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Email marketing for online stores in the Netherlands
Unsolve is Dutch, so this is home turf. Here is what Dutch customers expect in their inbox, and what the rules allow.
Language, payment and delivery
Write in Dutch
Use informal “je” unless your brand is formal. If you have many international customers, add an English version for them.
Name iDEAL first
Dutch shoppers look for iDEAL at checkout. Mention it in abandoned cart emails, next to PayPal or pay later if you offer them.
Say who delivers
PostNL or DHL, and whether parcels go to the door or a pickup point. After an order, customers want to know who rings the bell.
The Dutch shopping calendar
A few dates do most of the work. Plan your campaigns around them, not on top of them.
- Valentine’s Day, 14 February.
- Koningsdag, 27 April. Orange, outdoors, not much online shopping on the day itself. Send before.
- Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, in May and June.
- Black Friday, late November.
- Sinterklaas, 5 December. Pakjesavond is on the evening of the 5th, so gifts need to arrive before. Your last send for delivery in time matters more than the date.
- Christmas, then the quiet days after it.
Consent and the rules
The GDPR applies, and the ePrivacy rules decide when you may send marketing email.
- New subscribers need clear consent. No pre-ticked boxes.
- Existing customers fall under the soft opt-in: you may email them about similar products of your own, if you gave them a clear way to opt out when they bought and in every email since.
- Every email needs a working unsubscribe link and your store name.
- Keep a record of how and when someone signed up.
This is general information, not legal advice.
How Unsolve helps
The Netherlands is one time zone, but your customers are not always here. Unsolve keeps the Dutch basics simple and the exceptions manageable.
- Schedule per subscriber time zone, so customers abroad get your mail at a sensible hour.
- Self-updating segments, for example customers who bought before Sinterklaas last year.
- Four ready-made flows, triggered by store events within a minute.
- Import only people who agreed to receive email.
Questions from Dutch stores
May I email customers who never subscribed?
Under the soft opt-in, yes, about similar products of your own, if they could opt out at checkout and can in every email. Everyone else needs consent first.
Should I write "je" or "u"?
Most Dutch online stores use “je”. Pick one and stick to it in every email and flow.
When should my Sinterklaas campaign go out?
Early enough that orders arrive before 5 December. Work back from your carrier’s delivery times.
Does Unsolve work with my store?
If it runs on WooCommerce or Shopify, yes. Other platforms come after launch.
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