Smart advertising with shopping data: “the relevance we offer is unique”
Behind the Screens with Product Managers Bert and Rick
“Bol is the absolute marketing data pioneer within the Netherlands. No other company can match the unique quantity and quality of data we have at our fingertips.” We’re talking to Rick and Bert, who both work in advertising at bol. They are colleagues, each leading their own team and they share a common goal: “Our teams do their best to ensure that bol visitors always see the most relevant ads and that our advertisers get the best possible return on investment. Our unique data interface plays a crucial role in this.”
The new world of advertising
As Group Product Manager for Performance Advertising, Bert shares responsibility for sponsored product ads on the bol platform. “This basically means we offer our sellers and suppliers the opportunity to draw extra attention to their products on our platform. We use an auction model for this: advertisers bid for the maximum cost per click for their ads. This might sound simple, yet we now have 7 different IT teams and 20 to 25 software engineers and several data scientists working on this.”
Bert didn’t hesitate when bol approached him after 9 years at a performance marketing agency. “I saw what Amazon was doing with advertising, and quickly understood bol’s ambitions in this area. What’s more, bol is a fantastic brand to work for and advertising runs in my blood.” Besides showing relevant ads to the right target audience, we want people to enjoy shopping at bol. And now that the rules concerning cookies are even stricter, it’s becoming increasingly important to use first-party data, and that’s exactly what we at bol can offer our partners.”
“Bol is a true pioneer in the Benelux. We have a huge data offering with a vast amount of superb quality data available. The relevance we offer is unique.”
A wealth of information
It’s Rick’s job to leverage that proprietary data for advertisers. “I help companies use our data for ads outside bol, ensuring they adhere to current legislation. They can then place their ads on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, or on publisher websites such as the Dutch news site nu.nl.”
“I previously worked for large companies, including Samsung and Finnish media company Sanoma. Of course, a company like Samsung has its own data as well. However, I quickly discovered that bol could accomplish so much more with all the data it has. There are various ways we can analyse the data, for example based on interest, price range or purchasing behaviour. So I was extremely excited about starting at bol – there are so many opportunities here. As we provide more insights for organisations, they can market more effectively and achieve their desired results.”
We keep on innovating
Both Rick and Bert have seen many changes in their departments in a short period of time. Bert: “In the past, it wasn’t possible to purchase scalable advertising, which was very frustrating for our advertisers. That’s why we built the advertising API which enables our partners to automatically create campaigns, at scale, with third-party software. Developing, testing and implementing, and then rolling this out to our advertisers was a very special project, and its use has grown exponentially. What’s more, this has become a key advertising channel within bol and we expect it will continue to grow in the next few years. It’s incredibly satisfying to understand a client’s problem, come up with a solution, work it through with the team and then see that it works.”
Rick has similar experiences. “When I joined bol about 2 years ago, we worked with an outdated data platform which had become almost impossible to use. Within a year we rebuilt everything, creating a future proof data offering and developing much of the software ourselves. Now, we no longer use third-party cookies. We have ensured huge data capacity and that forms the basis of all the advertising we deploy. I’m really proud of this, and notice that we’re true pioneers in the Benelux. We have a vast amount of superb quality data at our disposal. The data relevance we offer is unique.”
Freedom and diversity
By now, Rick and Bert are familiar with the challenges of innovating. Rick: “In many ways we are genuine pioneers. On the one hand, this is really cool, and on the other, it can be quite difficult. What we’re doing at bol with data and advertising is unique and we can’t simply copy what other successful companies are doing. So sometimes, you might pursue something that you later realise wasn’t the best route, or you spend a great deal of energy convincing other stakeholders that this is the way to go.”
While working with such a wide variety of stakeholders can be challenging it’s also very rewarding for both. Rick: “I work together with so many parties, from software engineers to IT people and advertisers. We’re a team, and that gives even more motivation to create a great advertising product. And, it’s good to remember how diverse our team is. I’m working with so many wonderful colleagues, it’s very rewarding.”
Bert: “Everyone I work with is intrinsically highly motivated. And, within bol, I have the freedom to take the steps I consider necessary to advance the project, and to build my own teams. We’ve already made great progress, and many more inspiring developments will follow. I can’t wait to start working on these.”