From Manual to Automated: A Transformation

Most Bol.com sellers start with manual order management. It's understandable: you want to see if it works before investing in tools. But at some point, you reach a tipping point where manual work actually holds you back. In this article, we take you through the transformation from manual to automated.

The Situation Before Automation

Do you recognize this?

• You start the day by logging into the Bol seller portal
• Manually copying new orders into your own system
• Printing shipping labels and manually entering track & trace
• At the end of the day, updating inventory in spreadsheets
• Constantly switching between systems and tabs

With 10-20 orders per day, this is still doable. But what if you grow to 50, 100, or more orders per day? The administration grows along, but your day remains 24 hours.

The Tipping Point

There comes a moment when you realize that manual work is no longer sustainable. You recognize this tipping point by:

• You make more mistakes than before
• Customers complain about slow shipping confirmations
• You no longer have time for product development or marketing
• Weekends are spent catching up on backlogs
• You're considering hiring staff purely for administration

This is the moment to automate.

The Transformation

The switch to automation doesn't have to be complicated. Here's what a typical transformation looks like:

Week 1: Setup

Create Shopify account, import products, install BolSync and connect accounts.

Week 2: Run in Parallel

Use both systems side by side. Test automation, solve any problems.

Week 3: Full Switch

Stop manual process, fully rely on automation.

Week 4+: Optimize

Fine-tune, discover extra features, enjoy the freed-up time.

The Situation After Automation

After the transformation, your day looks completely different:

• Orders automatically come into Shopify
• You process all orders from one system
• Shipping confirmations go automatically to Bol.com
• Inventory is synchronized in real-time
• You focus on growth instead of administration

The Results

What do sellers who go through this transformation achieve?

Direct Results

• 70-90% time savings on order management
• Virtually no more errors
• Faster shipping confirmations
• Better seller performance on Bol.com

Long-term Results

• Higher revenue through focus on growth
• Better reviews and customer satisfaction
• Ability to scale without staff
• Less stress and better work-life balance

"The first week after automation was surreal. I kept checking if everything was going well because I couldn't believe I didn't have to do anything."

Why Do Sellers Wait So Long?

Despite the clear benefits, many sellers wait too long to automate. The most common reasons:

• "Too expensive": But the time savings pay back the investment within days
• "Too complicated": Modern tools are designed for ease of use
• "Won't work for me": If it works for thousands of others, it works for you too
• "No time for setup": A few hours of setup saves you hundreds of hours per year

Start Today

The best day to automate was yesterday. The second best day is today. The longer you wait, the more time you waste on manual work that could have been automated.