Saudi POS Weekly Spending Tops $3bn: Hotel Spending Surges 9.9% - SAMA
Riyadh sees 6.2% drop in total spending while Jeddah reports an 8.6% decrease; digital payment growth supports Saudi Vision 2030.
RIYADH: In the week ending April 18, Saudi Arabia's point-of-sale (POS) transactions stood at SR12.3 billion ($3.2 billion), buoyed by a notable increase in hotel spending.
According to data from the Saudi Central Bank, the transaction value for hotels rose to SR236.52 million despite a 1.2 percent decline in the number of sales, which dropped to 711,000.Spending on airlines also saw growth, increasing by 1.2 percent to SR41.3 million, contrary to a 1.4 percent decrease in transactions.
The overall POS amount showed a week-on-week drop of 7.9 percent with a reduction in the number of transactions by 4.5 percent, totaling 231.98 million.Education spending faced the largest decline, decreasing by 27.2 percent to SR160.19 million, followed by jewelry at 17.3 percent down to SR342.43 million.
Personal care saw a drop of 5.2 percent, while pharmacies and medical supplies experienced a 9 percent fall in spending.
Food and beverage outlays dropped by 7.9 percent to SR1.99 billion but still led in POS share, followed closely by restaurants and cafes at a 6.6 percent decline to SR1.66 billion.Apparel and clothing plummeted by 8.9 percent to SR907.3 million, securing the third largest share of POS transactions during this period.Riyadh, accounting for the highest share in total POS spending, observed a 6.2 percent drop from SR4.66 billion to SR4.38 billion.
The number of transactions in Riyadh decreased by 2.6 percent to reach 75.6 million.
Jeddah witnessed an 8.6 percent decrease in transaction values to SR1.69 billion, while Dammam reported a 5.7 percent decline to SR650.39 million.SAMA's weekly POS data tracking serves as an indicator of consumer spending trends and the expanding adoption of digital payments in Saudi Arabia.
The growth in POS infrastructure extends beyond major retail areas to smaller cities and service sectors, supporting broader digital inclusion initiatives.
This development aligns with Saudi Vision 2030, promoting electronic transactions and contributing to the Kingdom's digital economy goals.
According to data from the Saudi Central Bank, the transaction value for hotels rose to SR236.52 million despite a 1.2 percent decline in the number of sales, which dropped to 711,000.Spending on airlines also saw growth, increasing by 1.2 percent to SR41.3 million, contrary to a 1.4 percent decrease in transactions.
The overall POS amount showed a week-on-week drop of 7.9 percent with a reduction in the number of transactions by 4.5 percent, totaling 231.98 million.Education spending faced the largest decline, decreasing by 27.2 percent to SR160.19 million, followed by jewelry at 17.3 percent down to SR342.43 million.
Personal care saw a drop of 5.2 percent, while pharmacies and medical supplies experienced a 9 percent fall in spending.
Food and beverage outlays dropped by 7.9 percent to SR1.99 billion but still led in POS share, followed closely by restaurants and cafes at a 6.6 percent decline to SR1.66 billion.Apparel and clothing plummeted by 8.9 percent to SR907.3 million, securing the third largest share of POS transactions during this period.Riyadh, accounting for the highest share in total POS spending, observed a 6.2 percent drop from SR4.66 billion to SR4.38 billion.
The number of transactions in Riyadh decreased by 2.6 percent to reach 75.6 million.
Jeddah witnessed an 8.6 percent decrease in transaction values to SR1.69 billion, while Dammam reported a 5.7 percent decline to SR650.39 million.SAMA's weekly POS data tracking serves as an indicator of consumer spending trends and the expanding adoption of digital payments in Saudi Arabia.
The growth in POS infrastructure extends beyond major retail areas to smaller cities and service sectors, supporting broader digital inclusion initiatives.
This development aligns with Saudi Vision 2030, promoting electronic transactions and contributing to the Kingdom's digital economy goals.
