For many years, Bol.com has long been the largest online store in the Netherlands, which even with the arrival of Amazon can not be beaten from the throne. In the meantime they have also become extremely popular in Belgium, resulting in this Best Brands award. With a turnover of more than 5 billion euros, the now listed company of Ahold Delhaize is achieving great success. Their goal? To expand even further. We were unable to reach them for an interview, so we are listing a few facts ourselves. Collaboration with partners At bol.com, the focus is on working with local entrepreneurs. Currently, they work with about 50.000 sales partners, and that figure continues to grow. These range from individuals who sell goods as a secondary activity to major players such as BCC, Zeeman, WeFashion and PetsPlace. According to Eduard Hoogenboom, who is responsible for partner network development within the company, the way bol.com does this is unique. « We are always personally accessible to our partners. I don’t know of any other platform that does this to this extent and intensity. » (source: de Telegraaf)
Wide range of products
Coolblue and Zalando are successfully targeting niches such as electronics and fashion. Bol.com and Amazon are each other’s direct competitors with their wide range of products. There is little you won’t be able to find on bol.com, currently selling over 48 million unique products. It’s easier to state what they don’t sell, which are items such as whipped cream cartridges, because they contain nitrous oxide, and disposable plastic.
Fast service and delivery
The consumer is spoiled by fast service and delivery. Amazon, a “new” player on the Dutch market, also competes fiercely on price, but there’s not much difference. And consumers still prefer to shop where it feels more familiar. It’s exactly that customer experience that bol.com is highly investing in. At bol.com, you know exactly when your item is going to be delivered. It offers free delivery for most items and a low delivery surplus for others, compared to competitors.
On top of that, you get to choose when you prefer your item(s) to be delivered, starting from next day delivery and also offering weekend services. How convenient is that?
Across the language border
Bol.com has put a French version of its online store online. This site is intended for French speakers in Brussels and Wallonia. Bol.com already had a French app, but many French customers still went to the Dutch website. The website is now also in French. This will surely lead many more Belgian consumers to shop inside the bol.com ecosystem and thus grow the enterprise’s popularity.
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