Saudi Sales Season 2026: Get Your Online Store Discount License Now

Saudi Sales Season 2026: What Every Online Store Owner Must Do Before October 31

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Commerce officially launched "Takhfeedat 2026" — the Kingdom's national discount season — on August 1, 2026, running for a full three months until October 31. For online store owners, this is a government-backed opportunity: e-commerce merchants can now obtain their discount license entirely online through the Ministry's dedicated portal, without it counting against their regular annual discount allowance. Since the season began, more than one million products have been discounted across licensed physical stores and online platforms.

Saudi Arabia's e-commerce sector registered 9% growth in Q1 2026, reaching 45,669 registered online businesses — and the overall market is projected at $31.29 billion for 2026. Against this backdrop, Takhfeedat 2026 is the single largest commercial event of the year for small and medium businesses. Participating without a proper license is not only illegal — it exposes you to fines of up to SAR 50,000 and leaves significant revenue on the table.

Is the Discount License Really Mandatory?

Absolutely. Running any discount campaign without a valid Ministry of Commerce license exposes you to serious penalties under Saudi commercial law:

• A fine of up to SAR 50,000, imprisonment for up to 6 months, or both.
• Repeat violations within 5 years result in double penalties.
• A third offense can carry a 5-year commercial activity ban.

Beyond legal compliance, the license is a trust signal for your customers. Shoppers can scan the QR code displayed with your license badge to verify the discount is government-approved — a transparency mechanism that consistently boosts conversion rates among Saudi online shoppers.

Types of Discount Licenses Available for Online Stores

The Ministry of Commerce offers three license types that apply to online stores:

• Comprehensive discount: Applies across all products in the store.
• Partial discount: Covers at least 50% of products currently listed.
• Promotional offer: A targeted offer running up to 6 months — ideal for seasonal lines or end-of-season clearance.

Each merchant is allowed a maximum of 3 licenses per year with a combined total of 90 days (45-day maximum per comprehensive or partial license). The fee is SAR 300 per store, paid online at the time of application.

Step-by-Step: How to Get Your 2026 Discount License

1. Visit the official discount platform: sales.mc.gov.sa
2. Log in with your Absher account or national ID credentials.
3. Navigate to "Discounts and Offers Service" then "Discount Service" then "Request Discount."
4. Fill in your store details: store name, license type, discount percentage, and campaign duration.
5. Pay the SAR 300 licensing fee online.
6. Download the license badge and display it clearly on your online store homepage and product pages.

Key requirement: the discount must be at least 10% below the previous month's price, and every product page must show the original price and the discounted price side by side. Failing to display both prices is treated the same as operating without a license.

How to Convert the Sales Season Into Real Revenue

Getting the license is the legal prerequisite. Turning the seasonal traffic surge into actual orders depends on how well your store is structured for a promotional event. Saudi online store operators who consistently perform well during Takhfeedat season recommend:

• Category-specific landing pages for each discounted segment — not just a homepage banner that visitors scroll past.
• A visible countdown timer on product and checkout pages showing time remaining on the offer. Urgency is one of the most measurable conversion drivers in e-commerce.
• Proactive customer notifications via WhatsApp or email to your existing customer base announcing the campaign launch and key deals.
• A permanent "Takhfeedat 2026" collection page with a clean URL, indexed by search engines to capture organic traffic throughout the full three-month season.

If you are still setting up your store, read our complete guide to launching an online store in Saudi Arabia first, then return here to run your discount campaign on a fully functioning store.

How Watily Solves This

Preparing an online store to handle a promotional season — with dedicated landing pages, countdown timers, Saudi payment gateways, and customer notifications — typically requires expensive development work or weeks of configuration. Watily's online store builder was designed specifically for the Saudi market so small and medium businesses can do all of this without writing a single line of code.

With Watily you can:

• Launch a professionally designed, fully functional online store in hours, not weeks.
• Create dedicated promotional pages for Takhfeedat 2026 in minutes using a visual drag-and-drop editor.
• Accept Mada, credit cards, Tabby, and Tamara out of the box — no payment gateway integration needed.
• Connect to WhatsApp to send discount campaign announcements directly to your saved customer contacts.
• Display before-and-after pricing on every product page to automatically meet Ministry of Commerce display requirements.

After the season ends, keep those new buyers coming back — read our guide on loyalty programs for small businesses in Saudi Arabia to build lasting customer relationships from your sales season boost.

Start your online store with Watily for free and make sure you're fully set up to capture Takhfeedat 2026 revenue before the season closes on October 31.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does the Saudi discount license cost for an online store in 2026?

The Ministry of Commerce charges SAR 300 per store for a Takhfeedat discount license. The entire process is online at sales.mc.gov.sa, takes under 15 minutes, and requires no office visit. The fee applies regardless of store size or annual revenue.

What is the penalty for running discounts without a license in Saudi Arabia?

Running an unlicensed discount campaign in Saudi Arabia can result in a fine of up to SAR 50,000, imprisonment for up to 6 months, or both. Repeat violations within a 5-year period are penalised at double the standard rate, and a third offense can carry a 5-year ban on all commercial activity.

When does Takhfeedat 2026 end?

Saudi Arabia's national discount season (Takhfeedat 2026) runs from August 1 to October 31, 2026 — a total of three months. Online stores can apply for their discount license at any point during this window. The Ministry made this season's allowance available outside merchants' regular annual discount quota, so it does not reduce any existing entitlement.

What are the product display requirements during Takhfeedat 2026?

Every discounted product must show both the original price from the previous month and the new discounted price side by side on the product page. The discount must be a minimum of 10% below the previous month's listed price. Online stores must also display the Ministry of Commerce license badge visibly, and shoppers can verify its authenticity by scanning the embedded QR code.

Build your online store with Watily and take full advantage of Saudi Arabia's Takhfeedat 2026 season before it ends on October 31.