The ethics police: they check products at otto.de
The commission decides which products are taken off the site, when and why, or do not enter the store at all.
It's like this: partners register on our platform, have to sign rules and regulations, upload their items, which customers can then buy. If fraudulent scenarios do occur, if counterfeit goods find their way onto otto.de, or if they are simply discriminatory and contemptuous products, these must be found quickly and deleted again. Our ethics committee deals with such cases, sets of rules and reviews. As the range of products offered on the otto.de marketplace continues to grow rapidly, the potential risk of products that are ethically or morally in a "gray zone" and therefore cannot be excluded automatically increases. Ariadne Riga and Valentin Göke work in risk management for the OTTO marketplace. "This means that we have the task of ensuring that risks and fraud scenarios are averted. In concrete terms, this means that as a team we consider what possible prevention and response measures are available to reduce or even avert risks for partners, OTTO and the customer*," explains Ari. Both are members of the ethics committee for this purpose.
The members of the Ethics Committee
The Ethics Committee consists of a large number of colleagues who come together from different areas at OTTO. These include Corporate Communications, Strategy & Brand, Customer Service, Legal, Quality Management, Corporate Social Responsibility and Marketplace. "The close-knit group is deliberately chosen from the aforementioned areas, as we need diversity and heterogeneous perspectives to be able to make decisions in the interests of the company," explains Sandra Barnstedt, who from Strategy & Brand keeps an eye on the effect on brand perception and image. Everyone brings expertise to the table, and that creates a whole. The commission sometimes has to react quickly, but sometimes they also discuss whether a product should really be taken off the site: "We don't always agree. That's exactly what makes it exciting. Each of us brings in his or her professional view, which can be different and differ from one another. So far, however, we have always found a consensus," explains Valentin. For some items, a decision is made quickly and easily, while other items require more discussion, for example when it comes to erotic items.
We must be clear that as a platform we cannot ban everything
The guidelines for products on otto.de
So what are the processes and guidelines when partners put products on the site? First of all, there are legal requirements that OTTO adheres to. The EU has clear guidelines when it comes to product safety, product descriptions or declarations, for example. Every retailer is responsible for adhering to these specifications. "We from Risk Management take on the task of checking these specifications in the marketplace. So it may be that products are recalled. You know this from the supermarket," Ari said. "It's important for us to ensure OTTO's clear stance and values in the marketplace as well." If a product or category does not conform to these values, they are blocked. After all, the company has a social responsibility, which we always keep in mind. Together with Quality Management, Risk Management has developed a process that provides information about the latest EU product recalls once a week. This allows colleagues to react directly and take products offline. What is the difference between risk management and the ethics committee? The ethics committee sets a standard for otto.de that both the partners and OTTO as a retailer must adhere to. The review and response then lie with the marketplace's risk management. "If a partner violates our marketplace specifications, there is a clear sanction process. This comprises different stages: The partner is usually, in the case of a first-time violation, made aware of his wrong behavior and asked to refrain from doing so. If we then identify regular violations, more severe sanctions are imposed - up to and including temporary taking of the partner's product range offline, or even termination," explains Valentin.
Keeping track - with technology
One question the commission asks itself in all its deliberations: "Could this product cause harm. Not only physical harm, but also psychological harm, not only to humans, but also to animals, if necessary? Ari: "To give you an example: We have excluded any kind of electric shock or spiked collars for sale. By law, the sale of such collars is allowed, but this is not compatible with our brand values." But scanning all items for unfairness is hardly feasible. Good thing there are technologies for that: At the forefront is the automated content filter, this catches prohibited keywords. "This allows us to set rules about words or texts we don't want," explains Valentin. In addition, OTTO is testing the use of image recognition to intercept unauthorized image content if necessary. In addition, there is text mining to identify inappropriate semantic contexts. Technology helps ensure that rules are followed.
What should not be forgotten: Commissions don't always just decide not to use products; they often decide to use a product, although that can lead to debate. Ari explains, "We have to be clear that as a platform we can't ban everything. There are different tastes, there are different views, but our product range should be as diverse as our society, as long as no one is harmed in any way."
