Warehouse management is the heart of operations for any e-commerce company, especially one that runs multiple warehouses or a complex logistics network. The Odoo ERP system stands out thanks to its highly advanced capabilities in this area.In this article, we present five example complex scenarios of warehouse management in Odoo, showing how the system’s key functionalities translate into a competitive advantage. Each case illustrates how Odoo addresses the challenges of a modern warehouse - from tracking every single stock movement to automating inter-warehouse transfers - making it an ideal solution for e-commerce managers.
One of Odoo’s biggest advantages is its native support for multiple warehouses within a single, unified system. Whether a company operates two local warehouses or a dozen distribution centers across different continents, Odoo allows all locations to be managed from one place.
In practice, this means full visibility of stock levels across all branches and easy planning of product transfers between them. The system enables transfers to, from, and between warehouses without the need for external tools.
Imagine an online store with a central main warehouse and several regional warehouses (e.g., in different provinces or countries).
Thanks to Odoo, the e-commerce manager can see in real time how many units of a given product are available in each warehouse. If a regional warehouse runs out of stock, the system can automatically initiate an internal transfer from the central warehouse. Such a transfer follows predefined rules, and its status is tracked step by step in the system.
The manager can be confident that local stores are replenished smoothly and on time- without manual intervention, since Odoo itself can plan these movements according to set business rules. As a result, the company always has the right stock in the right place, ensuring timely order fulfillment.
Many e-commerce businesses with complex logistics require multi-stage handling of goods- for example, receiving deliveries, quality control, storage, order picking, packing, and shipping. Odoo supports such multi-step processes through routes and push/pull rules. These allow companies to design their own workflow for goods moving through the warehouse, tailored to their needs.
In practice, it’s possible to define that after goods are received in the receiving area, they are automatically moved to the quality control zone, and only after approval are they placed in the target storage location. Similarly, during shipping, Odoo can first generate a picking task from storage to the picking area, then a packing task, and finally prepare the delivery documents (shipping). This three-step order fulfillment (pick-pack-ship) is available as a standard route configuration in Odoo and can be activated with a single click.
A large company selling consumer electronics online has implemented quality control for higher-value products.
When a delivery arrives from a supplier, a worker records the receipt in Odoo. The system automatically directs the goods to the “Quality Control” location according to the defined route. Only after passing inspection are the goods moved to the proper storage shelf.
Similarly, when fulfilling customer orders, Odoo can generate two stock moves: one from the shelf to the packing station, and another from the packing station to the shipping dock. These automatic push and pull rules allow planned transfers between selected warehouses and locations without human involvement. As a result, even complex operations (such as those with additional control steps or shipment consolidation) run smoothly and in line with the process design.
Maintaining optimal stock levels in each warehouse is a challenge- shortages mean lost sales, while excess stock drives up storage costs.
Odoo offers advanced replenishment mechanisms, covering both automatic supplier orders and internal transfers between warehouses. Companies can configure minimum and maximum stock rules for products. If stock falls below the minimum threshold, the system automatically triggers the right action: a purchase order to a supplier or a transfer from another warehouse (e.g., central). Additionally, the make-to-order (MTO) mode allows goods to be reserved for a customer order and automatically pulled from another warehouse or purchased as soon as demand arises.
A company sells across multiple channels and operates a separate warehouse for e-commerce and others for brick-and-mortar stores.
Each warehouse has defined replenishment rules. When stock of product X in the e-commerce warehouse falls to 10 units, Odoo automatically generates an internal order to transfer 50 units from the central warehouse. For a physical store Y, the system might instead generate a supplier order directly if the central warehouse also runs low.
All of this happens instantly based on preconfigured rules, with the manager receiving notifications about generated moves. The result is consistent replenishment of every sales point without manual monitoring- Odoo ensures the right products are always in the right place at the right time.
It’s also worth noting that Odoo provides forecasts and alerts to support stock planning. Based on sales and delivery data, the system can predict stock depletion dates for each product, allowing better procurement planning. Managers can also set low-stock alerts- Odoo will notify relevant staff when levels drop below thresholds. These features ensure full control over stock levels across all warehouses.
Another key pillar of advanced warehouse management is traceability of goods and control of all operations. Odoo records every warehouse move- from receiving deliveries, through transfers between locations, to shipping goods to customers.
Importantly, each move comes with a detailed history: who performed the action, when, from which location the goods were taken, and where they were moved. This audit trail ensures complete transparency and makes it easy to detect irregularities. For an e-commerce manager, this means that in the case of shortages or errors, it’s easy to trace where the product went and who handled it.
Example scenario
A shipping company noticed a stock discrepancy- several units of a product were missing from the shelf. Using Odoo, the warehouse manager checked the move history for that product. The system showed that two weeks earlier the goods had been transferred from the main warehouse to the “Returns Warehouse” for damage assessment and later marked as scrap.
Each step was documented with the date and the user who carried it out. This eliminates guesswork- full traceability from supplier to customer (and back, in the case of returns) is instantly available. Furthermore, if a company uses lot or serial numbers, Odoo allows backward and forward tracking of product batches- invaluable for managing perishable goods with expiration dates or recalling defective product series.
The level of control is further enhanced by integration of the inventory module with other areas of Odoo. For example, each customer return can automatically go into a dedicated returns location along with information on product condition and next steps (resale or disposal). If the Accounting module is integrated, Odoo immediately updates the stock valuation after such operations. As a result, financial data always reflects the real warehouse situation.
Odoo provides tools to optimize day-to-day warehouse operations, which is crucial for handling large order volumes in e-commerce.
For instance, the system supports various product removal strategies- FIFO (first in, first out) for chronological rotation, FEFO (first expiry, first out) for goods with expiration dates, shortest path picking (minimizing walking distance), or even LIFO (last in, first out). Each company can tailor the strategy to its needs.
For order picking, Odoo supports batch and wave picking modes, enabling grouping of orders for more efficient item collection. For example, a warehouse worker can collect products for multiple orders in one trip, saving time when handling a high volume of orders. The system can automatically generate such optimized picking lists, considering factors such as product weight or grouping shipments by carrier.
For companies selling products with short shelf life (e.g., FMCG), Odoo’s expiration date management is another strong point. The system can prioritize dispatch of batches with the nearest expiration date (FEFO) and generate automatic reminders for approaching expiry. This minimizes losses from expired goods- a crucial aspect in industries like food and cosmetics.
Modern e-commerce, especially during phases of rapid growth, needs a flexible and scalable warehouse management system. Odoo delivers a complete set of functionalities for complex warehouse scenarios.
Native support for multiple warehouses, the ability to define advanced product routes, automation of replenishment and transfers, full traceability of every operation, and tools for optimizing picking and shipping- all of this makes Odoo Inventory a powerful solution for companies running advanced warehouse operations.
What’s more, all of these features are available within a single integrated Odoo environment, which connects warehouse data with sales, purchasing, and accounting. Implementing Odoo and advanced warehouse management can in practice become a crucial growth catalyst and a competitive advantage in the demanding e-commerce market.
