The Saudi Ministry of Commerce has published its quarterly Consumer Report for Q4 2024, emphasizing its initiatives to safeguard consumers, combat commercial concealment and fraud, and oversee e-commerce platforms.
During this quarter, the ministry carried out over 200,000 inspection visits throughout all regions of the Kingdom, encompassing a wide range of sectors and economic activities, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. The ministry’s efforts to tackle commercial fraud included more than 186,000 inspection visits, while over 7,400 visits specifically targeted commercial concealment. In addition, the ministry executed 11,200 inspection visits directed at e-commerce platforms.
The report also outlined the measures taken to combat commercial fraud, which involved managing over 150,000 commercial complaints, seizing more than two million non-compliant products, and referring 420 cases to public prosecution.
In October 2024, Saudi Minister of Commerce Majid Al-Qasabi announced that the Saudi Consumer Protection Law is nearing completion and will tackle numerous current challenges faced by consumers.
During the inauguration of the 19th Saudi Business Center in Al-Baha, Al-Qasabi highlighted that the ministry has reviewed and updated over 110 pieces of legislation, including the Corporate Law, E-commerce Law, and Commercial Franchise Law, along with their executive regulations.
Read more: E-commerce in Saudi Arabia sees 17.47 percent surge with 40,697 new records in Q2 2024
Enhancements to market rules
Al-Qasabi explained that regulations in the market have been strengthened to safeguard consumers, oversee pricing, and combat fraud and concealment.
The ministry has also introduced several new initiatives, including a consumer complaints center, a recall center, and the “Imtithal” inspection system.
Collaborative efforts against commercial concealment
He mentioned that 13 government agencies are working together to address issues of commercial concealment, aided by an AI-driven electronic system that assists inspection teams in identifying potential cases.
Al-Qasabi revealed that e-commerce constituted 8 percent of total trade in Saudi Arabia in 2022, with projected revenues expected to reach SAR260 billion by 2025.
The minister further noted that 50 million e-commerce shipments were recorded in the Kingdom in 2023, while 190 million delivery orders were successfully fulfilled through apps in 2022.
