Content requirements for bol: titles, descriptions, images, EAN and language for sellers from DACH and France

Who can sell on bol from DACH or France

bol (called bol.com until 2023) says it serves 13 million customers in the Netherlands and Belgium. According to bol, partners based in another EU country need (as of October 2026):

• a company registered in the EU (mandatory) and strong experience with international marketplaces,
• at least €500,000 sales potential in the first twelve months,
• customer service in Dutch,
• integration through a bol-certified API partner.

Access is by invitation only, and the application form is in English only.

bol at a glance

The EAN catalogue: how bol maps content to a product

bol is a catalogue marketplace: every product has exactly one product page, and the EAN decides which page your offer and content belong to. Through the Retailer API v10, bol processes no content without an EAN.

• Every item needs a valid EAN/GTIN registered with GS1. This is mandatory for branded items; for unbranded items, bol does not yet enforce it.
• Identical items may not run under different EANs, and new versions or packaging may need a new EAN.
• If you obtain an EAN from GS1, you automatically become the first partner for that item. If the item is already in the catalogue, you only add your offer.

Whose content appears on the product page

When several partners offer the same EAN, an algorithm rates each partner's product information with a score, and the content of the partner with the highest score appears automatically. The score applies per product group, not per item, so weak content on some items lowers the score of the whole group. Selected brand owners and official distributors can use brand registration to control the title, description, specifications and images of their brand items.

Title: at most 70 characters

• Structure: brand (where applicable), model or type number and product group, plus one or two distinguishing features, separated by a hyphen (-).
• Spelling: start with a capital letter, no words fully in capitals, no English words, one spelling per term.
• Not allowed: symbols, lots of adjectives, promotional terms such as “voordeel”, “goedkoop” or “gratis”, and holiday references.

Get the title right within two weeks of adding the item, because the product page URL is based on it. Include search terms, but do not pile them up: according to bol, too many keywords bring no extra visitors.

Description

• HTML: only headings (h3), bold, paragraphs, line breaks and lists. The system rejects other tags. According to bol, subheadings and lists have a positive effect on conversion.
• Content: repeat terms from the title, explain technical terms, and address customers in the Netherlands and Belgium differently where relevant.
• Not allowed (in the title either): prices, websites and URLs, delivery time claims, promotions and sales slogans such as “op=op”, and personal data.
• Sustainability: vague terms such as “duurzaam” or “klimaatneutraal” are not allowed; name concrete benefits, such as the share of recycled material.

Attributes and the data model

The data model sets which attributes are mandatory: it assigns items to product groups (more than 4000 classifications, according to the API) and lists the mandatory fields per group. The model changes continuously; bol sends a quarterly overview of the changes, most recently dated 25 August 2026. In the API, attribute IDs are in English but values are in the language of the content; values outside the given list are declined.

Images

• Main image: 500 × 500 to 6000 × 6000 pixels and 30 KB to 10 MB; white space does not count. Zoom from 1200 × 1200 pixels. bol names no file format.
• Background and subject: white and neutral with no visible shadow, front view, unpacked, no combined views; no lifestyle shots, illustrations, models, text, logos or watermarks.
• Further images: no fixed number; as many angles and details as possible; lifestyle shots are allowed. Each image gets the right label (such as front view); when two images compete for the same slot, the higher quality one wins.
• Never in an image: discount labels, company logos, seals, promotional or service text such as “gratis verzending”, comparisons and reviews.

Since 1 July 2025, bol says it no longer enforces its image guidelines, but it still enforces against self-promotion in images. The system still checks pixel and file size limits, and better images win the slot on the product page. bol has published no specific rule on AI images, but it largely excludes graphic images that are not real product photos.

Language: Dutch first, French for Belgium

Dutch is the basis: when you create items via Excel, bol needs the Dutch title to create them. For items that can be sold in French-speaking Belgium, bol translates the title and description into French automatically, once; after that you can edit the copy in the seller account or the bulk editor. bol recommends your own translations, as they are usually better.

• Language attributes (language of the item, manual or packaging) have been mandatory since 1 August 2020 where relevant. If they only say Dutch, French-speaking customers do not see the item; if the attribute is missing, the item does not go online at all.
• The API knows the language codes nl, nl-BE, fr and fr-BE; with fr-BE, content applies to Wallonia only.

Review, rejection and objection

Changes can take up to eight hours to become visible. The item's feedback page shows the status, and the API provides an upload report (each for 28 days). Typical reasons why content is not used:

1. Another partner has a higher score, or bol chooses the content of the brand owner or of its own logistics department.
2. Invalid EAN, or no matching product in the catalogue.
3. Attribute values outside the list, missing mandatory values or text that is too long.
4. Unsupported HTML tags, or an image that cannot be reached or is a duplicate.

Objection: in the “gewijzigde productinformatie” tab, click “oneens” and explain your view; bol reviews within 24 hours but currently gives no reason for a rejection.

New in 2026 (GPSR): for new items, bol has required the manufacturer's name, address and electronic address since 5 March 2026, and the details of the responsible person in the EU since 1 April 2026, in each case per item. bol can take existing items without manufacturer details offline in phases.

Checklist before uploading

Preparing content with ecomDNAI

The ecomDNAI Marketplace Content Creator produces Dutch copy with a French translation for bol, and square images with a cut-out main image on white, always starting from a real product photo; a check shows what is still missing before export. The Marketplace Optimizer measures existing bol offers on title length, image count, description and EAN.