RIYADH: E-commerce spending in Saudi Arabia via Mada cards rose 72 percent year on year to SR25.97 billion ($6.93 billion) in June, underscoring the Kingdom’s accelerating shift to cashless retail. 

According to data by the Saudi Central Bank, also known as SAMA, the number of online payments also jumped, rising 59.4 percent to 141.55 million transactions across shopping websites, in-app purchases, and e-wallets. 

These figures exclude transactions completed on international credit card schemes such as Visa and Mastercard, highlighting the scale of domestic rails in powering the digital economy. 

Mada, the national payments scheme operated by Saudi Payments, a SAMA-owned entity, connects banks, ATMs and point-of-sale terminals, and underpins debit cards issued by local banks, making it the backbone of everyday spending and online checkout. Its deep integration across the banking system and payment gateways enables swift, secure processing for in-store and e-commerce purchases, complementing global schemes. 

This push is part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 drive to become a largely cashless society, raising the share of electronic retail payments and embedding trusted local rails across everyday commerce. Saudi authorities are also upgrading the rails behind the checkout button. 

Earlier this summer, SAMA launched a new e-commerce payments interface that lets providers rely on national infrastructure while integrating Mada with international networks, aimed at improving speed and security for merchants and consumers.  

In May, regulators reported near-universal connectivity: CST’s Saudi Internet Report showed 99 percent of residents are online and 93 percent of e-commerce purchases are made on local websites. 

The report also highlighted Saudi Arabia’s global edge on network metrics, with average mobile data use reaching 48 gigabytes per person per month, about three times the global average. 

On the rails side, Mastercard has built local e-commerce processing infrastructure in the Kingdom, keeping transactions in-country and supporting faster, more secure checkout. 

Together, these signals point to a larger, more reliable online market in which Mada-enabled checkout, quick delivery, and easy returns are becoming the norm.  

A February PwC read on the Kingdom’s retail landscape highlighted how Saudi Arabia’s young, empowered and tech-oriented consumers are reshaping demand. 

PwC’s Voice of the Consumer 2024 survey for Saudi Arabia showed rising expectations around sustainability, digital innovation, and health, with data privacy a core concern and a growing appetite for artificial intelligence-enabled shopping tools. 

Trust was highest in healthcare and aviation at eight out of 10, driven by strong data protection at 86 percent, fair treatment of employees at 80 percent, and consistent, high-quality service at 80 percent. 

Inflation remained a key worry for 36 percent, yet eco-consciousness is strengthening: About 45 percent actively seek eco-friendly products, and roughly 18 percent would pay 11 to 20 percent more for locally sourced or recycled goods. 

Shoppers are pragmatically open to technology, valuing fast chatbot support, while still wanting in-store experiences enhanced by contactless and self-checkout. 

That consumer profile dovetails with macro confidence among executives: 77 percent of Saudi CEOs were positive on the near-term economic outlook, according to PwC’s 28th Annual CEO Survey, supporting continued investment in digital commerce and customer experience. 

Partnerships are scaling logistics and payments capacity. In July, Maersk and Saudi Post signed a strategic partnership to knit together cross-border logistics with local last-mile networks, streamlining fulfillment, customs clearance and delivery for merchants entering Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf Cooperation Council. 

DHL e-commerce expanded into the Kingdom by taking a stake in AJEX, adding domestic parcel capacity as volumes rise. And to sharpen policy and measurement, Saudi Arabia committed $1.4 million to UNCTAD to improve official statistics on e-commerce and the digital economy. 

On the checkout side, Amazon Payment Services added Tamara as a Buy Now, Pay Later partner across Saudi Arabia and the UAE, broadening flexible payment options that often lift conversion at online merchants. 

For merchants and investors, the opportunity lies in converting demand into repeatable scale. On the front end, that means optimizing mobile journeys, localized payment options, and transparent data-privacy practices that build trust with digitally sophisticated consumers.