Amazon launches in the Netherlands

Amazon has officially launched in the Netherlands. Instead of selling only e-books and e-readers, the ecommerce giant now offers all kinds of products. With product categories such as consumer electronics, toys, fashion, DIY and foodstuff it’s going to compete with local players Bol.com, Coolblue and Wehkamp.

Amazon.nl started in 2014, but for years the ecommerce company only sold e-books and its e-reader, the Amazon Kindle. In the years to come, the Dutch ecommerce industry was anticipating the arrival of Amazon. More recently, rumors got really strong, especially when Amazon.nl decided to open up its platform to external vendors.

Bol.com is ready to compete with Amazon.nl

Bol.com, the biggest online retailer of the Netherlands, reacted by launching a fashion category on its website, as well as lowering the commission fees in some product categories. Furthermore, the Ahold-owned company launched a marketing campaign this week, where – for the first time ever –  it puts the focus on its selling partners.

Amazon Prime

Amazon has also started the offering of its premium service Amazon Prime. Dutch customers pay 2.99 euro per month and in return they will get free delivery without a minimum order value (for products sold and shipped by Amazon), access to video streaming service Prime Video, free games with Twitch Prime and unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos.

It’s interesting to find out how Bol.com will react. They have their own premium service, called Bol.com Select, which costs 9.99 euros per year but only offers delivery-related perks. Maybe Bol.com will soon start a partnership with Videoland, the Netflix-like Dutch streaming service?

What will Bol.com Select do now Amazon Prime is available for €2.99 per month?