Insights on brand, design and technology
Articles on brand strategy, design, AI and automation, e-commerce and content. Practical knowledge for brands that want to grow.
Typography as a brand asset: where your typeface actually counts
Typography as a brand asset only works on the surfaces you own. Where your typeface survives, where it gets overwritten, and what you are left with.
Packaging Design Costs: What Your Colour Choice Costs Per Kilo
Packaging design costs run all the way through to your waste management fee. Which design choices are billed separately per kilo, and what that saves you as you scale.
The Dutch Webshop Market Is Shrinking: What the Survivors Do
The Dutch webshop market is losing hundreds of stores a month while cross-border spending grows. This is what the stores that survive are doing differently.
Rebranding without wrecking your SEO: six domains measured
Rebranding without wrecking your SEO comes down to where your old pages land. We measured six old Dutch domains: five send everything to the homepage.
PPWR enforcement: bol does not check, the law still applies
bol says it does not actively enforce the PPWR. That does not make the rules optional, and it hides the obligation most Dutch sellers overlook entirely.
White background product photo: why your white is not 255
A white background product photo passes on bol and fails on Amazon. We measured 245 bol main images: white is a measured value, not a colour.
Measuring AI referrals: can GA4 show ChatGPT traffic?
AI traffic converts 42% better than regular traffic, but most of it reaches you as direct traffic. Here is how to make GA4 show what is really going on.
agents.md on Shopify: 18 out of 18 still on the default
Since 28 May 2026 you can write your own agents.md on Shopify. We measured 18 Dutch stores: all 18 still serve the text Shopify generates for them.
Shopify category page SEO: what you don't need to fix
Shopify category page SEO usually targets the wrong problem. We measured 17 Dutch stores: the canonicals are already right, the meta descriptions are not.
Getting ChatGPT to recommend your store: start with your data
You cannot simply push a product feed to ChatGPT. What you can do: check what an AI agent gets back from your store. We queried 65 Dutch domains.
Google Shopping Feed: 83% Overlap With ChatGPT
ChatGPT's product carousel overlaps 83% with Google's organic shopping results. What that means for the fields in your Google Shopping feed this month.
Brand positioning for AI agents: who writes your brand?
Brand positioning for AI agents is not a text but a missing field. We queried nine Dutch Shopify brands and found a free button nobody presses.
A+ Content does not exist on bol.com: here is what does
A+ Content does not exist on bol.com. No modules, no comparison table, one video per item. Here is what you can build there, and how to approach it.
Bol Shipping Costs: Your Pack Size Counts Twice
Bol shipping costs run from EUR 2.75 to EUR 7.33 per item and storage is billed per item per month. Dropping one size class lowers both at once.
Packaging Dimensions: 2 cm of Thickness Costs You 35 Cents
Packaging dimensions decide your margin on Amazon. Two extra centimetres of box thickness cost 35 cents per order. Here is how to design inside the dimension that counts.
Building a brand on bol: from brand registration to brand page
You can build a brand on bol with your own brand page and Branded Shelves. What brand registration gives you, and why your catalogue comes first.
Growing a webshop: physical stores are catching up
Growing a webshop in 2026? Retailers with physical stores grow online almost twice as fast as pure webshops. Here is why, and what you do about it.
Packaging design: what buyers actually look at
Eye-tracking research shows where buyers look on a pack. What that means for your brand name, your product photo and your design choices.
Visual findability: Google Images is being rebuilt
Google is turning Images into a gallery you browse. What that means for your visual findability, and what you can do about it this week.
AI branding: why a brand is a system, not a template
AI branding puts good visuals within reach of everyone. Why that makes your brand invisible, and what a brand system actually does.
Building a webshop with AI: the last twenty percent
Building a webshop with AI is fast. But the last twenty percent (checkout, security, brand) decides whether customers stay and buy. Here is how to ship it.
PPWR: sustainable e-commerce packaging before 12 August
The PPWR applies from 12 August 2026. Where sustainable e-commerce packaging stands now: what must be ready, what comes later and what five weeks allow.
Shopify vs WooCommerce: which platform fits your brand?
Shopify or WooCommerce? The choice isn't about features, but about which platform gives your brand the most room. Here's how to choose based on your brand.
Checkout optimization: the 32 points Baymard finds in every online store
Your checkout can deliver 35% more conversion on average. Baymard finds 32 points to fix per online store. This is the checklist you can run through today.
Agentic search: what it means for your webshop traffic
Agentic search sends less but better-converting traffic to your webshop. Here is how to prepare your feed, images and product data for AI agents.
Product content across channels: why shoppers drop off
More than half of your shoppers walk away over inconsistent product content across channels. How to build one content system that converts everywhere.
Amazon product titles: the 75-character limit from 27 July
On 27 July 2026 Amazon cuts the product title to 75 characters and rewrites longer titles with AI. Here is how to prioritise what remains and keep control.
Rebranding without losing your recognition
A rebrand doesn't have to cost you your recognition. Learn which brand assets carry your recognisability and how to modernise without losing customers.
Optimizing your Amazon listing for AI in 2026
Amazon now reads your listing as a set of claims, not keywords. Here is how to optimize your listing for the AI search layer of COSMO, Rufus and Alexa.
Amazon Brand Store: the 2x myth and the real numbers
The widely quoted 2x claim about Amazon Brand Stores does not come from Amazon. These are the numbers Amazon publishes itself, and what they mean for your brand.
Designing recyclable packaging: the rules of 2030
Designing recyclable packaging becomes a measurable design brief from 2030: grades, money and empty space. What a designer must now engineer toward.
How to Define Brand Values for Your E-commerce Brand
Defining brand values isn't about pretty adjectives. It's about choices the customer sees in the first seconds. Here's how to turn them into a selling point.
A listing that converts: brand before tactics
A converting listing starts with your brand, not with keywords or A+ modules. Why positioning decides whether tactics pay off, with real cases.
Get Your Webshop and Bol Listing Ready for AI Search Results
AI search has been measurable in Search Console since June 2026. Here is how to get your webshop and Bol listing ready to be cited in AI answers.
Packaging design trends 2026: five directions for Shopify brands
Five packaging design trends 2026 that hit your conversion and retention, translated to Dutch D2C practice on Shopify and Bol.
Branding Determines Your Advertising Costs: What the Data Says
A weak brand experience after the click leads to a lower Quality Score and a higher CPC. Read how branding determines your advertising costs and what to do about it.
How ChatGPT Recommends Your Product: The Shopping Top 3
What decides whether your product lands in ChatGPT's recommended top 3? The signals an AI reads on your listing, and the concrete steps to get your product onto that short list.
Blog content for your webshop: your best salesperson
Blog content for your webshop works like a salesperson that never stops. Build a knowledge base that wins customers through Google and ChatGPT.
Agentic Commerce: How AI Agents Buy Products via Shopify
AI agents now buy products on behalf of consumers via Shopify. How does agentic commerce work, which protocols underpin it, and what does it mean for your online store?
E-commerce brand positioning: cheap is not enough
Temu's growth drops from 530% to 13%. Why positioning your e-commerce brand beats price in 2026, and what that means concretely for your webshop.
Building an e-commerce brand: from product to brand
Most online stores sell products, not a brand. Learn how to build an e-commerce brand that converts on bol.com, Amazon and your own online store.
Accessible webshop: meet the WCAG law
An accessible webshop has been a legal requirement since June 2025 (WCAG 2.1 AA). What the law demands, who it covers, and why accessibility lifts conversion.
What must be on your product packaging in 2026?
What is mandatory on your e-commerce packaging and in your listing in 2026: GPSR, PPWR since 12 August, and the environmental claim rules of 27 September. Per category.
Brand strategy for your webshop: concept first, AI executes
An e-commerce branding strategy for 2026: the brand concept comes from a human, AI executes. Build a brand that stands out from the AI slop.
Green Claims Directive 2026: 6 banned brand claims
From 27 September 2026, six types of environmental claim are banned on your webshop without proof. The ACM can fine up to 900,000 euros per breach.
PPWR by packaging type: what to fix before 12 August
PPWR by packaging type: 8 checklists for cardboard, plastic, glass, metal and composite. Plus a fix on the 50% void-space claim the Dutch press gets wrong.
Why brands fail on marketplaces
Most brands lose on Bol.com and Amazon through poor visuals and no brand identity. Here's how to get it right strategically in 2026.
Ranking higher on Bol.com: improve your position
Ranking higher on Bol.com takes more than good products. Learn which ranking factors matter and how to improve your position structurally in 2026.
GEO-ready category pages: 7 elements that make AI cite you
How to build category pages that ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews cite as a source. Seven concrete elements, plus the metrics to track real results.
AI content in e-commerce: why it costs you rankings in 2026
AI-written product content dropped measurably in Google rankings after the March 2026 Core Update. Learn how to protect your webshop from the penalty.
E-commerce brand identity: the 10-20% revenue you miss
Consistent brand identity drives 10-20% revenue growth for e-commerce brands. Why 90% of marketplace sellers miss it, and how to fix it for good.
PPWR checklist 2026: 12 fixes before 12 August
PPWR checklist for e-commerce: what is genuinely required on 12 August 2026, what does not apply yet, and the 12 actions to take. Sources per point.
The bol measurement system in 2026: January's trend break and June's score switch
bol changed how you are measured twice in 2026: the measurement system in January and the quality score in June. What is established, and what bol does not say.
PPWR 2026: what changes for your e-commerce packaging
The PPWR takes effect on 12 August 2026. What does that mean for your packaging on Bol.com and Amazon? A concrete checklist for e-commerce brands.
Bol.com listing optimization 2026: 3% to 9% conversion
Bol.com listing optimization in 2026: hero photos, title structure, 8 infographics and A+ Content. Real numbers, concrete requirements, no theory.
CGI vs. AI product visualization 2026: when do you choose what?
CGI or AI-generated images for your e-commerce product? The honest comparison: cost, quality, rights, and when each method is the better investment.
TikTok Shop Netherlands: why brand identity counts
TikTok Shop has been running in the Netherlands since 15 June 2026. What the first weeks show about livestreams, margin, and why a recognisable brand weighs heavier here.
What Professional Product Photos Actually Deliver
The verified data behind product photography and conversion: what better images do for your sales and your returns, and what it costs.
Amazon A+ Content: the conversion lift most Dutch sellers leave on the table
A+ Content on Amazon delivers up to 20% conversion lift. Yet most Dutch sellers don't fully utilise it. Data, approach and examples.
Amazon A+ Content in 2026: How to Win the Conversion Lift
Amazon A+ Content can lift conversion by up to 20%. Learn which modules work, what Premium A+ adds, and the best practices that actually convert in 2026.
Bundle strategy on bol.com: how to design 4 products in 1 listing
A bundle on bol.com is not a sum of products. This is how you build a listing that shows hierarchy, builds trust, and converts.
What does product photography cost in 2026? Real rates, and where the money goes now
What product photography costs according to the published price lists of Dutch studios. Plus why the price of making an image is no longer the question.
Why your webshop isn't converting in 2026
Low webshop conversion is rarely a design problem. The real factors are positioning, messaging, brand trust and a mobile checkout that actually works.
How Much Does a Shopify Store Cost in 2026?
Shopify plans, apps, design, maintenance and migration: the full honest cost breakdown of a Shopify store in 2026, plus what it actually delivers.
Packaging Design ROI: The E-Commerce Business Case
34% of customers reorder because of the packaging. We calculate the ROI of branded packaging with real research data and concrete price benchmarks.
Bol Growth Reward 2026: how to meet the rules
Bol.com's Growth Reward launches July 1, 2026. Quality score minimum 69, delivery need minimum 60. How to prepare your listings and claim the commission discount.
Amazon Product Photo Requirements 2026: Full Guide
All technical requirements for Amazon product photos in 2026: white background, 85% fill, 1,000px for zoom, plus a real photo versus AI image comparison guide.
GEO for E-Commerce: Get Found in ChatGPT and AI
GEO for e-commerce explained: how to get your brand cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI. Practical generative engine optimization steps.
Branding is not a logo: what it actually is
A logo is not a brand. Discover what a complete brand identity comprises and why e-commerce brands need more than design.
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