PlentyOne: OTTO eröffnet neuen Fitness-Spezialshop

It’s never been cooler to be in shape! Sportswear, sports gear and sneakers have enjoyed a substantial image upswing in recent years – and OTTO’s new online shop plentyone.de is banking on this new trend. Following the successful example of its other online shops, OTTO is showcasing a intentionally exclusive product line and adding tailored customer service and advice.

PlentyOne is a specialised online shop that not only offers shoes and clothing for women, men and children, but also fitness equipment, bikes and accessories such as fitness trackers. Dr Nicolai Johannsen, Vice President Customer & Sales OTTO, explains, “As is the case with all our specialised online shops, OTTO’s service offerings such as the callback service, instalment payments and 30-day money-back guarantee are equally important.”

The plan is for PlentyOne to carry forward the specialised shops’ success story, which began seven years ago with the first four Webshops. The strategy was to attract new target groups and generate additional income, and it worked. In 2016 the online shops generated € 166 million in revenue, over 30 per cent higher than in the previous year.

“Of course we are very pleased with the terrific result, which was achieved as a joint effort by our various specialist departments,” explains Dr Michael Heller, Member of the OTTO Management Board, Categories and Deputy Spokesman OTTO. “For years now we have generated additional revenue with these online shops – and last year was especially successful.”

Currently OTTO offers seven specialised online shops: neckermann.de, schlafwelt.de, cnouch.de, yourhome.de, ekinova.de, naturloft.de and plentyone.de. “Specialised online shops are proof of the expertise with which OTTO offers its products. This way we can approach our customers directly with the items most relevant to them. For us, the key success factors are the speed and flexibility with which these lean online shops operate, and how they tap into all the synergies with our core business”, explains Dr Heller.

However, not all specialised online shops launched in recent years are still online today. For example, the carpeting specialist teppstore.de was shut down in late 2016. “We do not hesitate to shut down online shops which don’t get off the ground economically”, says Dr Johannsen. “This is in line with the entrepreneurship we preach and practice.” However, there are already plans for an eighth online shop, which is to go live in the near future.