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Marketplace Strategy

Visible Where People Search

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Three situations we encounter daily with sellers.

Why Your Marketplace Revenue Is Lagging Behind

  • You’re on page three

    Virtually all clicks go to the top row of search results. If you’re below that, your product might as well not exist for that search query—no matter how good your offer is. We’ll start with the product categories that generate the most revenue.

  • Your product data doesn’t meet the platform’s requirements

    Every marketplace has its own requirements for titles, categories, images, and product codes. If your data doesn’t meet those requirements, you’ll be ranked lower or rejected entirely. This can be fixed in the feed, not in your online store.

  • Your budget is being allocated to the wrong products

    A single bid across your entire product range means your bestsellers get too little and your slow-moving items get too much. We set a bid per product group for what a click should cost, and we calculate that based on your margin.

Advertising on bol.com as a growth driver

People looking for a product are increasingly starting their search not on Google but directly on bol.com or Amazon. This isn’t just an additional channel alongside your online store—it’s a search engine with a built-in checkout. Whoever ranks at the top there makes sales.

The engine behind it is your product feed. Titles, specifications, images, and inventory are automatically sent to each platform in the format that platform requires, so no one has to manually maintain two product catalogs anymore. For the campaigns, we bid by product group, and we calculate that bid based on the margin the product generates for you rather than on revenue.

You’ll work with Sander van der Hoff, Digital Consultant at Redkiwi, alongside Lisa from the advertising team. Every week, we fine-tune the numbers, and you’ll see at a glance which product groups are profitable and which are costing money. We’ve been working with retailers and brands since 2004, and those 22 years of client knowledge are the driving force behind the recommendations we make.

  • 22+ year experience
  • 9,3 customer service
  • 55+ Kiwi specialists

What does advertising on bol.com entail?

Four layers. Product content: titles, specifications, and images that align with the platform’s requirements and what buyers are looking for. Feed management: a single source that feeds each channel in its own format, including inventory and price. Campaign structure: sponsored products organized by product group instead of a single mix of everything. And margin analysis: knowing the maximum cost per click for each product before you bid on it.

From individual ads to margin-driven strategies

Most marketplace accounts operate based on revenue targets, and that works fine until you crunch the numbers to see what’s left at the bottom line. That’s why we first compare your margin per product group with your ad costs. Then, we shift the budget to where it yields the best return and reduce spending on products that only drive volume. During the monthly meeting, we discuss together what results this has yielded and what to focus on next, and in the meantime, we make weekly adjustments based on the numbers.

Three services that make marketplaces profitable.

What Drives Marketplace Revenue

A marketplace provides reach, while your own online store provides profit margin and customer data. The interplay between the two determines whether you’re growing or merely shifting revenue. That’s why we examine your product data, your other sales channels, and what opportunities exist on your own store.

From product content to weekly adjustments in five steps.

How advertising on bol.com works

  • 1. Baseline assessment of content and margin

    We evaluate your product content and your margin per product group. This helps us determine where advertising can be profitable for you and where it isn’t.

  • 2. Set up the feed

    A single source feeds all channels, each in the format required by the platform. Inventory and pricing are updated automatically.

  • 3. Structuring campaigns

    Organize campaigns by product group instead of using a single catch-all, so that your bestsellers and your long-tail products each get their own bid.

  • 4. Bidding by margin

    Together, we determine what a click should cost per product group and bid accordingly. That way, you know exactly why a bid is set at a specific amount.

  • 5. Weekly adjustments

    We review the numbers every week and reallocate the budget to what’s driving results. The report explains why, not just what.

Three brands with a broad product range and multiple sales channels.

Retailers with proven growth

  • Bruynzeel Kitchens

    A scalable growth engine for the consumer market

  • Accell group

    A fully streamlined customer journey

View all our case studies View all our case studies

Independent advice, no bias.

What we use to manage feeds and campaigns

Boost e-commerce with intelligent feed and campaign automation

Optimizing Google Shopping for margin and inventory rather than volume
View all our partners View all our partners

Let's look at your marketplaces strategy together!

We’ll go over your product groups: where your margin gives you room to offer better deals, where your content is getting in the way, and where you’re currently leaving money on the table. It takes just one hour and doesn’t commit you to anything.

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Agreement 

Meet your commerce specialists

Sander van der Hoff
Digital Consultant
Lukas Roeling
Head of Performance Branding & Digital Strategist
Meet the whole team Meet the whole team

How much does it cost to advertise on marketplaces?

In addition to your advertising budget, you pay for the related work: feed management, campaign structure, and weekly adjustments. The cost depends on the size of your product range and the number of channels.

What you always get: a margin analysis per product group before any budget is allocated, a dedicated specialist, weekly adjustments with an explanation, and an honest discussion if a product group isn’t suitable for advertising.

Want to know where your opportunities lie? Schedule a consultation, and we’ll work through the numbers together.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Advertising on marketplaces

01/ What is the difference between advertising on bol.com and Amazon?
Bol.com has the largest reach in the Netherlands and Belgium and features sponsored products within search results. Amazon adds international scale and its own content standards to the mix. Which of the two will yield a return first depends on your category and your margin. We assess this before you allocate your budget.
02/ How can I rank higher in bol.com search results?
With better product content and more sales—not just by bidding higher. Titles, specifications, images, and delivery times all factor into how a marketplace ranks you. Ads speed up that process, but a poorly described product will still rank at the bottom even with a budget.
03/ Do we need to adjust our product data for marketplaces?
Usually, yes. Each marketplace has its own requirements for titles, categories, images, and SKUs, and your own online store data rarely matches those requirements exactly. We handle this in the feed rather than in your online store, so you can manage everything in one place and each channel gets what it needs.
04/ Do marketplaces cannibalize my own online store?
Partly, and that’s something to consider. A marketplace provides reach and volume, while your own online store provides profit margins and customer data. That’s why we decide for each product category where you want to focus your efforts, and we often use the marketplace to attract new customers and your own store for repeat purchases.
05/ How quickly will I see results from advertising on marketplaces?
You’ll see your first impressions and sales within days, because you’re purchasing visibility right away. A campaign optimized for margin rather than revenue takes more time, because we need to determine the optimal cost per click for each product group. That’s why we make weekly adjustments.
06/ How much does it cost to advertise on bol.com?
That depends on your product range, the competition in your category, and the profit margin you make per product. Every partnership is tailored to your specific needs, so we can’t quote a price until we know those three factors. During a one-hour consultation, we’ll work through the numbers together to determine what your bid should cost.