Consumer spending via POS transactions drops 2% to SAR 93.2 bln in May: SAMA

POS device

Consumer spending in Saudi Arabia declined 2% to SAR 93.22 billion in May, from SAR 95.53 billion during the same month 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 5% year-on-year (YoY) to SAR 42.38 billion in May.

Data showed that a total of 572.9 million transactions were processed through 1.19 million POS devices in May.

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 saw a decrease of 16% YoY to SAR 41.73 billion in May.

 These withdrawals were processed through 16,400 ATMs and through 117.8 million transactions.

E-commerce sales through Mada cards increased 59% YoY to SAR 9.12 billion in May.

According to SAMA's monthly bulletin, these sales were made through 45.6 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.

Details and Historical Data of Consumer Spending