The shift most Bol.com sellers haven't noticed yet
Something fundamental is changing in how buyers find products.
The traditional path — buyer searches Google, clicks result, buys — is being interrupted. More and more, it looks like this: buyer asks ChatGPT "what's the best ergonomic office chair under €150?" → AI recommends a specific product → buyer buys directly.
Over 6 million Dutch people use AI tools daily. Google now shows AI summaries above search results for more than 60% of queries. Perplexity, ChatGPT Shopping, and Google AI Overview are all pulling from the same source: product pages. Including Bol.com.
The sellers who understand this shift now are building a visibility advantage their competitors won't be able to replicate quickly.
How AI tools decide which products to recommend
They read text — not images, not prices
ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI read and analyse text. They can't evaluate your product photography. They don't know what your packaging looks like. What they do know is everything written in your product description, title, specifications, and reviews.
A listing with rich, structured, informative content has a structural advantage over one with a thin, generic description — even when the physical products are identical.
They match specific questions to specific answers
Buyers ask AI precise questions: "What's the best air purifier for a 20m² bedroom?" or "Which kettle uses the least electricity?" AI matches those questions with products that explicitly describe those properties.
If your listing doesn't mention that your air purifier is suitable for rooms up to 25m², you won't be recommended to someone asking that question — even if your product is the perfect answer.
They favour structured, verifiable information
AI tools give more weight to listings that contain:
- Clear, specific product specifications with actual numbers
- Answers to commonly asked questions about the product category
- Consistent information across the product page
- Concrete, measurable properties rather than vague marketing language
Phrases like "premium quality" or "perfect for home and office" are invisible to AI. Phrases like "silent motor below 40dB" or "HEPA filter class H13 certified" get picked up and matched to buyer queries.
The three levels of AI visibility
Level 1: Google AI Overview
Google's AI summary appears at the top of search results for a significant share of all queries — including product searches. Bol.com product pages are included in these summaries.
When a buyer searches "best standing desk Netherlands", Google AI may show a summary that mentions specific products. The products that get mentioned have listings with complete, structured information that directly answers the implied question.
How to optimise:
- Write product descriptions of at least 300 words
- Fill in every attribute field in your product category — not just required, but recommended too
- Include a FAQ section with answers to real buyer questions
- Use specific numbers and measurable specifications throughout
Level 2: ChatGPT and Perplexity product recommendations
When buyers ask ChatGPT for product recommendations, the model draws on information available online — including Bol.com product pages indexed by search engines.
Products that appear in ChatGPT recommendations tend to have listings that read like genuinely useful product guides, not sales copy. They answer questions comprehensively, compare themselves honestly to alternatives, and provide the specific detail a buyer needs to make a confident purchase decision.
How to optimise:
- Describe specific use cases in your description: "Ideal for people with hay fever who experience symptoms at night"
- Include comparative context: "50% quieter than comparable models in this price range"
- Describe your target buyer explicitly: "Suitable for rooms of 15 to 30m²"
- Add FAQ answers that address the most common objections buyers have in your category
Level 3: AI-powered Bol.com search
Bol.com itself uses AI to personalise and rank search results. This is the most immediate AI impact on your visibility.
The same factors that have always mattered for the Bol.com algorithm still apply, but with increased emphasis on semantic relevance — the algorithm now understands the meaning of words, not just exact keyword matches.
The content your listing needs right now
Specific numbers everywhere
Replace vague descriptions with precise measurements:
| Instead of | Write | |------------|-------| | "Large capacity" | "5.2 litre capacity" | | "Energy efficient" | "A++ energy rating, 0.8 kWh per cycle" | | "Quiet operation" | "38dB at maximum speed — comparable to a quiet library" | | "Suitable for most surfaces" | "Compatible with hardwood, laminate, tile, and low-pile carpet" |
Use cases written as sentences
Don't just list features. Describe the situation where your product solves a specific problem:
"Designed for home workers who spend 6+ hours at a desk daily, the lumbar support adjusts to five positions to maintain correct posture throughout the day — reducing lower back strain without requiring frequent repositioning."
This sentence will be matched to a buyer who asks: "Which ergonomic chair is best for people who work from home all day?"
FAQ answers as structured content
If Bol.com provides a FAQ section for your product category, fill it in completely. AI tools treat FAQ content as high-quality, structured data. Five well-written FAQ answers can dramatically improve your visibility in AI-assisted searches.
Research the questions to answer by reading:
- Your own recent product questions (in your Bol.com seller account)
- Competitor product Q&A sections
- Negative reviews mentioning information that was unclear or missing
What your competitor probably isn't doing
Most Bol.com sellers are optimising their listings for the Bol.com algorithm of two or three years ago. They think in terms of "keywords in the title" and "get more reviews". That's still relevant, but incomplete.
Sellers who make the move to AI-optimised content now — rich descriptions, specific FAQ answers, concrete specifications — are building an advantage that's difficult to replicate quickly. Not because it's technically difficult, but because most sellers simply aren't doing it yet.
How to get started
The fastest way to identify where your listing is losing AI visibility is a free health check on Lijstify. It analyses your listing against 14 factors that affect both Bol.com ranking and AI visibility, and shows exactly where you're losing ground.
For sellers who want to go further, Lijstify's Deep Scan analyses hundreds of competitor reviews to identify the specific questions and concerns buyers have in your category — the same questions AI tools are trying to answer when they make product recommendations.
The AI revolution in product discovery is already happening. The question is which sellers will be visible when it peaks.