SETTING UP ON BOL.COM
Born in 1999 as an online bookshop, Bol.com has grown into the leading online platform in the Netherlands that boasts 8 million customers and around 16 million different products. Selling on Bol.com can be a great way of expanding your business and clientele. The range of things to sell is huge and is not just limited to goods (brand new or second hand) – services can be listed too! Registering over 1 million visits per day, there is no doubt that creating an account with Bol.com is a good idea.
Still – what are some things that are important to keep in mind when starting out?
Be stock savvy
Using the ‘sales analysis’ function is vital; this shows you whether the delivery service you are using is the fastest available and whether the product is as cheap as it can be whilst still giving you profit. By staying aware of these details, you are ensuring that your operation is working to the best of its ability at the same time as being tuned in to the customer’s experience with you.
Speaking of stock – always keep an eye on your stock numbers! Unfortunately, Bol.com doesn’t send out warning emails about stock levels, meaning you must stay on top of it manually. Thankfully, there is a simple option within the ‘articles’ page that will show you which products have insufficient numbers.
Continuing from the previous note, you can use Google Analytics or your own web shop reports to see what a customer orders on average. Being familiar with this will help you work out with the average order consists of, and how much of it, allowing you to order a realistic amount of stock for your customer base.
Offering translations into 17 languages and 22 currencies. The customer base is made up of equal numbers of male and female customers, with the majority of shoppers age 25 to 34 (28%). The internationalisation is evident as two-thirds of all sales are cross-border, with the average order value being €50.00. The conversion rate for visitors is 2 to 3%.
Embrace all types of customer reviews… even the ones left by not-so-happy-bunnies.
It goes without saying that good reviews will invite new customers to join your client club as well as keep existing ones coming back. However – don’t freak out if you receive some negative ones!
Having a healthy mixture of reviews is actually a good thing; it makes you look more believable as a retailer. Let’s be honest, doesn’t it look a little suspicious if a web shop had no negative reviews whatsoever? Not only does a variety of reviews prove your legitimacy, it also gives you the opportunity to showcase the quality of your customer service. Respond quickly, politely, and always try your best to offer a solution if applicable.
On the other hand, make sure that there aren’t any ‘internet trolls’ ruining your online reputation. If you feel like someone is purposefully putting up bad reviews without any explanation or written review, you can contact BOL.com and get them to help you out.
Playing by the rules
Using an online platform like Bol.com without monthly selling fees sounds almost too good to be true. But it’s not. In return, it’s only fair that sellers respect their platform by doing the following:
All Bol.com asks of you is a commission-based payment on every product/service sold (between 5-25%, depending on the category your goods fall into).
DON’T use your space on Bol.com to poach customers to your own site. This can result in trouble with BOL. Remember – they can see all the interaction between you and your clientele.
Send your orders out within the time period that you have stated on in your own terms, too many late shipping confirmations gets you in trouble with Bol.com and leads to financial penalty.