CRM&Bonus (officially operating as CRM&Bonus) is a highly prominent Brazilian software-as-a-service (SaaS) retention marketing and customer relationship management platform. Founded in 2018 by entrepreneur Alexandre Kibrit, the company revolutionized the local retail landscape by pioneering the commercialization of the "giftback" concept in Brazil.
Headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, CRM&Bonus serves thousands of physical and digital retail brands, ranging from small local businesses to massive multinational enterprises. The platform is designed to drive consumer repurchase rates, increase average ticket sizes, and maximize customer lifetime value (LTV) through an automated, data-driven promotional engine. By bridging the gap between transactional data and personalized customer engagement, CRM&Bonus has established itself as one of the fastest-growing martech (marketing technology) companies in Latin America, securing substantial venture capital backing from prominent investors such as SoftBank, Riverwood Capital, and Volpe Capital.
Core Value Proposition: The "Giftback" Model
Unlike traditional loyalty programs that rely on complex point accumulation systems or generic cashback platforms that return cash directly to a consumer's bank account, CRM&Bonus built its core business around "Giftback."
Giftback is a store-specific, time-bound digital credit awarded to a customer immediately after a transaction. The core mechanics of this model are as follows:
* Action: A customer makes a purchase at a participating merchant (online or in-store).
* Reward: Immediately after checkout, the platform calculates a designated percentage of the purchase (e.g., 10% to 20%) to be returned as a credit for their next purchase.
* Notification: The customer receives a highly personalized SMS or WhatsApp message detailing the exact credit amount, a unique coupon code, and a strict expiration date (typically 30 to 60 days).
* Redemption: To redeem the discount, the customer must return to the store or website and spend a minimum amount (usually set at a multiple of the voucher value, such as 3x or 4x the discount amount).
This mechanism creates an urgent incentive for customers to return, effectively driving down the customer acquisition cost (CAC) for repeat business and dramatically increasing organic visit frequency.
Detailed Product and Service Portfolio
CRM&Bonus has expanded its ecosystem far beyond simple transactional SMS messaging. Today, it offers a suite of integrated products designed to capture value at every stage of the consumer journey.
1. CRM&Bonus Giftback Platform (Core Engine)
The flagship product of the company is its automated Giftback management software. It integrates directly with a retailer's Point of Sale (POS) system, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, or e-commerce platform.
* Dynamic Budgeting and Margins: Retailers can configure maximum discount caps, minimum spend thresholds, and validate coupons in real time to prevent fraud or margin erosion.
* Omnichannel Capabilities: Credits earned in a brick-and-mortar store can be seamlessly redeemed on the brand's e-commerce website, and vice versa.
* Automated Expiry Alerts: The platform automatically sends follow-up nudges via WhatsApp or SMS as the expiration date of the giftback approaches, driving last-minute conversions.
2. Vale Bonus
Vale Bonus is a major B2B2C loyalty ecosystem developed by CRM&Bonus to capture consumer spend outside of individual brand relationships.
* Corporate Partnerships: Large enterprises (such as banks, utility providers, telecommunication companies, and insurance firms) buy Vale Bonus credits to distribute to their own customer bases as rewards or incentives.
* The Consumer App: Consumers download the Vale Bonus app, where they can aggregate these credits.
* Merchant Directory: Users can trade their Vale Bonus credits for discount vouchers at thousands of major retail stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues registered on the platform. This serves as a highly effective customer acquisition channel for merchants, funneling pre-incentivized shoppers to their businesses.
3. CRM Ads
Capitalizing on the massive volume of transactional data passing through its systems, CRM&Bonus offers an retail media network solution called CRM Ads.
* Post-Purchase Advertising: After a customer completes a purchase at a non-competing partner store, they are presented with a targeted offer or giftback from another merchant within the CRM&Bonus network.
* Data-Driven Targeting: Ads are served based on actual purchase history, geographic location, and spending tier, ensuring high relevance and conversion rates without compromising consumer privacy regulations (complying with LGPD, Brazil's General Data Protection Law).
4. CRM Play (Sales Gamification)
Recognizing that the success of retail initiatives relies heavily on the engagement of floor sales representatives, CRM&Bonus developed CRM Play.
* Staff Incentives: The tool gamifies the sales process for store employees. Sales associates can track their individual performance, monitor how many of their customers redeem giftbacks, and earn direct financial bonuses or prizes through the app.
* Real-Time Dashboards: Store managers can monitor sales goals, incentivize staff during low-traffic hours, and run localized sales contests.
5. Conversational CRM and WhatsApp Automation
WhatsApp is the dominant communication channel in the Brazilian market. CRM&Bonus has built deep integrations to turn WhatsApp into an active sales tool.
* WABA (WhatsApp Business API) Integration: The platform allows sales associates to initiate personalized, compliant conversations with past clients directly from the POS interface.
* Automated Clienteling: The system prompts sales reps with suggestions on when to contact specific customers (e.g., on their birthday, when a preferred product category is back in stock, or when a giftback coupon is about to expire).
Integrations and Technical Architecture
To deliver its services seamlessly, CRM&Bonus features a robust library of pre-built integrations with major retail technology providers in Latin America, including:
* E-commerce Platforms: VTEX, Shopify, Loja Integrada, and Tray.
* POS and ERP Systems: Linx, Totvs, Bematech, and VIP-Systems.
* Payment Gateways and Wallets: Redecard, Cielo, and Stone.
The software operates entirely in the cloud, utilizing secure API connections to trigger giftback codes at the precise moment of payment confirmation, ensuring no latency during physical checkout lines.
Market Positioning and Business Impact
CRM&Bonus operates primarily on a SaaS subscription model, charging merchants a recurring monthly fee based on the volume of transactions processed, the number of store locations, and the specific modules enabled (such as Vale Bonus integration or advanced WhatsApp automation).
The impact of the platform on retail metrics is measurable and documented across its client portfolio:
* Incrementality: Merchants typically observe that 20% to 50% of customers receiving a giftback return to make a second purchase within the validity window.
* Ticket Upsell: Because redemptions require a minimum spend, the average transaction value of a giftback-facilitated purchase is often 3 to 4 times the value of the discount itself.
* Database Enrichment: To receive their giftback, customers willingly share verified phone numbers and opt-in for marketing communications, rapidly growing the retailer’s first-party database.
