to sell its soap everywhere beyond New England was abandoned and a new sales organization was established. Finally, in the mid-1920s, Countway launched, against the advice of the British parent company, a white soap, called "Lux Toilet Soap." J. Walter Thompson was hired to develop a marketing and advertising campaign stressing the glamour of the new product, with very successful results. 17 Lever's share of the U.S. soap market rose from around 2 percent in the early 1920s to 8.5 percent in 1932. 18 Brands were built up by spending heavily on advertising. As a percentage of sales, advertising averaged 25 percent between 1921 and 1933, thereby funding a series of noteworthy campaigns conceived by J. Walter Thompson. This rate of spending was made possible by the low price of oils and fats in the decade and by plowing back profits rather than remitting great dividends. By 1929 Unilever had received $12.2 million from its U.S. business since the time of its start, but thereafter the company reaped benefits, for between 1930 and 1950 cumulative dividends were $50 million. 19

Many foreign firms have experienced significant and sustained problems in the United States. — Geoffrey Jones

After 1933 Lever encountered tougher competition in soap from P&G, though Lever's share of the total U.S. soap market grew to 11 percent in 1938. P&G launched a line of synthetic detergents, including Dreft, in 1933, and came out with Drene, a liquid shampoo, in 1934 both were more effective than solid soap in areas of hard water. However, such products had "teething problems," and their impact on the U.S. market was limited until the war. Countway challenged P&G in another area by entering branded shortening in 1936 with Spry. This also was launched with a massive marketing campaign to attack P&G's Crisco shortening, which had been on sale since 1912. 20 The attack began with a nationwide giveaway of one-pound cans, and the result was "impressive." 21 By 1939 Spry's sales had reached 75 percent of Crisco's, but the resulting price war meant that Lever made no profit on the product until 1941. Lever's sales in general reached as high as 43 percent of P&G's during the early 1940s, and the company further diversified with the purchase of the toothpaste company Pepsodent in 1944. Expansion into margarine followed with the purchase of a Chicago firm in 1948.

The postwar years proved very disappointing for Lever Brothers, for a number of partly related reasons. Countway, on his retirement in 1946, was replaced by the president of Pepsodent, the thirty-four-year-old Charles Luckman, who was credited with the "discovery" of Bob Hope in 1937 when the comedian was used for an advertisement. Countway was a classic "one man band," whose skills in marketing were not matched by much interest in organization building. He never gave much thought to succession, but he liked Luckman. 22 This proved a misjudgment. With his appointment by President Truman to head a food program in Europe at the same time, Luckman became preoccupied with matters outside Lever for a significant portion of his term, though perhaps not to a sufficient degree. Convinced that Lever's management was too old and inbred, he dismissed about 15 percent of the work force soon after taking office, and he completed the transformation by moving the head office from Boston to New York, taking only around one-tenth of the existing executives with him. 23 The head office, constructed in Cambridge by Lever in 1938, was subsequently acquired by MIT and became the Sloan Building.

Luckman's move, which was supported by a firm of management consultants, the Fry Organization of Business Management Experts, was justified on the grounds that the building in Cambridge was not large enough, that it would be easier to find the right personnel in New York, and that Lever would benefit by being closer to the large advertising agencies in the city. 24 There were also rumors that Luckman, who was Jewish, was uncomfortable with what he perceived as widespread anti-Semitism in Boston at that time. The cost of building the New York Park Avenue headquarters, which became established as a "classic" of the new postwar skyscraper, rose steadily from $3.5 million to $6 million. Luckman had trained as an architect at the University of Illinois, and he was very involved in the design of the pioneering New York office.

25 Jun 2024
Research & Ideas

Rapport: The Hidden Advantage That Women Managers Bring to Teams

11 Jun 2024
In Practice

The Harvard Business School Faculty Summer Reader 2024

How transparency sped innovation in a $13 billion wireless sector.

24 Jan 2024

Why Boeing’s Problems with the 737 MAX Began More Than 25 Years Ago

27 Jun 2016

These Management Practices, Like Certain Technologies, Boost Company Performance

Globalization
Consumer Products
Entertainment and Recreation
Food and Beverage
Manufacturing

Sign up for our weekly newsletter

CRM Software

CRM software streamlines your business, improves customer service and increases productivity. With so many to choose from we’re here to help you narrow down the right software for your business.

What is CRM Software?

A CRM (customer relationship management) is, at its core, a database of customer data. CRM systems are increasingly sophisticated, and allow you to organise this data to provide a myriad of customer service, marketing, and sales solutions. A CRM system means you can run your business operations from one place. Businesses of all sizes can benefit from a CRM as well as businesses in any industry. Some providers offer niche systems that fit into one industry, while others are flexible and can be customised to suit various business sizes and industries.

Get Started

The 7 Best CRM Systems for Small Businesses

For small businesses, CRM systems can help consolidate existing customer records and automate a variety of tasks and functions. Since many small businesses are pressed for time, this brings a tremendous productivity boost.

The 10 Best CRM Strategy Examples

Salesperson using sales CRM to make deals in an office

The 9 Best CRMs for Sales Teams

Man in call centre delivering customer service

The Best CRM Systems for Customer Service for 2024

Marketing team brainstorming a new CRM idea

The 7 Best CRM Software for Marketing

Get guidance.

Salesforce Review and Pricing: The Best CRM for Scalability

Maximizer CRM Review

Freshsales vs Salesforce: Prices and Features Comparison

Advice Guides

people working in an office, walking really fast

These Were The World’s Most Productive Countries in 2024

Apple CRM Case Study

Cost Guides

Business owner using free CRM on a tablet in her shop

The Top 7 Free CRM Software Providers

How Much Does CRM Software Really Cost?

Do you currently have a CRM system?

It only takes a minute. Save by comparing CRM software quotes.

Get Inspired

Pipedrive vs. monday CRM: Prices and Features Comparison

Top 7 cheap crm systems.

Finger over button on keyboard labelled 'migration to cloud'

The Best Cloud-Based CRMs

We’re a passionate team of editors, writers, and researchers with over a decade's experience in helping people choose the best solutions for their businesses.

We know that finding the right tools for your team, at the right price for your budget, can be a real challenge – that’s why we work hard to make sure our guides, reviews, and product comparisons are always accurate and helpful.

Your questions answered

Expert Market has specialist teams who have developed in-depth industry knowledge to help you find the best solution for your business.

[email protected]

CRM is typically charged on a per user, per month basis. This fee can be anywhere from as low as £10 per user, per month, to as high as £240 per user, per month.

Most CRM systems are cloud-based which means that your business’ data (files, contacts, documents, the lot) is stored ‘in the cloud’, hosted on servers operated by the CRM provider, rather than on your own premises.

There’s a couple of benefits to this, including both security and convenience – who wants to have a load of expensive equipment taking up valuable office space? The main advantage of cloud-based CRM, though, is that it facilitates remote working.

With cloud-based CRM , information updates in real-time – enabling collaboration across time zones, and bringing together teams situated thousands of kilometres apart. Plus, there’s no expensive hardware to maintain or install – cloud-based CRM is accessible entirely from your web browser.

Yes. CRM software can be used by businesses of any size even if you’re just got started. Starting with a CRM system from the get-go means you can be sure that data, information and important documents are all stored safely and in one place. You don’t need to carry out any data migration or worry about losing information amongst stacks of files and paperwork. Instead, your CRM system will have all the necessary info stored plus be equipped with tons of tools and solutions to make your business much more streamlined and efficient.

IMAGES

Case Study: How 5 B2B Companies Use a CRM to Increase Revenue by 839%
CRM Unilever
PPT
Unilever case study by Adele Animashaun on Prezi
Workbook Crm: Unilever Crm
CRM Pada Unilever

COMMENTS

10 CRM Case Studies From The World's Biggest Brands in 2024
1. Coca-Cola CRM. The Coca-Cola Company is one of the world's oldest and most influential brands. With a presence in over 200 countries, Coca-Cola started as a carbonated soft drink business. Today, it is a conglomerate with over 200 product lines servicing billions of customers globally.
(PDF) Unilever Case Study: Implementing the Real-Time, Digital
Learn how Unilever uses IT technical opportunities to innovate. Starting with business strategy and deriving the IT strategy, this case gives concrete examples for successful innovations.
Unilever grows sustainable brands with Salesforce
Table of Contents. Step 1: Fuel growth and competitive advantage through digital transformation. Step 2: Empower employees to develop their own business apps. Step 3: Accelerate digital transformation with a platform-based approach. Step 4: Build stronger customer connections with personalized journeys and faster response times.
Case Study: How 5 B2B Companies Use a CRM to Increase ...
Let's quickly dive in. 1. Unilever uses CRM to gather real-time customer insights across all channels and to front one-off customer data collection campaigns. Unilever is one of the big brands to understand the importance of having your customers' information in one place and being able to act on it.
Case Study: Unilever
Here's how the brand leverages Bazaarvoice solutions to build loyalty and improve customer satisfaction. 1. Review volume is the foundation of UGC success. Unilever knows firsthand the benefits of UGC. "Reviews instill a lot of trust among consumers and give them the confidence to make a purchase," says Jenna Spivak Evans, Innovation and ...
PDF Unilever TH Sunlight Case Study V5
The UID2 audience-targeting campaign for Unilever's Sunlight brand embraced the challenges of the impending post-cookie era, blending technological innovation with strategic marketing insights. For the first time globally, phone numbers were integrated into a UID2 audience-targeting campaign, and a brand lift study (BLS) was used to measure ...
Unilever: Leading In Digitalisation
Adopting a platform-based approach fast-tracks digital transformation. Unilever also uses Service Cloud and Community Cloud to help its people work in smarter, faster and more agile ways. "We have a small city of around 100,000 Salesforce users - from finance and HR to marketing and R&D," said Moran. "It provides our people with a ...
Unilever CRM Optimization and Strategy
Unilever is one of the world's largest producers of consumer goods, owning household names such as Dove, Axe & Knorr. TASK: Unilever had an ambitious goal to create a billion meaningful one-to-one relationships with its consumers, but brands were currently limited by old legal practices as to how they could engage and target these customers. As a result, customers were being put off by ...
How 7 Companies Use CRM Automation to Increase Revenue
This in-depth article introduces 7 case studies that show you how the best brands use CRM automation tools to increase revenue. 1. Unilever. Unilever uses CRM to capture real-time customer surveys across all channels and run targeted campaigns to capture customer data. With a range of products, it's important to segment customers based on ...
Now it's personal: Unilever's digital journey leads to real results for
One of Unilever's major goals in its digital journey is to become driven by data insights to predict the future — no mean feat for a global giant worth $55 billion, operating in 190 countries. To realize this change, Unilever shifted from a project-based approach to a platform strategy, supported by Microsoft technology and hands-on support.
CRM to Play Key Role in Unilever's Global Marketing
Unilever's renewed emphasis on CRM is seen by some as a direct response to the new customer magazine pitched at mothers recently launched in the UK by Procter & Gamble. Unilever's global relationship marketing activity is set for significant expansion, with responsibility for the discipline handed to one of the fmcg giant's most senior ...
PDF Case study: Unilever
Case study: Unilever Helping to drive sales and deliver customer insight for FMCG brands using mobile media Client Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) across foods, home and personal product categories. Its portfolio includes some of the world's best known and most loved brands.
10 CRM studies you need to read before you select your next CRM
8. Unilever. 9. Activision. 10. Amazon. In a crowded market, discerning what the best CRM software is to meet your needs is difficult. Reviews, statistics, and user feedback are all useful, of ...
How Unilever Is Preparing for the Future of Work
Details. Transcript. July 04, 2023. Launched in 2016, Unilever's Future of Work initiative aimed to accelerate the speed of change throughout the organization and prepare its workforce for a ...
Case Selections
Unilever's Response to the Future of Work ... Case studies featuring Black protagonists. ... HubSpot develops best practices for the use of chatbots for CRM. Published: February 12 , 2018. PDF ...
PDF Unilever
Unilever wanted to enhance user experience, increase security and reduce costs, and chose AEOS as the solution to this challenge. AEOS will secure 20,000 doors across more than 800 Unilever sites, as well as providing video surveillance and a range of other access management services. Ian Dunning, Unilever s Global Facilities Director, and Jeroen
Unilever
Unilever had articulated three core pillars that would inspire their new employee experience: human experiences, simple interactions, meaningful impact. The "Employee Universe" was created to enable the vision, which comprised a matrix of interconnected components, fronted by a chatbot named Una. We created Una's personality, and designed ...
CRM Case Studies With Examples & Solutions
CRM case studies describe how CRM vendors and service providers were able to help clients increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their customer service and sales and marketing efforts. Examples of CRM case studies would include a professional services firm selecting a CRM solution or a manufacturer undertaking a CRM implementation. CRM ...
Unilever goes cloud-only: Accenture and Microsoft complete one of the
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition and Ice Cream products, with sales in over 190 countries and products used by 3.4 billion people every day. We have 148,000 employees and generated sales of €60.1 billion in 2022. Our vision is to be the global leader in sustainable ...
Revamping SharePoint Intranet with SPFx UNILEVER Case Study
Unilever, a global company with a global purpose with over 400 brand names in 190 countries, has been operating for 125+ years in Canada. They are a leader in sustainable business. Their portfolio includes some of the iconic brands we all come across in our everyday lives: Dove, Knorr, Hellmann's, Lipton, Magnum, and Axe, to name a few.
Unilever—A Case Study
Unilever—A Case Study. As one of the oldest and largest foreign multinationals doing business in the U.S., the history of Unilever's investment in the United States offers a unique opportunity to understand the significant problems encountered by foreign firms. Harvard Business School professor Geoffrey Jones has done extensive research on ...
CRM Software & Systems Guide
What is CRM Software? A CRM (customer relationship management) is, at its core, a database of customer data. CRM systems are increasingly sophisticated, and allow you to organise this data to provide a myriad of customer service, marketing, and sales solutions. A CRM system means you can run your business operations from one place.