Microsoft Technologies That Drive Sales: How BROCARD Builds Daily Dialogues with Millions of Customers

“We must free ourselves of the hope that the sea will ever rest. We must learn to sail in high winds.” These words by Greek entrepreneur Aristotle Onassis perfectly reflect BROCARD’s philosophy — a brand that boldly transforms itself with the help of technology.

BROCARD is Ukraine’s largest perfume and cosmetics retailer. Customers return here for beauty, inspiration, style, mood, and the emotions they experience when purchasing products from their favorite brands. For the company, understanding what each customer truly needs is essential. But when your customer base counts in the millions, building personalized engagement is nearly impossible without modern technologies and automated tools. BROCARD’s ability to remain a leader both in the market and in the hearts of its customers stems from relentless effort and the adoption of cutting-edge, innovative approaches.

A Bit of Background:

Since 2016, SMART business has been BROCARD’s technology partner. Over the years, the company has implemented a range of Microsoft ecosystem solutions for financial and management accounting, POS operations, warehouse management, and more. Starting in 2023, the focus shifted to automating marketing processes as well. BROCARD introduced several Microsoft solutions, including:

1. Dynamics 365 Customer Insights Journeys — a tool for effectively orchestrating customer interactions across different channels, ensuring a personalized approach to every shopper.
2. Dynamics 365 Customer Insights Data — a customer data platform that consolidates, analyzes, and leverages diverse information sources to enhance customer engagement.
3. Dynamics 365 Customer Voice — a solution for collecting and analyzing customer feedback, providing valuable insights into satisfaction and loyalty.

They also adopted a proprietary tool developed by SMART business — SMART Connector for GMS, which is integrated directly with Customer Insights Journeys. The connector played a key role in launching omnichannel marketing campaigns by enabling integration of Viber and SMS through a local provider. This made it possible to automate customer communications and launch messaging across these channels. In addition, the connector provided advanced analytics on campaign performance, improving customer engagement and increasing overall effectiveness.

Together, these solutions formed a powerful marketing ecosystem for BROCARD, built on the centralized Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform. The implementation story was originally shared in a detailed case study, but since then two years have passed. At RAU Expo 2025, Antonina Ogandzhanian, Head of Marketing Projects at BROCARD, presented the company’s progress over this period, highlighting how it bridges marketing and technology in their daily work with customer experience.

BROCARD’s IT Revolution: Key Transformation Triggers and Processes Implemented on the Microsoft Platform

BROCARD is an omnichannel retailer with 69 stores in 22 Ukrainian cities, reaching 3 million visitors monthly across its online channels, including the company website and the BROCARD app, which has already surpassed 1 million installations. The app now generates more than half of the company’s online sales.

In recent years, BROCARD has undergone a true IT revolution. One of the main catalysts of this transformation has been the CRM department.

For many years, the CRM team successfully managed a vast customer base. However, the functionality of the CRM system — implemented back in 2009 — gradually fell short of meeting the evolving needs of the business. At its launch, the system was truly innovative, but over time it lost its capacity for growth. As a result, the company faced the necessity of a complete overhaul of its customer relationship management system and chose to implement Microsoft solutions.

A second major trigger for transformation was the company’s plan to launch an online store. The BROCARD team aimed to process online orders from multiple warehouses using wave picking. However, the existing system could not support this approach. Consequently, the company set itself a strategic objective — to implement an integrated system fully adapted to retail.

The first step was the launch of the online store website. Its frontend was developed on Magento — a popular e-commerce platform that provides a convenient user interface and flexibility for online store development. The back-office processes were powered by LS Central, an industry-specific ERP solution for retail built on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central platform. Thanks to its extensive customization capabilities and seamless integration with business processes, LS Central proved to be the perfect choice for retail, providing the company with functionality for:

• Order management
• Contact center automation
• Warehouse process automation and the launch of wave picking
• Product catalog management
• Support for marketing activities (including promotions)

The next stage was the digitalization of POS systems in physical stores. At the same time, BROCARD launched a key project — the transition to a new CRM system: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights. BROCARD became the first company in Eastern Europe to implement a fully functional CRM system on this platform, which enabled:

• Flexible customer data consolidation
• A full 360° customer view
• Advanced audience segmentation tools
• Extensive capabilities for personalized communication
• Functionality for building complex, branched Customer Journey scenarios
• Integration of Dynamics 365 Customer Voice for surveys, allowing the creation of questionnaires, as well as the collection and analysis of customer feedback

Results of Implementing the Microsoft Solutions Ecosystem

The launch of a unified, integrated ecosystem of solutions based on Microsoft opened up an entirely new level of efficiency and business process alignment for BROCARD. The company gained a holistic, scalable infrastructure that provides:

1. Seamless integration of all business components — instead of a “zoo” of systems that failed to synchronize, all processes now run in harmony within a single environment.
2. High-level data protection that meets modern security and privacy requirements thanks to Microsoft’s built-in tools, including data encryption, multi-factor authentication, access management, and more.
3. Cloud-based operations that ensure high availability, flexibility, and business stability regardless of physical infrastructure, user geography, or changes in the operating environment.
4. A scalable architecture that allows the system to expand easily in line with business needs — adding new modules, connecting additional services, and adapting to company growth without requiring a complete overhaul or replacement of IT infrastructure.
5. Full transparency and audit trails, a key advantage for a company that operates openly and complies with all legal requirements. This level of control builds partner trust, simplifies audits, and reduces the risk of human error.
6. Resilience to external risks — for example, POS terminals continue to operate even during power outages or internet loss thanks to local data caching and offline mode. This ensures uninterrupted sales and secure data storage for later synchronization with the central system.
7. Instant customer data updates in the system, which are critical for quality personalization and fast service.
8. Improved cross-department collaboration — no more exchanging spreadsheets, files, or endless email threads, since all data is stored centrally and available in real time.

As a result, BROCARD has gained a streamlined IT ecosystem that unites all areas of its business: from omnichannel retail to advanced customer data analytics and automated engagement with millions of shoppers.

Practical Cases: How BROCARD’s IT Ecosystem Helps Engage Real Customers

Case #1 — Working with Birthdays

One of the most vivid examples of effective customer engagement is communication around birthdays — an emotional occasion when people are especially inclined to make purchases. At the same time, it’s a highly competitive period in the market, making it crucial to create an offer that truly resonates.

Previously, BROCARD marketers manually compiled lists of birthday customers for the month and sent a generic mass mailing once a month with just two standard offers.

Now, the company leverages a personalized approach: communications are sent daily, with four distinct automated customer journeys designed specifically for birthday campaigns. Each journey targets a separate dynamic customer segment with its own tailored offer, such as a personal promo code, a percentage discount, or a special perk for VIP clients.

This automation enables:

• Daily delivery of personalized messages
• Four automated customer journeys for four dynamic customer groups
• Journeys that track the occasion seven days in advance — after several experiments, the company optimized the strategy to send communication seven days before the customer’s birthday, with the offer valid for another seven days afterward
• Unique promo codes, secured by linking them to a phone number and PIN
• Name validation against a directory to avoid spelling errors

Previously, marketers couldn’t imagine managing birthday campaigns daily. Now, the automated strategy saves significant time and resources. What’s more, birthday communications generate such impressive sales volumes that they’ve become one of the top three most effective marketing activities at BROCARD.

Antonina Ogandzhanian

Head of Marketing Projects, BROCARD

Case #2 — Reactivating “Dormant” Segments

After implementing the CRM system based on Microsoft solutions, BROCARD was able to fully leverage RFM segmentation of its customer base. This classic approach groups customers according to three key criteria:

1. Recency — how recently the customer made a purchase.
2. Frequency — how often the customer buys.
3. Monetary — the total amount spent.

Using these parameters, the company built an RFM cube with dimensions 5×5×5, resulting in 125 unique segments. To make management more effective, these segments were consolidated into 11 key groups, which BROCARD actively engages with.

Special attention is given to “dormant” customers. For this segment, a cascade of activities was implemented to reactivate customers and encourage repeat purchases. The first contact occurs nine months after the last purchase, sending the customer a personalized offer with attractive conditions. You might wonder: why a nine-month wait? In the product categories BROCARD works with, this gap does not yet indicate a loss of interest. Moreover, other scenarios exist for customers with shorter gaps — for example, welcome campaigns or activation of new customers.

If there is no response, the next communication is sent after 12 months, then after 15 months, and so on, with each new step increasing the benefit for the customer. Only after three years of inactivity does the company stop sending offers to save marketing budget, and the customer moves into the “churn” segment.

The cascading scenarios, launched about a year ago, have already delivered significant results:

• The “dormant” segment shrank by 4.9×
• The potential churn segment decreased by 3.8×
• The churn segment decreased by 1.5×

Case #3 — Working with Wishlists

Another important source of data for personalized communication is the wishlists on the BROCARD website. Information about which products customers add there is automatically transmitted to the CRM system. Marketers then process this data and configure targeted communications based on it.

This mechanism enables:

1. Using wishlist data to promote certain brands or individual products.
2. Personalizing prices for specific customer segments, making offers more attractive — for example, notifying customers about price reductions on items from their wishlist.
3. Increasing the effectiveness of campaigns, as communications are based on the customer’s actual interests.

As a result, the company gains significant benefits: efficient use of marketing budget, high conversion rates, and increased customer satisfaction, as clients receive appealing offers for products they genuinely want.

Case #4 — Promotion Hierarchy

BROCARD can run up to 50 promotions simultaneously. Therefore, one of the company’s most important tools is a flexible promotion management system built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Some promotions are visible to customers — for example, discounts or gifts with purchase — while others are purely technical, such as restrictions on maximum discounts for luxury brands according to contractual terms. Promotions can take different forms:

• Percentage or fixed-amount discounts
• Special offers that are valid only in certain locations, channels, or for a defined period
• Promotions on the entire assortment or specific brands
• Gifts with purchase, and more

Importantly, all these variations can be configured without involving IT specialists — simply, quickly, and flexibly. The system automatically synchronizes promotions across channels and ensures they are up to date at every customer touchpoint. As a result, the company achieves a “win-win-win” for everyone:

1. Marketers save time entering promotions into the system.
2. Customers always get the best price — if a product qualifies for multiple promotions, the system automatically applies the best discount.
3. Cashiers can focus on serving customers, as the system handles all calculations automatically, eliminating the risk of errors.

Case #5 — Promo Codes

Promo codes at BROCARD are actively used for personalized campaigns and promotions. They are created and calculated in the ERP system, then delivered to customers via CRM based on segmentation and communication channels. The process works as follows:

In the ERP system:

• The promo code is generated.
• Activation rules are defined.
• During purchase, the system automatically applies the discount or triggers the corresponding promotion.

In the CRM system:

• Audience segmentation is performed to determine who will receive the promo code.
• Communication is launched — triggered, for example, on a customer’s birthday or when they move into a different segment.

Promo codes are distributed across all possible channels: SMS, email, Viber, push notifications, the app’s notification center, and they can also be used in partner promotions, social media campaigns, or influencer marketing campaigns.

Case #6 — Next-Generation Gift Cards

At the beginning of 2025, BROCARD also launched a new feature — electronic gift cards, complementing the existing system of plastic cards that has been successfully operating for over 20 years.

The new functionality was implemented on the Business Central ERP system. Additionally, the electronic gift cards have a high level of security:

• They are created only after purchase.
• They are linked to a phone number.
• They are protected with a one-time dynamic password.

The company expects that implementing electronic gift cards will bring an additional +6% to turnover.

A key factor in implementing these scenarios is the deep integration of the CRM system with all BROCARD channels — the website, mobile app, and POS terminals. This ensures that data flows into the CRM almost in real time, allowing the company to respond quickly to customer behavior and trigger the appropriate communications.

Events from online channels — such as adding a product to a wishlist, abandoned carts, birthdays, or changes in loyalty program levels — are instantly recorded in the system. Based on these triggers, marketers can easily set up automated customer journeys that launch precisely when relevant. This not only simplifies operations but also enables true personalization in customer interactions.

Conclusions: How Implementing Microsoft-Based Solutions Transformed BROCARD’s Marketing

Implementing a Microsoft-based ecosystem completely changed BROCARD’s approach to customer engagement. Marketing has evolved into an intelligent system that acts precisely, quickly, and in the right context. Today, these technologies provide BROCARD with several key advantages:

1. True understanding of the customer — not just their age or location, but deeper behavioral patterns, preferences, and habits.
2. Instant responses to customer actions — regardless of the channel, since data flows into the CRM almost in real time.
3. Significant reduction in time needed to analyze information and launch new initiatives.
4. Improved effectiveness of marketing campaigns — through precise segmentation, personalization, and the use of triggers.
5. Optimization of marketing costs — only relevant campaigns for the right audience.

Why can we confidently say this works?

BROCARD is always where the customer is: in the app, on the website, in stores, on Viber, SMS, email, push notifications, etc. This is event-based marketing built on segments, data, and omnichannel logic. Every customer event — from a birthday to activity on the website — becomes a touchpoint that triggers personalized communication.

Currently, the company uses over 300 dynamic segments for targeted communications and more than 20 triggers that launch the corresponding scenarios. In total, over one and a half years, more than 1,500 customer interaction scenarios have been configured in the system.

Implementing fundamental solutions for customer data processing is the first and foremost step toward adopting AI and predictive models. BROCARD is already confidently moving forward along this path. Experience shows that those who sow the seeds of change first will be the first to reap the harvest. That’s why at SMART business we were glad to see BROCARD embrace hyper-personalized marketing, and we will be just as happy to celebrate their success in mastering AI.

Denys Shevchuk

Business Development Manager for CRM solutions

A partnership that delivers results

It was also emphasized that all these innovations would not have been possible without a technology partner. BROCARD chose SMART business because the company is the largest Microsoft partner in Central and Eastern Europe, with over 400 certified specialists and sufficient resources to execute large-scale projects of any complexity.

SMART business has experience implementing all Microsoft solutions, and our collaboration has lasted a full 8 years. Often, we come with just an idea or a dream, and together we dive into the project, even if much is unknown at the start. But thanks to the synergy of our teams, we confidently navigate this path and achieve the desired results. We know for sure — many ambitious plans lie ahead!

Antonina Ogandzhanian

Head of Marketing Projects, BROCARD

BROCARD’s experience proves it: digitalization is an investment in business growth. High-quality segmented marketing is only possible when a strong team is supported by modern IT solutions. Thanks to the transformation the retailer began back in 2016, today, in 2025, BROCARD is among the Ukrainian retailers that can proudly offer personalized communication with each of its 2.5 million customers — often directly leading to a purchase.

Moreover, the Microsoft solutions ecosystem has provided BROCARD with seamless integration across key business functions. Financial and management accounting, warehouse operations, website and app processes, customer communications, and office work are all united by the technologies of a single vendor. As a result, customer, sales, and financial data are consolidated without duplication. And as the saying goes: those who hold information, hold the world.

Kyrylo Rudnev

Co-Founder and Managing Partner, SMART business

Want to build your own IT ecosystem or implement a specific CRM, ERP, or other solution? Request a consultation, and the SMART business team will help you select, implement, and scale the software product that delivers the results you want.