How do I launch a multi-vendor delivery marketplace in Saudi Arabia?

To launch a multi-vendor delivery marketplace in Saudi Arabia, choose one city and one category, onboard restaurants or shops from the admin panel, set your commission, add riders and publish the apps under your brand. DOBUY by FRESME supplies the customer, vendor and rider apps and the admin panel, so you do not build a marketplace from scratch.

Below are the questions founders ask most often, with short answers first.

Which city and category should I start with?

Start small: one city and one category. Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam & Khobar each have their own city page showing how the platform is set up there. Food is a common first category because orders are frequent. You can add grocery, retail or more cities later on the same platform, so the first choice is not final.

What does a marketplace need that a single-shop app does not?

Four products that agree on the same order, cash and commission: an app for customers, one for vendors, one for riders and one for your team. Building these takes a development team before the first order arrives. The multi-vendor marketplace solution covers all four, so you spend your time on vendors instead.

How do I sign vendors?

You add each restaurant or shop from the admin panel, and you approve every vendor that joins. Each vendor then runs its own menu or catalogue, prices and stock from a phone app, and larger vendors can work from a desk with the vendor portal. Customers see the shops near them, with categories and search.

How do commission and payouts work?

You set the commission in the admin panel, and each order records it. Vendor payouts wait for your approval, with cash ledgers and revenue reports behind them. We agree how commission should work for your marketplace during setup, so the rules match your deals with vendors.

Who delivers the orders?

Your riders. They sign up in the rider app, your team onboards them, and orders go to an available rider, tracked on a live map. You can assign or re-assign a delivery by hand, and give your team dispatcher or auditor roles. Customers pay online, including mada, or in cash, and each rider’s cash is reconciled in the admin panel.

Do I need an Arabic app and a VAT invoice?

Yes to Arabic: the apps run in Arabic with right-to-left screens, or in English. In Saudi Arabia each order also gets a bilingual VAT invoice with the ZATCA QR code. If your vendors use Tadbir ERP, orders, stock and cash can sync with it.

What are the steps to launch?

1. Pick your city and category. One of each is enough to begin.
2. Choose your apps. Most marketplaces use the full set; you can add the web store later.
3. Apply your brand. Name, logo, colours and domain across every app.
4. Set commission, zones and charges. Agreed with your team during setup.
5. Onboard your first vendors and riders. Add them from the admin panel and test real orders.
6. Publish and go live. The apps go live under your own store accounts.

What should I do next?

Read the city marketplace launch use case and request a marketplace demo. Bring a list of the vendors you hope to sign and the district you want to begin in.