Rossmann Hungary Ltd.

Rossmann Hungary Ltd. currently uses two Salesforce modules. Marketing Cloud is employed for sending marketing emails and push notifications, while Service Cloud is used to manage customer service cases. The joint project with Attention was shared by Ádám Fürjes, Head of Online Marketing, and Karolina Szabó, CRM Coordinator.

According to Ádám, it became clear around 2017–2018 that “the previous business model was no longer really viable.” Until then, they had used paper-based coupons, distributed to mailboxes in certain regions of the country. This approach had limitations—some customers couldn’t be reached, and there were recurring issues like lost coupons or the resale of them—which the company didn’t want to be associated with. That’s why they decided to go digital and, as a first step, launched the Rossmann+ program in autumn 2018. (To get the 10% discount coupon, customers had to make a purchase of a specified amount. They received digital notifications and a plastic card.)

Previously, Rossmann had limited data on its customers. Aside from the few hundred thousand webshop users, they only had receipt-level data on the in-store masses. “We had aggregated data—what was sold, in which store, in what quantity—but we couldn’t use that to directly communicate with customers. Then, thanks to Rossmann+, we gained a massive database within months. However, we couldn’t effectively use the sudden influx of detailed information—shopping habits, demographics, etc.—because our systems weren’t built for it.”

“We needed more than a general newsletter software. We didn’t want to communicate with everyone all the time. Instead, we wanted to send personalized, segmented, and highly relevant messages to each person about the products they were actually interested in. Besides avoiding spam, we also needed a tool that could handle our multi-channel communication.”

After a tender process, Rossmann chose Salesforce and Attention. They first implemented the marketing module, though even from the start, the brief included plans to “eventually use the customer service module too,” Ádám explains.

“Attention began with a 1–2 month workshop to assess exactly what data we had and in what format. Then, during the design phase, we clarified where the data lived, how they could process it, and how to connect Salesforce to our IT system in a way that ensured all the targeting data got into Marketing Cloud—up-to-date and accurate.”

In the first phase, the Rossmann+ users’ marketing-relevant information was integrated, and after 4.5 months of development, “we had a serious and complex tool in our hands. Attention worked quickly and efficiently. Besides collaborating with our marketing team, they also did impressive work on the programming side. And we’ve been working together ever since to keep improving and optimizing the system.”

Marketing Cloud revolutionized their corporate communications. As Ádám puts it, “we went from carpet bombing to a much more sophisticated approach.” Initially used for newsletters, they later refined it using other features.

Karolina highlights the customer journey as the biggest “wow moment”: “By understanding customer journeys, we can reach them with the right message at the right time. We can define and fine-tune when an email goes out. For example, Einstein can detect the recipient’s preferred email opening time and make suggestions based on that. We’ve built many smart automations that, after one-time setup, run without human intervention—just regular monitoring. We can add dynamic content to emails, A/B test subject lines, and the most successful version gets sent automatically. As the platform evolves, we’re communicating more—but more simply—with Salesforce. I no longer need to sit down daily to create and send out a newsletter. Thanks to journeys and automation, the system does it all.”

Both interviewees mention the pandemic. Karolina points out that during COVID, when quick adaptation was essential, the ability to send messages with a single click was invaluable. When the situation stabilized, they returned to intelligent and fast communication—informing customers about Rossmann+ and the pro version, Rossmann+ VIP.

Salesforce helped with education during the pandemic’s decline, ensuring messages reached people efficiently and safely: “come in cautiously, safety first, masks, sanitizer.” “We could respond to developments in hours. As the virus declined, we noticed a drop in web traffic too.”

Staying with Marketing Cloud features, Rossmann began using push notifications in spring 2020. This mobile app feature also allows segmented customer outreach and works automatically. For Rossmann+ and Rossmann+ VIP members, “based on their spending balance, we can set up automations that not only inform them of their current balance but also encourage them to spend a little more to reach the next level (bronze, silver, gold), which comes with even more benefits,” says Ádám.

The Service Cloud implementation is a more recent development, starting in summer 2020. Ádám summarizes: “We run customer data through it; it’s the foundation of our customer service module. The best part is that colleagues find everything in one place. You can clearly see what happened with a profile over time. The system aggregates a customer’s purchase history, habits, and even identifies whether a message came from a bronze, silver, or gold member.”

The Social Studio project is just a few weeks old. It allows them to manage, monitor, and analyze social media channels. Regardless of which platform a user contacts Rossmann through, everything is visible in one place: who wrote, when, where, and what—so no need to answer the same query multiple times; responses can happen on the user’s preferred channel.

In addition, smaller integrations to support online and offline sales are ongoing. Regarding conversion tracking, Ádám expects “even better decision-making. For instance, if someone just bought ten Colgate toothpastes yesterday, I won’t send them a related offer today—it would be pointless. We’re also considering implementing a Recommendation Engine on rossmann.hu, so that not everyone sees the same products, but personalized, age- and interest-specific offers.”

Karolina’s conclusion: “The implementation required thorough preparation and resources, especially at the pace we worked. Attention’s professional support was key to meeting deadlines. I wouldn’t replace Salesforce—it’s a joy to use.”

For Ádám, the main takeaway is that “by involving an external partner, we got to try things we once only dreamed of. The revenue impact shows how effective this type of communication is—we can get a new store up and running online much faster with Salesforce.”

“In the past, we spent a fortune on billboards and handed out flyers to everyone. Now I can pinpoint exactly who is likely to be interested in a new store, based on registration data and shopping behavior in that area.”

Colleagues also adapted easily to the new system with no major disruptions. However, there was an initial misconception: “We thought that with Salesforce we could do everything ourselves—even send out messages using complex filters with just a click. That’s not quite how it works. Attention made frequently used filters easily accessible, but because our database is deep and we can filter on 39 attributes, we sometimes need their help. So, another lesson: when your system is this complex and you have this much data, it’s no longer a one-click job. But we’re not disappointed—this wasn’t a mid- or late-project discovery, it was clear from the beginning. They work with great expertise, quickly and efficiently. We’re very satisfied.”