Since 2011, bol.com has been the platform par excellence that brings brands, retailers and wholesalers into contact with buyers.
85%
of the Flemish & Dutch population knows bol.com.
140 million
monthly visitors on the platform. Not bad!
34 million
unique articles are on the platform via 47,000 Belgian & Dutch sellers.
Staggering numbers. But their success on the BeNe market should come as no surprise to anyone. What is the formula for success?
In short: the success of bol.com is no surprise to anyone. They respond perfectly to the market. They deliver quickly, have a functional website, and an immense product inventory.
In addition, the entire buyer’s journey is shifting from consumers to platforms such as bol.com. 46% of all online transactions worldwide take place on an online marketplace (e.g. Bol/Amazon/Zalando/..). In Belgium and the Netherlands, that number is only 12 and 16% respectively. There are therefore still great opportunities for companies that choose to sell on platforms such as bol.com.
Are you ready to future-proof your business?
Discover here how to start selling at bol.com.
At the traditional market you can buy products such as flowers or fresh fish at various stalls. Online marketplaces (such as bol.com) are very similar: buyers can find a wide range of different products from different providers in one place.
There is, however, one fundamental difference. In an online marketplace, each unique product is only offered once, and that by different providers. Product pages at bol.com are therefore very similar to those of your own webshop. The big difference is that behind the shopping cart button there are different sellers.
Below we zoom in deeper on a product page of bol.com
All information on the product page can be set via a product listing. Further on this page we go deeper into the listing of products. (Or click here and read more about it already)
The buy-box at bol.com determines which seller sells the respective product. It is a crucial part of the platform, because there is only one product page for each product, and therefore only one buy-box.
In order to keep the quality of its platform at the highest level, bol.com rewards sellers with the best offer for the customer. That reward comes in the form of control over the buy-box. Because whoever controls the buy-box wears the crown and has the right to sell the product.
Still, multiple sellers can sell the same product. How is it determined to whom a sale is awarded?
Bol.com divides control over the buy-box over the different sellers of the product in question. Whoever is in control of the buy-box the moment a consumer adds the product to his or her shopping cart, sells the product.
Only the ‘best’ seller may sell the product. The bol.com algorithm determines who wears the crown and takes control of the buy-box. It relies on many factors for this. We will go into more detail about this later on this page. Or, click through now.
When you win the buy-box, you get the right to sell the relevant product. This is also the moment when bol.com starts earning from you.
Being present on the platform is free: there are no entry costs, no recurring fees, … But you do pay a commission per product sold. The commission consists of two parts: a fixed amount, and a percentage of the sales price.
The correctness of these amounts and percentages is very price and product specific. Curious about the costs of your product? Then consult this table.
Before you start at bol.com, it is best to find out whether it makes sense for your products to enter an online marketplace. We have formulated 4 essential questions for you on which you can base your choice!
You can’t just sell any product at bol.com. Of course, your products must comply with Belgian or Dutch legislation. In addition, bol.com has its own rules and prohibitions:
Not sure whether your products can be sold at bol.com? Then you can consult the complete list here.
Bol.com is not ideal for any product. Other products are a match made in heaven for the platform. Ask yourself, based on the questions below, whether your product will sell well at bol.com:
This is an important question to ask yourself in advance. To sell a product at bol, you must first create a product listing. Either your item joins an existing listing (if someone else is already selling the same product at bol), or you create a new listing (if you’re the first or only seller).
It takes a little more work to create a new listing. But that also has its own advantages. This way you are the only provider with your own listing. That is to say: no competition. However, you will have to complete all product information yourself. That takes some time, but if you ask us? The effort is worth the reward.
Are you not the only provider? Then you can upload your product quickly, but there is a chance that the consumer will not buy the product from you, but from another seller.
Every disadvantage has its advantage.
Selling your products at bol.com is not free. So ask yourself if you think it’s worth the cost. There are two types of costs you can incur:
As mentioned before, if you sell at bol.com, you pay a fixed cost + a commission per product sold. These rates are very product specific.
You can find the whole list here.
The second cost is optional. You can choose to have your logistics supported by bol.com. Logistic support from bol.com helps you pack, deliver, and return your products.
This relieves the burden: delivery is faster, you save yourself a lot of time, and the customer experience is better.
There is of course a price tag for the logistic help of bol.com. The costs are determined by the size and weight of your product. You can find all prices here.
Way to go! You are 100% convinced that you want to sell at bol.com.
What are you waiting for? Let’s set up your profile, upload your products and let the selling begin!
Do you already have a seller profile? Then skip this step, and directly go live with your first products.
Every seller needs a seller account. You create it via this page. Be sure to keep all your company information at hand, so you can be registered in no time.
Unfortunately, you can’t start selling right away. Bol.com will first verify your company information. This normally takes 3 working days.
In the meantime, you can stay productive. For example, already add your products to the platform. The items you already add to your seller profile will then appear on the platform when your sales account is verified.
Let’s take a closer look at adding your articles.
The listing is one of the most important efforts when building your sales profile. It determines what buyers see when they come to your product page. But, if you are not the first seller offering this product, you can simply subscribe to an existing listing.
If you are the first seller of a product, you do create a product listing. To do this, follow some guidelines and best practices.
First and foremost there is the basic information, it includes:
Second, you have the mandatory information. The product category determines which additional mandatory information you must add. Make sure your product is linked to the correct product category. Otherwise it will not end up in the right place in the store. When you sell tea towels, for example, you do not want them to end up between food and drinks.
As soon as you have filled in the basic information and the mandatory information, your product can be added to the Bol Catalog. But it doesn’t stop there. There are a few more best practices for a ‘Champions-League level’ listing.
If you are the first seller of a product, your job is to list the product. The better your listing, the more you’ll sell.
However, it is possible that the product you want to sell is already at bol.com by another retailer. In that case, you do not create a listing of your product. There is, however, another challenge just around the corner. There can only be one seller for each product. How do you ensure that you acquire the right to sell the product?
Bol.com determines this by giving sellers control over the buy-box. Fortunately, there are many ways you can make the algorithm work in your favor…
Bol.com chooses which provider gets in control of the buy-box, based on three major criteria: price, delivery time and performance score. Do you score higher on these aspects compared to other sellers? Then bol.com will assign the buy-box of that product to you.
Let’s zoom in on what these criteria exactly mean…
Buyers often scour the internet to score the best price. They use Tweakers or visit test-aankoop for a comparative study.
Because bol.com wants to be a competitive platform, it rewards sellers with the lowest price for a product. They are more likely to have control over the buy-box.
Is your first reaction now: ‘oh useful, I simply put my price 1 cent below that of my competitor.’? Then bol.com is one step ahead of you. To avoid a useless bidding war, the platform does not give you a competitive advantage for a minimal price difference.
Bol.com’s pricing policy says nothing about minimum prices. At the top of the price there will be guidelines.For example, a seller can never ask for more than the suggested retail price, even if they are the only seller of the product.
The faster you deliver your product, the better. The success of bol.com can largely be explained by an excellent customer experience. The delivery time of an order is an essential part of this.
The faster you as a seller get your product at the front door of your buyer, the happier the customer and the more bol.com will reward you for this. By the way, did you know that the best converting products at bol.com are products with a delivery promise within 36 hours?
Based on this insight, bol.com rewards suppliers with a delivery time of 2 to 3 working days, or less. Short delivery times therefore equal a higher chance of control over the buy-box and subsequently: more sales opportunities for you.
Of course, not every seller is equally well equipped in logistics. That is why bol.com offers logistical support. They also take care of the labelling, packaging, and shipping of your products. More about this later on this page.
Although the terms of delivery are important for bol.com, it speaks for itself for potential buyers. Thus, the performance score extends beyond that, and is therefore unsurprisingly the most complex of the three criteria.
To guarantee an excellent service, bol.com therefore invented their performance score. The performance score rates the level of your customer service to buyers. According to bol.com, good service includes:
A violation of any of these criteria will result in a strike. 7 strikes, and you’re out: you are no longer allowed to sell at bol.com. Bol.com gives you a warning first, and the opportunity to improve yourself. So keep a close eye on where things go wrong, because a suspension is very difficult to resolve.
Fortunately, bol.com is aware that new sellers are not yet at the desired level. That’s why it introduced the ‘growth start phase’ for sellers who sold less than 100 products. During this phase you cannot receive strikes, but you will receive feedback and guidance to do better.
In summary, there are three criteria that determine whether you are in control of the buy box: price, delivery time and performance score. However, not every criterion has as much influence as the other. Depending on your product type, there is a different weighting. Which criteria weigh more heavily is determined by customer behavior in relation to your product.
For example, the delivery time is more important for products that you use every day, and the argument ‘price’ is more decisive for products that are preceded by a lot of research (e.g. electronics).
The balance between the three criteria is a balancing act that you continue to monitor and adjust throughout your time at bol.com.
Your products are online. Fantastic! Ask your grandmother to light a candle and the orders will start pouring in, won’t they?… Well, no. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
The importance of a good start to your product sales is enormous. Without a good start you will miss the snowball effect of the bol.com flywheel. This is how it works:
When you have an increase in your conversion rate, you sell more. By selling more, you will end up higher in search results, and your product will receive more reviews and ratings. For that, bol.com thanks youIn return, Bol.com thanks you by increasing their exposure to potential customers. Customers now visit your product pages more often, increasing your conversion rate, and the circle is complete.
To get you tapped on the bol.com flywheel as quickly as possible, we share three secret pro-tips for your first product launch at bol.com.
Start quickly when you launch a product at bol.com. With a good start, the algorithm picks you up faster and that results in – drum roll please – more sales! (yes please). Make your product more attractive to bol.com at launch. Do you remember the three criteria bol.com uses to determine control over the buy-box? We have to be smart about that.
You have less control over the delivery time and the performance score. But, the price? You can handle that! Set the price of your product low at the start. Very low. Many sellers put their products online at the start at a loss. Sounds a bit crazy, yes. But, in the long run, not a bad investment.
With this price manipulation you sell more products at the start. A good test period to prove your delivery time to bol.com and to build up a good performance score. Once those two get it right, you pull the price back up without sacrificing buy-box control.
Besides a flaming product launch, you have a sea of opportunities to advertise your products. Efforts that make searchers at bol.com see, find and buy your products more often. Not a bad idea, right?
You can advertise via bol.com with ‘sponsored products’. This is very reminiscent of advertising on Google, where you target the search behavior of users. Similarly to Google, you can perform keyword research at bol.com to discover what terms you want to target.
The costs of sponsored products at bol.com depend on how often there is an interaction with the advertisement. A Cost-Per-Click (CPC) determines how much you spend on advertising costs. It’s a good thing you’ll never spend more than you intend to: you can seamlessly set your budget on the platform.
Keep in mind that pinpointing the right keywords for your ads at bol.com is very extensive and product-specific. We only mention it here for the sake of clarity.
When a seller completes his or her purchase, there remains one obligation: delivery. And this one goes pretty smoothly! Because anyone who has paid attention knows that the delivery time has a major influence on the buy box.
As a seller, you have two choices for the delivery of sold products: either you arrange everything yourself, or you enlist the help of bol.com. But what exactly does that help entail?
If bol.com takes care of the delivery of your products, you no longer have to worry about your logistics process. Everything starts with the storage of your products in a bol.com warehouse. During sales, you only have to sit back and relax.
Bol.com will:
A whole laundry list of benefits, especially if you know that they offer same-day delivery. The effect on your delivery time and performance score will therefore be immediately noticeable. Good news if you compete for the buy box!
Of course, there is a price tag for that. What you owe bol.com depends on the size of your products. For each size there is:
You can find the exact rates here.
Are you still not sure whether it is cheaper to use the logistic support via bol.com? Then use their handy comparison tool.
Convinced? You can register for logistics via bol.com via this link.
Whether you want to start your adventure at bol.com yourself, or you enlist the help of a marketplace agency such as Merkado. We are confident that you will succeed.
But keep in mind, although we do give you a great bunch of knowledge on this page, it only is the tip of the iceberg. If you want to get the most out of your bol.com adventure, then:
Good luck, and bon voyage!