Selling on Otto and Kaufland: Product Image Rules and Energy Labels in Germany

OTTO Market says it has more than 13 million active customers. Its seller page says registration is open in stages: companies based in Germany can apply, and companies from the Netherlands, Poland, Austria and France can now register, each with a VAT ID from its own country. Sellers need German-language customer service and must ship from a warehouse in Germany or the EU. OTTO reviews every application and does not accept every applicant.

Kaufland Global Marketplace lists nine storefronts on its product data guideline page: Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Austria, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. The same guideline asks for flawless language in titles and descriptions and says automatically generated translations are not permitted in descriptions.

OTTO's API best-practices page sets the technical limits in the table. The main image should be a cutout; if it is not, it needs a light, neutral background such as light gray, white, off-white or light beige.

Kaufland's product data guideline says the first photo should show the whole product as a clear silhouette on a white background, without shadows, frames, collages or promotional content. Its image rules also exclude text, logos, symbols, flags, delivery or price details, and official seals such as Stiftung Warentest. The guideline adds that alt text for product images has been a legal requirement since June 2025.

For products covered by EU energy labeling, such as refrigerators and dishwashers, the internet sales rules apply when a website lets the customer place an order, whether or not it has a buy button. The European Commission's FAQ says the electronic label and product information sheet must be clearly visible and legible and close to the price. Dealers may instead use the nested format set out in the product regulations.

Current labels use an A to G scale and carry a QR code that leads to the product's entry in EPREL, the EU product database. The Commission advises checking that the link begins with ec.europa.eu. Kaufland's energy label page says labels must be in the national language of each country of sale and that it may take products offline if the label is missing or incorrect.

Neither platform's public pages set a gallery order. Our working recommendation is views from several sides, a close-up of the material or finish, and the contents of the box. Kaufland allows only products and accessories included in the delivery, and its image rules exclude text, so check whether a dimension drawing is acceptable in your category. Where text is allowed, use metric units and fluent German.

German law adds one more reason for care. Under the Act against Unfair Competition (UWG), competitors, registered trade associations, qualified consumer associations and chambers can claim injunctions against unfair commercial practices. Section 13 says they should first send a formal warning letter, an Abmahnung, giving the trader the chance to sign a cease-and-desist undertaking. This is general information, not legal advice.

Picmato directs the main image to a plain white studio background and plans lifestyle and detail shots for the rest of the set. AI renderers do not guarantee an exact RGB value, so check the background with a color picker before uploading. You pick 1K on Free and Starter, 2K on Pro, or 4K on Max. Picmato does not check files against Otto or Kaufland rules, and the energy label must come from EPREL, never from a generated image.