Otto board member Klauke at “So techt Germany”: Why the Otto catalog had to go

As early as the mid-1990s, Otto began digitizing his famous product catalogue. In retrospect, that was the easiest part, says e-commerce board member Klauke in the ntv podcast “So techt Deutschland”. Today the focus of the Otto Group is on the in-house platform.

Otto used to be the epitome of mail order. Today, the company is a trading and services giant and also a platform provider. A change that didn’t happen overnight, as e-commerce board member Sebastian Klauke explains in the ntv podcast “So techt Deutschland”. His job is to lead the Otto Group’s online trade into the future.

This began in the mid-1990s with the digitization of the famous catalogue. “Of course it’s an exertion,” says Klauke. In retrospect, that was the easy part. Because digitization means constant change: “That demands a lot from the organization, because of course I always have to question things and do things differently.”

When the final end came and the catalog was sent to print for the last time in November 2018, it was a drastic experience. Many employees, including Klauke, have secured a copy as a memento. But despite all the nostalgia, the manager also makes it clear: the numbers did not allow any other decision.

Today the focus of the Otto Group is different: as a platform provider and ultimately a tech group, the company also looks to the USA and tries to learn from well-known names. It’s no coincidence that the successful digital corporations are organized differently and “give more responsibility to the depth and breadth of the organization,” says Klauke. That is demanding, also for the employees.

In the new episode of “So techt Deutschland”, Sebastian Klauke explains how the path works at Otto and how e-commerce is doing in terms of sustainability.