Overview
OTTO is Germany's largest online shop of German origin and one of the country's most important online marketplaces. At otto.de and in the OTTO app, about 13 million active customers buy fashion, furniture, home, electronics, garden, DIY, sports and much more, from OTTO itself and from more than 6,100 marketplace partners. For a brand that wants to sell in Germany beyond Amazon, OTTO Market is one of the strongest options, especially in home and living.
Who is behind OTTO
OTTO belongs to the Otto Group, a family-owned retail and services group from Hamburg founded in 1949 by Werner Otto as a mail order business. Otto went online in 1995 and printed its last main catalogue in 2018. In its 2025/26 financial year, which ended in February 2026, the Otto Group had revenue of EUR 13.8 billion and about 42 million active customers across its companies. In March 2026, Benjamin Otto, grandson of the founder, took over the strategic leadership of the group.
OTTO in numbers
- EUR 7.5 billion GMV in 2025/26, up 6%, while German e-commerce grew about 3%.
- About 13 million active customers, including about 3 million new customers.
- More than 3 million visits a day, 90% of them on mobile devices, and up to 49 orders a second.
- More than 19 million products from over 40,000 brands.
- More than 97% of sales come through digital channels.
- Marketplace GMV grew 9% in 2025/26, and advertising-driven GMV grew 49%.
OTTO aims for EUR 10 billion in revenue by 2028, driven by its retail business, the marketplace and services such as advertising.
A curated marketplace
OTTO describes its marketplace as curated. It wants relevant, high-quality partners, including sellers who fill gaps in its own range. Sellers register on otto.market, and only get access after OTTO has checked them. Several sellers can offer the same product, and the "buy box" is decided by price, shipping costs, delivery time and seller trust.
Who can sell on OTTO
- German companies with a German registered office, an eligible legal form and their own German VAT ID. Small businesses using the German small business VAT scheme cannot sell.
- Dutch companies are already accepted, with a Dutch VAT ID and registration for the EU One-Stop-Shop (OSS) VAT scheme.
- Polish, Austrian, French and Spanish companies are being added step by step in 2026 through pilots with selected partners, each with a local VAT ID and OSS registration.
Requirements for sellers
- German-language customer service during normal business hours, answering customer questions within 48 hours on working days.
- Shipping from Germany or the EU. Shipping from outside the EU is not accepted. Parcels go out with Hermes, DHL, DHL Express, GLS, DPD or UPS, and tiered shipping costs are not allowed.
- A returns tracking number at dispatch. Each parcel needs a return tracking number when it ships, because OTTO creates the return label for the customer.
- Returns handling in Germany, or in selected EU countries (Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Spain and the Czech Republic) via DHL.
- EAN codes for all products, in the released categories: drugstore, home and living, fashion and lifestyle, garden and DIY, health, long-life food, sports and leisure, and technology and media.
What it costs
- Monthly fee: EUR 99.90, regardless of how many products are listed.
- Commission on the gross sale price of each item sold, which depends on the category.
- Commission on shipping costs: 16% plus VAT.
- A sustainability discount: partners with a validated Science Based Target get 0.5 to 1.0 percentage points lower commission.
Payments and onboarding
OTTO's own payment company, OTTO Payments, handles all payments and takes on the payment default risk, so sellers do not use their own payment provider. Shoppers can pay by invoice, instalments, direct debit, PayPal, card or prepayment. Sellers are paid out every week, on Thursdays. Onboarding runs through the partner portal OTTO Partner Connect and includes a verification check (company, credit, identity and risk), which can take up to 15 working days. Products can be added manually in the portal or through the OTTO Market API, and many service partners already connect to the API.
Marketing on OTTO
- Sponsored Product Ads, with cost-per-click bidding for top positions in search and on product pages.
- Sponsored Display Ads on OTTO and across more than 1,500 premium German websites and apps.
- Discount campaigns set by the seller, and marketplace-wide sales events that are free to join.
- Rich Content on product pages, which OTTO says can raise conversion by up to 5%.
Why OTTO matters for brands
OTTO combines a large, loyal German customer base with a curated marketplace and growing international access for EU sellers. It is particularly strong in furniture, home and living. For a brand already on Amazon.de, OTTO is one of the most valuable next channels in Germany.
How eBrands looks at OTTO
eBrands works with brands on marketplaces across Europe and North America. If you are thinking about Germany and want to see how OTTO could sit alongside the channels you already use, we are happy to talk it through.
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