The problem
Thousands of Saudi retailers sold only through physical shops: building an online store meant hiring developers, and even then shipping and online payments each required separate integrations. Offline merchants were locked out of e-commerce growth while regional online demand kept rising.
How it works
A retailer launches their own branded store on Zid, then plugs fulfilment and checkout into Zid’s own rails: ZidShip connects merchants directly with 20+ logistics providers for shipping management, and ZidPay handles online payments. Merchants track sales and operations from one dashboard, and Zid keeps extending the toolbox toward retailer financing and cross-border shipping.
Pain points
No-code store creation for first-time sellers, fragmented third-party logistics that small merchants cannot negotiate with alone, missing online-payment acceptance, and zero consolidated view of sales and operations.
Business model
Subscriptions plus transaction-based revenue: Zid reported doubling its revenues from subscriptions and transactions in the run-up to its Series B, monetising both the storefront software and the shipping and payments flowing through it.
Challenges
Growth brings new complexity — expanding into markets beyond Saudi Arabia, conquering new retail verticals, and digitising and automating more of the retail stack, all while regional e-commerce enablers and logistics players compete for the same merchants.
Funding
- Raised: $50M Series B (Oct 2022), led by IMPACT46 with Waed Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Global Ventures, Elm Company, Arzan and MSA Capital.
- Previously: $7M Series A (Mar 2021), led by Global Ventures alongside Elm and Arzan VC.
Latest — October 2022
On 17 October 2022 Zid announced its $50M Series B to expand into new markets inside and outside Saudi Arabia, add retail verticals, and automate more of its retailer solutions — reporting 7,500 stores across 19 categories and more than 7 million lifetime consumers ordering through its merchants.