Show brand name or logo

The brand name or logo must be visibly printed on the item or its original packaging. The brand name or logo must be visible on a product image that you upload immediately when adding the item online. If the photo is added later, you do not comply with the guidelines, and the item must be offered as unbranded.

An exception to the above policy applies to brands with an indirect distribution channel. These brands do not need to add a product image showing the brand or logo on the item or its original packaging.

A distribution channel is the path an item takes from manufacturer or supplier to the customer. There are two categories of distribution channels: direct and indirect.

A direct distribution channel means that a company sells its items directly to the end customer. These are items sold exclusively by a company in physical stores, a company's webshop(s), or items offered by a company via a platform. No intermediaries are involved in the sale to the customer. Example: Imagine an electronics company "ElectroTech" produces its own brand of smartphones and sells them directly to customers. These smartphones are sold only in ElectroTech's physical stores, on their own website, and also via bol by ElectroTech itself as a partner. In this case, no intermediary or other partner is involved in selling the smartphones to the customer. This means ElectroTech has a direct distribution channel for its smartphones, as they sell them directly to the end customer, without the involvement of other partners or distributors. In this example, ElectroTech must comply with the brand guideline regarding the visibility of the brand or logo.

An indirect distribution channel means that a manufacturer or supplier collaborates with other distribution partners, intermediaries, or resellers to sell their items to the end customer. This could mean, for example, that items are offered by resellers via our platform, via other online platforms, via other webshops, or in physical stores.

Example: Let's take Apple as an example. Apple produces iPhones and sells them not only directly to customers but also collaborates with various distributors and resellers. These distributors buy iPhones from Apple and sell them to stores or other partners. These iPhones are ultimately offered via bol by various resellers who have obtained the iPhones through these distributors. As a result, multiple intermediaries are involved between Apple (the manufacturer) and the end customer who buys the iPhone via bol. This illustrates an indirect distribution channel, as Apple's iPhones are not sold directly by the company to the end customer but are available via bol through various intermediaries and resellers.

For each of the intermediaries that are part of an indirect distribution channel, it is important that an authentic branded item is delivered. This means the item's journey has proven it to be a branded item, and therefore, as a partner (who is part of an indirect distribution channel), you do not need to show this additionally on the product page via bol.

As a platform, our goal is to offer customers a reliable, safe, and high-quality product range. It is crucial that all items on our platform comply with applicable laws and regulations and with the guidelines bol sets for brands and items. One of the goals of the brand guidelines' visibility rule is to ensure that customers can trust that they will actually receive the item they see in the product images and descriptions. We want to prevent items from being offered and delivered that do not match the customer's expectations based on what they see on our website. By ensuring customers get exactly what they expect, we collectively try to prevent disappointments and offer a positive experience when shopping via bol.

To ensure this, it is important that the brand is clearly visible on the item or its packaging, especially if you are the sole partner for that brand. This makes the brand clearly recognizable, so only you can offer the item. This way, we prevent other partners from trying to sell under the same listing, and we can guarantee the quality and authenticity of our offer.

Via the Notice and Take Down (NTD) form, you have the option to report intellectual property infringement. If you doubt whether another partner's item is identical to your offer, you can contact that partner. You can contact selling partners via the contact details on their shop page. Or you can click 'Question about item' on the product page. If you can't resolve it among yourselves, you can submit a report via the Notice and Take Down form.

• For brands with a direct distribution channel, it is not allowed to add the product image with a visible brand name later;

• Only the brand on the shipping box is not sufficient;
• Using stickers with a brand name and/or logo is not sufficient;
• The brand, visual mark, brand name, or website may not be used as a watermark on the product image;
• The brand may not be photoshopped onto the image;
• The brand or logo of an item with a direct distribution channel must be visible immediately on the original product packaging and/or the item from the moment it is added via bol. This must then be visible in the images. It is not allowed to add this later.