Otto tests a Google-powered AI shopping assistant
- Aug 13
- 2 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Otto, one of Germany's largest online retailers, is testing an AI shopping assistant built with Google Cloud, a move that pushes conversational, agentic commerce from buzzword to shop floor in German e-commerce.
Conversational commerce goes live
Otto is trialling an AI-powered shopping assistant developed in partnership with Google Cloud, designed to help shoppers find products through natural conversation rather than keyword search and filters. It is one of the most concrete moves yet toward 'agentic commerce' in Germany.
As one of the country's biggest online retailers, Otto putting an AI assistant into its app is a signal that conversational shopping is moving from experiment to expectation.
Why this matters for brands
When shoppers ask an assistant for 'a warm waterproof jacket under 150 euros', the AI — not the shopper — decides which products to surface. That shifts power from the search results page to the assistant's logic, changing how brands get discovered and recommended.
Our read at Marketing Minute: agentic commerce is the next battleground after SEO. Brands will need clean, structured product data and strong reviews to be chosen by AI assistants. Discoverability is becoming an algorithmic question, and the brands that optimise for it early will win the recommendation.
What businesses should do now
Audit your product feeds and reviews as if an AI, not a human, were the buyer. Structured, accurate data and genuine social proof are what these assistants rely on to recommend you.
Do not wait for agentic commerce to be everywhere before acting. Otto's test is an early signal; the retailers and brands that prepare their data now will be the defaults when conversational shopping becomes mainstream.
Quick FAQ
What is Otto's AI shopping assistant?
It is a conversational assistant built with Google Cloud that helps shoppers find products through natural language rather than keyword search, part of Otto's move into agentic commerce.
Why does agentic commerce matter for brands?
When an AI assistant chooses which products to recommend, discoverability becomes an algorithmic question. Brands need structured product data and strong reviews to be surfaced.
How should brands prepare?
Audit product feeds and reviews as if an AI were the buyer — clean, structured data and genuine social proof are what conversational assistants rely on to recommend products.
— Oliver Nikolla-Casado, International Markets Reporter at Marketing Minute
The takeaway: as AI assistants decide what shoppers see, discoverability becomes algorithmic — clean product data and strong reviews are the new shelf position.
If an AI assistant chose products for your customers, would it pick your brand?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: OTTO, Business Insider, t3n, neuhandeln.
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Written by Oliver Nikolla-Casado, International Markets Reporter at Marketing Minute
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