Optimizing payment processes together – “Here at bol, the customer always comes first”

As a Senior Product Manager in Payments, Arnold works closely with a team of five engineers. “At bol, Fintech consists of four main products: Fraud & Risk, Invoicing, Collections, and Payments. To break it down: when a customer makes a purchase on bol, we need to check for fraud, send an invoice, and process the payment. The latter, that’s where our focus lies within our product. I guide the team, set priorities, tackle customer issues, and drive innovation. It’s an incredibly diverse and challenging role.”

Arnold describes it as ‘entrepreneurship within bol’. “Before joining bol, I was a consultant. You’d come in, do your job, and move on. Here at bol, things are very different. I’m truly part of a team for the first time. I mentor colleagues, have autonomy in decision-making, and feel responsible for my part. Plus, we’re all working together towards a common goal, and that team spirit is unbeatable.”

Recently, a major new Payments project kicked off. Arnold explains: “For the first time since its launch in 2005, iDEAL is undergoing a complete update and expansion. This is noticeably significant for us, since iDEAL is the most frequently used payment method at bol. The project does come, however, with its fair share of challenges. We need to implement changes seamlessly while ensuring uninterrupted operations, and we thoroughly test everything internally beforehand. For bol, it’s crucial that any requested modifications align with our existing processes and customer flows.”

“Let me give you an example. Currently, the bank selection during payment is automated for the customer. The proposed iDEAL changes would shift this responsibility to the customer on an external payment page. But will our shoppers even want this? And will these added steps disrupt the payment flow? These assumptions needed validation. We crafted prototypes of our checkout, developed an interview script, and engaged in brief interview sessions with bol’s customers (also known as Continuous Interviewing), to guide them through the new payment process. Validating assumptions directly with shoppers is a great way to determine their accuracy, and makes it relatively easy to quickly pinpoint any potential bottlenecks or concerns. After our research, we integrated our findings back into the iDEAL project, further optimising the entire payment process together.”

A significant project like iDEAL isn’t tackled alone. “At the start of such a project, I first examine the current customer flow and identify the teams already involved. Then, I bring them together to form a project group and tackle the task further as a team. In addition to our own teams within Payments, we also work closely with the bol Checkout team and receive support from IT Security and our App teams, who help test and validate the payment flows.”

Arnold adds enthusiastically: “It’s incredible to see the wealth of in-house expertise at bol now, all supporting our product-led way of working. When I joined five years ago, it was much harder to experiment and engage with customers. But now, I work alongside incredibly talented product analysts and designers who are entirely customer-focused.  This allows us to develop concrete solutions for our customers and implement them in the right way.”

“What I find particularly special is the informal and collaborative way of working at bol. We’re all in this together, and even if you don’t know anyone yet, there’s always someone ready to lend a hand. Here at bol, we truly work together on ‘the store of us all’.”