Complete guide to bol.com Product Feed Management

What is the bol.com FTPS? How is the FTPS helpful in selling on bol.com? Why should the bol sellers understand the working of FTPS ‘content feeds? And how to create an FTPS account on the bol marketplace? We will discuss the bol FTPS in detail in this blog.

The bol.com FTPS (File Transfer Protocol Secure) is the content management system of the bol marketplace. You can input the product information for bol.com with the help of FTPS. The FTPS server of bol.com inputs the product details in the form of text files and the images for products described in the text file. You upload these to your sales account through the bol.com FTPS.

The FTPS helps you to directly upload the product information to the bol marketplace FTPS server. The bol FTPS also helps to upload new articles to the bol marketplace quickly.

Complete product information is essential for improving conversion rates. The product information helps the buyer get an idea of the product he is about to buy. Better the product information, better are the chances of a buyer choosing your product. The product information helps the buyer to find your product not only on the bol marketplace but also through google and other search engines.

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Product Information Categories on bol.com FTPS

The product information falls into four categories.

• Basic information- This is the minimum information required to project your product online.
• Preparing for sale- This information is necessary to begin selling on bol.com.
• More Findable- This information helps your product rank for the buyers’ queries.
• Higher Conversions- This information creates a better image of your product into the buyers’ mind and increases conversions.

In bulk uploads, colours will help you to identify different levels.

• Red- Basic Product Information
• Yellow- Additional Information
• Green- Optional Information
• Gray- This colour depicts the uneditable information like the EAN
• Red Border- This colour represents the incorrect values.

In updating the information by Excel sheets, the following colours help in understanding the categories.

• White- This is the minimum information required to project your product online.
• Yellow- This information makes your product findable to the buyers’ search queries.
• Green- Additional vital details to create a clear image of the item specifics before the buyer.
• Black- Irrelevant information.
• Gray- Already present product information on the bol marketplace servers.

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Let us move further discussing stepwise creation of automated feed for the product information.

Step 1- Text File Creation for Content Feed

The file with text details of the product has to follow the following criteria-

• The file containing name, description, image URL and other details should be in .txt format
• Data entries should be TAB delimited/separated
• Coding should be UTF8
• The file should be a maximum of 10 MB capacity. In case it exceeds the 10 MB limit you can split it into several files.

Step 2- Formatting according to bol marketplace data model

The bol marketplace XML data model has to be followed while formatting the content for correct processing.

The bol XML data model describes all the accepted forms of product attributes, formats, restrictions and the validation criteria. Instructions for filling in each attribute are also mentioned.

Step 3- Product Images on bol.com FTPS

You can upload images in two ways-

• Place the URL of to the exact image (Not folder) to be uploaded
• Upload image in the Images/Stills folder on FTPS

Step 4- Confirming the Seller Identity Details

It would help if you had a few things to set up or create an FTPS account-

• You should be a partner (seller or supplier) with bol.com
• You should possess a bol.com seller/supplier ID provided to you at the time of onboarding

If you fulfil the two criteria, after the authentication, a bol employee will assist you in the adjustments and formatting of content feed.

Step 5- Start your feed

After receiving the login credentials, you can begin updating the feeds. Remember that the credentials for the bol FTPS are different from other credentials, so you need to save them separately.

What is advisable

• You should place products and images only if you want to replace old ones with new
• Upload files for a maximum one day
• Do not update the same data multiple times

Step 6- Feedback

The bol.com sends you feedback for each file after upload. The feedback exists for 30 days after the upload of files. In case a product is rejected due to incorrect formatting, you cannot find the feedback for it. Also, feedback is not available for successfully uploaded products.

After receiving the feedback, your product update could take up to 24 hours to be visible to the buyers.

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Create Product Category on bol.com FTPS

If your product categories are not listed on bol.com, you can add them to the catalogue too. In case the product categories already exist, and you want to make changes to them, you can do it and add the product information of your choice. But to create a customized file for bol.com, you will need developer help.

The quarterly and weekly data model updates

Though the data model keeps changing very often, the most impactful changes happen quarterly. High impact changes are as follows.

• Names of product/group
• Content of product/group
• Deletion of product/group
• Mandatory product/group attributes
• Weekly updates include publishing the content data model in the shape of the XML file.

Product variants- families in bulk

Creating Product Families in bulk helps put together the products with similar attributes. The “Family Key” attribute helps to create families and place a group of products with the same characteristics to it.

How to do this-

1. Select the products with similar attributes
2. Add the same attribute products a family key value
3. Send the content feed, and now these products will be grouped as product families

What is important-

• The products should belong to the same product group
• The product should be of the same brand
• One product family can possess a maximum of 100 products

The bol.com FTPS is not a plug-and-play solution

Working with the bol FTPS needs awareness of software development and programming. Therefore, you can opt for some third party plug and play solutions for the same.

How can we help you?

CedCommerce, a third-party integration services solution provider will help you in Product Feed Management with the FTPS of bol marketplace. This support helps sellers to easily sell on bol.com. Besides, our 24*7 assistance is an added advantage. Furthermore, we are up with all the help and support for our clients via messengers(Skype and Whatsapp). Also, you can begin selling on bol.com marketplace through various platforms like Prestashop, WooCommerce, Magento and Magento 2.

Moreover, we can help you to begin your business as a bol.com seller and other marketplaces. Also, we are providing our clients with multi-channel selling and many more exciting features right from onboarding to sale.

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