Otto otto.de

OTTO began in 1949 when Werner Otto founded the mail-order business 'Werner Otto Versandhandel' in Hamburg-Schnelsen, starting with a 1950 catalogue that listed 28 pairs of shoes on 14 pages. The range grew to include bicycles and electrical appliances from 1956, and the company introduced purchase-on-account for mail order. Online ordering was added in 1995; by 2008 online sales exceeded traditional channels for the first time, and the printed catalogue was discontinued in 2018 after 68 years.

Today the operating legal entity is Otto GmbH & Co. KGaA, registered at Werner-Otto-Straße 1-7 in Hamburg (Amtsgericht Hamburg, HRB 188101). The site now operates as a marketplace platform with, by its own account, around 18 million items available through more than 6,500 partners, spanning fashion, furniture and home goods, major appliances, home textiles, electronics and DIY/hardware.

OTTO offers free returns, installment payment plans including a 100-day payment pause, assembly and installation services for furniture and appliances, extended warranty options, and a paid OTTO UP membership with reduced shipping costs.