ECDB: Bol widens lead over Amazon.nl

Bol increased its lead over Amazon last year, according to a new ECDB ranking of ecommerce in the Netherlands. While the Dutch market leader recorded strong growth, Amazon.nl grew much more slowly.

Bol is by far the largest online store in the Netherlands. It ranked first in the latest Twinkle100, which uses figures from 2024, and also tops ECDB’s new ranking for 2025. AliExpress reached third place for the first time and keeps gaining marketshare.

ECDB publishes international ecommerce rankings under the slogan ‘Follow the Money’. Transaction data are its main source for estimates, supplemented by company reports, website traffic and other market data. The German company combines first-party and third-party sales. Its rankings are therefore based on gross merchandise volume, including VAT.

Online store top 5

The table below shows the 5 largest online store domains by gross merchandise volume in 2025. The figures concern spending by Dutch online shoppers and are shown in millions of euros. Updated figures for 2024 are also included.

Rank | Domain | Spending 2025 | Spending 2024 | Difference
1 | Bol.com | 5,813.7 million euros | 5,189.3 million euros | 12.0 percent
2 | Amazon.nl | 3,314.7 million euros | 3,228.5 million euros | 2.7 percent
3 | AliExpress.com | 1,811.8 million euros | 1,598.7 million euros | 13.3 percent
4 | Coolblue.nl | 1,741.4 million euros | 1,730.1 million euros | 0.7 percent
5 | AH.nl | 1,724.7 million euros | 1,721.2 million euros | 0.2 percent

Source: ECDB

Change in growth trend

In its ranking for 2024, ECDB reported that Amazon was growing faster than Bol in the Netherlands. The new figures show that this trend reversed last year. Bol grew by 12.0 percent in 2025, compared with 2.7 percent for Amazon.

According to ECDB, Bol was almost 61 percent larger than its American competitor in 2024. Last year, the difference increased to more than 75 percent.

‘Bol’s merchandise volume was 75 percent higher.’

Owner Ahold Delhaize reported total net consumer online sales of 6.3 billion euros for Bol last year. This figure includes partner sales and sales in Belgium, but excludes VAT. It represented growth of 8.4 percent.

Growth appears to have slowed since then, although the parent company has not shared recent figures for Bol. After both the first and second quarters, Ahold Delhaize said that Bol’s results were affected by comparisons with a strong previous year. Consumers under financial pressure also chose cheaper products more often.

Bol’s market position

Bol has been the largest online seller in the Netherlands for years. It started as an online store but now also provides a marketplace for tens of thousands of sales partners.

These partners can use Bol’s services, particularly for marketing and logistics. The market leader continues to add services and revenue models to its ecosystem, including parcel delivery and payments.

‘Bol continues to add services and revenue models.’

Last month, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets published a draft decision concerning Bol. This followed reports that Bol may have favoured its own operations and certain other parties.

The regulator began an investigation several years ago, which raised concerns about how the platform operates. Bol subsequently committed to several changes, many of which have already been implemented.

Amazon in the Netherlands

Amazon was already the market leader in Europe’s largest ecommerce markets when it began actively targeting the Netherlands in March 2020. At that time, Amazon.nl became a general online marketplace.

The American company regularly tells Dutch sales partners that they can use Amazon as a springboard to other European countries.

‘Around half of the Dutch population uses Amazon.’

Amazon had around 6.4 million monthly users in the Netherlands during the second half of last year, according to figures it submitted to the European Commission. This includes users of Amazon.nl and international sites such as Amazon.de and Amazon.com.

That equals approximately half of all Dutch consumers. Amazon is investing more than 1.4 billion euros in the Netherlands over 3 years to strengthen its local market position.

Commission fees

A recent FiveX study found that Amazon is the most expensive marketplace for online sellers in the Netherlands.

Amazon charged an average commission fee of 19.7 percent in August, compared with a market average of 14.5 percent. Bol’s average commission fee was slightly lower than the market average, at 14.2 percent.