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Short answer: Use the EU voluntary sustainability reporting standard for SMEs (VSME). Collect your energy use, emissions, waste, workforce and governance data, ideally straight from your accounting, purchasing, fleet and HR systems, calculate your carbon footprint with recognised emission factors, and present it in the VSME format. Done once in a system, it can be updated every year with little effort.

Why customers ask you

Under the EU Omnibus I directive, mandatory CSRD reporting now applies to companies with more than 1,000 employees and more than €450 million turnover, from financial year 2027. These companies must report on their value chain, so they ask their suppliers for data. For suppliers with up to 1,000 employees, those requests are capped at the voluntary SME standard, which makes VSME the format to prepare.

General information, not legal advice. Check your obligations with your adviser or auditor.

What a VSME report contains

• General information about the company and its sustainability practices
• Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1 and 2, Scope 3 where relevant)
• Pollution, water, waste and resource use
• Workforce: headcount, contracts, health and safety, training, pay
• Governance: policies, anti-corruption, convictions and fines

Scopes in plain words

Scope	What it covers	Where the data comes from
Scope 1	Fuel you burn: vehicles, boilers, generators	Fuel invoices, fleet records
Scope 2	Electricity and heat you buy	Utility invoices
Scope 3	Everything else in your value chain: purchased goods, transport, travel	Purchase invoices and supplier data

Step by step

1. Ask the customer which indicators and format they need.
2. Map where the data already exists: accounting, purchasing, fleet, HR.
3. Set up an ESG tool, such as the ESG app in Odoo 19, to calculate emissions from that data with emission factors.
4. Fill the gaps with simple records, for example waste weights or training hours.
5. Prepare the report and review it with management.
6. Repeat yearly with the same method so results are comparable.

The hidden benefit: cost savings

The data you collect for ESG is cost data. Energy, fuel, transport, purchasing and waste figures quickly show where money can be saved.

See our ESG reporting solutions.

Talk to us

Nexus International Commerce is an independent Odoo service provider based in Nicosia, Cyprus, working with businesses in Europe, the US, the Middle East and Africa. Our team has more than 20 years of experience in IT systems and IT project management. Book a free 30-minute consultation and get a clear recommendation for your business.

Odoo® is a registered trademark of Odoo S.A. Nexus International Commerce is an independent Odoo service provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Odoo S.A.

Short answer: Choose a provider who understands your type of business, gives a written scope and fixed quote, has a named project manager, works in your language and time zone, signs a GDPR data processing agreement, and leaves the Odoo subscription, data and code in your name.

The checklist

1. Have they implemented Odoo for businesses like yours? Ask for examples.
2. Do they give a written scope and a fixed quote for the setup?
3. Who is the project manager, and how much IT project experience do they have?
4. Do they work in your language and time zone?
5. Is the contract under EU law, and will they sign a GDPR data processing agreement?
6. Is the Odoo subscription in your company’s name?
7. Do you own the custom code they write?
8. How do they handle data migration and testing?
9. What training is included, and in which language?
10. What happens after go-live: support plan, response times, updates?
11. Do they publish service levels and security practices?
12. Can you speak to a reference client?

Partner, freelancer or in-house?

	Service company	Freelancer	In-house
Project management	Included	Rarely	Your responsibility
Back-up if someone leaves	Yes	No	Depends
Service levels	Usually	Rarely	N/A
Cost	Medium	Low per hour	High fixed cost

Odoo partners and independent providers

Odoo S.A. runs an official partner programme. Independent providers can also deliver Odoo projects; what matters most is proven experience, a clear contract and the team that actually works on your project.

Talk to us

Nexus International Commerce is an independent Odoo service provider based in Nicosia, Cyprus, working with businesses in Europe, the US, the Middle East and Africa. Our team has more than 20 years of experience in IT systems and IT project management. Book a free 30-minute consultation and get a clear recommendation for your business.

Odoo® is a registered trademark of Odoo S.A. Nexus International Commerce is an independent Odoo service provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Odoo S.A.

Short answer: Yes. Odoo handles sales and purchases in any currency, updates exchange rates automatically, books realised exchange differences, adds landed costs such as freight and duties to product cost, and supports several companies in one database. That covers the core needs of most import, export and trading businesses.

What trading companies need

Need	How Odoo handles it
Buy and sell in several currencies	Currency per order, invoice and bank account
Exchange rates	Automatic daily rates from sources such as the European Central Bank
Exchange differences	Realised differences booked automatically on payment; revaluation of open balances
Real product cost	Landed costs: freight, insurance and duties allocated to products
Margin per deal	Margin per order, product, customer and supplier
Several legal entities	Multi-company with inter-company sales and purchases
Documents	Proforma invoices, packing lists and delivery documents per shipment

Typical setup for a trading company

1. Sales, Purchase, Inventory and Accounting as the core
2. Currencies, rate provider and bank accounts per currency
3. Landed cost rules for each type of shipment
4. Multi-company if you trade through several entities
5. Approval rules for large purchases

Points to plan carefully

• VAT and customs rules in each country you trade with
• Which company is the seller of record for each flow
• Intrastat or other statistical reporting where required
• Who maintains exchange rates and when

Talk to us

Nexus International Commerce is an independent Odoo service provider based in Nicosia, Cyprus, working with businesses in Europe, the US, the Middle East and Africa. Our team has more than 20 years of experience in IT systems and IT project management. Book a free 30-minute consultation and get a clear recommendation for your business.

Odoo® is a registered trademark of Odoo S.A. Nexus International Commerce is an independent Odoo service provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Odoo S.A.

Short answer: The total cost has two parts. First, the Odoo subscription, paid to Odoo S.A. per user per month. Second, the implementation by a service provider, which for small and mid-sized companies commonly ranges from a few thousand euros for a simple setup to several tens of thousands for multi-company or manufacturing projects. Ongoing support is usually a monthly plan or prepaid hours.

1. The Odoo subscription

Odoo has a free One App plan (one app, unlimited users) and paid plans per user per month, usually called Standard and Custom. In the eurozone the paid plans are roughly in the €20 to €40 per user per month range, depending on the plan and billing period. Prices differ by country, so check odoo.com/pricing. You pay this directly to Odoo S.A.

2. Implementation

Project type	Typical scope	Indicative range
Simple	1 to 3 apps, up to 5 users, standard setup	a few thousand euros
Small business	5 to 6 apps, up to 15 users, data migration, training	around €10,000 to €15,000
Mid-sized	10+ apps incl. manufacturing, integrations	around €20,000 to €40,000
Complex	Multi-country, multi-company, custom modules	€40,000 and more

Market ranges based on published offers from Odoo service providers. Your quote depends on scope, data and customisation.

For reference, Odoo S.A. itself sells implementation hours as “Success Packs”, which start at 25 hours.

3. Support and ongoing management

After go-live you need someone to answer questions, apply updates and make small changes. This is usually a monthly plan or a pack of prepaid hours.

What drives the cost up

• Custom development instead of standard features
• Many integrations with other systems
• Poor data quality in the old system
• Several countries and companies
• Unclear scope at the start

How to keep it under control

1. Start with standard Odoo and change your process before changing the software.
2. Agree a written scope and a fixed quote for the setup.
3. Go live in phases: core apps first, extras later.
4. Keep the Odoo subscription in your own name so you stay in control.

Talk to us

Nexus International Commerce is an independent Odoo service provider based in Nicosia, Cyprus, working with businesses in Europe, the US, the Middle East and Africa. Our team has more than 20 years of experience in IT systems and IT project management. Book a free 30-minute consultation and get a clear recommendation for your business.

Odoo® is a registered trademark of Odoo S.A. Nexus International Commerce is an independent Odoo service provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Odoo S.A.

Short answer: All three are proven ERP systems for small and mid-sized companies. Odoo usually has the lowest total cost and the widest set of apps in one system. SAP Business One suits companies that want the SAP ecosystem. NetSuite is a mature cloud ERP popular with fast-growing and US-centric companies, usually at a higher price point.

Overview

	Odoo	SAP Business One	Oracle NetSuite
Deployment	Cloud (Odoo Online, Odoo.sh) or on-premise	On-premise or partner-hosted cloud	Cloud only
Pricing model	Per user per month, all apps in the plan	Per user licence or subscription via partners	Annual subscription: base licence plus users and modules
Scope	ERP, CRM, website, eCommerce, HR, marketing, projects	ERP core with partner add-ons	ERP, CRM, eCommerce, with paid modules
Open source	Community edition is open source	No	No
Customisation	Studio and Python framework	SDK and add-ons	SuiteScript and SuiteFlow
Typical company size	5 to 500+ users	10 to 250 users	20 to 1,000+ users

Indicative only. Features, pricing and editions change; compare current offers.

When to choose each

• Odoo: you want one integrated system for most departments at a predictable cost, and you value flexibility.
• SAP Business One: your group, auditors or main customers expect SAP, or you have SAP experience in house.
• NetSuite: you want a fully managed cloud ERP, have budget for it and plan fast international growth.

Questions to ask any vendor

1. What is the total cost over five years, including implementation and support?
2. Which of our processes need customisation?
3. How are upgrades handled and who pays for them?
4. Can we export all our data if we leave?
5. Who will actually work on our project, and in which language and time zone?

Talk to us

Nexus International Commerce is an independent Odoo service provider based in Nicosia, Cyprus, working with businesses in Europe, the US, the Middle East and Africa. Our team has more than 20 years of experience in IT systems and IT project management. Book a free 30-minute consultation and get a clear recommendation for your business.

Odoo® is a registered trademark of Odoo S.A. Nexus International Commerce is an independent Odoo service provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Odoo S.A.

Short answer: You have three options: keep your store and connect it to an ERP such as Odoo with a connector, move the store itself to Odoo eCommerce so that everything runs in one system, or use an integration platform. For most small and mid-sized sellers, the first two options are the most reliable and cheapest to run.

The problem

• Orders copied by hand from the store into the back office
• Stock on the website that does not match the warehouse
• Several marketplaces, each with its own stock and orders
• Invoices and payouts reconciled manually

Option 1: Keep your store and connect it

Odoo offers official connectors for Amazon and eBay. Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento and other platforms connect through established connector apps in the Odoo App Store. Products, stock, orders, customers and payments synchronise automatically.

Option 2: Run the store in Odoo

Odoo eCommerce is built into the same database as stock, sales and accounting. There is nothing to synchronise: a web order is a sales order. This is often the simplest choice for B2B shops and for companies starting a new store.

Option 3: Integration platform

Tools such as Make or Zapier can link systems, but for orders and stock at volume they add cost and points of failure. Use them for small side flows rather than the core.

Comparison

	Connector	Odoo eCommerce	Integration platform
Keep current store design	Yes	No, rebuild in Odoo	Yes
Real-time stock	Near real time	Real time	Depends on setup
Running cost	Connector licence	Included in Odoo	Platform fees per task
Best for	Established B2C stores	B2B and new stores	Simple side processes

What to set up either way

• Clean product codes (SKUs) that match in all systems
• Warehouse rules for picking, packing and shipping labels
• Payment provider payouts matched to orders in accounting
• VAT rules for each country you sell to, including the EU OSS scheme

Talk to us

Nexus International Commerce is an independent Odoo service provider based in Nicosia, Cyprus, working with businesses in Europe, the US, the Middle East and Africa. Our team has more than 20 years of experience in IT systems and IT project management. Book a free 30-minute consultation and get a clear recommendation for your business.

Odoo® is a registered trademark of Odoo S.A. Nexus International Commerce is an independent Odoo service provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Odoo S.A.

Short answer: For many small and mid-sized manufacturers, Odoo is a lower-cost alternative to SAP Business One. It includes manufacturing (bills of materials, work orders, quality and maintenance), inventory, purchasing and accounting in one system, it is priced per user per month, and it is generally faster to implement. SAP Business One remains a strong choice for companies that want an established SAP partner ecosystem or already run other SAP products.

What a small manufacturer needs

• Bills of materials, including multi-level and variants
• Production planning based on sales orders and stock
• Work orders and shop-floor tablets
• Real cost per product (materials, labour, overhead)
• Quality checks and traceability with lots and serial numbers
• Maintenance of machines

Odoo and SAP Business One side by side

	Odoo	SAP Business One
Licensing	Subscription per user per month, one price for all apps in the plan	Licence per named user type, plus annual maintenance, or subscription through partners
Manufacturing	MRP, PLM, Quality and Maintenance apps	Production module, with add-ons from partners for advanced needs
Website and eCommerce	Built in	Usually through add-ons or integrations
User interface	Web and mobile, modern	Desktop client plus web client
Customisation	Studio (no-code) and open-source framework	SDK and partner add-ons
Typical implementation	Weeks to a few months	Typically a few months

Pricing and features change. Always compare current offers for your number of users and countries.

When Odoo is the better fit

• You want one system for manufacturing, sales, stock, website and accounting.
• You prefer a monthly subscription to a large upfront licence.
• You want to start with a few apps and grow.

When SAP Business One may be the better fit

• Your group or main customers require SAP.
• You already have SAP know-how in house.

How to decide

1. List your 10 most important processes.
2. Ask each vendor for a demo of exactly those processes with your data.
3. Compare total cost over five years: licences, implementation, support and upgrades.
4. Speak to a reference customer of a similar size.

Talk to us

Nexus International Commerce is an independent Odoo service provider based in Nicosia, Cyprus, working with businesses in Europe, the US, the Middle East and Africa. Our team has more than 20 years of experience in IT systems and IT project management. Book a free 30-minute consultation and get a clear recommendation for your business.

Odoo® is a registered trademark of Odoo S.A. Nexus International Commerce is an independent Odoo service provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Odoo S.A.

Short answer: For most distribution companies with 5 to 50 employees, a modular cloud ERP such as Odoo is the best value: it covers sales, purchasing, multi-warehouse inventory, barcode scanning and accounting in one system, you can start with a few apps, and implementation typically takes weeks rather than months.

Signs you have outgrown Excel

• Stock figures differ between the warehouse, the office and the accounting system.
• Reordering depends on one person who knows what is running low.
• Customer-specific prices live in several spreadsheets.
• Month-end closing takes days of copying and checking.
• You cannot answer simple questions such as “what is my margin per customer?” without a manual report.

What a distribution company needs from an ERP

Need	What to look for
Real-time stock	Multi-warehouse, locations, lots or serial numbers
Fast order picking	Barcode scanning on phones or scanners, batch and wave picking
Purchasing	Automatic reordering rules, supplier price lists, landed costs
Sales	Customer price lists, discounts, a B2B portal where customers order themselves
Accounting	Invoices and payments linked to orders, VAT reports, bank reconciliation
Reporting	Margin per product, customer and salesperson in real time

Why Odoo fits distributors

• One database: an order updates stock, purchasing and accounting automatically.
• Modular: start with Sales, Inventory, Purchase and Accounting, and add eCommerce, CRM or a B2B portal later.
• Cost: subscription per user, no large upfront licence, and you can start small.
• Mobile barcode: warehouse staff scan with a phone or a rugged scanner.

How long does it take?

A typical distribution project with 10 to 30 users takes 6 to 10 weeks: analysis, configuration, data migration of products, customers, suppliers and opening stock, training and go-live. The biggest factor is the quality of your data, so clean product codes and price lists early.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Copying every Excel habit into the new system instead of using standard flows.
• Migrating years of history you will never use. Open items and balances are usually enough.
• Skipping training for warehouse staff, who use the system most.

Talk to us

Nexus International Commerce is an independent Odoo service provider based in Nicosia, Cyprus, working with businesses in Europe, the US, the Middle East and Africa. Our team has more than 20 years of experience in IT systems and IT project management. Book a free 30-minute consultation and get a clear recommendation for your business.

Odoo® is a registered trademark of Odoo S.A. Nexus International Commerce is an independent Odoo service provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Odoo S.A.