Consumer spending via POS transactions rises 8% to SAR 101.5 bln in January: SAMA

POS device

Consumer spending in Saudi Arabia rose by 8% to nearly SAR 101.51 billion in January, from SAR 93.62 billion during the same period last year, according to the Saudi Central Bank's (SAMA) monthly bulletin.

Consumer spending includes total cash withdrawals, point-of-sale (POS) sales and e-commerce sales through “Mada” as the following table shows:

POS transactions rose by 17% to SAR 43.56 billion in January from SAR 37.27 billion in the same month last year.

Data showed that a total of 535.7 million transactions were processed through 1.05 million POS devices in the month.

POS transactions represent what is spent by consumers using their ATM cards and credit cards in shopping malls, retail stores, pharmacies, etc.

The following table shows the development of POS transactions:

Cash withdrawals declined by 4% to SAR 49.7 billion in January, from SAR 51.97 billion last year.

The withdrawals were processed through 16,600 ATMs and through 125.9 million transactions.

E-commerce sales through Mada cards increased to SAR 8.23 billion in January 2022, an 88% increase compared to the same period in 2021.

 

According to SAMA's monthly bulletin, these sales were made through 40.9 million transactions.

 

E-commerce sales include Mada cards payment and purchase transactions through shopping websites and online applications, but do not include transactions made through Visa, MasterCard and other credit cards.

 

Sales Through Mada Cards (SAR bln)
Period	2021	2022	Change
January	4.38	8.23	+88%
February	4.17	--	--
March	5.31	--	--
April	5.56	--	--
May	5.74	--	--
June	5.89	--	--
July	6.33	--	--
August	6.87	--	--
September	7.02	--	--
October	7.17	--	--
November	7.72	--	--
December	8.16	--	--

 

 

Details and Historical Data of Consumer Spending