Dutch retailer Bol.com gets close to customers in the Netherlands and Belgium through a highly active roster of social media accounts that operate alongside its own blog.
The online retailer sells goods ranging from electronics and books to toys and homewares. It talks to its customers via a presence on five of the social media networks that InternetRetailing research assesses. Shoppers can also reach the trader through phone, email and by live chat, giving them a wide choice of ways to ask questions or to make a complaint. Its mobile app, featuring fingerprint sign in, also enables customers to find new and convenient ways to shop.
Bol.com is particularly strong on Google+, where researchers found it had 8.6m views through the platform. There, Bol.com interest groups include books, gadgets, film and TV. Posts relate to subjects as diverse as new film releases and the latest gaming consoles and mobile phones, to interviews with authors and news of the latest deals. The retailer’s Google+ presence has feeds dedicated both to the Netherlands and to Belgium.
The retailer has more than half a million Facebook Likes on content that includes reviews, news-related images and videos of author interviews, travel information, film previews and information on the augmented reality phenomenon Pokémon Go. The page also links to its Pinterest and Instagram presences. Bol.com primarily uses Pinterest to gather together products around themes such as student life, children, furnishings, and baby and child, while its Instagram feed is dedicated to inspirational images that fit around subjects such as food, sporting events, concerts and more.
All of these link into its Twitter feed and into the Bol blog, which has news of the retailer positioned around lifestyle, children, home and living and technology angles.
This is a place to come when looking for Bol-related offers and competitions. One example of this is the chance to winning tickets to a Bol.com Children’s Festival, scheduled to be held in September.
All in all this is a highly active and engaging presence across a variety of social channels, where the online retailer can develop connections and relationships with existing and potential customers.
