Odoo 18 Enterprise Book: Sales

2. Products

Odoo 18 Enterprise provides a dedicated Product Management Platform that allows businesses to track and organize all relevant product information seamlessly. This system ensures that critical product details, such as sales configurations, inventory levels, pricing, and accounting data, are efficiently managed, contributing to streamlined business processes.

The Products Menu in the Odoo 18 Sales module plays a key role in managing sales items effectively. When creating quotations or sales orders, users need to specify product details to ensure accuracy in transactions. Having all sales products configured in the system simplifies the selection process, allowing users to choose items with a single click.

In the Odoo 18 Sales module, the Products Menu is located in the main navigation bar. This menu provides access to several essential sub-menus, including Products, Product Variants, Pricelists, Discounts & Loyalty Programs, and Gift Cards & eWallets.

Upon selecting the Products option, you will be redirected to a window displaying a complete list of products available for sales operations. This window supports multiple viewing modes, including List View, Kanban View, and Activity View, each catering to different management needs.

The Kanban View offers a visually intuitive layout where products are represented as individual cards, making it easy to navigate and manage product data. Additionally, the Activity View provides an organized list of scheduled tasks related to sales operations, allowing users to track upcoming actions for different products efficiently.

For enhanced data retrieval, the Filters and Group By options enable users to sort and categorize products based on various parameters. These options can be customized to refine searches, ensuring quick access to the required product details. Each product entry includes a star icon, allowing users to mark specific products as favorites for quick reference.

In the List View, comprehensive product details are displayed, including Product Name, Vendor, Internal Reference, Product Tags, Sales Price, Cost, Quantity on Hand, Forecasted Quantity, and Unit of Measure. Users can further customize this view by adding additional fields using the configuration icon located in the top-right corner of the window. This feature provides flexibility in managing product information according to specific business needs.

To modify existing products, users can select an item from the product list and make necessary updates. If a new product needs to be added, clicking the New button opens a Product Configuration Window, where detailed product attributes can be defined.

In the Product Name column, you can specify the product’s name, making it easily identifiable in sales, purchase, and inventory operations. Additionally, the star icon next to the product name allows you to mark the item as a favorite for quick access. Odoo 18 provides multiple product options, allowing businesses to define whether a product can be sold, purchased, expensed, rented, subscriptions, or available in PoS.

The General Information tab in Odoo 18 Enterprise allows businesses to define key product details, ensuring efficient product categorization and management. One of the most important settings is the Product Type, which determines how a product is handled within the system. In Odoo 18, there are three main product types:

Goods: These are physical, tangible products that require inventory management. Businesses track stock levels, manage warehouse locations, and monitor sales and purchases for these products. Inventory control features like stock adjustments and reordering rules apply to goods.

Services: These are non-tangible offerings, such as consulting, maintenance, or subscriptions, that do not require inventory tracking. Service-based businesses or companies offering support plans, repairs, or contracts use this option.

Combo: A Combo product is a bundle that consists of multiple items sold together. This could include a mix of goods and services, such as a laptop with an extended warranty or a meal deal that includes food and beverages. Businesses use combos to offer promotions, product packages, or service bundles.

After selecting the product type, the Invoicing Policy must be configured. Businesses can choose to invoice customers based on Ordered Quantities, where invoices are generated as soon as the order is confirmed, or Delivered Quantities, where invoices are created only after the products have been shipped or services have been provided.

For storable products, you can track inventory by activating the Track Inventory option. By enabling the Create Repair option, Odoo will create a linked repair order on sales order confirmation. The Unit of Measure (UoM) section allows businesses to define the default unit for stock activities.

Other essential fields include Sales Price, Sales Taxes, Avatax Category, Purchase Taxes, Compare to Price, Cost, Product Category, Internal Reference, Barcode, Product Tags, and Company. The Internal Notes section provides a space to document important product-related details for internal use.

By typing “/” in the field, users can give commands and activate AI-assisted content generation, allowing them to draft descriptions, reminders, or other text efficiently.

When you select the Product Type as Service, a new field called Create on Order becomes available.

This field offers various options, allowing businesses to automatically generate related activities once a sales order is confirmed. Depending on the selected option, Odoo can automatically create an Event Registration, Event Booth, Task, Project & Task, Project, or Course Access, streamlining service-related operations and enhancing workflow automation.

Odoo 18 also provides flexible invoicing policies under the Invoicing Policy field to cater to different business models.

These invoicing methods allow businesses to choose the most suitable approach based on their service delivery model:

Prepaid/Fixed Price Invoicing: Ideal for predefined services or products with a set price, this method requires customers to pay upfront or after delivery. It is commonly applied to fixed-price projects or packaged services.

Timesheet-based Invoicing: This method allows businesses to bill clients based on the hours logged by employees, making it perfect for service-based industries or freelancers who charge hourly rates.

Milestone-based Invoicing: Suited for long-term projects, this method triggers invoices based on the completion of predefined deliverables or project phases, helping businesses manage payments for large projects in stages.

Delivered Quantity-based Invoicing: This invoicing method generates invoices based on the actual quantity delivered, making it ideal for wholesale or retail operations, where payments are tied to delivered goods.

For products with the Combo type, Odoo 18 requires users to specify Combo Choices in the relevant field.

Products can have multiple variations with different features, such as size, color, or material. These variations are managed under the Attributes & Variants tab, allowing businesses to create and track product variations efficiently.

To configure product variations, users can define Attributes and their corresponding Values using the Add a Line option. Attributes represent product characteristics, such as Size, Color, or Material, while values specify the available options for each attribute, such as Small/Medium/Large for Size or Red/Blue/Green for Color.

The Sales tab in the product setup window of Odoo 18 Enterprise contains all the key sales-related configurations for a product.

In the Upsell & Cross-Sell section, you can configure Optional Products, Accessory Products, and Alternative Products to enhance sales opportunities.

• Optional Products: These are additional products suggested to customers when they purchase a primary product. For example, when selling a laptop, an optional product could be an external mouse or a laptop bag.
• Accessory Products: These are complementary items that enhance the main product’s functionality. For example, a smartphone might have an accessory product such as a phone case or a screen protector.
• Alternative Products: These are substitute products that can be offered to customers if the primary product is out of stock or if they are looking for different options. For instance, if a specific model of headphones is unavailable, an alternative product might be a similar model from another brand.

In addition to upselling and cross-selling, the eCommerce Shop provides fields to mention the Tags, Is Published, Website, Website Sequence, eCommerce Categories, Out of stock, Ribbon, Show Available Quantity, and Out of Stock Message.

Using the Add Media option, you can add suitable ECommerce Media. You can add a note to sales orders and invoices in the Quotation Description field. A detailed description to promote your product on your eCommerce page can be specified in the ECommerce Description field. You can invoice validated expenses, vendor bills, or stock pickings to the customers at either cost or sales prices by selecting the appropriate option in the Re-Invoice Costs field.

Odoo 18 Enterprise allows businesses to set up product warning messages to alert users during sales transactions. This feature can be activated from the Sales module’s Settings menu under the Quotation & Orders section by enabling the Sale Warnings option.

Once activated, a Warning field appears in the Sales tab of the product setup window, allowing businesses to define warning messages for specific products.

There are three available actions for product warnings:

Warning: If selected, a customizable message will be displayed to users when selling the product. This serves as a soft alert, providing important information without stopping the transaction. For example, a message could notify sales representatives that a product is nearing the end of its stock.

Blocking Message: This option prevents the sale from proceeding entirely. If a user attempts to sell the product, Odoo halts the transaction and displays a blocking message, ensuring that the product cannot be sold under certain conditions. This is useful for discontinued items, restricted sales, or regulatory compliance issues.

No Message: If selected, no warning or blocking message will be displayed, allowing the product to be sold without any notifications.

The Purchase tab in Odoo 18 Enterprise allows businesses to define purchase-related details for products that can be bought from vendors.

Using the Add a Line button, businesses can assign multiple vendors to a single product, allowing them to manage different supplier options. Each vendor entry can include key details such as Currency, Minimum Order Quantity, Unit of Measure, Purchase Price, and Delivery Lead Time. The Currency field ensures that purchase transactions are processed in the vendor’s preferred currency, making international procurement seamless. The Delivery Lead Time represents the number of days between the purchase order confirmation and the expected arrival of the product in the warehouse.

In addition, the Purchase Units column enables users to define default purchase units that apply when purchasing the product. The Invoicing Policy can be set to either Ordered Quantities or Received Quantities, determining whether invoices are generated based on the ordered quantity or the actual quantity received. Lastly, the Purchase Description field allows businesses to include product-specific notes that will be added to purchase orders. This feature is useful for specifying special instructions, packaging requirements, or any vendor-related conditions.

The Inventory tab in the product setup window of Odoo 18 Enterprise provides essential fields for managing stock levels, logistics, and product movement. One of the key settings in this tab is Routes, which define how the product is handled in the supply chain. The available routes depend on the installed modules and can include Make to Order (MTO), Buy, Manufacture, Dropship, Replenish on Orders, or Subcontracting.

Under the Logistics section, businesses can assign a Responsible user who will oversee inventory operations related to this product. Additionally, users can specify the Weight and Volume of the product, which is particularly important for shipping calculations and warehouse storage planning. The Customer Lead Time field allows businesses to define the number of days required to deliver the product after a sales order is confirmed. For international trade, the HS Code (Harmonized System Code) can be entered, which is a standardized classification used for customs declarations and shipping. The Origin of Goods field specifies the country of production, rather than the shipping location, ensuring accurate product traceability.

Odoo also provides the Counterpart Location section, where businesses can configure stock movement locations:

Production Location: This defines the source location for stock moves resulting from Manufacturing Orders, overriding the default warehouse location.

Inventory Location: This specifies the source location used when performing inventory adjustments, ensuring proper stock tracking during inventory operations.

By enabling the Product Packagings option from the Settings menu of the Sales module, a new field appears in the Inventory tab of the product setup window, allowing users to define packaging details.

Once activated, businesses can use the Add a Line button to specify key packaging details, including the Package Type, which defines the type of packaging used, such as boxes, pallets, or bags. The Contained Quantity field allows users to specify the number of individual products included within each package, ensuring accurate stock tracking. Additionally, the Unit of Measure (UoM) can be defined to maintain consistency in product measurement. Packaging can also be linked to Sales Orders and Purchase Orders, ensuring that the correct packaging method is used during transactions.

The Description for Receipts allows businesses to specify handling instructions for incoming stock, ensuring proper verification upon arrival. The Description for Delivery Orders helps define packaging requirements for outbound shipments, ensuring compliance with shipping guidelines. Similarly, the Description for Internal Transfers provides details on repackaging or handling when moving stock between warehouse locations.

The Accounting tab in Odoo 18 Enterprise allows businesses to manage and track a product's financial information, ensuring proper accounting and financial reporting. In this tab, users can specify the Income Account under the Receivables section, which determines the account where revenue from product sales is recorded. Similarly, the Expense Account under the Payables field tracks the costs associated with purchasing the product, ensuring that purchase expenses are accurately documented.

When confirming a vendor bill, Odoo records the price difference between the purchase order and the linked vendor bill in the Price Difference Account, automatically updating inventory valuations. This ensures that discrepancies in purchase prices are properly reflected in the financial records without manual intervention. For international transactions, businesses can specify the Commodity Code and Country of Origin under the Intrastat field, ensuring compliance with customs and trade regulations. Odoo 18 also supports the automatic generation of product-specific emails once an invoice is validated, provided an email template is defined in the Automatic Email at Invoice field. The UNSPSC Category field allows businesses to associate a UNSPSC (United Nations Standard Products and Services Code) with the product, helping categorize products for better reporting, procurement analysis, and international trade compliance. This is how we configure products in Odoo 18 Sales module.