RIYADH: Local retailers continue to dominate Saudi Arabia’s e-commerce market, accounting for 95.3% of all online purchases, according to the fifth edition of the Saudi Internet Report released by the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST).
The report highlights the Kingdom’s growing digital economy, revealing that 76.9% of consumers purchased products or services online, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Monday.
Online shopping was more common among women, with 85.6% making digital purchases, compared to 70.2% of men.
Despite the strong preference for local retailers, the report found that 55.4% of consumers also shopped through international e-commerce websites.
Among online shopping categories, clothing and footwear remained the most popular, with 87.7% of consumers purchasing these products online.
Cosmetics ranked second at 46.2%, followed by groceries at 41.8%, computers and smartphones at 36.9%, and travel services at 36.5%.
Saudi Eastern Region records highest online shopping rate
Regionally, the Eastern Region recorded the highest online shopping rate in the Kingdom, with 85.2% of residents making purchases through digital platforms.
The report also highlighted the widespread use of government digital services, with 96% of consumers using online public services. Usage stood at 96.2% among men and 95.6% among women. Tabuk and Qassim recorded the highest adoption rate at 98.6% each, while Al-Baha had the lowest at 92.4%.
Digital banking services also continued to gain momentum across Saudi Arabia. According to the report, 85.9% of consumers used digital banking platforms, including 86.2% of women and 85.7% of men. The Eastern Region again led the Kingdom with 89.6% adoption, while Najran recorded the lowest usage rate at 78.1%.
Rapid growth of digital economy
The findings reflect the continued expansion of Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation efforts and the rapid growth of its digital economy. The report noted that the Kingdom’s communications and information technology (ICT) market reached SAR199 billion by the end of 2025, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8% over the past five years.
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According to the CST, this sustained growth has strengthened Saudi Arabia’s position as the largest and fastest-growing communications and ICT market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), driven by increased adoption of digital services, e-commerce, and financial technology.
