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Managing Pre-orders
on Odoo

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Odoo is a highly modular ERP and CRM platform that integrates with Shopify to synchronize products, orders, and inventory. While it doesn’t have a dedicated “pre-order” feature out of the box, Odoo’s flexibility (including negative inventory, custom modules, and workflow automation) allows you to manage pre-orders and partial fulfillments.

This guide will break down how Odoo handles key pre-order functions like negative stock, Shopify’s “On Hold” status, and fulfilment workflows—so you’ll know what to expect, where it excels, and any workarounds you may need.

How ERPs and pre-orders work together in the modern ecommerce stack

As the central source of truth for your ecommerce operations, ERPs play a crucial role in pre-orders—primarily in two areas:

Product & inventory management (tracking stock, syncing availability).
Order processing (handling pre-order statuses and fulfilment flows).

Below is a typical flow. Click through to see how Shopify, the ERP and pre-order application interact.

1

Order & Inventory Sync

The ERP synchronizes orders and inventory across various sales channels (e.g., Shopify, Amazon, retail POS).

Key Considerations for Managing Pre-orders on Odoo

In the diagram above you may have noticed the word “should” being used a couple of times… That’s because not all ERPs fully support Shopify’s pre-order features out of the box. Some may lack support for negative inventory counts or fail to respect Shopify’s “On Hold” order status, requiring workarounds or additional configuration. Read on to see how Odoo interacts with Shopify pre-orders and what you might need to adjust.

Syncing Shopify Products

Yes, Odoo can synchronize product data—including titles, SKUs, and inventory levels—with Shopify through various integration solutions. These integrations facilitate seamless data exchange between the two platforms, ensuring consistency and efficiency in managing your e-commerce operations.

Syncing Shopify Orders

Yes, Odoo can synchronize Shopify order data—including statuses, customer details, and line items—through various integration solutions. These integrations facilitate seamless data exchange between the two platforms, ensuring efficient order management and accurate record-keeping. Key Features of Odoo-Shopify Integrations:
• Order Synchronization: Orders placed on Shopify are automatically imported into Odoo, including details such as product names, descriptions, quantities, prices, shipping costs, discounts, and taxes.
• Order Status Updates: Order statuses, including fulfillment and cancellation, are updated between Odoo and Shopify, keeping both systems in sync and customers informed.
• Refund Processing: Refunds and partial refunds can be managed directly from Odoo, with updates reflected in Shopify, streamlining the return process.

Handling Negative Inventory

Yes, by default Odoo By default, Odoo allows negative stock

Respecting Shopify’s “On Hold” Status

Odoo does not natively recognize Shopify’s “on hold” status, but you can configure a custom status or workflow in Odoo that corresponds to it. With the right integration or connector, Shopify’s “on hold” state can be mapped to a waiting or pending status in Odoo’s sales order process, preventing fulfillment until the hold is released.

Pre-Order-Specific Features

Odoo offers several features and workflows to effectively manage pre-orders, ensuring businesses can capture sales for products not currently in stock and fulfill them once available. Key Features for Handling Pre-Orders in Odoo: 1. Website Pre-Order Modules: Modules like Website Pre-Order allow customers to reserve out-of-stock or upcoming products, prompting fulfillment once inventory is available. 2. Partial Payment Options: Pre-order modules can support both full and partial payments, letting customers pay a deposit at the time of order and the balance upon availability. 3. Customizable Pre-Order Settings: Configure minimum/maximum order quantities, validity periods, and user messages for a tailored customer experience. 4. Customer Notifications: Automated emails can notify customers when products become available, prompting final payment or providing delivery dates. 5. Inventory Management Integration: Pre-orders tie seamlessly into Odoo’s inventory system, updating stock levels once new items are received.

Custom Workflows with Order Tags, Line-item Properties or Metafields

Yes, Odoo can utilize Shopify tags and metafields to create custom workflows through integration solutions. These allow for synchronization of tags and metafields between Shopify and Odoo, enabling businesses to implement tailored workflows based on specific product attributes or order details.
1. Odoo Shopify Connector: This connector facilitates the import of order tags from Shopify into Odoo, letting you set custom workflows around those tags.
2. Odoo Shopify Connector PRO by VentorTech: This advanced connector supports importing metafields from Shopify, giving you the flexibility to store them in Odoo and build workflows leveraging that data.

Resources:

• Odoo Shopify Connector

Supporting Full vs. Partial Order Fulfilment

full_or_partial_fulfilment: Yes, Odoo supports workflows for both full and partial order fulfillment. The platform’s flexibility in managing sales, inventory, and deliveries allows businesses to handle various fulfillment scenarios seamlessly. Full and Partial Order Fulfillment in Odoo
• Full Order Fulfillment: When all items are in stock, Odoo enables one-step delivery. The entire order is marked as delivered once processed, and inventory is updated in real-time.
• Partial Order Fulfillment: Odoo allows partial delivery when only part of the order is ready for shipment. The remaining items remain pending until stock is available, and multiple deliveries can be generated from one sales order.

Summary

Odoo support for
Shopify Pre-orders

Pre-order touchpoint	Odoo support
Products sync with Shopify	✅ Can synchronize product data, SKUs, and stock levels with Shopify
Orders sync with Shopify	✅ Imports Shopify orders and updates statuses, customers, and refunds
Negative inventory support	✅ Allows negative stock for pre-orders or overselling
Shopify “On Hold” status recognition	⚠️ Requires custom mapping/workflow to mirror Shopify’s “on hold”
Specific pre-order support	✅ Custom modules and negative inventory enable robust pre-orders
Custom workflows	✅ Shopify tags/metafields can be used in Odoo workflows
Partial fulfilment support	✅ Supports both full and partial deliveries out of the box

Strengths & Limitations

✅ Strengths
• Modular design with extensive third-party apps
• Handles negative inventory and partial fulfillment effectively

⚠️ Limitations
• No dedicated “pre-order” feature by default
• On-hold status requires additional mapping or workflows

Next steps