Selling on Bol: what you need to know before you get started
Bol. is the leading marketplace in the Netherlands and Belgium. With over 13 million active customers and a strong reputation among local consumers, it is attracting a growing number of French companies looking to expand internationally. In the latest episode of Marketplace Stories , Maxence Vercruysse (Business Development, Bol.) and Christophe Jolivet (Marketplace Manager, Atlas for Men) shared their advice, experiences, and operational insights. The goal: to understand what selling on Bol. really entails and how to do it effectively.
A clear positioning: generalist, but attentive to local expectations
Bol. positions itself as a general marketplace, but with very strong verticals: home, toys, electronics, sports, and textiles, in particular. The site operates with a mix of direct (1P) and third-party (3P) sellers, representing more than 52,000 active merchants today.
Maxence Vercruysse points out that “Bol. is a marketplace very focused on the end customer. The purchasing journey and customer satisfaction are the two absolute priorities.” This implies high standards in terms of delivery quality, returns, customer service, but also content.
High expectations in terms of logistics
Bol's model is based on high consumer expectations. This implies:
- Delivery within 1 to 2 business days.
- Shipping rate of over 90%.
- Simplified returns, with a local address in the Netherlands or Belgium.
Maxence Vercruysse insists: “If you don’t have logistics adapted to the Dutch market, you won’t be able to perform sustainably on Bol.”
Several options are possible:
- Manage logistics directly from France, with carriers capable of guaranteeing short delivery times.
- Working with 3PLs (third-party logistics providers) already present locally.
- Use Bol's logistics program: “Logistics via Bol.”
This service works similarly to Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA): you ship your products to Bol.'s warehouses, which handle delivery, returns, and customer service. This program is available for many categories (excluding heavy and bulky items).
📌 Key points to remember
- Good logistics are essential for achieving good search engine ranking.
- The “Logistics via Bol.” service is highly recommended if you cannot guarantee live delivery times.
Atlas for Men: Feedback on the marketplace
Christophe Jolivet, in charge of marketplace development at Atlas for Men, shares a very concrete example. Present on Bol. for a few months, the brand quickly found its place thanks to a well-suited offering:
- Products geared towards outdoor/comfort.
- Competitive prices.
- Logistics availability.
“The longest part is not creating the account or sending the feeds: it’s translating well, enriching well, structuring the content well, and having a relevant pricing policy,” Christophe summarizes.
The challenge: to offer attractive products to Dutch consumers, taking into account their expectations (quality, price, quick availability).
Retail media: an important but specific lever
Bol. offers its own advertising platform, integrated with Seller Central. Its operation is similar to Amazon Sponsored Products:
- Cost per click (CPC).
- Bidding on keywords or products.
- Campaigns that can be activated quickly.
According to Maxence, advertising on Bol. “can represent 20 to 40% of a merchant's revenue, once properly managed.” Advertisers can target search results, product pages, or specific locations on the site.
📌 Key points to remember
- Retail media is an important lever, experiencing strong growth at Bol.
- The formats are simple to activate but require a good offer structure.
- Campaign analysis remains manual: data must be cross-referenced with sales flows.
Invitation-only marketplace: how to be eligible?
Bol. operates on a semi-open model: you can apply to become a seller, but the marketplace selects partners according to specific criteria:
- Product quality and logistics.
- Ability to provide localized content.
- Offer tailored to the Dutch and/or Belgian market.
Interested sellers can apply directly via the “Start Selling on Bol.” (in English or Dutch).
📌 Key points to remember
- Bol. is not a marketplace open to everyone.
- Your application must be complete and demonstrate your ability to meet local requirements.
The next steps
Maxence Vercruysse indicates that Bol. wants to accelerate its presence in European markets in the coming years. But, he specifies: “We prefer to do it slowly but steadily.”
The priority remains to offer an impeccable customer experience in the Netherlands and Belgium. The teams are looking to welcome more French merchants, but only those who share this high standard.
About eTAIL Agency
eTAIL Agency is an agency specializing in accelerating brands on general marketplaces (Amazon, Cdiscount, Fnac-Darty…) and specialized ones (Zalando, ManoMano, Maisons du Monde, etc).
Our team supports brands and distributors at every stage:
- Marketplace entry or growth strategy
- Technical integration, synchronization of product flows
- SEO/SEM optimization of product pages
- Managing retail media campaigns (Amazon Ads, Bol., Cdiscount Ads…)
- Support for internal teams (training, customized dashboards)
Our mission: to help brands sell better on marketplaces, in a profitable and sustainable way.
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