In this article
Key takeaways
- Saudi Arabia is bigger in ads and in advertisers: 10,633 advertiser pages against 6,934 in the UAE.
- The UAE is pricier: the median advertised price is AED 280 against SAR 199 in Saudi Arabia, and the two currencies are close in value.
- Saudi Arabia is a Salla market ("Order now", images, short copy); the UAE is a WhatsApp and Shopify market (video, longer copy).
- Few ads target both markets: only 6% of Saudi ads also run in the UAE.
The two markets side by side
| Saudi Arabia | UAE | |
|---|---|---|
| Ads | 56,619 | 41,215 |
| Advertiser pages | 10,633 | 6,934 |
| Video | 63% | 72% |
| Single image | 21% | 16% |
| Cash on delivery | 12% | 14% |
| Discount or offer | 34% | 40% |
| Instalments (Tabby, Tamara) | 4% | 4% |
| Free delivery | 10% | 11% |
| Price: lower quartile / median / upper quartile | SAR 99 / 199 / 370 | AED 130 / 280 / 600 |
| Top platforms | WhatsApp 24%, Salla 20%, Shopify 8% | WhatsApp 32%, Shopify 13%, Salla 1% |
| "Shop now" / "WhatsApp message" / "Order now" | 36% / 23% / 20% | 41% / 30% / 11% |
| Median copy length (words) | 45 | 68 |
Shares are of each country's ads. An important caveat: our library covers Arabic ads, and the UAE has a large English-language ad market these numbers do not include.
Size and competition
Saudi Arabia is the biggest Arabic ad market in the Gulf: 56,619 ads in a few days from 10,633 pages, or 35% of all recent Arabic ads, against 26% for the UAE. A bigger market means more buyers, and also more competitors in every category.
And the two markets are separate in advertising: only 6% of Saudi ads also run in the UAE, and 8% of UAE ads run in Saudi Arabia. Advertisers write a separate ad for each market. For the full Saudi picture read Facebook ads in Saudi Arabia; for the UAE, Facebook ads in the UAE.
What each market advertises
Fashion comes first in both markets. After that the picture differs: in Saudi Arabia hair care then electronics; in the UAE hair care, then skincare, watches and health at close shares. For the live lists: best sellers in Saudi Arabia and trending in the UAE.
How each market sells
- Price: the median price in the UAE is AED 280, with the upper quartile from 600; in Saudi Arabia SAR 199, upper quartile from 370. The same product can carry a higher price in the UAE.
- Platform: in Saudi Arabia Salla takes 20% of the ads, in the UAE only 1%, while Shopify takes 13% there (Shopify stores in the UAE).
- Chat: "WhatsApp message" on 30% of UAE ads against 23% in Saudi Arabia, and "Order now" is higher in Saudi Arabia (20%).
- The ad: the UAE has more video (72%) and longer copy (a median of 68 words); Saudi Arabia more images (21%) and shorter copy (45).
- Offers: close: instalments and free delivery at about the same share, discounts and cash on delivery slightly higher in the UAE.
Where to start: a decision guide
| If… | Start with |
|---|---|
| Your store is on Salla or Zid, or your shipping and payment are Saudi | Saudi Arabia |
| Your product is cheap and an impulse buy | Saudi Arabia: a bigger market, more orders |
| Your product is pricier than average, or a distinctive brand | The UAE: advertised prices are higher |
| Your store is on Shopify and sells in several countries | The UAE, then Kuwait |
| You sell by chat without a store | The UAE: the highest share of WhatsApp ads |
| Your ads are images and short copy | Saudi Arabia; for the UAE, prepare a video |
Either way: search your category with the country filter and sort by longest running before you choose. The market where competitors have advertised for weeks is the market that buys.
If you want both markets
- One campaign per country: advertisers rarely mix the two markets in one ad, and the prices, currency and platform differ.
- Price in the local currency: riyals for Saudi Arabia, dirhams for the UAE, not one price for both.
- The right destination: a Salla store for Saudi Arabia, Shopify or WhatsApp for the UAE, or one store with two currencies.
- Compare after two weeks: the cost per order in each country, not the cost per click.
