The number of Belgian retailers using the online e-commerce platform bol.com has doubled in two years from 2,600 to over 5,400 sales partners. These figures are in line with several studies on the Belgian e-commerce landscape*, which show that over the past five years, more and more entrepreneurs have made the leap to online sales. And they do this together with experts such as bol.com or through the Ezyshop project of BeCommerce. Meanwhile, bol.com welcomed the 50,000th sales partner on its platform. These are Belgian and Dutch retailers.   

In 2021, Belgium will have 45,116 web shops. This was revealed by the research of BeCommerce, which mapped the entire Belgian e-commerce landscape. The majority of these Belgian webshops were only established in the last five years. Also e-commerce platform bol.com noticed a rise in recent years: the number of Belgian merchants working through their platform doubled in two years.
 

Offline and online side by side   

The corona crisis changed the sales landscape when physical stores had to close. Platforms were a godsend for entrepreneurs without their own web store. For example, bol.com gained almost 3,000 Belgian sales partners: from 2,600 to over 5,400. Selling via a platform, a private online shop and a physical store do not have to get in each other’s way and can be combined perfectly. A retailer who offers his products via bol.com can reach Belgian and Dutch customers who were previously not able to approach the retailer.  

“At bol.com we believe in the power of collaboration. We see that a platform often complements other ways of selling. Entrepreneurs who sell via bol.com often also have their own webshop or physical store. Some items require more attention and are better offered in a physical store, others are just best sold through a platform with a large reach.” Oscar Hundman, Chief eCommerce Officer at bol.com.  

Belgian retailers also see the added value of the platform, as it perfectly complements their physical store and their own webshop.   

Herman Droogenboodt, Market Place Director at E-Squad and sales partner at bol.com: “Our holding company has a total of 20 physical stores with their own webshop, but thanks to bol.com we can reach customers throughout Belgium and the Netherlands. Moreover, bol.com also has a lot of tips and tricks and provides training for beginners. The interesting thing is to offer an extensive range of products on a platform, which you cannot always find in a physical store. I myself come from a retail background and a physical store is still very important to me. The two complement each other anyway and go hand in hand.”    

Encourage strong local offerings  

In 2021, 28 percent of Belgians will make a purchase via the Internet at least once a week**. However, starting up a webshop is an investment. Especially for smaller local entrepreneurs, this forms a barrier to taking the first steps in e-commerce. Still, many of them see the need to be visible online, but do not know how to go about it. For bol.com it is important to support local entrepreneurs in combining online and offline sales. For example, the company invested in the Ezyshop project*** of BeCommerce, in which Belgian entrepreneurs receive strategic advice on how to best monitor their online trade, whether they choose to have their own webshop or sell through a platform. In the meantime, more than 2,000 small and medium-sized Belgian businesses have already received guidance along these lines.   

*https://becommerce.odoo.com/een-derde-van-belgische-webshops-is-afgelopen-5-jaar-opgericht and https://www.safeshops.be/nl/2022/03/10/het-belgische-online-landschap/  

** https://www.feweb.be/nl/nieuws/bericht/2022/06/24/Onderzoek-E-commerce-na-corona?originNode=105  

*** https://pers.bol.com/nl/nieuws/bol-com-stapt-mee-in-ezyshop-project-van-becommerce-en-mastercard/