Cookie Policy

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile phone) when you visit our website. They are widely used to make websites work more effectively and to provide information to website owners. Cookies help us recognize your device and remember your preferences during future visits.

2. How We Use Cookies

bol.com B.V. uses cookies to improve your experience on our website. We use three main categories of cookies, each serving a specific purpose:

2.1 Essential Cookies

Essential cookies are necessary for the website to function properly. They support core functionality such as security, session management, and navigation. These cookies are activated automatically and do not require your consent.

• session_id: Maintains your session and keeps you logged in during your visit.
• csrf_token: Protects against cross-site request forgery attacks and ensures form submission security.
• cookie_consent_status: Records your cookie preference choices so we respect your selections on future visits.

Retention period: Essential cookies are retained for the duration of your session or up to 12 months for preference storage.

2.2 Analytics Cookies

Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors use our website. They collect anonymous data about page visits, time spent on pages, and user interactions. This information helps us improve website performance, content quality, and user experience.

Google Analytics 4: We use Google Analytics 4 to measure website traffic and user behavior. Data collected includes:

• _ga: Unique visitor identifier
• _ga_XXXXXXX: Session and campaign tracking
• _gid: Temporary visitor identifier
• _gat: Request throttling to limit data transmission

Important: Analytics cookies are activated ONLY after you accept them through the cookie consent banner. IP anonymization is enabled, and data is retained for up to 14 months. You can opt out of Google Analytics using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

2.3 Marketing & Advertising Cookies

Marketing and advertising cookies enable us to deliver personalized advertisements and measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns. These cookies are managed by third-party advertising platforms and are activated ONLY after you accept them.

Google Ads (Remarketing): We use Google Ads conversion tracking and remarketing to:

• Track when users complete desired actions (form submissions, page visits) after clicking our advertisements
• Show ads to previous website visitors across Google's network (YouTube, Gmail, Google Display Network)
• Measure campaign effectiveness and optimize advertising spend

Meta Pixel (Facebook & Instagram): We use the Meta Pixel to:

• Track conversions from Facebook and Instagram advertisements
• Build custom audiences for retargeting on Meta platforms
• Measure the effectiveness of Meta advertising campaigns

Marketing and advertising cookies are retained for up to 540 days (Google Ads default) to measure campaign performance across extended timeframes.

3. Third-Party Advertising Services

Our website uses the following third-party vendors to display and measure advertisements:

• Google LLC: Uses cookies to serve ads based on your previous visits to our site and other websites across the internet. Learn more at Google's Privacy Policy.
• Meta Platforms, Inc.: Uses the Meta Pixel to deliver personalized ads on Facebook and Instagram. Learn more at Meta's Data Policy.

These vendors may also use cookies to track conversions, build audience segments, and deliver ads across their networks and partner sites. We do not control how third-party vendors use cookies, but we ensure our partnerships comply with applicable advertising regulations and data protection laws.

4. Cookie Consent & Opt-Out

When you first visit our website, a cookie consent banner appears in the bottom-right corner of your screen. This banner provides three options:

• Accept All: Activates all cookies including analytics and marketing cookies.
• Reject Non-Essential: Activates only essential cookies while rejecting analytics and marketing cookies.
• Manage Preferences: Opens a detailed panel where you can choose which cookie categories to accept.

Your cookie preference is stored in your browser's local storage for 12 months. You can change your preferences at any time by clicking "Manage cookie preferences" in the footer of our website. Withdrawing consent does not affect the legality of processing that occurred before withdrawal.

5. Opting Out of Personalized Advertising

If you wish to opt out of personalized advertising delivered through cookies, you have several options:

• Google Ads Settings: Visit https://adssettings.google.com to manage your Google ad preferences.
• Your Online Choices (EU): Visit https://www.youronlinechoices.eu to opt out of cookies from multiple advertising networks at once.
• Network Advertising Initiative: Visit https://optout.networkadvertising.org for opt-out options.
• Digital Advertising Alliance: Visit https://optout.aboutads.info for additional opt-out tools.

Opting out of personalized advertising does not remove all advertisements from our site—you will continue to see non-personalized advertisements. Opting out may also take up to 30 days to take effect as your browser communicates the opt-out request to advertising partners.

6. Browser Cookie Settings

Most browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically:

• Accept all cookies
• Accept only certain types of cookies
• Delete all cookies when you close your browser
• Block specific websites from placing cookies on your device

To manage cookies in your browser, please refer to your browser's help documentation. Note that disabling essential cookies may affect website functionality and prevent you from using certain features on our site.

7. Tracking Technologies Beyond Cookies

In addition to cookies, we use other tracking technologies to measure website performance and deliver advertising:

• Tracking Pixels: Small images embedded in web pages that record page views and conversions.
• Google Tag Manager (GTM): A tag management system that deploys tracking code on our behalf without collecting personal data directly.
• Conversion Event Tags: Specialized pixels that record when users complete specific actions (form submissions, page visits).
• IP Address Tracking: Used to understand visitor location and prevent fraudulent activity.

8. Data Sharing with Advertising Partners

We share certain data with advertising partners to deliver and measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns. This data includes:

• Cookie identifiers and browser fingerprints
• Conversion events (form submissions, page visits)
• Anonymized behavioral data and usage patterns
• Custom audience lists and remarketing segments

We do not sell personal data to third parties. All data transfers to Google and Meta are conducted under appropriate legal safeguards including Standard Contractual Clauses where applicable. Data shared with advertising partners is used solely for campaign measurement and audience targeting—not for any other commercial purpose.

9. Contact & Legal Information

If you have questions about our use of cookies or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us:

bol.com B.V.
Papendorpseweg 100
3528 BJ Utrecht
Netherlands

Email: [email protected]

Users in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom have additional rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR. You may request access to your data, correction of inaccurate data, deletion, or restriction of processing. To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information above. We will respond to all requests within 30 days.

10. Changes to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable regulations. When we make material changes, we will notify you by updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page and, if necessary, by displaying a notice on our website at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the website following such notice constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

11. GDPR Compliance Statement

This website complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for users in the European Economic Area. Marketing and analytics cookies are activated solely after explicit, informed, freely given consent under GDPR Article 6(1)(a). Your consent is recorded with a timestamp and may be audited upon request. You may withdraw consent at any time without penalty through our cookie preferences panel.