Riding the Wave of Saudi’s Digital Revolution

The data tells the story well of how far Saudi has come in the past decade. Back in 2012, only 54% of Saudis used the internet, compared to 100% today. There were only 14.3 million smartphone users in the Kingdom in 2013, a mere 45% of the population. Today, there are more smartphones in use in the Kingdom, than there are people - and there is a captive consumer base of 37 million inhabitants.

It is a Kingdom full of digitally-savvy youth, who are working and living modern lives. And with modern lives, comes the desire for convenience and modern applications such as food delivery - either to your home or to work. As the social fabric is changing in Saudi Arabia, it has also heralded a digital revolution.

Infobyte: Drivers for Saudi Arabia’s Digital Revolution (2012-2023)

The Power of the Saudi Female Consumer

All of these internet businesses also benefited from socio-economic changes and the tailwinds that were created during this time. For example, back in 2013, though 57% of Saudi women received university degrees, 78% of female university graduates were unemployed. Before Vision 2030 brought sweeping reforms, women could not drive and few women entered the workforce. In the past 10 years, female unemployment has halved from 34% to 14%. What does this all mean, and how does it impact food delivery? Simply put, women entering the workforce in Saudi meant that more women had disposable income, busier lives, and less time to cook at home, creating more demand for HungerStation’s offering.


Delivery Hero acquires remaining shares of HungerStation

News • 24 July, 2023

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