In this article
Key takeaways
- The UAE is the biggest market for Shopify stores: 36% of their ads, then Kuwait (27%) and Saudi Arabia (28%).
- Inside the UAE, 13% of ads lead to Shopify against 1% to Salla; in Kuwait 14% against 1%.
- Perfumes and skincare are the first two categories on Shopify (11% and 10%).
- The median price is the same on both platforms (SAR 199), but Shopify stores mention free delivery and cash on delivery more than Salla stores.
Where Shopify stores advertise
The UAE first (36% of Shopify ads), then Kuwait (27%) and Saudi Arabia (28%), then Qatar (17%). Relative to each market's size, Kuwait and the UAE are the strongest: 14% of Kuwait's ads and 13% of the UAE's lead to Shopify, against 8% in Saudi Arabia, where Salla leads (20%).
The rule we saw in Salla, Zid and Shopify: Salla and Zid for Saudi Arabia, Shopify for the rest of the Gulf. In the UAE, only selling over WhatsApp without a store comes ahead of Shopify.
Shopify vs Salla in numbers
| Shopify | Salla | |
|---|---|---|
| Ads | 15,051 | 12,673 |
| Advertiser pages | 1,936 | 1,909 |
| Biggest country | UAE 36% | Saudi Arabia 91% |
| Video | 56% | 59% |
| Catalogue (dynamic) ads | 22% | 18% |
| Cash on delivery | 8% | 1% |
| Free delivery | 14% | 9% |
| Discount or offer | 32% | 30% |
| Instalments (Tabby, Tamara) | 4% | 6% |
| "Shop now" button | 59% | 42% |
| "Order now" button | 28% | 46% |
| Middle-half prices (SAR) | 104 to 300 | 99 to 299 |
| Median copy length (words) | 39 | 24 |
Both platforms sell in the same price range and with about the same share of video. The difference is in the promises: a Shopify store often sells to a buyer in another country who does not know it, so it writes free delivery and cash on delivery more; a Salla store relies on built-in online payment and instalments.
What Shopify stores sell
Perfumes first (11%), then skincare (10%), fashion (7%) and health (8%). On Salla perfumes also come first, but abayas are second (8%), while on Shopify they are only 2%. For what is advertised across the UAE: Trending in the UAE.
How Shopify stores advertise
"Shop now" on 59% of Shopify ads and "Order now" on 28%. Dynamic ads that pull products from the store's catalogue make up 22%: a store with a big catalogue connected to Meta lets the platform pick the product for each viewer. That is why connecting the pixel and the catalogue properly before advertising matters: Salla, Zid and Shopify pixels.
The copy is shorter than average (a median of 39 words), and a discount or an offer appears in 32%. For the UAE market and its ad copy in detail: Facebook ads in the UAE.
Who should pick Shopify in the Gulf
- Sellers in the UAE, Kuwait or Qatar: there, ads lead to Shopify more than to any other store platform.
- Sellers in several countries: one store with currencies and payment gateways for each country, instead of one store per market.
- Brands that need design and apps: more themes, apps and developers, and catalogue ads.
When to pick Salla or Zid? When your market is Saudi Arabia alone: local payment, instalments and shipping are built in, and 91% of Salla ads are Saudi. Many merchants combine both: Salla for Saudi Arabia and Shopify for the rest of the Gulf. If you are weighing the two markets before you start, read Saudi Arabia or the UAE?.
See the ads of Shopify stores in the UAE
- In GccFY pick the "Shopify" store type and the UAE or Kuwait.
- Sort by longest running to see the stores that actually sell, or by newest to see what is being tested now.
- Open the store page behind the ad: the price in dirhams or dinars, the delivery, the payment methods.
