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What is Sponsored Products on bol and how does it work?

Lars Hurkmans·Co-founder·15 November 2023·Reading time 5 minutes

Sponsored Products is bol's advertising tool that gives your products extra visibility in the search results, on category pages and on product pages. You pay per click through an auction and use it mainly at a product launch, to improve your organic position or to defend your position against competitors.

Want more depth? Read the extended version of this article.

What exactly does Sponsored Products involve?

Sponsored Products is an advertising tool from bol that lets sellers give their products more visibility on the platform. The system places your ads in strategic spots where potential customers see them while browsing or searching for products. Those ads can appear in the search results, on product pages and in various product categories, increasing the chance that customers notice your product and consider buying it.

Where and how do Sponsored Products ads appear?

Ads appear in three ways: keyword-targeted, category-targeted and product-targeted.

• Keyword-targeted: when a customer searches for a term related to your product, your ad can appear at the top of the search results. When searching for products, a maximum of 30 products per page is displayed, of which up to 6 sponsored products at the top and in the middle of the page.
• Category-targeted: within a specific category page, your product ads can catch the attention of customers browsing that category. Just like on keyword pages, up to 6 products spread across the page are displayed, with a maximum of 2 products per position.
• Product-targeted: your ad can appear as an alternative on the page of a similar product, usually under the "Also check out" section on the product page. These are a maximum of 6 products.

What does Sponsored Products cost and how does the auction work?

You pay for every click on your ad, known as Cost Per Click (CPC). That amount isn't determined randomly: it comes from an auction model in which you bid against other sellers for visibility for the same keywords or product categories. This auction model is based on a 'Vickrey second price auction': if your bid wins, you ultimately pay only one cent more than the second-highest bid. In short, if you have the winning bid, you pay only one cent more than the bid of the second-highest advertiser.

This auction model is designed to distribute advertising space fairly and cost-effectively between advertisers. By carefully considering how much you want to bid per click, you find a balance between maximising the visibility of your products and managing your advertising spend. Why this bidding method is effective can be explained with mathematics and game theory; how the auction exactly ranks and settles is covered in our article on bol's advertising system.

At the end of each month you receive an invoice showing the actual CPC costs. This gives you a detailed overview of the clicks your ads have generated and the total costs associated with that. Thanks to preset budgets, your advertising spend always stays within your financial limits, preventing unexpected surprises.

When is Sponsored Products useful for you?

Sponsored Products can be useful in three situations: at a product launch, to improve your organic visibility, and to defend your position.

1. Product launch: if you introduce a new product, it doesn't yet appear high up in the organic search results on its own and so initially has little visibility. Sponsored Products can help you show your new product directly to relevant customers, speeding up the sales start and increasing brand awareness.
2. Improving organic visibility: if you notice your products aren't ranking high enough in the organic search results, Sponsored Products can be an effective way to improve that position. By generating more clicks and possible sales through your ads, your organic ranking on bol can benefit from this increased activity. Read this article to learn more about how the bol algorithm works, so you know even more specifically how Sponsored Products helps improve your organic findability.
3. Defending your position: for products that already perform well, Sponsored Products can serve as a defence strategy. It prevents competitors from becoming visible on your product pages. This is especially relevant for popular keywords related to your products; this way you ensure your offering stays dominant.

What conditions apply before you start with Sponsored Products?

First make sure the foundation of your product offering is solid: a fully optimised product listing. While Sponsored Products can considerably boost the visibility and sales of your products, that's the starting point before you start advertising. An optimised listing includes:

• Effective product title: a relevant product title is the first step to improving your product listing. bol advises keeping the title under 70 characters for readability and relevance. According to bol this increases the chance that you're included in the Sponsored Products auctions and that you appear in Google Shopping ads. However, the number of characters has no effect on organic findability within bol. If you want to know how to make a compact, efficient title that maximises your findability, read this article.
• Complete specifications: make sure all product specifications are filled in correctly and completely. This not only increases relevance for the algorithm, but also improves organic findability.
• High-quality images: the main image can directly affect your Click-Through Rate (CTR) by increasing the appeal of your product. Secondary images improve the customer experience and can contribute to a higher conversion rate.
• Thorough product description: relevant keywords in your product description are important for the Sponsored Products algorithm to determine the match with search queries. The effect on organic findability is limited, but within Sponsored Products the description plays a bigger role, because the content is linked to the keywords you're advertising on.

For more insight into how to put together an effective product listing, you can consult our article on optimising your listing.

Why does having enough stock matter?

Without enough stock you run the risk of missing sales opportunities and getting negative reviews, which can harm your future sales performance. On top of a strong product presentation, having enough stock is therefore essential when using Sponsored Products. By taking these points as a starting point, you lay a solid foundation for your Sponsored Products campaigns. It's the combination of an optimised product listing and smart inventory management that increases the effectiveness of your ads and contributes to the growth of your sales on bol.

What should you remember about Sponsored Products on bol?

Sponsored Products is an effective advertising tool that increases the visibility of your products on bol. The ads can appear in various places: in the search results, on category pages and on product pages. You pay per click in an auction model that enables efficient budget management.

Sponsored Products is especially useful at product launches, at improving your organic visibility and at defending your position against competitors. A solid foundation remains the condition: an effective product title, complete specifications, high-quality images and a thorough product description, plus enough stock to avoid missing sales opportunities and prevent negative reviews.

Want to know more about how the algorithm behind Sponsored Products works, read our article on that. Want to learn how to bid successfully in the auction, we have an article on bidding. And if you need help determining the right keywords for your campaigns, there's an article on finding keywords.