Proud partner
Marketplaces
Do you want to raise awareness of your products amongst a wider audience? Then make use of one of the many marketplaces available in the Netherlands. To achieve success on marketplaces, specialist expertise is essential.
Curious about your opportunities?
The benefits of marketplaces
Gaining recognition amongst a wider audience
Expanding sales abroad
Additional turnover
You draw on the brand recognition of giants such as bol and Amazon
What are marketplaces?
Put simply, a marketplace is an online platform where multiple sellers offer their products or services, and where consumers can easily purchase them. Instead of a single seller – as with a traditional online shop – a marketplace often features hundreds or even thousands of sellers. Think of platforms such as Bol.com, Amazon or Zalando, where, as a business owner, you can sell your products to a wide audience without having to build your own online shop. The marketplace usually handles the technical side of things, such as payments, customer reviews and sometimes even logistics. For businesses, this offers an accessible way to gain online visibility, whilst consumers benefit from a wide and varied range of products and services in one central location.
What marketplaces are there?
Back when the internet was still in its infancy, the first marketplace had already emerged. Marktplaats.nl, at that time a site exclusively for consumers, was one of the first platforms in 1999 where products were traded online. Later, in 2005 to be precise, Beslist.nl was added to the mix. Now, in 2022, marketplaces are springing up like mushrooms, and it can sometimes be difficult to keep up to date with the current range of sales platforms on offer. Below, we highlight the most important ones for you, although you can also consult our other marketplaces page for a more detailed explanation.
- Amazon
- Marketplace
- fonQ
- Decathlon
- bol
- Kaufland
- eBay
- Zalando
bol
We mentioned Bol.com briefly above as our main marketplace. Traffic Today joined as an ambassador for the platform in 2022, immediately after Bol.com decided to launch its partner programme. In early 2023, we were awarded Silver Partner status , and since 2024 we have been one of the nine Gold Partners, having demonstrated that our clients have achieved visible growth as a result of our efforts. The great thing about this platform is that it’s relatively easy to get started with. Once a sales account has been created and the platform has the necessary details, all that’s left is to verify your business and retrieve the EAN codes to get going. An added bonus is the option to outsource dispatch and returns to Bol.com, so you don’t have to worry about them.
Read more about selling via Bol.com on our blog.
Amazon
Within the Netherlands, Amazon.com is the platform par excellence that competes with Bol.com. Amazon bears many similarities to Bol.com. For instance, ‘Fulfillment By Amazon’ is an additional service that handles the dispatch for you, and here too you need to submit a list of codes. The main difference lies primarily in the international nature of the marketplace. Add to that the relatively low subscription fee (€39 per month) and the considerable reach it offers, and you have the ideal platform for those with ambitions abroad.
Read more about selling via Amazon on our blog.
Curious to find out how we can help you with marketplaces?
Find out for yourself with Traffic Today ’s free audit. Request it now, with no obligation.
They’ve gone before you
Feed management tool
To make efficient use of marketplaces, a feed management tool is indispensable. This is because products are processed on every channel via a so-called feed, which can best be described as a large-scale database containing a wealth of information about the products in question. This includes the product name , a description of the item, as well as stock levels and the category to which the product belongs. The ‘problem’, however, is that the requirements for product feeds do not always align, which means it can be very time-consuming to adjust them manually. Instead, we use a feed management tool. This makes managing marketplaces much simpler and more organised.
Channable Gold Partner
One feed management tool that we at Traffic Today use extensively is Channable. Channable simplifies the management of omni-channels by incorporating smart technologies and methodologies. Its handy API enables us to keep product information constantly up to date, whilst adverts can be optimised using the SEA tool. In 2022, we achieved Gold status, something we’re still very proud of today.
Content optimisation for marketplaces
If you’re going to work with marketplaces, you can’t ignore content optimisation. The content we’re referring to here focuses primarily on product titles. Research has shown that this is a key factor for many people when deciding whether or not to click on an item in the list. What usually works well is including the brand name, model number, size and colour in the title. It’s also important to add a good description to the product in question. Highlight the unique selling points (USPs) of the item you’re featuring, emphasise any differences compared to similar products, or provide additional information regarding the size.
Price optimisation
Do you own an online shop? Then you set the rules and decide when products are or aren’t dispatched free of charge. If you switch to a marketplace, you may need to implement price optimisation. It may well be that the marketplace you’re going to work with requires you to offer free delivery from a certain minimum order value. A potential risk lurks here: a margin that’s too small, meaning that selling the item in question does more harm than good. Within the various marketplaces, you therefore have the option to specify the minimum margin required to list the product on the platform. However, to create the widest possible market, you can also implement price optimisation. This involves making specific items slightly more expensive on a marketplace. That way, a larger profit will still find its way into your account. Would you like to read more or get tips on marketplaces? Then read our blog ‘10 marketplace trends to keep an eye on’.
Frequently asked questions about marketplaces
What is a marketplace?
A marketplace is an online platform where various sellers offer their products to customers, all in one central location. You can think of it as a digital department store, where each seller has their own ‘shop’. The marketplace provides the infrastructure, such as payments and often customer service too, whilst you, as a seller, focus on the product range and delivery.
Which marketplaces are of interest to Dutch sellers?
Popular platforms for Dutch entrepreneurs include bol.nl and Amazon.nl,
Need help with marketplaces?
Are you curious to find out what we can do for you? Then get in touch with one of our specialists straight away! We’ll arrange an introductory meeting with you and get started on some great campaigns as soon as possible.
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