bol.
Whitespots
Context
In interviews with partners about growth on bol, a recurring pattern emerged.
Many partners, especially those selling across multiple marketplaces and countries, do not struggle with access to suppliers or product availability. The challenge lies in identifying which products are likely to perform well on a specific marketplace.
Choosing the right assortment is time-consuming and risky. Partners often rely on trial and error, external tools, or experience from other platforms that do not always translate to bol’s market dynamics.
Concept
Whitespots, also referred to as market opportunities, was created to address this gap.
The idea was to proactively surface products that:
Are not currently sold on bol
Have been identified as high potential based on internal and external data
By doing this, bol helps partners make informed assortment decisions, instead of leaving discovery entirely to them.
Partner experience
Within the Seller Dashboard, partners are presented with an overview of recommended products.
Partners can:
Browse a list of identified market opportunities
Favorite products they are interested in
Source these products from their suppliers at their own pace
Easily return to their favorites and directly start the upload flow
The journey is intentionally connected. Discovery, selection, and upload are part of one continuous flow, reducing friction between identifying an opportunity and acting on it.
Smart suggestions
A key element of the experience is the smart suggestions filter.
Rather than presenting a static list of thousands of products, partners can filter opportunities based on how well they match their existing assortment and selling profile. This significantly reduces the time needed to find relevant products and helps partners focus on opportunities that align with their business.
Impact and value
Whitespots creates value on multiple levels:
Partners gain clearer guidance on how to grow their assortment with confidence
Consumers benefit from a broader and more relevant product offering
bol strengthens its assortment by encouraging the addition of high-performing products
While simpler in execution than some of the other initiatives, Whitespots plays an important role in supporting partner growth and reinforcing bol as a platform that actively helps sellers succeed.