Standing out in the crowded shopping street

Our commercial teams work data-driven. We follow the figures at any moment. How are our prices doing? What are the numbers for traffic and conversion? Which product range is currently in demand? We keep track of all these types of data at all times. Not just for today and tomorrow: we look ahead even further. We forecast what’s going to happen in the next weeks, months and years. We want to prepare for the next peak moment, respond to market changes and plan for the future. We base our decisions on the incredible amount of data that we have at our disposal at bol.com. Because with millions of visitors and articles, the mountain of data is getting bigger. And the insights we gain from it are increasingly reliable.

However, we also trust our commercial instincts and continue to look outwards with an open mind. Because out there, that is where it really happens. We keep our eyes open for product trends, inspiration and remarkable things, even if they do not seem immediately relevant. Because we want to be the first to sell the newest products.

Bol.com is not the only one selling on bol.com. As a platform organisation, we are dealing with an extensive network of entrepreneurs, brands and suppliers. To improve bol.com, we share our knowledge with partners. For example, based on our data, we can easily see what our customers are searching for. Is there something that cannot be found on bol.com yet? Perhaps it matches the assortment of one of our partners. This way everybody benefits, especially the customers who can find an increasingly wide range of products on our platform.

Change is in our DNA. Of course, we work on big changes, but mostly on many small ones. Every day. We develop new product groups and we continuously optimise our customer journeys. All parts of bol.com are in constant development, including our oldest product group: books. We started with this in 1999, but continue to experiment and improve. For instance with the possibility to look inside a book before you buy it. We wanted to know whether people would like to read a few pages, to browse, before buying the book? These experiments are not about direct sales, they’re about our customer focus.

Floris Venhuizen, Head of Retail: “What I’m really proud of is our agility. With partners and suppliers, we are flexible and quick in responding to the needs of our customers. This came through strongly in the early 2020s when Corona suddenly forced us to change everything. Especially when many physical shops closed, we had to act quickly and decisively. People really counted on bol.com. Together with colleagues, we did everything we could to meet the great demands of our customers and to relieve them of all their worries. From hand soap to masks, to many boxes of Lego and books. The focus was 100% on the products that people needed most at the time. What’s the point of promoting shoes if all we can do is sit inside?”

“In those days, we also had all kinds of promotions, such as the ‘thuisblijvertjes’ campaign for the kids that couldn’t go to school. Every week, people could download new e-books and audiobooks for 1 cent for their children. Several colleagues set up this great initiative in a short time, together with a number of book publishers. For me, it’s the ultimate example of agile entrepreneurship and unburdening our customers to the fullest.”

For us, cooperation means relying on each other’s expertise and experience. If you don’t have the experience yet, you’ll gain it quickly enough at bol.com. You get the chance to develop, to make mistakes and to learn from the smart and energetic people around you. You are never alone. We work on a diverse team that complements each other with their knowledge, background and capabilities.