OTTO

OTTO is one of the most tradition-rich commerce (yep, before eCommerce earned it's 'e') companies. They began as a catalogue company in 1949 and grew in popularity across Germany throughout the 20th Century. In 1995, OTTO opened began their eCommerce journey with an online store.

The OTTO group consists of many other well known brands across Europe, including Limango, AboutYou, My Toys & more.

OTTO offers most major categories: fashion & lifestyle, home & garden, sports, and consumer electronics but as of 2021, sellers of pet supplies, nutritional supplements or books can't sell on OTTO.

The marketplace model offered by OTTO is a B2C option only, but as a traditional retailer, they also offer a B2B model, purchasing products from selected brands to resell on their website.

On OTTO, you can expect less competition and price wars than on other marketplaces, due to the fact that OTTO is a restricted marketplace, limited to established brands or sellers of innovative products with a German entity and warehouse in Germany. There are less than 1,000 retailers and no known competition from Asian exporters.

OTTO charges a monthly fee for listing products and accessing their backend system. The commission rates are category specific and vary between 7% (electronics) and 18% (jewelry), with an average of 14%.

Otto pays out your sales proceeds weekly

In order to be able to sell on OTTO, you need to have a German business entity and ship orders from a warehouse located in Germany. As OTTO is a German marketplace, you are also required to provide product content in German as well as to be able to handle German customer service inquiries. OTTO is a gated marketplace, you will have to apply as a new retailer. OTTO pays particular attention to product and data quality.

If you need help setting up a German business entity, finding a German fulfilment solution, getting German product content or customer service, we can help you - get in touch today to find out more.