How to Open an Online Store in Saudi Arabia: Salla vs Zid

To open an online store in Saudi Arabia you need three basics: a Freelance Certificate or a commercial registration (CR), a business bank account, and store authentication on the Business platform run by the Saudi Business Center. Then you build your store on a ready-made platform such as Salla or Zid, switch on online payments and shipping, and start adding and promoting your products.

In short: get a Freelance Certificate or CR, open a business bank account, authenticate your store on business.sa, pick Salla or Zid based on what you need, and expect a few months of work before sales settle.

What are Salla and Zid?

Salla (سلة) and Zid (زد) are Saudi platforms that let you build an online store without writing code. You pick a ready-made theme, add your products and prices, and connect payment methods and shipping companies from one dashboard. The platform handles hosting, security and updates.

It's similar to building a website from scratch, except the selling tools are already there: a cart, a checkout page, order and stock management, discount coupons and sales reports. Both platforms also have an app store where you can add extra features as you need them.

Both let you create a store and start for free, then offer paid plans with more features. We don't list prices here because they change often. Check each platform's current pricing page, and pay attention to the fee on each payment, since it is a real part of your costs.

The legal side: what you need before you sell

This part matters more than which platform you pick, because payments and store authentication depend on it.

1. A Freelance Certificate or a commercial registration

• If you are an individual: you can usually use the Freelance Certificate issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development through the freelance.sa platform, as long as your activity is one of the professions approved for e-store authentication. Our guide to the Saudi Freelance Certificate covers the requirements and steps.
• If you have an establishment or company: you use your commercial registration.

2. A business bank account

The Ministry of Commerce requires a business bank account to authenticate a store, because it makes financial transactions more trustworthy and helps prevent fraud. Saudi banks open these accounts against a Freelance Certificate or a CR.

3. Store authentication on the Business platform

Store owners used to authenticate their stores on a platform called Maroof. The Ministry of Commerce has since asked store owners to register on the Business platform (business.sa), run by the Saudi Business Center, instead of Maroof. To be authenticated, a store needs a CR or a valid Freelance Certificate, plus a business bank account.

Authentication makes customers more comfortable buying from you, and any shopper can look up whether a store is authenticated on the same platform.

Setting up your store on Salla or Zid

1. Decide what you'll sell: one product or a small, clear category is easier to start with than a store that sells everything.
2. Create an account: sign up with your email and mobile number, then choose your store name and link.
3. Choose a theme: start with a ready-made one and change the colours, logo and images to match your brand.
4. Add products: clear photos, an honest and detailed description, a price, stock quantity, and sizes or options if needed.
5. Write your policy pages: returns and exchanges, shipping, privacy and contact details.
6. Switch on online payments: upload the required documents from the dashboard (see the next section).
7. Connect shipping: choose carriers, delivery areas and costs.
8. Authenticate on the Business platform: then add the authentication details to your store.
9. Place a test order: buy something from your own store to check that payment, notifications and shipping all work.

Later you can connect your own domain instead of the default store link. It looks more professional, but you don't need it on day one.

Payment gateways and methods

Saudi shoppers usually expect to pay with a mada card or Apple Pay, and many like buy-now-pay-later options. Our guide to digital payments in Saudi Arabia explains these methods.

• Zid: has its own payment service, Zid Pay, which supports mada, Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay and Google Pay, plus buy-now-pay-later services such as Tamara and Tabby. To activate it as an individual, Zid asks for your ID, Freelance Certificate, national address and a bank certificate.
• Salla: offers online payments with mada, credit cards and Apple Pay, plus pay-later services such as Tabby and Tamara. Collected amounts are transferred to your registered bank account on a regular schedule.

Both platforms also let you offer cash on delivery or bank transfer. Fees differ by payment method and by plan, so read the current fee table before switching anything on.

Shipping and delivery

Both platforms connect to many local and international shipping companies, so you can create shipping labels and track orders from your dashboard. Zid offers Zid Ship, which lets you send orders with several carriers from one place, and Salla has built-in shipping options with multiple carriers inside and outside the Kingdom.

A few shipping tips:

• Include shipping in the product price or show it clearly before checkout. Surprise shipping costs are one of the most common reasons people abandon a cart.
• Start with delivery inside Saudi Arabia, then expand to other Gulf countries once your operations are stable.
• Pack products well and send the tracking number to the customer straight away.

Salla vs Zid: a general comparison

Area	Salla	Zid
Getting started	Create a store for free, with paid plans	Create a store for free, with paid plans
Payments	mada, cards, Apple Pay, pay-later	Zid Pay: mada, cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, pay-later
Shipping	Integrations with many local and international carriers	Zid Ship plus integrations with several carriers
Apps	Large app store	Large app marketplace
Extras	Marketing tools such as coupons and abandoned-cart reminders	Point-of-sale system for physical shops

For a beginner, the day-to-day difference is small. Try both dashboards, compare the current plans and fees, and pick the one that feels easier. If you also run a physical shop, look closely at the point-of-sale system and how it syncs with your stock.

Realistic expectations for the first months

Opening the store is the easy part. Bringing in customers takes time. Most new stores go through months of low sales while the owner tests products, prices and ads and learns what works.

• Focus on one product or category and get its photos and description right.
• Look after your customers. Good reviews and repeat buyers cost less than any ad.
• Start with a small ad budget and measure results before spending more.
• Keep accurate records of sales and expenses, and check with the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) when you need to register for VAT.

If you also want to sell through the big marketplaces, read how to sell on Amazon.sa and Noon. If your products are digital, such as courses or templates, see our guide to selling digital products.

Official sources: Ministry of Commerce announcement on moving e-store authentication to the Business platform, the Business platform, and the Freelance platform FAQ.