April 4, 2019 – Bol.com, our online brand in the Netherlands and Belgium, marked a big milestone last week with its 20th anniversary. And there have been plenty of key moments along the way:
1999: Bol.com starts selling books online and within three years goes from a few hundred customers to 1 million.
2004: Bol.com expands its product range and makes it possible to buy electronics online. The brand surpasses 5 million total orders.
2006: Now with 50 employees, bol.com nears €100 million in revenue. Two years later it launches the first data-driven, personalized newsletter in the Netherlands.
2009: Active in Belgium for about a year, bol.com begins partnering with retailers in Belgium to sell their goods. Many more items are added, including diapers – now one of the most popular products.
2014: The brand reaches 1,000 employees – 20 times as many as in 2004. Its top seller in this year is the Chromecast Media Streamer.
2016: Bol.com introduces same-day delivery.
2019: Together with 23,000 partners, bol.com now offers 17 million items to 9 million customers.
The brand, with a 50,000-square-meter distribution center in Waalwijk, the Netherlands, and building a similar one right next to it, is also investigating the possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI) and voice-driven shopping.
View some photos from bol.com’s 20th anniversary celebration: