Bol.com participates in Ezyshop project of BeCommerce and Mastercard  

Project already helps more than 500 Belgian self-employed entrepreneurs to digitize  

 

Brussels, 20 December 2021 - The successful Ezyshop project will be expanded thanks to the cooperation with bol.com: the e-commerce player makes an investment to enable support of strategic advice on digital marketing for entrepreneurs. This comes on top of the free e-commerce guidance provided by Mastercard and BeCommerce to start up an online sales channel and increase financial literacy among existing entrepreneurs and SMEs. In this way, the three established values in Belgian e-commerce are backing the community after the corona crisis: they help small self-employed people to prepare for the digital future and for the consequences of corona.

Ezyshop project of BeCommerce and Mastercard is reinforced by bol.com

Bol.com joins the Ezyshop project of BeCommerce and Mastercard and will make an investment to enable support of strategic advice on digital marketing for entrepreneurs. With this project, BeCommerce and Mastercard, together with bol.com, want to make Belgian entrepreneurs aware of the opportunities that e-commerce offers them and guide them digitally. In Belgium there are many starting webshops that can use some advice. Our country currently has 45,116 webshops, of which one third have only been established during the last five years, according to a recent survey by BeCommerce. Moreover, most webshops are small start-ups or one-man businesses with an estimated turnover of less than one million. Besides, online shopping will only grow in importance in the future and this brings great digital opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises.

"We think it is important to guide young webshops and start-ups in their first steps in the e-commerce world," said Sofie Geeroms, Managing Director of BeCommerce. "We are therefore honoured that bol.com joins us in strengthening the project to support merchants, as they are one of the most important e-commerce players in Belgium and an established player among consumers and as a platform among more than 5,000 Belgian merchants. Thanks to the cooperation of the three partners, they are given the tools to start their own online business, by setting up their own webshop and/or through a platform. Due to the advice, they can determine the best strategy for them.”

"We are delighted that bol.com is strengthening the Ezyshop initiative and joining Mastercard and BeCommerce to help Belgian SMEs, the lifeblood of the local economy, in their digitization efforts," said Henri Dewaerheijd, Country Manager BeLux at Mastercard. "As the need for merchants to offer online is as crucial next year as it was in 2021, I am very pleased that this initiative will continue in 2022."

Margaret Versteden, CEO of bol.com, is also pleased with the new partnership: "From the first week of the corona crisis, we asked ourselves the question: which products are essential in these times and do our customers want to have in house quickly? For example, we prioritized baby food, disinfectants and home improvement materials in our logistics process. In addition, we made digital children's books available free of charge. That is a different approach from focusing on what people like and what sells best. In other words, corporate social responsibility: we really want to be there for all Belgians and Dutch people. Working together with local entrepreneurs is a big part of that. And we are well aware that bol.com is on the good side of the crisis, while it is different for many entrepreneurs, especially physical retailers. That doesn't feel right and led us to the plan to offer entrepreneurs extra support for their digital sales as well. This step is not only necessary in this time of crisis, but also for the future. As local retail, we need to develop in order to remain relevant to the consumer. Ezyshop shares that same mission. So for us, it is a very nice and relevant project to invest in. We see it as a good addition to our standard advice and insights that we share with entrepreneurs and the other projects that we have set up during the corona crisis to promote digitalization within retail."

Ezyshop reached more than 500 self-employed people

Since the launch of the programme this summer, more than 500 self-employed people have made use of Ezyshop.be. The objective is to help 2021 entrepreneurs. Each participant receives a subscription for building and hosting his or her webshop for a period of two months. BeCommerce, Mastercard and 'The Center for Inclusive Growth' also developed a practical guide to familiarize merchants with the world of online sales. Moreover, the merchants receive free individual coaching and feedback to guide them on their journey and achieve their goals. Finally, a free BeCommerce membership for one year is included in the process.

Florists, clothing boutiques and bakers eagerly use the e-commerce guide and intensive coaching sessions. Some have already become members of BeCommerce and therefore get automatic access to all market studies and networking events. Moreover, they can count on assistance in handling complaints. They also get the option to have compliance and security audits carried out within the framework of the BeCommerce label, and thus become part of the community of reliable webshops. The success of the e-commerce guide - which was created in part thanks to Maison Lab, Kazidomi, Veepee, Newpharma, Brico and MediaMarkt - reveals the great need for practical work material. The coaching offer will be extended from one hour to six times 30 minutes. In those three hours, BeCommerce gives the participants strategic e-commerce advice and teaches them digital marketing skills to strengthen their business.