bol Supplier: 1P channel guide

About this guide

This is a ChannelEngine guide on the Netherlands-based 1P channel bol Supplier. Here you can find information on how to request a bol Suppliers account, how to configure this channel on ChannelEngine, and what the specific requirements are.

bol's Leveranciers (Suppliers) plugin is designed for direct suppliers. If you are a merchant interested in selling your products as a third-party on bol, via a bol Plaza account, please use the separate bol (3P) marketplace plugin.

Table of contents

How to request an account

Marketplace features

Settings and configuration

• Setup
• Categorization
• Mappings
• Pricing
• Listed products

How to request an account

bol actively looks for suppliers and contacts potential suppliers directly if it is interested in selling your products. However, it is also possible to contact bol. 

There are two supplier models:

• Stock-only - the product range that has been agreed on with the buyer is immediately purchased and made available on bol. Offers with sufficient content are visible in the store if the product is in stock on bol. These products can be delivered directly to customers from stock.
• Cross-dock - in addition to stocking the 'stock' range, it is also possible to cross-dock the rest of your range. The cross-dock offers in the store depend on the availability, prices, and delivery times communicated in the offer feed. The cross-dock range is delivered to the customer with a longer delivery time based on direct customer orders via bol.

Marketplace features

Settings and configuration

Setting up each channel on ChannelEngine follows the same flow, though not every channel includes the steps listed below.

1. Go through the Setup.
2. Create a Product selection.
3. Complete the Categorization.
4. Set up the Mappings: content, offers, and carriers.
5. Configure the Pricing: rules and currency conversion.
6. Fill in the Stock settings.
7. Finish the Activation.
8. Check the Listed products overview.

Setup

On bol

Since bol Supplier works with an FTP server, to make sure the integration works as intended, reach out to the bol Supplier Management team at suppliermanagement@bol.com. Request that the team whitelist ChannelEngine's IP ranges. While IPv6 addresses are not supported by bol yet, it is enough to whitelist all the IPv4 addresses. This must be done so that ChannelEngine can perform all of its API tasks to and from bol.

On ChannelEngine

Connection

1. Once your supplier account is active and you have received your FTP credentials from bol, go to your bol Suppliers channel on ChannelEngine and add the credentials under the Setup section.
2. You can choose if you want to expose your actual stock or not. If you do not want to expose your stock to bol, ChannelEngine sets products without stock to 0 (zero) and products with stock to 1 (one). If you do want to expose your actual stock, bol sees it as 'is available on ChannelEngine'. Keep in mind that the attribute Maximum delivery time is leading, even over this setting.

Advanced settings

Configure the field below:

• Import FBR detailed return info  - enable to import the return tracking code and carrier, if available from bol, and display it in the order extra data. Enable this option only when you use the bol returns service for fulfillment by retailer (FBR) products. 

Categorization

Categorization is mandatory. All categories are listed in Dutch.

Mappings

Content

All products (required)

• Beschrijving (Description) - the product's description.
• Interne referentie (Internal reference) - the offer's reference ID, usually your Merchant product number/SKU.
• Productnaam (Product name) - the product's title.

All products (optional)

• Fabrikant Adres (manufacturer address) - for GPSR compliance, the manufacturer’s physical address or, minimally, a telephone number.
• Fabrikant email adres (manufacturer email address) - for GPSR compliance, the manufacturer’s email address.
• Fabrikant Naam (manufacturer name) - for GPSR compliance, the name of the manufacturer.

Productvariant ID (product variant ID) - a unique identifier (often a family key, like item_group_id or parent_sku) used to group product variants, e.g.: different sizes/colors, into a single product family/listing on bol.com.

• Verpakking breedte (Package width) - the width of the package, without the unit. E.g.: 50.
• Verpakking breedte (eenheid) (Package width unit) - the unit of the width of the package, without the value. E.g.: cm.
• Verpakking hoogte (Package height) - the height of the package, without the unit. E.g.: 200.
• Verpakking hoogte (eenheid) (Package height unit) - the unit of the height of the package, without the value. E.g.: cm.
• Verpakking lengte (Package length) - the length of the package, without the unit. E.g.: 50.
• Verpakking lengte (eenheid) (Package length unit) - the unit of the length of the package, without the value. E.g.: cm.
• Verpakkingsgewicht (package weight) - the numerical value for the gross weight of the product's retail/consumer packaging (including contents), excluding the unit (typically in kg or g).
• Verpakkingsgewicht (eenheid) (package weight (unit)) - the unit of measurement for the package weight, e.g.: kg or g.
• Video/Vidéo (Video) - the URL of the product's video, if available. YouTube videos and YouTube embed code are not supported. The minimum and maximum file sizes allowed are 1 MB and 1 GB, respectively, and the following formats are supported: MKV, MP4, FLV, AVI, MPG, MPEG, MOV, WMV, WEBM.

Category specific

• Hoofdafbeelding (Main product image) - the product's main image. Note that there are requirements in both size and background for your main image.
• Additionele afbeeldingen (Additional images) - the product's additional images. The following requirements must be met:
  • The minimum and maximum file sizes are 30 kB and 10 MB, respectively.
  • The minimum and maximum resolutions are 500x500 px and 6,000x6,000 px, respectively.
  • The background must be white.
  • CMYK color settings are not supported.
• Producttaal (Product language) - the language in which the product can be used. E.g.: a smartphone can be used in multiple languages.
• Dekbedovertrek (Duvet cover), for instance, has ten additional required attributes, such as brand, material, color, etc., which also need to be mapped. If a required field is missing data, it is not exported to bol.

Offer

Required

• Currency code - the currency you work with. The options are EUR, USD, or GBP.
• Internal reference - your internal reference, usually the Merchant product number/SKU.
• Max. delivery time - the product's shipping time, from the moment the product is ordered until it arrives at bol's warehouse. The minimum value is 2, as the date of the order is considered as 1. The value 0 means the product is temporarily unavailable. bol calculates the cut-off time automatically.
• Net purchase price - the purchase price you are invoicing bol with, excluding VAT, with a maximum of two decimal places.
• Order quantity - states the minimum order quantity. This value must be higher than 0 (zero).
• Price before (re)price rules - your sale price, including VAT, with a maximum of two decimal places. This attribute does not appear if you use pricing v2.
• VAT % - the VAT percentage, without the percentage symbol. E.g.: 21.

Optional

• Catalog - the product catalog or classification system (e.g., category or GPC code) used to organize and identify the product on bol.com.
• Fulfilment ID - a unique identifier for the fulfillment method or specific fulfillment setup (e.g.: distinguishing FBR vs. FBB logistics handling).
• Fulfilment supplier - the party responsible for fulfillment (e.g.: the retailer themselves for Fulfilment by Retailer or bol.com for Fulfilment by bol).
• In stock - indicates whether the product is currently available in stock (yes/no flag) for immediate sale and shipping. However, the attribute Max. delivery time is leading.
• List price - the recommended or manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) before any discounts or promotions. Include VAT, with a maximum of two decimal places.
• Name - the product title or name; can be either an internal value or updated through content mapping.
• NPP carton - the number of pieces per carton (Netto Per Packing unit) at the carton level for bulk or wholesale packaging.
• NPP layer - the number of pieces per layer (Netto Per Packing unit) when stacking cartons on a pallet layer.
• NPP pallet - the total number of pieces per full pallet (Netto Per Packing unit) for palletized shipments.
• NPP truck - the total number of pieces that fit in a full truckload (Netto Per Packing unit) for large-scale transport.
• On backorder - a flag or status indicating the product is currently out of stock but can be ordered with expected future availability.
• Packing unit - the standard unit of packaging (e.g.: pieces per box, carton, or case) for ordering, shipping, or inventory.
• Published price to dealer - the wholesale or dealer purchase price (often net price) published or shared with partners/resellers.
• Quantity carton - the quantity of items contained in one carton or master case for packaging/shipping.
• Quantity layer - the number of items (or cartons) that fit on one layer of a pallet.
• Quantity on backorder -the specific number of units currently on backorder (unfulfilled demand due to stockout).
• Quantity pallet - the total number of items (or cartons) that fit on one complete pallet.
• Quantity stock - the current available stock quantity in the warehouse (real-time or reported inventory level). Products with an empty Quantity stock are exported as infinitely available. Products with a Stock quantity of 0 (zero) and a Max. delivery time of 2 means it is still available, because the latter attribute is leading.
• Quantity truck - the total number of items (or pallets) that fit in one full truck for bulk transportation.
• Release date - the official date when the product is first made available for sale or release on bol.com. bol expects the product in its warehouse circa five days before the delivery date. This attribute is only meant for cross-dock suppliers, with pre-order products within the product categories Books & Entertainment, and Electronics.
• Replenishment date - the expected date when additional stock will be replenished or become available (e.g.: for backorders or low-stock items).

Pricing

Unlike the bol (3P) marketplace plugin, the bol Supplier plugin does not support repricing or fee reductions. However, you can apply price rules.

For more information on price rules and currency conversions, check out the related guides.

Listed products

If you have problems with products not appearing on bol (especially if you are trying to add products that do not exist yet), check the Listed products section for more information.

You can either filter on Channel status (Invalid for all products that ChannelEngine has not exported, such as products with an empty EAN or products that currently do not exist on bol) or use the Validation and feedback tab to see all known validation/feedback errors for specific products.