Retail Edge is developing a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) platform for independent jewellery retailers, marking a major step in the company's transition to web-based software.
The business, which supplies its point-of-sale and inventory management system to more than 400 independent jewellery stores across Australia and New Zealand, plans to begin retailer testing in late 2026, ahead of an industry rollout in the first quarter of 2027.
The CRM is described as the first in a series of cloud products Retail Edge intends to introduce as it moves its software suite to a new platform. The company says The Edge will remain fully supported throughout the transition.
The new system is designed to consolidate customer communications from SMS, email, Facebook and Instagram into a single inbox, while synchronising sales, inventory and customer information with The Edge in near real-time.
Features will include customer purchase histories, preferences, wish lists and important dates, alongside appointment scheduling, team briefings, AI-assisted visit notes, Meta campaign tools and post-sale follow-up prompts.
General manager Leon van Megen said changing customer behaviour was creating new demands for independent retailers, with sales conversations increasingly beginning through social media, text messages and website enquiries rather than exclusively in-store.
The platform aims to help jewellers manage these interactions more consistently and identify opportunities to reconnect with customers.
“Our job is to put that knowledge to work, so the software tells retailers who to contact today and where their next sale is likely to come from, and to keep it simple,” he told Jeweller.
“Customer relationships and trust are everything in this industry, but the way those relationships are formed and managed continues to evolve.
“Retailers are fielding enquiries from every channel, often after hours. They need modern, fast and reliable tools that help them sell and look after customers both in-store and online.”
The CRM will join the company’s existing portfolio of The Edge, Edge Pulse analytics, and business coaching. Retail Edge also operates alongside a jointly owned US-based business, drawing on sales and inventory data from approximately 2,500 businesses to inform the development of its AI-focused Edge Pulse platform.
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