Amazon Unveils CRM for AWS Marketplace Sellers

In the face of growing competition, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched a new customer relationship management (CRM) tool for AWS Marketplace partners to help them manage and hold on to their customer base.

Aimed at independent software vendors (ISVs), value added resellers (VARs) and systems integrators (SIs), the new AWS CRM tool was designed with a set of new features to help Amazon partners take advantage of usage data to send customized messages at critical points in the customer lifecycle. In other words, hit 'em while the fire's stoked.

It's a good idea that could help Amazon partners, particularly those either developing or reselling apps that are distributed via the AWS Marketplace, to retain customers—an issue in the channel that has existed since the first indirect reseller signed on the dotted line.

"Today we are adding a set of CRM (customer relationship management) features that will provide ISVs, VARs and SIs with a set of features that take advantage of AWS usage data to send customized messages at critical points in the customer lifecycle. These features are free for AWS Marketplace sellers and require no setup or configuration. You simply supply us with the email content and we will take care of the rest," wrote Jeff Barr, Amazon's chief evangelist, in a blog post.

The new tool is powered by Amazon usage data, which in turn will provide partners with the ability to email customers at various points, including:

It feels like Amazon is barely scratching the surface in terms of what it can provide AWS Marketplace partners in terms of CRM, but it's a start.