How do you win the buy box on bol?

What is the buy box on bol?

On bol several partners can sell the same product on the same product page. Bol picks one of those offers for the buy box (bol calls it the "koopblok"): the offer behind the "add to cart" button. Holding the buy box makes it much more likely that the product a customer puts in the cart comes from your assortment.¹

For products that many partners sell, such as branded items with an EAN code, the buy box is the difference between plenty of sales and hardly any. If you are the only seller of a product, you hold the buy box by default, as long as your offer is orderable.

How does bol decide who gets the buy box?

Bol looks for the best offer on price, delivery and quality, and checks five points for it:¹

1. OrderabilityYour product must be available to deliver. Without stock you are not in the running.
2. ConditionNew, second hand, refurbished or returned: the state of the product counts.
3. PriceBol compares the price including shipping costs and VAT. Small differences, such as one cent, have no impact.
4. Delivery conditionsThe faster you deliver, the better. Bol looks at your delivery time, your delivery promise (such as "ordered before 23:00, delivered tomorrow") and extra delivery options where the customer picks a later moment.
5. Quality scoreThe higher your score, the bigger your chance. More on that below.

The weighting differs per category

Bol gives no fixed formula. How much each point counts differs per product category, and bol keeps adjusting it to customer behaviour. For everyday products fast delivery weighs most, for furniture price is often more important.¹ So be critical of tools or agencies that promise an exact formula.

The quality score: at least 65, ideally 70 or higher

Your quality score is a weighted average of five service norms, measured over the last 22 weeks, on a scale of 0 to 100:²

• Items on time, delivered or handed over.
• Cancellations by you as the partner.
• Track & trace on your shipments.
• Returns.
• Customer questions and how you handle them.

You need at least 65. From 70 you get extra benefits, such as taking part in Select deals. If you stay at 64 or lower for a longer time, bol can end your seller account, after a warning and four months to improve.² For the buy box: the higher your score, the bigger your chance. Bol also says it will in time use a score per shipping method (own shipping, Verzenden via bol or Logistiek via bol) for the buy box.²

How to win the buy box more often

1. Stay orderableWithout stock you drop out of the buy box. Keep your stock on bol automatically in line with your webshop, warehouse or wholesaler. See syncing stock across channels.
2. Prevent cancellationsAn order you cannot deliver costs you points on one of the five norms. Selling more than you have because your stock is wrong is the best known cause. Read how to prevent overselling.
3. Promise a delivery time you meetSpeed counts, but late delivery costs you quality score. You get a shorter delivery time with a tighter shipping process or with Logistiek via bol.
4. Look at your total priceBol compares the price including shipping costs. Going one cent below the other seller makes no sense. Set a floor per product below which you do not sell, and do not chase the lowest price blindly.
5. Track who holds the buy boxOther partners change their prices every day. When you see per offer who holds the buy box and at what price, you can respond with intent instead of guessing.
6. Answer customer questions quicklyCustomer questions are one of the five norms of your quality score.

The general rules for selling on bol, such as commission, shipping options and signing up, are in the guide to selling on bol.

Track the buy box with the buy box repricer

The StoreLinkr buy box repricer works on bol (the Netherlands or Belgium per connection) and on Mirakl marketplaces. It takes care of the price part of the buy box:

• See where you stand. For every offer you see who holds the buy box, at what price, and where you rank. In the Monitor only mode nothing changes yet.
• Within your limits. You set a minimum and maximum, per rule, per category or per offer. The repricer never goes below your minimum.
• Earn back margin. When you already hold the buy box, the repricer can raise your price to just below the next offer.
• Results you can see. The Buy box report compares your share before StoreLinkr with now.

Delivery and quality remain your work, and StoreLinkr helps there with stock that is always right and orders that flow straight to your webshop or warehouse. Want to know what a repricer does in general and how to set one up safely? Read what is a repricer.

Frequently asked questions