Social commerce in the fast lane

Social media is no longer just a place for inspiration. It plays an increasingly important role in how consumers discover, compare, and buy items. During the Webwinkel Vakdagen, Isaac Diepenhorst, Manager Social & Content at bol, showed what this shift looks like in practice and why collaborating with creators is indispensable. How do you ensure that you not only keep up in this rapidly changing environment but also are where the attention is? “As a marketer, you need to be where the attention is,” Isaac states. “And that attention is shifting more and more to social platforms, especially TikTok.”

While social media used to be primarily used to build brand awareness, today the customer journey increasingly starts on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Discovering, comparing, and buying: it’s happening more and more within the same environment. “For us, social is no longer just an inspiration channel, but also a performance channel,” Isaac explains. “We see that social is contributing more directly to traffic and sales.”

When bol started with TikTok about four years ago, the platform was mainly popular among teenagers. That picture has changed significantly. “We see strong growth in the 25 to 44 age group,” says Isaac. With this shift in age, purchasing power also grows. This makes TikTok, in particular, increasingly commercially relevant.

According to research, Gen Z sometimes spends up to four hours a day on TikTok. “That’s an insane amount,” says Isaac. “But it mainly emphasizes one thing: if attention is there, you as a brand must be present there.”

His advice to marketers is therefore clear: “Download TikTok and see how the platform works. It is no longer an ‘extra channel,’ but an essential part of the media mix.”

The typical simple images with items and a short, humorous text on bol’s social channels. That worked well – and still does – but with the rise of short-form video, the playing field changed for bol.

“In the beginning, we kept items central,” Isaac says. “But two years ago, we made a clear switch. We saw in the data that content with people performs better than studio or item shots.”

The reason is simple: people connect with people. You need half a second to make someone stop scrolling. If there is a face in the picture, people stay watching longer, which leads to higher engagement and better click-through rates.

Within bol, a conscious distinction is made between influencers and creators:

• Influencers use their own reach, often with tens of thousands to millions of followers.
• Creators make content for bol channels, with bol providing the reach.

“These terms are often used interchangeably in the market,” says Isaac. “But for us, this distinction is important. Creators are extremely good at creating platform-specific content that fits specific niches.”

Because everyone is in their own ‘content bubble,’ bol increasingly opts for category-specific channels. Think of accounts like bol.beauty, bol.gaming, and recently bol.ouders.

“Gaming next to make-up on one channel works less well,” Isaac explains. “By organizing content by category, you build more relevance and authority.”

At least as important are the comments under the videos. “People go straight to the comments,” Isaac says. “They ask questions about price, availability, and experiences. That’s why we actively invest in community management. If you take TikTok seriously, that’s part of it.”

Social commerce is no longer an experiment. The results are concrete:

• high organic visibility;

• low cost-per-click;

• increase in search volume on bol;

• demonstrable uplift in sales, sometimes even leading to temporarily sold-out items.

Bol works with creators in three different ways:

• Creator networks, these are platforms where creators can sign up for a briefing from a company. The content is specific.

• Affiliate and storefront models, where creators open their own ‘storefront’ shop within bol and use an affiliate model.

• Creators for Brands, a new comprehensive concept from bol Retail Media that allows brands to reach new target groups in a creative way. Together with selected creators, social experts create authentic, platform-oriented content that makes items and stories visible on bol’s social channels.

Finally, Isaac points to an important development: social media as a search engine. Especially the younger generation of shoppers open TikTok when they are looking for items. They ask their question and immediately get videos with answers.

This also makes social content relevant for discoverability outside the platform. Short-form videos are increasingly indexed and indirectly contribute to visibility in Google.

Social commerce, and with it the creator economy, is growing incredibly fast, also in the Netherlands. By making creators a structural part of campaigns, content, and commerce, bol explicitly positions itself as an early mover.

“This is not a trend that will blow over,” Isaac concludes. “Creators have become a fixed part of how people discover and buy. And that offers opportunities. For bol and for partners.”