Middle East freight forwarders often say "Saudi consumers are unique and demanding." But what exactly should Chinese cross-border sellers focus on to break into this lucrative market? With Saudi Arabia's e-commerce market growing at over 28% annually, high growth comes with high entry barriers—religious culture, price sensitivity, and logistics expectations. Only by precisely decoding the "people, products, and platforms" equation can businesses unlock the blue ocean of 86 million transactions.
Rapid Market Growth, but Localization Is the Entry Ticket
In 2024, Saudi Arabia reached 84 million e-commerce transactions (a 44% YoY increase), and the market is projected to hit $13.3 billion by 2025. Even more striking, daily online shoppers surged 90%, with over 2.6 million Saudis placing at least one online order per day.
Driven by Vision 2030, Saudi is pushing e-commerce penetration from 25% to 42%. Demand for large items like furniture and appliances has soared 300%, and the government now mandates nationwide e-commerce delivery coverage, breaking the monopoly of major cities.
Consumer Profile
Consumers aged 25–44 make up over 66% of Saudi e-commerce users, and 50% shop online weekly.
In recent years, Saudi women's apparel sales hit $647 million, nearly double that of men's fashion ($357 million). Saudi women are gaining control over household purchasing decisions, and are increasingly becoming dominant spenders.
The e-commerce boom is also fueled by a payment transformation:
- Digital wallet usage has doubled in two years, now the first choice for 26% of users.
- Cash on delivery has dropped to 25%.
- 90% of consumers call for faster cross-border payment processing.
Product Category Strategies
Top-Selling Categories:
- Electronics dominate with a 58% market share, especially phone accessories and smart devices.
- Fashion is growing 65% year-over-year, and beauty/skincare by 54%.
High-Growth Niches:
- Mother & Baby Products: The #1 category for cross-border purchases, with demand focused on certified safe products.
- Smart Home Devices: Propelled by the "stay-at-home economy," 72% of consumers have increased spending on home goods.
- Pet Supplies: Now a top 3 cross-border purchase category, with strong demand for staple food and smart pet products.
During Ramadan, shopping intent rises 44%, and spending on entertainment, groceries, and travel increases by 44%, 51%, and 35% respectively.Events like White Friday (the Middle Eastern version of Black Friday) present major sales opportunities. Through "chartered cargo + pre-positioned sorting" strategies, Chinese sellers can achieve up to 99.2% on-time delivery rates.
Ontask Express has specialized in Saudi door to door one-stop services for 20 years.With overseas warehouses and self-managed Chinese delivery teams based in Jeddah and Riyadh, we offer e-commerce-friendly logistics without appointment requirements. Our safe and reliable logistics solutions empower your business growth in Saudi Arabia.