The strike process

Customers expect a pleasant shopping experience. Together, we make these expectations a reality. We use the strike system to make your performance transparent and to improve it when necessary.

Do you score insufficiently on one of our service standards 'Items on time', 'Cancellations', and 'Response time'? Then you will receive a 'strike'. You can see a strike as a warning. It indicates that you did not meet one of our service standards in a specific week. Of course, that can happen once. But be aware: if you receive too many 'strikes', this could have consequences for your seller account.

A mistake can happen. That's why high-performing partners won't receive a strike if they perform slightly below standard for one week. If you meet the service standards, such as 'Items on time' and 'Cancellations', over a longer period, you will not receive a strike. Did you receive a strike anyway? By delivering excellent performance for 2 consecutive definitive weeks, you can have your most recent strike expire sooner. Read more about no strike for high-performing partners or discover how to clear strikes.

On the 'Performance' page in your seller account, you can see how many strikes you currently have and check your performance against the relevant service standards.

We keep track of the total number of strikes you have received during the last 22 definitively calculated weeks. See an example below.

Each week, a new week is added, and the oldest measurement expires. The measurement period therefore shifts forward by one week each time. This means that a strike expires after 22 weeks. In the example below, you can see that when week 35 is definitively calculated, week 12 expires. Therefore, any potential strike you received in week 12 also expires.

The calculation above is comparable to the performance score calculation. Here, we look at the last 6 weeks that have been definitively calculated. Below you can see the differences between the strike system and the performance score.

• With 1 to 4 strikes, you will receive an email informing you about not meeting the service standards – there are no consequences.
• With 5 strikes , your shop will be temporarily closed, and we will ask you to complete an improvement plan. Please note: if you do not submit the improvement plan within 3 weeks, your shop will be permanently closed. Based on the improvement plan, we will work together to see how you can improve your performance. Is there a chance of success? Then we will reopen your shop, and you can sell via bol again. You will automatically receive an email about this. The improvement plan will be made available on your personal 'Performance' page in your seller account.
• With 6 strikes, you will get one last chance to improve your performance.
• After 7 strikes, your seller account will be permanently closed. You will no longer be able to log in to your seller account, and your product range will no longer be visible on the website. After this, you will no longer be able to sell via bol.

Partners who perform well in the long term will not immediately receive a strike if they perform slightly below standard for one week. If you score between 90% and 93% on the 'Items on time' service standard and perform well in the long term, no strike will be issued.

Whether you are a high-performing partner depends on your performance on the following points. We measure your performance over a longer period (22 weeks), and if it meets the conditions we have set, you will be eligible for the above arrangement. The service standards we look at are:

• Items on time
• Cancellations
• Customer inquiries
• Returns
• Policy points

Strikes usually remain valid for 22 weeks. However, if you demonstrate excellent performance, strikes can expire sooner. This happens if, for 2 consecutive definitive weeks, you:

• have sold at least 20 measurable items, of which at least 98.5% were delivered on time;
• have a maximum of 0.5% cancellations;
• 90% of customer inquiries are handled within 24 hours.

Additionally, a strike in a specific week is only eligible to expire sooner if, in that week, you:

• score at least 80% on the 'Items on time' service standard;
• have handled at least 70% of customer inquiries within 24 hours;
• have a maximum of 10% cancellations.

These good performances are rewarded, and therefore your most recent strike expires if you meet the above conditions. This means you are tied to a previously incurred strike for a shorter period.

This reward applies to every most recent strike and can therefore be awarded multiple times.

A week in which you perform excellently counts a maximum of 1 time. For example: you perform excellently for 3 consecutive weeks, week 9 through 11. Only weeks 9 and 10 count towards a strike expiring. Week 10 is therefore not counted again with week 11 for a strike expiring.