Buying block on Bol.com
Written byLeon · Founder, CEO
If you've started selling through Bol.com, you've probably heard about the buying block. When you get into the buying block on Bol, chances are your sales will increase significantly.
But what exactly is Bol.com's buying block? How exactly do you get on that buying block? And what factors come into play and how heavily? In this article, we are going to discuss everything related to Bol's buying block!
What is Bol.com's buying block?
The buying block on Bol.com is nothing more than the product page that includes the price, delivery time, "Add to Cart" button and other details. Consider also, for example, the name of the selling party.
The name of the selling party is most important in the case of multiple providers of the same product. In fact, the buying block on Bol always shows the best provider to make it as easy as possible for customers.
So the buying block always shows the best provider according to Bol.com on a product page. As a customer, you can additionally click on "Other sellers" to view the other providers.
According to Bol.com, 99% of customers do not look at other sellers. When you as a salesperson manage to win the buying block, sales will in all likelihood increase significantly. But how can you win the buying block on Bol?
What factors weigh into the buying block on Bol.com?
Bol.com is always looking for the best offer for its customers. Together with its sales partners, it always tries to meet customer expectations.
For this reason, the buying block was created. A good range of products will help win the buying block on Bol. However, there are several factors to consider.
Delivery promise and delivery time
For the buying block on Bol.com, delivery time is an important factor. After all, customers want their product as soon as possible. Therefore, there is quite a difference between "ordered before 10 p.m., delivered tomorrow" and "1-2 business days delivery time.
In addition, the delivery promise is perhaps even more important. After all, you have to be able to keep the delivery promise so that customers know where they stand. In case you use "1-2 business days," the delivery promise is set to 2 business days.
The algorithm behind the buying block also takes into account changes in delivery time. As a result, the buying block on Bol can change several times a day. After all, that is so fair!
Price
Consumers are always looking for the cheapest provider on Bol.com. Therefore, the price of a product also weighs into winning the buying block.
With a competitive price, you stand a better chance of getting on the buying block on Bol. However, a price difference of a few cents will have little to no impact.
Ratings/performance
High customer reviews can help win the buying block on Bol.com. After all, with a high rating, you inspire confidence in both the customer and Bol.
Short- and long-term assessments and performance are considered. If you have underperformed in recent weeks, it will directly affect your position on the buying block.
In addition, a higher rating than a competitor will not always mean you win the buying block. For example, you may score an 8.7 from just 10 reviews, while your competitor scores an 8.5 from 3,500 reviews.
That high score from 10 reviews will count less heavily than the slightly lower score from 3,500 reviews. However, we can say; the higher you score on service standards, the more likely you are to win the buying block on Bol.
Large business or small business
Although we are not sure if this factor counts heavily in winning the buying block, we do have a strong suspicion. In fact, Bol's API does mention the factor.
Providers that generate more than 1 million sales through Bol.com are classified as a "wholesale sales partner. This is therefore an indication to the algorithm that may indicate a good offer and high customer trust.
How heavily do the various factors count on the buying block on Bol?
It is difficult to say exactly which factors count most heavily in determining the buying block position. This is mainly because it varies greatly by product category as to which factor carries the most weight.
The algorithm looks at customer behavior by product category. Moreover, the algorithm behind the buying block is constantly optimized to always show the best offer.
With products for everyday use, customers mainly care about getting their items as quickly as possible. Looking at computer equipment, for example, we see that price is generally the most important thing.
How can you win the buying block on Bol?
If you have just started selling on Bol.com, it may seem like an uphill battle to secure buying block positions. After all, competitors have already had many reviews and good performances. How can you ever stand up to this?
Instead of such issues, let's look at a factor you can directly influence, such as price. First, calculate your minimum price by adding the purchase price, shipping costs and commission for Bol.com.
Now that you know your minimum price, it is possible to adjust it. For example, start with a reduction of €0.25 over the cheapest competitor. Keep doing this until you get the buying block.
As a novice seller on Bol, it may be wise to ignore margins for a while yet. Instead, focus yourself on collecting customer reviews and generating a high performance score.
Try to offer just that little bit of extra service over other providers. After you start scoring better on reviews and performance, you can raise the price and still keep the buying block.
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