Private traffic
Grow your own store alongside the marketplaces
We build and grow online stores for brands that want more than marketplace sales. Shopify, Salla or Zid, set up for Gulf shoppers with local payments, Arabic and English pages and reliable delivery, then fed with paid traffic, email and WhatsApp follow up. You keep the margin and the customer data.
Why run your own store next to noon and Amazon
- The margin is yours. No marketplace commission on each order, so every sale after ad spend goes further.
- The customer is yours. You get names, numbers and order history, so you can bring buyers back without paying for them twice.
- Room to sell your way. Bundles, subscriptions, gift sets and launches that do not fit a marketplace listing.
- A home for your brand. The place shoppers land when they search your name, see a creator post or want the full range.
Which platform
| Platform | Good fit for | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Brands selling in the UAE and across borders that want the biggest app ecosystem | Shopify Payments works in the UAE but not in Saudi Arabia, so Saudi checkouts need a local payment gateway |
| Salla | Saudi brands that want a platform built in Saudi Arabia, Arabic first | Founded in Saudi Arabia in 2016 and widely used by Saudi merchants |
| Zid | Saudi merchants who want a local platform with its own merchant tools | Saudi built, with Arabic and English storefronts |
We work on the platform you already use. If you are starting fresh, we recommend one on the call based on where your buyers are and how you ship.
What we set up and run
Store build
A store that loads fast and reads right in both languages.
- Arabic and English pages with proper right to left layout
- Product pages built from your best marketplace listings
- Collections, bundles and offers
- Analytics and ad pixels installed correctly
Payments and checkout
The ways Gulf shoppers actually pay.
- Cards, Apple Pay and mada for Saudi buyers
- Tabby and Tamara instalments
- Cash on delivery only where it still makes sense
- Delivery options and clear return terms
Traffic
Paid demand pointed at the store.
- Meta and Snapchat catalogue ads
- TikTok and creator video
- Google Search and Shopping
- Retargeting visitors who did not buy
Repeat sales
Buyers who come back without new ad spend.
- Abandoned cart emails and WhatsApp messages
- Post purchase flows and reviews
- Offers for repeat buyers
- A monthly view of repeat rate and value
Rules your store has to follow
- UAE: your trade licence needs an ecommerce activity, product information, invoices and warranty details must be available in Arabic, and VAT at 5% applies once taxable sales pass AED 375,000 a year.
- Saudi Arabia: online stores need an ecommerce certificate through the Saudi Business Center platform, must show their name, address, commercial registration number and full price including tax and delivery, and charge VAT at 15% once sales pass SAR 375,000 a year.
Who does the regulated work. Ihya Commerce is a marketplace management and marketing team. Company licensing, VAT registration, customs clearance and product approvals are handled by you or by licensed partners we bring in. We coordinate the steps that affect your listings and keep the plan moving.
How we start
Quick call
Your products, margins, current store and where your buyers are.
Store and tracking audit
Speed, checkout, payments, pixels and the pages that lose buyers.
Build, launch, grow
Fixes or a new build, then traffic and repeat flows, all reported in one dashboard.
Sources
- Shopify Help Center: Shopify Payments supported countries
- UAE Government portal: ecommerce
- FTA: registration for VAT
- Clyde and Co: changes to the UAE consumer protection law (Oct 2023)
- Checkout.com: MENA report on cash on delivery (May 2024)
- SAMA: Tamara licence (Mar 2025)
- Ministry of Commerce: Saudi Business Center replaces Maroof for ecommerce verification (Sep 2023)
- Saudipedia: the Ecommerce Law in Saudi Arabia
Quick answers
Usually yes, but not to replace the marketplaces. The store earns more per order and keeps the customer. We send it the traffic that suits it, like bundles, launches and repeat buyers, and leave the rest to the marketplaces.
Both work. Salla and Zid are built in Saudi Arabia and set up for local merchants. Shopify gives more apps and suits brands also selling outside Saudi Arabia, but Shopify Payments is not available there, so you need a local gateway.
Less than before. A Checkout.com survey in 2024 found the preference for cash on delivery had fallen to as low as 10% in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. We offer it where your buyers still ask for it and push wallets and instalments everywhere else.
Yes. We start with an audit of speed, checkout and tracking, fix what is costing you sales and then build traffic on top.
Want a store that pays for its own ads?
Tell us what you sell and where. We will tell you straight what to fix first and what it will take.
WhatsAppMessage the team directlyEmailakmal@ihyadigital.com
UAE and Saudi ArabiaSharjah registered, working across the GCC