Odoo 20 introduces a way to record sales order shipments without installing the Inventory app. For manufacturers with straightforward shipping needs, the Sales app can record shipment details, manage delivery status, and send shipping confirmation emails. However, businesses that need to process partial deliveries, manage stock reservations, or control warehouse operations should use the Inventory app. For manufacturers who also need to plan and manage production, the Manufacturing app provides additional functionality, including bills of materials, manufacturing orders, and work order tracking. This helps connect production progress with sales commitments and fulfilment planning.
For businesses that need a reliable commercial and operational record of dispatch, Sales and Inventory work together. Sales confirms customer orders, while Inventory creates delivery orders, tracks stock moves, validates shipments, and records delivery activity. Consider a manufacturer shipping part of an industrial equipment order now, with the balance following after final assembly.
What Odoo 20 Sales and Inventory Can Confirm
With Sales and Inventory, your team can prepare a quotation, confirm it as a Sales Order, and create delivery orders against that customer commitment. Inventory manages the quantities being delivered, supports partial deliveries, and lets the team validate the dispatch once goods have physically left the facility.
With a delivery method configured, the team can add a carrier, record a tracking reference, and generate shipping labels where the connector supports them. See Odoo’s third-party shipping carriers documentation for setup details.
This approach can suit organizations that:
- Ship relatively simple orders
- Build products to order
- Use a third-party warehouse
- Manage stock in another system through integration
- Need sales order processing and customer communication in one place
The Sales Order can show delivery progress because Inventory records the related delivery orders and stock moves. That makes the combined workflow useful when the main goal is to document what left the facility while keeping customer-facing teams informed.
Sales in Odoo 20 can now handle basic shipment confirmation without the Inventory app. After a Sales Order is confirmed, users can use the Ship action to record shipment details, select a delivery method, add a tracking reference, and send a shipping confirmation email. The order's delivery status can also be tracked.
However, this Sales-only workflow does not replace warehouse management. Businesses that need stock moves, internal locations, reservations, picking and packing operations, replenishment rules, or automatic on-hand quantity updates still need the Inventory app. The distinction is between recording and communicating a shipment and controlling the physical movement of stock.
Following One Partial Shipment From Quote to Delivery
Consider a Canadian manufacturer of industrial control equipment that quotes a customer for 12 control cabinets and 12 installation packages. Once the customer accepts, the quotation becomes a confirmed Sales Order. To plan production, the manufacturer creates a Manufacturing Order (MO) for the products that need to be assembled. Eight complete sets are ready to ship this week, while four sets remain in final assembly under the Manufacturing Order.
In a Sales-only setup, the team can use the Ship action on the confirmed Sales Order to record shipment details and send a shipping confirmation email. However, the Odoo 20 release notes do not specify whether this workflow supports recording a partial quantity, such as eight shipped units out of twelve, while keeping the remaining four visible as outstanding. This behaviour should be confirmed in an Odoo 20 database before presenting it as a supported workflow.
With Inventory installed, the warehouse team processes a partial delivery of eight control cabinets and eight installation kits, then validates the delivery order. Odoo creates a backorder for the remaining four cabinets and four installation packages, keeping the outstanding quantities available for a later shipment.
A clear record of the first dispatch can include:
- The quantities shipped
- The shipping method, where configured
- The carrier reference or tracking number
- Delivery order validation
- A customer shipment confirmation email
From a business standpoint, this gives customer service a straightforward answer when the buyer asks what has left and what is still outstanding. The Sales Order remains the commercial source of truth for the customer commitment, while Inventory provides the operational record of delivered and remaining quantities.
Inventory also confirms whether the final four sets are physically available, reserved for that customer, picked from a staging area, or ready at a loading dock. With Inventory configured for three-step delivery, Odoo can track whether the final four sets have been picked, moved to the Packing Zone, transferred to the Output location, or delivered to the customer. This workflow requires Multi-Step Routes to be enabled in the warehouse settings. Sales records the customer order, while Inventory controls the physical process behind delivery.
Records That Keep Sales Order Processing Visible
Several connected records help keep partial order fulfilment understandable. The quotation becomes a Sales Order after confirmation and remains the central record of your commitment to the customer. In a Sales-only workflow, the Sales Order provides shipment details and delivery status through the Ship action. When Inventory is installed, delivery orders and stock moves provide a more detailed operational record, connecting products and quantities to warehouse activities and physical dispatch.
Delivery status supports day-to-day customer communication. Your team can distinguish between orders awaiting shipment, orders that are partly delivered, and orders that are fully delivered based on the related Inventory activity. A tracking reference gives sales and service teams a single detail to share with the buyer, provided your carrier or shipping process has supplied that reference.
It helps to keep the terminology precise. Sales Orders are not the same as Inventory delivery orders, pickings, stock moves, or reservations. Sales manages the customer-facing order, while Inventory creates and processes the warehouse records required to ship physical products.
Shipment validation is also separate from invoicing. Validating that goods have been dispatched does not automatically mean a customer invoice has been issued. Billing timing depends on your company’s invoicing policy and accounting configuration, including whether you invoice based on ordered quantities, delivered quantities, or another agreed process.
Where Sales-Only Fulfilment Stops
A Sales-only approach in Odoo 20 can support quotations, order confirmation, basic shipment recording, shipping confirmation emails, and delivery-status visibility. However, it cannot replace detailed warehouse control. Organizations that need stock movements, reservations, picking, packing, or location-level inventory management should include the Inventory app in their design.
The Inventory app becomes necessary when your order fulfilment depends on controls such as:
- Accurate stock levels by location
- Automatic availability checks and reservations
- Serial or lot traceability
- Barcode-supported picking and packing in Odoo 20 Enterprise
- Backorders, returns, or multi-step shipping
- Warehouse reporting and operational controls
These requirements often appear as manufacturers add stocked components, manage several production stages, or make time-sensitive commitments to customers. An Inventory deliveryorder can show that eight sets left the facility and preserve the remaining quantity as a backorder, while reservations can help protect stock intended for the final four sets.
Shipping methods and carrier connections may also need separate configuration. Exact capabilities depend on the selected shipping method and any installed connector. Labels, live carrier rates, and tracking updates should not be assumed unless the documented integration has been configured. Inventory provides the delivery and stock processes required when warehouse activity must be controlled in Odoo.
Choose the Right Fulfilment Model Before You Scale
For businesses with straightforward shipping needs, Odoo 20 Sales can be a sensible starting point. It lets your team manage quotations, confirm customer orders, record shipment details, and send shipping confirmation emails without installing the Inventory app. However, it does not provide the detailed warehouse controls needed for stock movements, reservations, picking, packing, or location-level inventory management.
The decision changes when fulfilment depends on dependable stock availability, allocation decisions, picking accuracy, traceability, or several warehouse steps. Review how often orders ship partially, where shipment data originates, and whether your team needs controlled physical fulfilment. That distinction will show whether Sales can meet current commercial needs or whether Inventory should be part of the design.
Strengthen Order Visibility Across Every Stage
Kodershop helps manufacturers assess where process gaps affect customer commitments, fulfilment coordination, and reporting. Our order management system services can align sales, inventory, and warehouse information around your businessneeds. If you are planning a clearer path forward, contact us to discuss your operational priorities with our team.