Retail Media

Cookie policy bol.com bv

29 June 2021 version

Bol.com uses cookies and other tracking technologies, such as web beacons and System Development Kits (SDK), in our webshop and related sites ("webshop") and in our communication per email and push notification ("communication"). To safeguard your privacy and improve the user friendliness of our webshop for your visit(s), it is important to us that you know how and why we use cookies. Below we provide as much information as possible concerning the use of these technologies, including cookies, by bol.com. You can also manage your cookie settings here.

We use marketing cookies only if you have given us prior permission. If you do not give your permission, ads are still shown, but they are random. You can make your choice below.

Allow cookies

Recommended Bol.com and the ads that you see will be adapted to your interests and preferences.

Bol.com and the ads that you see will be adapted to your interests and preferences. We would like to use cookies to make your visit to bol.com and our communication to you easier and more personal. Allowing cookies means you agree to the placement of cookies and comparable technologies which we (and third parties) may use to follow and compile your internet habits on bol.com and beyond. We (and third parties) may use these to adapt our website, app, ads and communication to your interests. We store your cookie preference in your account. If we recognise your account on another device, you do not need to choose a cookie preference again. We use your most recent choice as your preference.

Refuse cookies

You will be shown random ads.

Who is responsible for processing your information?

Bol.com bv, registered at Papendorpseweg 100, 3528 BJ Utrecht, is responsible for processing the information as described in this cookie policy. This cookie policy applies to all bol.com related domains and communication.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small, simple text files that your computer or mobile device saves when you use our webshop. In addition, there are technologies similar to cookies, which obtain the same results, for our communication as well.

What technologies are similar to cookies?

Web beacons, Local and Session Storage, and SDKs are standard internet technologies which, sometimes together with cookies, allow a system to collect information and then send it. Cookies and other technologies are used by all existing webshops. Using cookies and other technologies ensures, for example:

  • Exploring the webshop of bol.com is an easier, more pleasant experience
  • You do not receive or have to enter the same information again and again when you visit our webshop
  • We can offer you special functionalities, such as wish lists and shopping carts
  • We can assess how our webshop is used and where we can make improvements
  • We can assess whether (and how) our communication is read and where we can make improvements
  • We can show you recommendations and ads based on your interests
  • We can recognise which device you are using when you visit our site
  • We can track the frequency with which an advertisement is displayed, more closely adjust this to your needs and interests, and avoid showing you the same advertisement repeatedly.

Third-party cookies

Third-party cookies are also placed by our webshop. The privacy and cookie policies of the third party in question apply to the use of cookies by other businesses.

Which types of cookies do we use? In summary:

Functional or essential cookies

Functional cookies assure our webshop functions properly, for example, placing an article in your shopping cart or paying for your order.

Analytical cookies

Analytical cookies, with the assistance of third parties, collect statistics about how our webshop is used and if (and how) our communication is read. This helps us to continue to improve our webshop and communication to the advantage of our users.

Marketing cookies

We use marketing cookies in our webshop. Third parties can also use marketing cookies in our webshop. We also use marketing cookies on the websites of third parties. Combining the information from these marketing cookies lets us provide you the most relevant offers possible based on your online surfing, search and purchasing habits. We also track which ads you have seen using marketing cookies. We can also recognize you if you click through to the webshop from an e-mail message or push notification from bol.com. With your permission we can also make our communication more personal and relevant for you.

Functional or essential cookies

Functional or essential cookies assure that the bol.com webshop functions well, for example:

  • Tracking and recording items added to your wish list
  • Notifying you if you fail to complete an order, so you do not lose the articles in the shopping cart
  • Using stored browser settings to provide an optimal view of our webshop on your device
  • Tracking pages you have visited so you can quickly return quickly to an item
  • Saving your sign-in details, if you agree, so you do not need to enter them every visit
  • Allowing you the possibility to respond to messages in our webshop
  • Managing website traffic so it remains quickly accessible and functions optimally
  • Identifying possible abuse or problems with our webshop, for example, by registering multiple unsuccessful sign-in attempts. For this we also use Google reCAPTCHA (refer to Google's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use ).

Analytical cookies

We use analytical cookies to study the webshop usage with the help of third parties. Among other things, these statistics provide insight into the frequency of visits and where we can improve our webshop. This allows us to continuously optimise the webshop experience. Information stored includes:

  • IP address, which is rendered anonymous
  • Technical characteristics, such as browser used (e.g. Chrome, Safari, Firefox), screen resolution, preferred language, and device
  • Page where you enter the webshop
  • When and how long you visit or use the webshop
  • Use of webshop functions, e.g. wish lists, placing an order, or viewing previous purchases
  • If our communication is read
  • Pages you visit on our webshop.

We use these cookies, for example, to:

  • Track the number of visitors to our webshop
  • Record the duration of a visit
  • Track the number of customers that open our communication
  • Determine the order in which a visitor views pages in our webshop
  • Determine which articles and pages to link to each other.

Marketing cookies

Our webshop provides you with recommendations, promotions, and ads from us and third parties. You may also come across our ads on third-party websites. We use cookies to keep our communication and these recommendations, promotions and ads relevant. Marketing cookies allow us to:

  • Track which ads you have already seen
  • Track how often you have seen an advertisement
  • Avoid showing you the same advertisement again and again
  • Track whether you click on ads
  • Track whether you place an order after you have seen or clicked on an advertisement
  • Measure whether you read our communication and which links you click in therein, so that we can make our communication as relevant as possible for you
  • Combine your online surfing, search and purchasing habits, and build segments based on this (combined) data, regardless of which device you use
  • By means of the accumulated segments, assess your advertising interests and adjust the bol.com ads in our webshop and on third-party sites accordingly
  • Use the segments for third-party campaigns, both on bol.com and third-party websites

Advertising networks and media organisations act as intermediaries for webshops and advertisers. Their marketing cookies allow:

  • Bol.com to show you ads from third parties
  • Our advertising partners to combine your bol.com preferences with information collected during your visits to other websites

To understand cookies used by third-parties for marketing purposes, we refer you to statements on their own websites. As these may be regularly modified, we advise you to regularly consult their privacy and cookie policies. The following parties use cookies and/or other technologies in our webshop:

Good to know: in some cases, that is when using the Facebook pixel and by this means being able to tailor our advertisements to your preferences, bol.com and Facebook both qualify as "joint controller" as meant in the GDPR. For this relationship Facebook and bol.com have entered into an agreement about their respective responsibilities, which can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/legal/controller_addendum. For more information, including how you can submit a request for access to Facebook, we kindly refer you to the privacy policy of Facebook, which can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy.

To manage your marketing cookie settings with other parties, we refer you to the websites of these third parties:

Browser settings

If you do not want websites to be able to save cookies on your computer, you can modify your browser settings, so you receive a warning before cookies are placed. You can also adjust your settings so your browser rejects all cookies or only third-part cookies. You can also remove cookies that have already been placed. You will need to modify settings separately for each browser on each device you use. Unfortunately, if you do not allow cookies, we cannot guarantee that our webshop will function properly. Some functions may be lost and some pages may not be visible. Also, refusing cookies does not mean that you will no longer be shown any ads. The ads you see will not be adapted to reflect your interests and may be repeated more often. Modifying settings varies from one browser to another. Choose one of the links below to go directly to the instructions for your browser or refer to the help function of your browser, if necessary.

To turn off cookies from specific parties, see www.youronlinechoices.com.

If you have chosen "refuse cookies" above, cookies will no longer placed. To delete your cookie history, follow the instructions for your browser.

Removing cookies in Chrome

  • Click the 3 dots in the upper right corner. Go to History > History > Clear browsing data.
  • The "Clear browsing data" menu first gives you the option to erase browser information from the time the cookies were first used, up to and including the last hour only. Below that, you can choose which items you want to erase. Be sure to tick "Cookies and other site and plug-in data".
  • Press the "Clear browsing data" button. #### Removing cookies in Safari
  • Go to Safari > Preferences > Privacy > Remove saved cookies and data > Manage website data > Remove all. #### Removing cookies in Firefox
  • Click the 3 horizontal dashes in the upper right corner and select Options > Privacy > Show cookies.
  • Select "Remove All". #### Removing cookies in Microsoft Edge
  • Click the 3 horizontal dots in the upper right corner. Choose Settings > Privacy and security [padlock icon]. Under "Erase Browse data" select the option "Choose what you want to erase".
  • Select cookies (pre-selected) and press the "Erase" button. #### Removing cookies in Internet Explorer
  • Click on the gear wheel in the upper right. Choose Internet options and the General tab. Under "Browse history", select "Remove".
  • Don’t want to remove everything? Tick "Cookies and Website data" and click "Remove".

Our apps for iOS and Android

You can also shop bol.com using our iOS or Android app. Furthermore, there is the so-called 'Speelgoedboek' app which contains information and content in addition to the paper version of the 'Grote Speelgoedboek'. You may install the apps on your device via the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. The apps use technologies similar to cookies for the purposes stated above. In the context of the bol.com app, we work together with a few additional parties.

  • To assess the effectiveness of our campaigns, we use Appsflyer. Read more about this service at www.appsflyer.com/privacy-policy.
  • Notifications may be sent/displayed in or from the bol.com app, such as push notifications to let you know your order is on its way or has been delivered. The bol.com app uses Airship to show the right notifications to the right users or devices. Airship uses information such as a push token, device details and data usage information. Read more about this service at www.airship.com/legal/privacy.
  • Bol.com also still sends certain push notifications with the help of Google’s Firebase solution. Soon bol.com will begin to make full use of Airship for all push notifications and phase out the use of Firebase. Read more about this service at firebase.google.com/terms/analytics.
  • To perform technical searches for defects in the bol.com app, we use Google’s Fabric solution. Read more about this service at fabric.io/privacy.
  • To offer, update and install the app, we need to use Apple iTunes Connect and the Google Play Store.

Bol.com privacy policy

Personal data is also processed with the use of some cookies as described above. You can find more information about how bol.com handles your data in our privacy policy.

Concluding remarks

We modify our cookie policy when our webshop or the rules concerning cookies change. You can consult the latest version of this cookie policy by clicking the link to the cookie policy of bol.com at the bottom of each page. View the full cookie overview of bol.com (pdf)