In this article
Key takeaways
- The food category in Saudi Arabia is spread over 907 pages for 3,020 ads: many small family stores, no monopolist.
- A discount or an offer in 44% of the ads and a gift in 11%, above the Saudi average (35% and 8%): the gift box is the product.
- Salla is the first platform (26% of the ads), then WhatsApp without a store (18%), and the median advertised price is SAR 165.
- Ramadan 1448 is expected around 8 February 2027, and dates ads start in early January: whoever starts early takes the corporate orders and the big boxes.
What exactly these numbers measure
The "food" category in our study collects the ads whose text mentions one of these words: تمور or تمر (dates), قهوة or بن (coffee), شوكولا (chocolate), عسل (honey), حلويات (sweets), كيك (cake), مكسرات (nuts), زعفران (saffron). So the numbers below describe the whole Saudi hospitality category, with dates at its heart but not alone: a dates store usually sells coffee, chocolate and nuts in the same box, and in the ads it competes with coffee and honey stores for the same buyer, which is why we read the category together.
The comparison we recommend: search the single word «تمور» in GccFY with the Saudi filter and the sort by longest running, and you see the dates stores specifically, as in the first picture. Across the whole Gulf the category is close between the UAE (3,080 ads) and Saudi Arabia (3,020); the general guide to the category is in Food and coffee ads.
What dates stores advertise
The ads that last in this category show the product open and close up: the fruit, the filling, the box from inside, not a sealed carton. 64% of Saudi food ads are video, near the Saudi average (62%). What recurs in dates ads specifically:
- The variety and origin: the name of the date (sukkari, ajwa, medjool, saqai, khalas) and its region, because the Saudi buyer buys by name.
- The box and the gift: occasion boxes, premium packaging, dates stuffed with nuts or coated in chocolate; a gift in 11% of the ads against 8% of Saudi ads in general.
- Weight and the offer: "a kilo plus half a kilo free" and bulk offers for families and companies; a discount or an offer in 44% of the ads.
- The season: Ramadan, the two Eids and National Day, and corporate boxes with the client's name.
Cash on delivery is mentioned in only 12%, the same as the Saudi average (12%): dates are bought on trust in taste and brand, not inspection at the door. Free delivery in 10%, instalments in 5%, showing up on expensive boxes and large orders.
How they sell: Salla first, then WhatsApp
Here is the clearest difference between dates and other categories: 26% of Saudi food ads lead to a store on Salla, above Salla's share of all Saudi ads (22%). Then WhatsApp without a store (18%), Shopify (5%) and Zid (4%). Your competitor in dates is usually a local Salla store with a product page and a cart, while the WhatsApp store sells custom boxes and large orders in a chat.
The buttons confirm it: "Shop now" on 38% of the ads, "Order now" on 21%, "WhatsApp message" on 16%, "Learn more" on 8%. For the best-selling Salla stores read Best products of Salla stores; for selling over WhatsApp, Selling on WhatsApp, no store.
Prices in riyals, and who advertises
Of 464 Saudi food ads that stated a price in riyals: the lower quartile up to SAR 96, the median 165, the upper quartile from SAR 298. The advertised price is usually a box or a set, not a single kilo; gift boxes lift the upper quartile and seasonal offers lower the bottom. For comparison, the median of all Saudi ads is SAR 196.
And the market is fragmented: 907 pages for 3,020 ads, a few ads per advertiser on average, with no page dominating the category. A small store competes on variety, packaging and timing, not budget. Still, a lasting ad is as rare here as elsewhere: only 30 ads had run 30 days or more when we captured them, and those are the ones to open first.
Ramadan 2027: when do dates ads start?
Ramadan 1448 is expected by astronomical calculation to begin around 8 February 2027, with Eid al-Fitr on 9 or 10 March 2027; the final dates depend on the moon sighting. Dates ads start four to six weeks before the month, which means early January 2027, and whoever starts early takes the corporate orders and the big hospitality boxes before ad costs rise in February.
| Phase | When | What is advertised |
|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Early January 2027 | Ramadan boxes for families and companies, bulk offers, pre-orders |
| The first weeks of Ramadan | From around 8 February | Everyday dates by the kilo, coffee alongside, fast delivery |
| The last ten days | Late February and early March | Eid boxes, gifts and chocolate, delivery before Eid |
| Eid al-Fitr | 9 or 10 March 2027 | Eid gifts and post-Eid offers |
Saudi Founding Day (22 February) falls inside Ramadan this year: a dates box with a heritage theme in those days is a natural offer. The full calendar is in Gulf ad seasons, and the weekly Ramadan plan in Ramadan 2027 ads. And save your competitors' Ramadan ads in a collection: Meta's library drops them when they stop, and in GccFY they stay for you to return to in January.
Copy in our own words for a dates ad
| Angle | Copy (our wording) |
|---|---|
| Variety and origin | "[Variety] dates from [region], this season's harvest, [weight] for SAR [price]. Delivery to every region of the Kingdom within [time]." |
| The gift | "A premium box of dates stuffed with nuts, occasion wrapping, with a gift card in your name. Order for Eid before [date]." |
| Bulk offer | "A kilo of [variety] plus half a kilo free, for a limited time. Order on the site or on WhatsApp." |
| Corporate | "Ramadan boxes for companies with your logo, from [minimum] boxes, ready a week before the month. Message us on WhatsApp for a quote." |
| Trust | "Natural dates with no additives and a clear packing date. Not happy? We refund you." |
Replace the brackets with your product and price, and never copy competitors' text as it is; more examples in Arabic ad copy. For the Saudi ads market in general, Facebook ads in Saudi Arabia.
