Why Pay for Mailchimp When Odoo Does This?
Small businesses spend an average of $45 to $300 per month on standalone email marketing tools. Meanwhile, their Odoo subscription already includes a full email marketing module with mailing lists, drag-and-drop design, A/B testing, and campaign automation.
The catch? Most Odoo users never turn it on because the initial setup feels disconnected from their CRM and website data. This guide connects those dots.
By the end, you will have a working email marketing system that pulls contacts from your CRM, sends professional campaigns, and tracks every open and click.
1. Build mailing lists from CRM contacts and website visitors
2. Design emails with the drag-and-drop builder
3. Send campaigns or set up automated flows
4. Track opens, clicks, and bounces in real time
Cost savings: Eliminates the need for Mailchimp, Sendinblue, or Constant Contact for most businesses.
Email Marketing vs Mass Mailing: What Is the Difference?
Odoo has two apps that sound similar but serve different purposes:
| Feature | Email Marketing | SMS Marketing |
|---|---|---|
| Channel | SMS text messages | |
| Design | Drag-and-drop builder | Plain text only |
| Automation | Full campaign automation | Basic scheduling |
| Best for | Newsletters, promotions, nurture sequences | Urgent alerts, appointment reminders |
This guide focuses on the Email Marketing app. The principles apply to both, but email gives you design flexibility that SMS cannot match.
Step 1: Install and Configure the Email Marketing App
Go to Apps, search for Email Marketing, and click Install. The app installs in seconds and adds a new menu item to your main dashboard.
Configure SMTP Settings
Odoo uses its own mail servers by default. For higher sending volumes or custom domains, configure your own SMTP server:
- Go to Settings > Technical > Outgoing Mail Servers
- Create a new server with your email provider credentials
- Test the connection before switching
Set Up Your Sending Domain
For better deliverability, configure SPF and DKIM records for your domain. Go to Email Marketing > Configuration > Settings and follow the domain verification steps. This step prevents your emails from landing in spam folders.
Unsubscribe Page
Odoo automatically creates an unsubscribe page and adds an unsubscribe link to every email. Customize the page text under Email Marketing > Configuration > Mailing Lists.
Step 2: Build Your Mailing Lists
A mailing list is your audience. Odoo gives you several ways to build it:
Import from Contacts
Go to Contacts, select the contacts you want, and click Add to Mailing List. You can filter by tags, country, industry, or any custom field to create targeted segments.
CRM Leads
Automatically add qualified leads to a mailing list. Go to CRM > Configuration > Lost Reasons to understand why leads drop off, then use Email Marketing > Mailing Lists to nurture them back.
Website Opt-In
Add a newsletter signup form to your website. Go to Website > Editor > Building Blocks and drag the Newsletter block onto any page. Visitors who subscribe are automatically added to your default mailing list.
Social Media
Connect your social accounts and import followers who have opted in to receive emails. This works best when combined with a lead magnet (free guide, discount code, or webinar registration).
List Hygiene
Regularly clean your mailing lists. Remove hard bounces, unsubscribes, and contacts that have not opened an email in 6 months. Clean lists improve deliverability and keep your sender reputation strong.
Step 3: Design Your First Campaign
Odoo's drag-and-drop email builder makes professional design accessible without a designer.
Create a Mailing
Go to Email Marketing > Mailings and click New. Fill in:
- Subject: Keep it under 50 characters for best open rates
- Mailing List: Select your target audience
- Body: Click Design to open the visual builder
Using the Builder
The builder offers drag-and-drop blocks: text, images, buttons, columns, dividers, and social media links. Start with a template or build from scratch:
- Header: Your logo and a clear headline
- Body: One main message with supporting details
- CTA Button: One clear call to action per email
- Footer: Contact info, social links, and unsubscribe
Dynamic Content
Use placeholders to personalize emails. Insert ${object.name} for the contact's name, ${object.company_id.name} for their company, or any custom field. Personalized emails see 26% higher open rates on average.
A/B Testing
Before sending your campaign to the full list, run an A/B test. Odoo sends two versions to small sample groups and automatically sends the winning version to the rest. Test one variable at a time: subject line, sender name, or CTA button color.
Step 4: Automate Your Email Flows
One-off campaigns are useful. Automated sequences are powerful. Set these up once and let them run:
Welcome Sequence
When a new contact joins your mailing list, send a 3-email welcome sequence:
- Email 1 (immediate): Welcome message with your value proposition
- Email 2 (3 days later): Share your most helpful content or case study
- Email 3 (7 days later): Introduce your products or services with a special offer
Re-Engagement Campaign
Target contacts who have not opened an email in 90 days. Send a "We miss you" message with a compelling offer. If they still do not engage, remove them from the list to protect your sender reputation.
Post-Purchase Follow-Up
When a sale is confirmed in the Sales app, trigger a thank-you email with product tips, a request for a review, or a cross-sell offer. This automation links your Sales and Email Marketing apps seamlessly.
Email Tracking and Analytics
Every campaign generates data. Here is what to track and what it means:
Open Rate
Target: 20-30% for B2B, 15-25% for B2C. Low open rates usually mean weak subject lines or poor list quality. Test different subject lines and clean inactive subscribers.
Click Rate
Target: 2-5%. Low click rates mean your content or CTA is not compelling. Make sure your email has one clear action and that the CTA button stands out visually.
Bounce Rate
Target: Under 2%. High bounce rates damage your sender reputation. Remove hard bounces immediately and verify email addresses before adding them to lists.
Unsubscribe Rate
Target: Under 0.5%. High unsubscribe rates mean your content is not relevant to your audience. Segment your lists more carefully and send less frequently.
Revenue per Email
For e-commerce, track how much revenue each campaign generates. Divide total revenue from the campaign by the number of emails sent. This metric tells you which campaigns are worth repeating.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Sending to Unsegmented Lists
One email to everyone means relevant content for no one. Segment by industry, purchase history, or engagement level. Targeted emails consistently outperform blasts.
Ignoring Mobile Design
Over 60% of emails are opened on mobile devices. Use Odoo's mobile preview before sending. Check that text is readable, buttons are tappable, and images load quickly.
No Clear Call to Action
Every email should have one primary goal. If you want readers to visit your website, make that the only CTA. Multiple competing actions dilute results.
Not Testing Before Sending
Always send a test email to yourself and a colleague. Check links, images, personalization fields, and rendering across email clients. Odoo's preview feature shows how your email looks in Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail.
Key Takeaways: This guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough of odoo email marketing: complete setup and automation guide 2026. Follow the step-by-step instructions to implement these strategies in your Odoo instance.
Ready to Upgrade Your Email Marketing?
Odoo Email Marketing is included with your Odoo subscription. Learn how to build automated campaigns that convert, with full CRM integration and analytics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Odoo Email Marketing replace Mailchimp?
For most small and medium businesses, yes. Odoo Email Marketing includes drag-and-drop design, mailing lists, A/B testing, automation sequences, and analytics: all features that Mailchimp offers. The key advantage is that Odoo connects email data directly to your CRM, sales, and e-commerce data without third-party integrations.
How do I add website visitors to my Odoo mailing list?
Add a Newsletter signup block to your Odoo website using the Website Editor. Drag the Newsletter building block onto any page, and visitors who enter their email are automatically added to your default mailing list. You can also create custom signup forms with the Form building block.
How do I personalize emails in Odoo Email Marketing?
Use dynamic placeholders in your email content. Insert ${object.name} for the recipient's name, ${object.email} for their email, or any field from the contact record. Go to the email builder, click the personalization icon, and select the field you want to insert.
What is a good email open rate in Odoo?
A good open rate is 20-30% for B2B emails and 15-25% for B2C. Rates above 30% indicate strong subject lines and well-targeted lists. Rates below 15% suggest you need to improve subject lines, clean your list, or send at better times.
How do I set up automated email sequences in Odoo?
Create a mailing with a trigger condition (such as "Contact added to list" or "Sale order confirmed"). Set the timing for each email in the sequence. Odoo automatically sends emails based on the schedule you define. You can also use the Marketing Automation app for more complex multi-step campaigns with branching logic.
References
Switching from Mailchimp to Odoo Email Marketing saves money and connects your campaigns to real customer data. Ask our team about email marketing setup, or explore our full Odoo marketing services for campaign strategy and execution.