When Excello Marketing set out to redefine the trade marketing game with premium promotional products, they didn’t just need better swag, they needed smarter systems. By implementing Odoo, they not only unlocked new efficiencies in inventory and order management, but also positioned themselves to scale their operations across North America.
Founded in Cambridge, Ontario, about 15 years ago, Excello Marketing emerged as a trade marketing powerhouse focused on delivering high-quality, premium promotional goods. Co-founders Jason Radford and Jeff Hue built their success by partnering with major brands like Molson Coors and fulfilling large-scale promotions across Canada. Their specialty? High-impact activations with lasting impressions, think branded grills instead of throwaway keychains.
Five years ago, Excello expanded into the U.S., opening an office in Buffalo, NY, after Radford relocated for family reasons. With the move came new talent and leadership, including Business Development Manager Brendon Burke and Cavan Derrigan, who would later become instrumental in their digital transformation journey. Despite a competitive U.S. market, Excello remained committed to its core strategy: offering quality over quantity to ensure better brand recall and long-term value for its clients.
"We encourage customers to invest in reaching the right audience, even if it’ smaller because quality engagement drives stronger returns."
Outdated Tools Holding Back Big Ambitions
Before discovering Odoo, Excello used a platform designed for the promotional products world. But as the company expanded and began responding to more complex RFPs, it became clear that their tech stack was hitting its limits.
Their legacy systems simply couldn’t scale to meet the demands of new, larger clients. They also considered enterprise solutions like SAP and Oracle, but ultimately found them too large and costly for a company their size. Scalability, local support, and modular implementation were non-negotiable features for Excello. That’s when Odoo entered the picture.
“You’re only as scalable as your systems. We needed a solution that could grow with us, and Odoo made it easy to add modules piece by piece.”
Odoo Became the Turning Point
The Odoo journey started with a conversation at a family gathering. Brendon learned that his wife’s cousin worked at Odoo and began exploring the platform for a specific client RFP. That casual chat turned into a full-scale business transformation.
Excello gradually implemented Odoo, starting with the Website module to build a storefront for ACV Auctions, a major client whose team of 250 sales reps rely on Excello for branded swag. They integrated Inventory, Sales, Purchase, and Shipping modules, creating a seamless system that eliminated bottlenecks and manual processes.
- One of the standout features was the shipping API integration, which drastically reduced order processing time. “One sales order used to take 30 to 40 minutes to complete. Now it takes about 4 to 5 minutes,” says Cavan Derrigan. The platform automatically generates shipping labels, packing slips, and tracks the fulfilment status in real-time.
- Excello also uses e-wallets within their storefront to manage credits for individual reps, and the log note feature keeps warehouse and office teams aligned on order status, without the need for back-and-forth emails or calls. Additionally, the Make to Order (MTO) functionality has become essential, automatically generating the required purchase and sales orders when stock is unavailable.
- With Odoo, the team now handles 20 to 30 purchase orders weekly, with real-time inventory visibility across multiple environments. This has been especially crucial for fulfilling promotional kits for ACV, allowing backend users on the client side to track shipments, inventory levels, and order status independently, enhancing transparency and client satisfaction.
"The ability to see live inventory levels, track orders, and have our clients access that information in real-time, that’s a game-changer.”
The Road Ahead: Replicating a Proven Model
Looking ahead, Excello plans to replicate the success of its ACV storefront by offering similar solutions to other B2B clients with large field sales forces, especially in the beverage and automotive sectors. “We’re actively seeking new contracts and looking to expand this subscription model,” explains Burke.
On the technical side, the team plans to deepen their use of Odoo by integrating Accounting, a step that’s currently on hold while they continue using QuickBooks. But with increasing scale, they anticipate hiring new staff to support further Odoo adoption and unlock even more efficiencies.
As Excello continues to evolve, its experience stands as a blueprint for other trade marketing and promotional product companies. If you’re in an industry that juggles fulfillment, inventory, and client activations, Excello’s story shows what’s possible when you pair strategy with the right technology. With Odoo, companies like yours don’t just scale, they accelerate.
