What is otto.de

 

 

Although probably not very well-known outside of the EU, OTTO is a force to be reckoned with in German e-Commerce. Brands may choose it for its wide reach and solid reputation while consumers appreciate the reliable service and spot-on response to the latest consumer trends. The company has had a steady presence in the region since its founding and is an inevitable player for brands trying to make it in German e-Commerce.

 

 

Werner Otto founded his trading company in Hamburg in 1949, and published his first mail-order catalogue in 1950. While at first he only sold shoes, the instant success of his endeavour allowed him to expand to other products. Thus, from 1956 onwards, bicycles, electronics, and other kinds of products made their way into OTTO catalogues.

 

As the business grew, Werner Otto transformed his company into a business group by introducing new areas of service, including finance and logistics. OTTO was among the first businesses to set up a website and start experimenting with the internet. By 2007, already half a million products were available online and in 2008, online sales were responsible for over 50% of the company’s annual sales.

 

Today, otto.de is the third most visited e-Commerce website in Germany with 66 million monthly visits, following amazon.de (500.4 million) and ebay.de (174.3 million). Regarding net sales, OTTO even comes second with its €5.12 billion figure. The first in that ranking is Amazon with €15.68 billion net sales in the German market.

 

otto.de is currently available in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the UK and Japan.

 

The company’s iconic mail-order catalogue was phased out in 2018.

 

As an all-around marketplace, OTTO came a long way from those first pairs of shoes. Today, customers can buy electronics, fashion, furniture, sportswear, home equipment and much more, including, obviously, shoes.

 

 

Screenshot of random listings on otto.de

 

 

Similarly to Amazon and many other competitors, OTTO works with third party sellers. However, quite unlike most marketplaces, OTTO makes it easy for consumers to find out who they’re buying from.

 

On the left hand side of the screen, OTTO displays search filters to help consumers narrow down product listings. These filters include, among many other features like brand, price, colour, the names of sellers.

 

 

Screenshot of random product listings on otto.de with the option to search for sellers displayed on the left

 

 

As online brand protection experts, we at globaleyez have to commend OTTO on this transparency about its third party sellers.

 

In our experience, fraudsters seek out marketplaces that allow them a higher degree of anonymity. With such a move, OTTO makes itself less desirable in the eyes of fraudsters. Sadly, we can’t say that any marketplace is totally free of them, but such transparency is definitely a move in the right direction.

 

 

Screenshot of a random seller’s information page on otto.de

 

 

Besides providing the marketplace, OTTO itself is a seller too - quite like Amazon. The display of product listings also resembles OTTO’s largest competitor, and the process of shopping is quite similar as well - though that can be said of almost any marketplace. Click on product, place it in shopping cart, choose shipping option, then pay.

 

 

As we pointed out in our article about consumer trends in 2023, sustainable operations are gaining increasing importance in the eyes of consumers.

 

 

Well, OTTO has taken that to heart and launched several initiatives to be more sustainable. For example, in April 2022, the company introduced its circular fashion collection that is created in accordance with the principles of the circular economy.

 

 

Screenshot of random products from the Circular Collection on otto.de

 

 

But OTTO doesn’t stop here. In November 2022 the company unveiled its new sustainability strategy which contains measures for more sustainable packaging, shipping and an increased number of sustainable products available on the marketplace.

 

All this is supposed to contribute to OTTO’s overarching goal: to become climate-neutral by 2030.

 

The company’s efforts don’t go unrecognised. In fact, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) awarded the prestigious title of “FSC Retailer of the Year” to OTTO in 2022. Each year, this title is given to the most sustainable producer and/or trader of furniture, recognizing the awardee’s efforts in protecting forests and sustainable production.

 

With climate change becoming a more pressing issue every day, we believe that OTTO is on the right track. e-Commerce is a growing contributor to pollution, therefore OTTO is right to try and tackle these issues. As we’ve seen above, consumers are highly likely to reward this kind of action, which could greatly benefit OTTO in the end - not to mention the environment.

 

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+++ Update Fall 2023 +++

Based on the success of the first one, OTTO has recently launched its second circular collection. The new collection contains 16 clothing items, including shirts, trousers and undergarments.

With sustainability as their main objective, the new OTTO clothes are made of durable material that can be recycled and entered into the circular economy once their original owners decide to part ways with them. That may not happen for a while though, as the items follow classic designs and colour patterns to ensure they’ll be in fashion for a long time.

OTTO worked closely with circular.fashion, a startup based in Berlin to create the collection. The garments all possess a digital product passport called circularity.ID that contains all the information about recycling options. Once the owner decides they don’t want it anymore, they can simply read the digital tag with a cell phone and follow the instructions to give their old garment a new life.

 

 

 

 

Payments

Delivery by OTTO

Brands and sellers on otto.de

Conclusion