Why 5,000 Belgian Small Businesses Are Selling on bol

Dr. Niklas Richter · 2026-09-17

### The Man Behind bol's Belgian Push Bram Vromans didn't take the typical path to running a country's e-commerce strategy. He started as a consultant, then moved through companies like Telenet, Essent, and IKEA. Now he's the Country Manager for bol Belgium, responsible for the Belgian strategic agenda of the largest e-commerce platform in the Netherlands and Belgium. In our conversation, he breaks down exactly how bol works for Belgian small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). And why thousands are already selling there. ### Why You Don't Need to Be the Cheapest One of the biggest myths about marketplaces is that you have to be the cheapest to win. Bram says that's simply not true. The buy box algorithm doesn't just look at price. It considers delivery speed, customer reviews, stock availability, and more. So you can compete on service, not just cost. He also explains how to spot missing assortment on bol. That's your opportunity. If you can fill a gap that customers are searching for, you can jump to the top without slashing your prices. > "The buy box isn't a race to the bottom. It's a race to relevance." – Bram Vromans ### When a Marketplace Makes Sense (and When It Doesn't) Not every business should rush to sell on a marketplace. Bram shares a simple framework: - If your product is easy to compare and customers want fast delivery, a marketplace like bol can be a huge win. - If your product is highly specialized or requires personal consultation, your own webshop might be better. - If you want to build brand loyalty and control the entire experience, a marketplace could dilute that. The key is to know your goals. bol can complement your own webshop, not replace it. ### The bol Checkout: A Trust Shortcut Here's something interesting: using the bol checkout on your own webshop can actually make you look more credible. Customers already trust bol's payment and delivery process. When they see that familiar logo, they feel safer buying from you. Bram explains how this works and why it's a smart move for smaller shops that haven't built that trust yet. ### Rock Werchter, AI, and Belgian Identity bol isn't just online. They showed up at Rock Werchter with two physical stores and an exclusive stage. That's how you build brand awareness offline. And AI? It's everywhere: logistics, chatbots, even the homepage. Bram talks about how they use it to improve the customer experience. But staying Belgian in a Dutch-dominated company isn't always easy. Bram laughs about a campaign blunder where they used "bakkie koffie" (a very Dutch phrase) in a Belgian ad. Lesson learned: localization matters. ### What This Means for You If you're a Belgian entrepreneur, bol offers a massive audience. But it's not a set-it-and-forget-it channel. You need to understand the algorithm, fill assortment gaps, and use the tools they provide. Do that, and you can grow without being the cheapest. For more conversations with Belgian entrepreneurs, check out the podcast. And if you find these valuable, subscribe and leave a 5-star review. Thanks to our partners: Teamleader, Victus Sales (download their free sales guide), and Blackbird Business (strategic training for entrepreneurs).