Bol.com partners with PostNL on 2-hour delivery pilot in Amsterdam

By

Shomara Roosblad

Published
Sep 12, 2018

Dutch e-tailer Bol.com, known for its wide range that includes personal care products, accessories, jewelry, book, electronics and children’s clothing, has premiered a 2-hour delivery service.

The service is a partnership with Dutch mail, parcel and e-commerce company PostNL and is currently testing exclusively in Amsterdam. Bol.com said that if the pilot proves successful it will further rollout across the Netherlands and Belgium.

The 2-hour delivery service costs €4.99 for regular customers and free of charge for customers who use the Select benefit bundle, a yearly subscription of €9.99 per year that enables Bol.com shoppers to receive every delivery with no additional delivery costs.

Bol.com customers that are based in the participating postal code areas automatically receive the option, while shopping online between noon and 8pm, the most busy hours, according to the retailer. PostNL then delivers the items by electronic cargo bike from the Duivendrecht warehouse, a town located about 6 km southeast from Amsterdam.

Huub Vermeulen, general manager at Bol.com, said: “With this pilot we get the chance to test how we can help the customer even in the very last moments. As the largest online store in the Netherlands and Belgium, Bol.com wants to take the lead in making retail more sustainable. Together with our other sustainable initiatives, this innovative partnership with PostNL contributes to our goal of reducing our direct footprint to 0g of carbon dioxide emissions per package in 2025. We see it as our joint responsibility to fulfill the customer’s need as sustainably as possible.”

The 2-hour delivery service is currently available in postal code areas 1091-1098, except for 1095; from October the pilot starts in the areas 1071-1079, 1011, 1012, 1015–1019, 1095; and in November the last testing phase launches in the areas 1051–1059.

Bol.com has been one of the most popular online stores in the Netherlands and Belgium since its launch in 1999. The e-tailer currently serves over 9 million Dutch and Belgian customers. Its assortment includes 16 million items in more than 20 product categories.