Bol has significantly widened its lead over Amazon in the Netherlands, according to a new ECDB ranking that reveals a sharp reversal in the growth trajectories of the two ecommerce giants. The Dutch market leader expanded its gross merchandise volume by 12.0 percent in 2025, reaching 5.81 billion euros, while Amazon.nl grew by just 2.7 percent to 3.31 billion euros. This divergence means Bol is now more than 75 percent larger than its American rival, up from a roughly 61 percent advantage the previous year, cementing its dominance in a market where both platforms continue to invest heavily.
ECDB Ranking Places Bol at the Top With AliExpress Gaining Ground
The ECDB ranking, which relies on transaction data supplemented by company reports, website traffic, and other market metrics, estimates gross merchandise volume including VAT for the five largest online store domains in the Netherlands. Bol.com leads with 5.81 billion euros in consumer spending for 2025, up from 5.19 billion euros in 2024. Amazon.nl holds second place with 3.31 billion euros, compared with 3.23 billion euros the prior year. AliExpress.com has climbed to third for the first time, recording 1.81 billion euros, a 13.3 percent increase that underscores its steady market share gains. Coolblue.nl and AH.nl round out the top five with 1.74 billion euros and 1.72 billion euros respectively, both showing minimal growth of less than one percent.
The ECDB methodology combines first-party and third-party sales to provide a comprehensive view of each platform’s transaction volume. The German research firm positions itself under the slogan ‘Follow the Money’, using actual spending data as its primary foundation. This approach offers a more transaction-grounded perspective than surveys or traffic-based estimates, making the ranking a closely watched benchmark in the European ecommerce industry.
What accounts for the growth gap between Bol and Amazon in the Netherlands?
The growth gap stems from a combination of Bol’s entrenched local market position, its expanding ecosystem of services, and Amazon’s slower organic adoption in a market where Bol has historically dominated. Bol grew at 12.0 percent in 2025 while Amazon managed only 2.7 percent, a reversal from the previous year when Amazon was expanding faster. Bol’s parent company Ahold Delhaize reported total net consumer online sales of 6.3 billion euros for the platform last year, which includes partner sales and Belgian operations but excludes VAT, representing 8.4 percent growth. The gap in the ECDB figures specifically reflects Dutch consumer spending on each domain, isolating the local competitive dynamic.
Growth Trend Reverses as Bol Accelerates Past Amazon
The ECDB data for 2024 had shown Amazon growing faster than Bol in the Netherlands, raising questions about whether the American giant was finally gaining meaningful traction in a market it entered late. The 2025 figures decisively answer that question: Bol not only regained the growth advantage but significantly outpaced its competitor. Bol’s 12.0 percent growth rate compares with Amazon’s 2.7 percent, a nearly fivefold difference in expansion speed. In absolute terms, Bol added approximately 624 million euros in gross merchandise volume, while Amazon added just 86 million euros.
Ahold Delhaize has noted that Bol’s results have been affected by comparisons with a strong prior year, and that consumers under financial pressure have been choosing cheaper products more frequently. These headwinds have not prevented Bol from maintaining its growth momentum, however. The company’s ability to grow faster than Amazon despite a challenging consumer environment suggests structural advantages in logistics, seller relationships, and brand trust that are difficult for a later entrant to replicate quickly.
Bol’s Ecosystem Deepens With New Services and Regulatory Scrutiny
Bol has operated as the largest online seller in the Netherlands for years, evolving from a straightforward online store into a comprehensive marketplace that hosts tens of thousands of sales partners. These partners can access Bol’s marketing and logistics services, creating a virtuous cycle where more sellers attract more buyers, which in turn attracts more sellers. The company continues to add revenue models and service offerings, including parcel delivery and payment solutions, further embedding itself into the Dutch ecommerce infrastructure.
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets published a draft decision last month concerning Bol’s marketplace operations. The regulator had launched an investigation several years ago following reports that Bol may have favoured its own operations and certain partners over others. Bol has since committed to several changes, many of which have already been implemented. The outcome of this regulatory process will be closely watched, as it could set precedents for how dominant marketplace platforms in Europe manage their dual roles as retailer and infrastructure provider.
Bol’s market position is not solely a function of its longevity. The platform has cultivated deep relationships with Dutch consumers and sellers, offering services that are tailored to local preferences and logistics patterns. Its marketplace model allows it to scale inventory without taking on the full risk of ownership, while its proprietary logistics network provides reliable delivery that competitors have struggled to match. The company’s ability to layer new services onto this foundation gives it multiple avenues for capturing additional value from each transaction.
Amazon Invests Billions but Faces Structural Headwinds
Amazon entered the Dutch market as a general online marketplace in March 2020, well after establishing market leadership in larger European economies such as Germany and the United Kingdom. The company has since been investing aggressively, committing more than 1.4 billion euros over three years to strengthen its local position. Amazon had approximately 6.4 million monthly users in the Netherlands during the second half of last year, based on figures submitted to the European Commission. This figure includes users of Amazon.nl as well as international sites like Amazon.de and Amazon.com, meaning the true active user base for the Dutch-specific domain is likely lower.
Around half of the Dutch population uses Amazon in some form, but converting occasional users into regular shoppers remains a challenge. Amazon regularly tells Dutch sales partners that they can use the platform as a springboard to other European countries, positioning its Dutch operations as part of a broader cross-border strategy rather than a standalone market play. This approach may limit the company’s willingness to tailor its offering specifically to Dutch consumers in the way Bol has done.
The comparison between the two platforms extends beyond growth rates to the cost structure for sellers. A recent FiveX study found that Amazon is the most expensive marketplace for online sellers in the Netherlands, charging an average commission fee of 19.7 percent in August. This compares with a market average of 14.5 percent. Bol’s average commission fee was 14.2 percent, slightly below the market average. For sellers evaluating which platform to prioritize, this cost differential represents a significant factor in their decision-making, potentially steering more merchants toward Bol and reinforcing its inventory advantage.
How do commission fees affect competition between Bol and Amazon?
Commission fees directly influence seller economics and platform attractiveness. Amazon’s average commission fee of 19.7 percent is considerably higher than Bol’s 14.2 percent, giving Bol a clear pricing advantage for third-party sellers. Since marketplace platforms depend on seller participation to offer broad product selection, lower fees can attract more sellers, which in turn attracts more buyers. This dynamic creates a self-reinforcing cycle that is difficult for a higher-cost competitor to overcome, particularly when the lower-cost platform also has stronger brand recognition and logistics capabilities in the local market.
AliExpress Climbs to Third as Cross-Border Ecommerce Reshapes Rankings
AliExpress’s rise to third place in the ECDB ranking marks a significant shift in the Dutch ecommerce landscape. The Chinese cross-border platform recorded 1.81 billion euros in spending, growing 13.3 percent and outpacing both Bol and Amazon in percentage terms. This growth reflects broader trends in European ecommerce, where price-sensitive consumers have increasingly turned to direct-from-China platforms for categories such as electronics, fashion, and home goods. AliExpress has been gaining market share steadily, and its ascent to the top three signals that Dutch consumers are increasingly comfortable with cross-border platforms that offer competitive pricing, even at the expense of faster delivery times.
Coolblue and AH.nl, both Dutch-born retailers, show minimal growth of 0.7 percent and 0.2 percent respectively, suggesting that the market is consolidating around the largest platforms while mid-tier players struggle to maintain momentum. Coolblue, which has built a strong brand around customer service and electronics, and AH.nl, the online arm of the country’s largest supermarket chain, remain important players but are not capturing incremental spending at the same rate as the top three.
Strategic Implications for the Dutch Ecommerce Market
The widening gap between Bol and Amazon carries implications for investors, sellers, and consumers. For Bol’s parent company Ahold Delhaize, the platform’s strong performance supports the strategic rationale for maintaining and expanding its ecommerce operations, even as the broader retail environment faces pressure from inflation and changing consumer behaviour. Bol’s ability to grow faster than the market while fending off a well-capitalized competitor provides a compelling narrative for shareholders.
For Amazon, the Dutch results underscore the difficulty of entering a market where a local competitor has already achieved deep penetration and strong brand loyalty. Amazon’s investments in logistics, marketing, and seller recruitment may eventually yield faster growth, but the current data suggest that the company is still searching for the right formula to accelerate adoption. The higher commission fees, while partly justified by Amazon’s broader service offering and cross-border reach, may prove to be a structural disadvantage in a market where sellers have a lower-cost alternative with strong local execution.
Sellers evaluating platform strategy in the Netherlands face a clearer calculus than in many other European markets. Bol offers lower fees, strong local traffic, and a mature logistics ecosystem, while Amazon provides access to an international customer base and sophisticated advertising tools. For Dutch-focused sellers, the balance currently tilts toward Bol. For those with pan-European ambitions, Amazon remains an essential channel, but the cost premium requires careful margin management.
The regulatory dimension adds another layer of complexity. The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets’ draft decision on Bol’s marketplace practices could reshape the competitive dynamics, particularly if it imposes operating constraints that increase Bol’s costs or limit how it can promote its own products. Any such changes would create an opening for Amazon or other competitors to gain ground. Bol’s commitment to implementing changes proactively may mitigate regulatory risk, but the outcome remains uncertain.
Looking at the broader European ecommerce landscape, the Dutch market offers a case study in how local champions can defend their positions against global platforms. Bol’s success is not simply a matter of first-mover advantage. It reflects sustained investment in logistics, a carefully managed marketplace ecosystem, and a brand that resonates with Dutch consumers. Amazon’s slower growth in the Netherlands, despite massive investment, suggests that even the world’s most powerful ecommerce company cannot automatically replicate its dominance in every market. The coming years will test whether Bol can maintain its lead as Amazon continues to invest, and whether the regulatory environment will favour incumbents or challengers.
