Shopify bol.com Integration: The Complete Guide to Multi-Channel Selling

Why Connect Shopify to bol.com?

As a Shopify entrepreneur, you already have a professional webshop. But did you know that bol.com has over 13 million active customers in the Netherlands and Belgium? By connecting your Shopify store to bol.com, you significantly expand your reach without building an entirely new sales channel.

Benefits of the Shopify bol.com integration:

• Greater reach: Access millions of potential customers already familiar with bol.com
• Centralized inventory management: One inventory for both channels prevents overselling
• More efficient order processing: Orders from both platforms in one dashboard
• Automatic invoicing: No more manual work for VAT invoices

Method 1: Product Feed via Apps

The most common method to connect Shopify to bol.com is through a product feed app. These apps export your Shopify products to bol.com and keep inventory synchronized.

Popular Shopify apps for bol.com:

• Channable: Complete feed management tool with support for bol.com, Amazon, and more
• Koongo: Affordable option for smaller webshops
• ChannelEngine: Enterprise solution for large sellers
• Effectconnect: Dutch tool with strong bol.com integration

How does a product feed work?

1. Install the app in your Shopify admin
2. Connect your bol.com seller account
3. Select which products you want to sync
4. The app automatically generates a feed that bol.com can read
5. Inventory changes are applied real-time or periodically

Method 2: Direct API Connection

For more control, you can also create a direct connection via the bol.com Retailer API. This requires technical knowledge but provides maximum flexibility.

Advantages of API connection:

• Full control over data flows
• No monthly app costs
• Custom logic possible (e.g., different prices per channel)
• Direct access to bol.com order data

Disadvantages:

• Requires developer capacity
• Maintenance and updates are your responsibility
• Initial setup takes more time

For most entrepreneurs, a feed app is the practical choice unless you have specific requirements that need a custom solution.

Setting Up Inventory Synchronization

One of the biggest challenges in multi-channel selling is inventory management. You want to prevent selling something that's out of stock (overselling) but also don't want to unnecessarily reserve inventory.

Best practices for inventory sync:

• Real-time sync: Choose an app that syncs immediately with every sale
• Safety margin: Keep a buffer (e.g., show 95% of your actual inventory)
• Central inventory location: Determine one 'source of truth' for your inventory
• Set alerts: Get notifications for low stock

Automating Order Processing

Once your connection is set up, bol.com orders will start coming in. The question is: how do you process them efficiently?

Option 1: Via the feed app
Most feed apps can also sync orders to Shopify. Advantage: all orders in one place.

Option 2: Directly in bol.com
You process bol.com orders in the bol.com seller platform. Less integration but separate systems.

Option 3: Multi-channel dashboard
Tools like ChannelEngine or Effectconnect offer a central dashboard for all channels.

What you should automate:

• Order status updates to bol.com (shipped, track & trace)
• Inventory adjustments after sales
• Customer data synchronization
• Invoicing - more on this next

VAT Invoices for bol.com Orders

This is where many Shopify sellers struggle: bol.com requires that you as the seller create and upload the VAT invoice to the customer portal. This doesn't apply to your Shopify webshop where customers often don't need an invoice.

The problem:

• Creating invoices manually takes a lot of time
• Each invoice must comply with Dutch VAT rules
• Invoices must be uploaded to bol.com
• You must calculate VAT percentages correctly (including for Belgium!)

The solution: Winkel Factuur

With Winkel Factuur, you automate the entire invoicing process:

• Automatic invoice generation for every bol.com order
• Correct VAT calculation including Belgian VAT
• Automatic upload to bol.com customer portal
• UBL invoices for business customers
• Combined overview of Shopify and bol.com revenue

Step-by-Step: Connecting Shopify to bol.com

Here's a practical checklist to connect your Shopify store to bol.com:

Step 1: Create a bol.com seller account
Go to partnerplatform.bol.com and register as a seller. You'll need: Chamber of Commerce number, VAT number, and bank details.

Step 2: Choose your integration tool
Select a feed app that fits your budget and needs. Start with a free trial.

Step 3: Prepare your products
Make sure your products have the correct EAN codes. bol.com requires EAN codes for most categories.

Step 4: Configure the feed
Connect the app to both Shopify and bol.com. Map your product attributes to bol.com fields.

Step 5: Sync inventory
Activate real-time inventory sync and test with a few products.

Step 6: Automate invoicing
Connect Winkel Factuur to your bol.com account for automatic invoices.

Step 7: Test and go live
Place a test order, check the flow, then go fully live.

Common Mistakes in Shopify-bol.com Integration

Learn from others' mistakes:

1. No EAN codes
Without EAN codes, you can't sell on bol.com. Make sure all your products have a valid EAN.

2. Prices not adjusted
bol.com charges commission. Don't forget to adjust your prices accordingly to stay profitable.

3. Inventory not synchronized
Overselling leads to bad reviews and possible sanctions from bol.com.

4. Forgot about invoicing
bol.com checks if you upload invoices. No invoices = risk of account problems.

5. Unrealistic delivery times
Don't promise 24-hour delivery if you can't deliver. This hurts your seller performance.

Costs of Shopify bol.com Integration

What does it cost to connect Shopify to bol.com?

One-time costs:
• bol.com registration: Free
• Feed app setup: Usually free

Monthly costs:
• Feed app: €29 - €299 per month (depending on features and number of products)
• bol.com commission: 5-17% per sale (category dependent)
• Winkel Factuur: from €9/month for automatic invoicing

Time investment:
• Initial setup: 2-4 hours
• Daily management: 15-30 minutes (with good automation)

The ROI is often positive within a month thanks to extra sales volume via bol.com.

Conclusion: Is Shopify-bol.com Integration Right for You?

A Shopify-bol.com integration is ideal if you:

• Already have a successful Shopify store
• Want to expand your reach to millions of bol.com customers
• Are willing to invest in the right tools
• Have products with EAN codes
• Are active (or want to be) in the Netherlands or Belgium

Start small: begin with your best-selling products on bol.com and expand as you gain experience. And don't forget to automate your invoicing from day one - it will save you hours of work per week.