How to Fully Automate a Dropshipping eShop in Odoo

If you sell products on your website that are delivered directly from the vendor to the customer and already have a stable list of vendors, you can automate the entire process in Odoo. This allows you to oversee operations without manual intervention.

Key Processes
  1. A customer places an order on the website.
  2. Payment is received, and the order is confirmed.
  3. An invoice is auto-generated and sent to the customer.
  4. A purchase order is created, auto-confirmed, and sent to the vendor.
Required Settings for Dropshipping eShop
  1. Enable the Dropshipping option: Inventory > Configuration > Settings.​
  2. Set the Dropship​ route for each product or at the category level to avoid manual assignment for each item.
  3. Assign vendors to products with accurate pricing.
  4. Ensure products are configured for sales and purchase and published on the website.
  5. Set up at least one shipping method to be available on the website.
  6. Configure at least one payment method that allows full payment processing.
Automation Settings for a Fully Autonomous Process
  1. Auto-generate invoices: Enable the Automatic Invoice​ option under Website > Configuration > Settings.​
  2. Auto-create purchase orders: Ensure the Dropship​ Route is assigned to each product.
  3. Auto-confirm purchase orders: Set up an automation rule to update purchase orders with the Dropship delivery type from RFQ to Purchase Order when the total is between $10 and $10,000. The rule should also trigger an email notification to the vendor. 
    It is assumed that there are no products available for purchase that cost less than $10. 
    Additionally, for orders exceeding a certain amount, in this example, $10K, an automation rule can be set up to create a task for the manager to review the order.
Further Automation Possibilities

The next stage of automation can include:

  • Vendor Integration: Connecting with the vendor’s system via API or webhook to track order fulfillment and receive shipment updates.
  • Automated Picking Completion: Setting up rules to automatically mark the order as delivered once shipment confirmation is received.
  • Exception Handling: Setting up automation rules to notify you if there are unprocessed sales or purchase orders, ensuring all orders are processed on time.

With these configurations, Odoo can automate order processing, minimizing manual tasks and enhancing operational efficiency, allowing your dropshipping business to run seamlessly on autopilot.