Coolmate - Vietnamese startup achieving revenue breakthroughs with CRM and Automation

In today's e-commerce landscape, success isn't solely determined by advertising or good products, but by how you manage and nurture customers post-purchase. That's why CRM (Customer Relationship Management) has become a core tool in the growth journey of many businesses.

A prime example in Vietnam is Coolmate, a men's fashion startup launched in 2019, which has utilized CRM and automation to transform customer data into growth drivers.

Just one year after implementing its CRM system, Coolmate reported a 2.5-fold increase in online revenue, a over 50% rise in repeat purchase rate, and a customer satisfaction rate exceeding 95%.

Who is Coolmate?

Coolmate Joint Stock Company is a Vietnamese men's fashion brand operating on a D2C (Direct-to-Consumer) model, meaning they sell directly to consumers without intermediaries. Coolmate was founded by Nguyễn Văn Thông, with the vision of “Providing men with the simplest, fastest, and most transparent online shopping experience.”

Coolmate's Challenges

From basic t-shirts, Coolmate has expanded to include underwear, socks, shirts, accessories… selling over 3 million products and amassing over 500,000 loyal customers (according to Forbes Vietnam).

However, as revenue grew rapidly, Coolmate faced the common challenges of online businesses:

• Scattered Customer Data: data was stored separately by each channel (website, email, Facebook, Zalo), lacking synchronization.
• Lack of Automated Care: all messages, responses, and order confirmations had to be handled manually.
• No Customer Lifecycle Tracking: inability to distinguish between new customers, potential customers, or loyal customers.
• Rising Advertising Costs: due to underutilization of existing customer base, leading to higher expenditure on acquiring new customers.

How Coolmate Applies CRM in Marketing and Operations

Coolmate implemented an integrated CRM system across its entire process: from lead acquisition to customer care, comprising 4 main activity groups:

Connecting Multi-Channel Customer Data

Coolmate synchronizes data from:

• Website (orders, shopping behavior)
• Email marketing (Mailchimp → CRM)
• Chatbot & Zalo OA
• Facebook & Google Ads

As a result, each customer has a “unique profile,” enabling the marketing team to easily analyze behavior and make data-driven decisions.

Automating Email & SMS Customer Care

Coolmate's CRM is integrated with automated scenarios:

• Sending order confirmation emails, post-purchase thank you messages, and product review reminders.
• Sending personalized promotional messages based on purchased products.
• Automatically reactivating inactive customers after 30 days.

This allows the sales and marketing team to care for tens of thousands of customers without increasing staff.

Read more: Automations: Smart care scenarios, saving time for small businesses

Tracking the Customer Lifecycle

Coolmate segments customers into 4 groups: New → First Purchase → Repeat → Loyal. CRM helps them identify each customer's stage to send relevant content.

Example: a customer making their first t-shirt purchase will receive suggestions for a 3-piece combo or accompanying accessories in the next email.

Analyzing Behavior & Personalizing Offers

By tracking purchase counts and click-through rates, Coolmate's CRM automatically suggests suitable programs for each segment.

• If a customer buys sportswear → send a “Gym Outfit Combo - 20%” offer
• If a customer hasn't repurchased in 90 days → send a return voucher

Results Achieved

According to CEO Nguyễn Văn Thông:

• Online revenue increased 2.5 times after 1 year of CRM implementation
• Repeat purchase rate increased by over 50%
• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) rate reached 95%
• Automated email and message response increased by 20% compared to before

Coolmate has transformed CRM into the “heart of operations” for the business, where all data, campaigns, and marketing actions are connected and measured.

Lessons Learned

From Coolmate's story, Vietnamese businesses can draw 4 important lessons:

• Focus on Customer Data: CRM helps businesses gain a holistic view, missing no opportunities
• Automation is Not Extravagant: just a few basic email and message scenarios can significantly boost revenue
• Personalization is Key: customers prefer brands that understand them, not just offer indiscriminate discounts
• Measure to Optimize: all marketing actions need to be recorded, analyzed, and improved

GTG CRM - The #1 Integrated AI Sales Operations Platform

If Coolmate achieved strong growth through digital transformation, then GTG CRM is the tool that helps all small and medium-sized businesses in Vietnam achieve the same.

GTG CRM provides all the tools for you to operate like Coolmate:

• CRM & Messaging: consolidates all customer data and multi-channel communication from Facebook, Zalo, Gmail, website into one place
• Email Builder & Automations: set up automated email/SMS sequences (nurturing, upselling, feedback)
• AI Landing Page: create attractive sales pages to bring customers back, integrate registration forms directly into CRM, combined with running ads on GTG CRM
• AI Assistant: suggests content, care scenarios, and even analyzes behavior to optimize campaigns
• Data Dashboard: from ad performance to the effectiveness of email campaigns, GTG CRM aggregates everything on a single interface

GTG CRM not only helps you acquire customers but also turns them into loyal customers, just as Coolmate has achieved.

Conclusion

The Coolmate case study clearly shows: “The business that controls data and cares for customers with technology will win.”

If you are looking for effective ways to manage marketing, sales, and customer care, GTG CRM is the platform to help you start that journey: from landing pages, advertising to CRM and automation, all on a unified platform.