Saudi Arabia has emerged as the global leader in click-and-mortar shopping, with more than 55 percent of consumers favoring this hybrid shopping method — well above the global average of 39 percent, according to a recent study by PYMNTS Intelligence and Visa Acceptance Solutions. The “2024 Global Digital Shopping Index: KSA Edition” highlights that Saudi Arabia’s millennial shoppers are driving this trend, with nearly six in 10 reporting they have most recently shopped using a click-and-mortar approach. The study, conducted between September and December 2023, surveyed 1,392 consumers and 414 merchants in Saudi Arabia, offering a comparative insight from a broader survey of 13,904 consumers and 3,512 merchants across seven countries, including Brazil, India, the UAE, Mexico, the US, and the UK.

The study highlights emerging trends in consumer behavior, documenting the rise of click-and-mortar shopping experiences, where digital tools seamlessly integrate with physical locations. This hybrid approach is replacing the traditional divide between online-only and in-store-only shopping.

In Saudi Arabia, the demand for an enhanced click-and-mortar experience is strong. Saudi merchants offer an average of 28 digital shopping features out of the 34 identified in the study — ranking higher in this metric than merchants in any of the other six countries surveyed.

STC Bank, the first licensed digital bank in the Kingdom, has announced a new partnership with Salla, an e-commerce platform in Saudi Arabia. This strategic partnership will enable it to be used as a payment method across more than 80,000 online stores powered by Salla, enhancing digital payment options for merchants and customers alike.
Salla is recognized as a dominant player in the Saudi e-commerce market, offering merchants a platform to easily create and manage their online stores by providing advanced tools for multiple payment gateways, and catering to diverse industries and businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises, including fashion, electronics and home goods, among others.
STC Bank, which is the Kingdom’s first digital bank and combines traditional banking services with a digital-first, customer-focused approach, will now be integrated into Salla’s e-commerce infrastructure, enabling merchants to offer their customers the convenience of paying directly through their STC Bank accounts, contributing to a more streamlined digital shopping experience.
With more than 80,000 merchants, this integration is expected to boost digital payments and offer more diverse payment options to online shoppers, providing convenient, fast and secure, Shariah-compliant payment solutions for businesses operating on Salla’s platform.
This partnership marks a significant milestone for STC Bank as it continues on its mission to support the digital transformation of Saudi Arabia, and is part of STC Bank’s broader strategy to strengthen its role as a leader in the Saudi digital banking space, while continuing to offer technologically-forward solutions to Saudi businesses and consumers alike.