Cdiscount – Global-scale E-Commerce Platform based on Odoo

Overview

Industry: Retail, E-Commerce

Product:

·       Technology

·       Home & living

·       Beauty & health

·       Mother & baby

·       ...

Website: www.cdiscount.com

Some figures: 2014

CDISCOUNT VIETNAM

·       100,000 SKUs (november, 2014)

·       300 sales per day (november, 2014), constant growth.

·       1,000 orders per day during peak sales periods.

·       The project was deployed in five countries.

Introduction:

Cdiscount is a French e-commerce platform founded in December 1998 by three brothers: Hervé, Christophe, and Nicolas Charle. Initially, the company specialized in selling second-hand CDs and DVDs, but later expanded its product range to include electronics, home appliances, fashion, groceries, and more.

In 2000, Casino Group-one of France’s largest retail companies-became a shareholder of Cdiscount. By 2011, Casino had acquired a 99.6% stake, making Cdiscount one of its key e-commerce businesses. Today, Cdiscount is the third-largest e-commerce platform in France, following Amazon.fr and Veepee.fr. The company mainly operates in France and several European countries, including Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Luxembourg.

Cdiscount Vietnam

·       In 2014, Cdiscount launched a global expansion campaign, setting up subsidiaries in multiple countries, including Vietnam, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Tunisia, and Uruguay.

·       On April 18, 2014, Cdiscount.vn officially launched, becoming Vietnam’s first e-commerce platform introduced by the Big C supermarket chain, one of the country’s largest retail distributors. Initially, the website offered around 7,000 products across various categories, including technology, home & living, beauty & health, and mother & baby.

·       By 2015, the product catalog had expanded to over 100,000 SKUs. However, in 2016, Cdiscount Vietnam, along with Big C Vietnam, was acquired by Thailand’s Central Group, marking Cdiscount’s exit from the Vietnamese market.

Current Position: A Leading E-Commerce Platform in France

Although Cdiscount no longer has a strong presence outside Europe, it remains one of France’s top e-commerce platforms. With a diverse product selection, competitive pricing, and an advanced logistics network, Cdiscount continues to be a major player in the European e-commerce market.

Challenges

Previously, Cdiscount had an e-commerce platform and warehouse management software. However, the warehouse system was not integrated with the e-commerce platform. Additionally, there were no dedicated software solutions for managing key operations such as purchasing, sales, and accounting, leading to a lack of operational synchronization.

In 2014, Cdiscount launched a global expansion campaign. To optimize operations in its subsidiaries across Asia, Europe, and South America, Cdiscount selected Odoo as its back-end system, enabling comprehensive management of e-commerce business processes.

Solution

Cdiscount is taking the opportunity of switching the front-end of its e-commerce website to also switch its back-end to Odoo. This process, initiated in Vietnam, is currently deployed in 5 other countries (Tunisia, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Uruguay and Cameroun). The back-end includes features like procurement and stock, and is interfaced through APIs to both the front-end and the SAP system at group level.

Phase 1: Implementation for Cdiscount Vietnam

·       Deploy ERP functions for Warehouse & Inventory Management, Purchasing, Sales, and Delivery.

·       Integrate Odoo (as a back-end system) with Magento (front-end management software) to process e-commerce orders.

·       Integrate with BigC’s Gold software to synchronize seller and supplier data.

Phase 2: Implementation for Cdiscount Global, starting with Africa

·       Deploy ERP functions for logistics and warehouse management.

·       Integrate Odoo (as a back-end system) with ESUS (front-end management software).

·       Integrate Odoo with WHS - Speed, a warehouse management system provided by Bolloré, a leading logistics provider in several African countries.

Phase 3: Upgrading and further development of the Odoo system for Cdiscount Vietnam

·       Migrate front-end e-commerce integration from Magento to ESUS.

·       Integrate with BigC’s SAP system for accounting data synchronization and transformation.

·       Integrate with Marketplace systems (for managing third-party sellers) and Pick-up Points (allowing customers to collect orders from designated locations in Vietnam).

·       Deploy ERP functions for the Accounting module, focusing on Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) management and developing a management reporting system.

Main features and customizations 

• Integration with Esus front-end API to synchronize products and sales

• Integration with Speed (WMS) for warehouse operations

• Advanced warehouse management with FIFO and FEFO

• Detailed modeling of warehouse locations (down to storage bins) and storage optimization to enhance warehouse efficiency [Vietnam]

• Implementation of wave picking mechanism in Odoo [Vietnam]

• SAP API for supplier and payment data synchronization [Vietnam]

• Other customizations in Product Management, Procurement, Sales Orders, Inventory, Delivery, and Accounting to ensure platforms align closely with business processes/requirements [Vietnam]