The Rise of Social Commerce in the Region
Social media is no longer just a marketing channel — it is becoming a direct sales channel. Here's what the shift means for marketplace vendors.
Social commerce — the practice of buying directly through social media platforms — is growing faster in the MENA region than anywhere else in the world. A 2025 report by a leading regional research firm found that 41% of Gulf internet users had completed a purchase through a social platform in the previous 12 months, up from 28% in 2023.
What is driving the growth?
Three factors are converging: the Gulf's extremely high social media penetration (over 90% in the UAE and KSA), the cultural preference for recommendation-based discovery, and the maturation of in-app payment infrastructure.
How does this affect marketplace vendors?
Social commerce and marketplace commerce are not mutually exclusive — in fact, the most successful vendors use social channels to drive discovery and their marketplace store to handle fulfilment, reviews, and trust.
The practical implication: invest in short-form video content that showcases your products, link directly to your marketplace listings, and monitor which social platforms drive your highest-converting traffic using your dashboard analytics.
The outlook for 2026–2027
We expect in-app shopping features to expand further across the region's major social platforms. Vendors who build a social audience now will have a significant advantage when those features mature.
Written by
Sara Al-Rashidi