Saudi Arabia commands 93% of Gulf e-commerce investments

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia accounted for approximately 93 percent of e-commerce investments in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries by 2025, up from 46 percent in 2021. This reflects the Kingdom’s growing role in the digital economy and its consolidation as a regional e-commerce hub.Meanwhile, e-commerce penetration in the Gulf retail sector remains limited, indicating significant room for growth in the coming years. In this regard, the outcomes of the “New Geography of Growth” session, organized by the RLC Global Forum in collaboration with Selfridges, in London, revealed that e-commerce penetration in the Gulf retail sector stands at 11 percent. The Gulf region continues to strengthen its role in shaping the future of the global luxury goods sector, driven by strong domestic demand, sustained investment inflows, and increasing openness to global markets. The discussions at the session revealed that e-commerce investments are increasingly expanding beyond retail to encompass logistics, order fulfillment, and digital infrastructure, coinciding with e-commerce growth across the GCC countries at a pace exceeding global averages. Panos Linardos, Chairman of the RLC Global Forum, stated that growth opportunities have become increasingly uneven across markets, sectors, and companies, while investments are becoming more selective. He emphasized the importance of understanding the factors driving rapid growth in certain sectors and companies, while others face slower expansion. He added that the Gulf region continues to strengthen its presence in this evolving landscape, as reflected in the theme “Unequal Futures,” which the forum will continue to explore at its upcoming meeting in Riyadh on February 1 and 2, 2027.For her part, Deborah Aitken, senior retail analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, said: “We continue to see growth across the Gulf countries, although this growth will be channeled differently than before. The recovery of tourism is likely to take longer, while domestic investment and the deployment of regional capital continue to grow.”