For many Kenyan businesses, keeping track of sales, stock, finances, employees, and customers can still mean juggling several disconnected records.
A sale recorded by one department may have to be manually entered into the accounting books, while stock levels are tracked separately and managers rely on spreadsheets or reports to establish whether the business is actually making money.
This is the gap that the enterprise resource planning (ERP) software provider Odoo is seeking to close by consolidating multiple business functions on a single platform.
The Belgian company’s software brings together more than 50 applications covering finance, human resources, sales, marketing, e-commerce, services and supply chain operations.
“The functions are all integrated, meaning if you post a transaction on the sales module, on the accounting side, you’re going to have the net sales for that specific day, for example,” says Franklin Musyoka, Odoo’s Key Partner Manager for Africa.
“If you create a customer on the CRM, they are going to append the sales module that you’re working on. That is one of our competitive advantages.”
This integration means a business can, for instance, record a sale through the sales module and have the transaction automatically reflected in accounting. The same system can track purchases, reconcile bank transactions and update inventory.
Odoo says the most commonly used applications among Kenyan customers include sales, customer relationship management (CRM), point of sale (POS), inventory, manufacturing and accounting.
The company does not require businesses to adopt all the applications at once; clients can choose the modules that fit their operations and add others as their needs grow.
Its standard package starts at $9.10 (about Sh1,180) per user per month and provides access to all applications. The custom package starts at $13.60 (Sh1,763) per user per month. It adds features such as multi-company and external application platform interface (API) support for businesses that need to connect Odoo to other platforms.
Odoo says it discounts the rates for customers who take annual packages.
Mr Musyoka points out the ability to adjust pricing across markets as another part of Odoo’s competitive proposition.
Odoo’s platform also allows businesses to operate in different countries with different currencies under one software.
“A company in Kenya with a branch in Tanzania can have that kind of operation run independently with the multiple currency set-up,” he says.
The software can be deployed through cloud hosting or on-premises infrastructure, giving businesses flexibility depending on their needs.
Odoo Online gives managers access to their business records remotely as long as they have an internet connection. This allows them to monitor transactions in real time even when they are away from the office.
The company says it is also tailoring its software to local markets rather than simply offering the same global product to every country.
In Kenya, for instance, its human resource module incorporates the Social Health Authority (SHA), while its tax functionality has been integrated with the Kenya Revenue Authority’s eTIMS tax compliance system.
Odoo says it has finalized an M-Pesa integration for its point-of-sale (POS) and e-commerce platforms, including Lipa Na M-Pesa payment prompts.
This localisation is important for businesses that need technology to fit their day-to-day operating environment rather than forcing them to change their processes to accommodate an imported system.
Odoo opened its Kenyan office in 2022 as its Africa hub and now has more than 4,000 firms in its Kenyan client base.
Mr. Musyoka says one of the biggest challenges facing smaller businesses is that some may mistake cash flow for profitability because they lack a clear picture of their operations.
“A lot of businesses are making losses thinking they are profitable because they don’t have a system to give an account of their operations,” he says. “An ERP system can automate routine tasks while giving business owners a clearer picture of what is happening across the company.”
For a sales team, it means having visibility of daily sales rather than relying on estimates.
A manufacturer can identify which work centre needs to improve efficiency, while a retailer can track stock and avoid situations where customers arrive to buy products that are no longer available.
The ultimate goal, says Mr. Musyoka, is to help businesses save time and costs while making decisions based on actual data.
Odoo is also incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into its platform to reduce the time users spend searching through business records.
An accountant can prompt the system to provide sales for a particular day, cash positions or a profit-and-loss account for a particular period instead of manually navigating through reports and applying filters.
The AI can also help with decisions such as pricing. A salesperson negotiating a discount with a customer can query the system for information on pricing and how the proposed offer compares with competitors.
“Traditionally, the information would have been available, but the accountant would probably have to go to reporting, filter and generate a specific report,” says Mr. Musyoka.
“Now, it’s just a prompt of a few seconds, and you have all that information instead of manually going to look for it.”
Odoo releases a new version of its platform every year, which the company says allows it to keep updating its tools as business needs evolve.
Its localisations, annual product updates and pricing are among the areas it sees as giving it an edge against established global ERP providers.
The company sees an opportunity in businesses that have historically struggled to afford sophisticated enterprise software, especially smaller firms that need integrated systems but cannot justify the cost of multiple specialised applications.
That approach will be at the centre of the company’s upcoming Odoo Experience event, which will be held in Nairobi for the first time in Africa.
The flagship global business and technology event will take place at Waterfronts 1 and 2 of the Ngong
Racecourse on September 3 and 4, bringing together Odoo partners, clients, developers, entrepreneurs and business leaders.
The organisers expect more than 10,000 attendees for the two-day event, which will combine training, product demonstrations, industry discussions and networking.
Among the speakers will be South African entrepreneur, investor and author Vusi Thembekwayo; Kenya’s Ambassador to Belgium, Bitange Ndemo; and award-winning entrepreneur, author and Pezesha founder Hilda Moraa.
The programme will begin with master classes on September 1 and 2, offering intensive training in areas such as advanced accounting, inventory management, and app development. The company is also expected to showcase new features in its AI capabilities.
The event targets students, entrepreneurs, business owners, and leaders across sectors who want to learn how technology can improve their operations.
A basic pass is free and provides access to the talks and sessions throughout the day. A premium pass, meanwhile, costs $115 (about Sh14,900) and includes food and drinks as well as access to the evening concert, which will feature performances by Kenyan pop stars Bensoul and Watendawili.
For Kenyan businesses still relying on a patchwork of spreadsheets, standalone applications and manual processes, it is an opportunity to see how an integrated system can bring those functions together.
Tickets can be boughthere.
