Netherlands & Belgium – Amazon: Investing Big to Attract New Vendors 

Bol.com marketplace, an online platform that is part of the Ahold Delhaize retail empire, is the e-commerce marketplace with the largest market share in the Benelux countries. It has around 45,000 registered users, ten times more than Amazon. 

Amazon opened its registered Dutch marketplace five years ago, and since then, the number of registered users with a place of business in the Netherlands has been significantly higher. However, Bol is still definitely the first choice for Benelux retailers and customers. 

This is why Amazon has decided to invest 1.4 billion Euros in the next three years. The most significant portion of this investment will go toward developing Amazon Web Services (AWS) and supporting local businesses in their domestic and international growth. 

When it comes to Belgium, Amazon will invest 1 billion Euros in the upcoming period to support the growth of its local marketplace, increase the number of Belgium users and online shoppers, and reduce the market share predominantly held by Bol at the moment. 

How will the operators behind Bol marketplace respond to this significant investment strategy by Amazon, and what will the online retail landscape look like in Benelux over the next three years? Remains to be seen.