Online retail platform builder Salla in Saudi Arabia purchases Sweply, aiming to establish a digital advertising service.
Salla, an ecommerce platform provider headquartered in Makkah, has made a strategic move by acquiring Sweply, a digital advertising platform. This acquisition is a significant step towards building a sophisticated advertising ecosystem for Salla.
Founded in 2021 by Ebrahim Saeed and Wael Hassan, Sweply has built a significant presence in the region's digital marketing landscape, serving over 35,000 registered advertisers. The new service, an integrated digital advertising solution, is expected to be available on the Salla platform by the second quarter of 2025.
Nawaf Hariri, CEO of Salla, commented on the acquisition, stating that it is a testament to their long-term vision of providing innovative and seamless solutions. This strategic move expands Salla's service offerings to include integrated digital advertising solutions. The new service will be rebranded as "Salla Ads" and integrated as the official advertising solution within Salla's ecosystem.
Access to AI-powered targeting and advanced analytics will be provided through this integration. Merchants will be able to launch and manage advertising campaigns directly from their store dashboards, making digital advertising more accessible and efficient.
Existing Sweply users will continue to operate without disruption during the transition period. However, as of mid-2025, there is limited direct information available about the current operational status or detailed performance of Salla Ads.
Salla remains an active ecommerce platform focused on Arabic online stores. Despite significant year-over-year fluctuations, the platform shows some quarter-over-quarter growth, suggesting the core ecosystem is still functional and evolving.
A recent commentary highlights that Salla's default tracking pixel is insufficient for capturing key ecommerce events such as AddToCart, InitiateCheckout, and Purchase. It currently lacks Conversions API (CAPI) and enhanced tracking capabilities, which may face challenges in providing comprehensive ad conversion tracking and optimization compared to industry standards.
No explicit updates or product developments specifically about Salla Ads or its integration with Sweply from the acquisition in 2024 were found in the available sources.
The acquisition was led by Investcorp, with participation from Sanabil Investment and STV. Sweply offers monthly subscriptions for businesses, ranging from $8 to $160.
This strategic move strengthens Salla's position in the region's ecommerce sector, as digital channels are expected to account for 90 percent of total advertising expenditure by 2030 in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's advertising spending has reached SAR 9.5 billion.
[1] Source: Salla Q2 2025 Ecommerce Platform Report [2] Source: Salla Product Update Reports (2024-2025) [3] Source: User-facing Comparisons of Salla Ads and Sweply (2024-2025) [4] Source: Sweply Subscription Plans [5] Source: Tracking Capabilities Analysis of Salla Ads (2025)
The integration of Salla Ads, a new digital advertising solution, is a significant step in Salla's long-term vision to provide innovative and seamless solutions inspired by technology. This acquisition, led by Investcorp, positions Salla to capture a larger share of the region's ecommerce sector as digital channels are expected to account for 90% of total advertising expenditure by 2030 in Saudi Arabia.
