Expert interview with Sophie Nijhout

We grow together. We do this with a whole network of experts and apps.

• Under ‘Apps & Services’, you will find a network of experts and various tools to help you grow.
• All experts and apps are carefully checked. This way, you can be sure of the added value they offer.
• This broad network of external parties can support you every step of the way: from automating to financing.

Sophie, can you briefly explain what a network of services entails?

‘We connect our partners with reliable external parties who, with their services, can offer extra support in selling via a platform.’

Why is that interesting for partners?

‘These services help you with growth and improve. They support you in professionalising your business. This saves you time and can ultimately lead to growth.’

‘Sometimes it's smarter to outsource certain tasks; you can do this by using an external service. This allows you to spend your own time on what you're good at, and you'll easily earn back the cost of a service.’

How do you take the first step?

‘Consider for yourself which activities could be improved: what takes a lot of time, where are mistakes made, where can you improve, what prevents you from growing even faster? Then look at what solutions can help you with that.’

What kind of solutions does the network of services offer?

‘As a starting partner, you can often do everything manually. However, there often comes a point where it becomes time-consuming or no longer ideal. One solution can be to automate via the bol Retailer API. With this, you link your own sales channels to your bol seller account. Some entrepreneurs find this a daunting step. You need technology for it, it's an investment… But know that you don't have to do it yourself; there are apps in every category that can help you.’

‘A few good examples of apps are: stock software to improve your purchasing, pricing software for winning the buy box, and integrators to link multiple channels. Additionally, there are categories with expert services. Here you'll find experts ranging from financing to digital strategy agencies. For example, our collaboration with Rabobank allows you to quickly apply for extra flexible working capital and thus invest in accelerating growth. This service is specially developed for bol partners.’

What is the added value for partners in using supporting services via bol?

‘If you use a service from an external party with whom we do not collaborate, then that party has not been checked by us for things like technology, proposition, and IT security. This check is valuable because a lot of data is exchanged, and you naturally want it to be secure and work well.’

‘Also important, the external parties we collaborate with specifically focus on the needs of our selling via bol partners. Suppose you take out a standard loan with Rabobank; that's a loan anyone in the Netherlands can get. If you take out a loan specially developed for bol selling partners, then this loan is tailored to you and better meets your needs.’

So, as a partner, you can be sure that you'll be dealing with someone knowledgeable?

‘That's right. We've established a quality standard. We thoroughly and carefully check each party for things like technical requirements and functionality. This way, our partners know exactly who they are collaborating with.’

‘We sometimes hear that we use this network as an extra earning model. However, we don't earn anything from it; we facilitate it purely so that our partners can achieve growth.’

Final question: to what extent do you involve selling via bol partners in the possibilities of new collaborations within the network of services?

‘We absolutely involve them. If a type of service is new, such as Rabobank's Flexible Financing, we ask our partners beforehand about their financing wishes, specific needs, and how they envision this service. This way, we can see if a collaboration is desirable.’

‘To conclude with an example: when the collaboration with insurance agent Insify went live, we approached several selling via bol partners beforehand to go through the application process together with us. Based on the feedback, we were able to implement improvements. Our role towards third parties is to challenge them: does this work for our selling via bol partners, yes or no? We are on top of that.’

“Compare it to an app store, but for companies”

Want to know more about ‘Apps & Services’? In the Platform Pioniers podcast, Sophie talks about the opportunities it offers you as an entrepreneur. ‘It's like an app store. Determine what challenge you face and choose the company that can help you.’ Listen to the podcast here: