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OTTO replaces model photography with AI

Scaling and cost reduction on demand? At OTTO, this is now a reality. Germany’s largest online shop is now using generative AI for image production. What does this mean for customers and the industry? Read more below to find out.

(Image Source: www.otto.de)

OTTO is revolutionizing content creation and harnessing the power of generative AI. The goal: to bring products to the platform faster, reduce costs, and increase the quality and diversity of content at the same time. With the MOVEX | Virtual Content Creator tool developed by Otto Group one.O, classic model photography is being replaced by AI-generated content.

“With the Virtual Content Creator, we are opening a new chapter in image production. This technology enables us to bring products to the platform even faster, significantly reduce our costs, and at the same time increase the quality and diversity of our content.” says OTTO CEO, Marc Opelt.

The Virtual Content Creator

The advantages of this revolutionary tool are obvious: faster content production means that five times more content can be created per day and new collections can be presented online within a few hours. It also allows countless combinations and variations of outfits and products to be created, with savings of up to 60% in production costs. This increase in efficiency in e-commerce  is very important in order to respond to new trends and to adapt to customer needs quickly.  

Dajana Heinze from Digital Content Management explains: “We only need a single photo of the original product. Based on this, we create AI-generated model images that would previously have appeared exclusively as static product images in the shop. What makes this special is that the created images are of such high quality that they look deceptively real.”

How does this tool work in practice?

According to Otto’s press release, it’s very simple and involves only three steps:

  1. Upload clothing: The desired garments are uploaded to the system.
  2. Choose model & pose: Models can be created according to gender, ethnicity, age group, and body shape that display the desired outfits in different poses.
  3. Generate AI images: Within a few minutes, the AI creates photorealistic images that look deceptively real.

“With Virtual Content Creator, we have created a groundbreaking platform for scaling visual content. The integrated AI tools enable creative content that is also ethically verified thanks to a built-in ‘second instance’. This is unique on the market,” explains Norbert Gödicke, Vice President of one.O.  

OTTO is working with one.O on further applications for the Virtual Content Creator. In the future, AI-supported video production will follow classic model image production. This technology is particularly exciting for the furniture sector, where it offers enormous potential.

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