Entertainment and telecom e-sales hit record heights in Saudi Arabia

JEDDAH — The online sales in several sectors including communications and entertainment posted a record increase during the first quarter of 2021, it was found during a monitoring by Okaz/Saudi Gazette.

The total sales amounted to SR109 billion in the end of the first quarter of this year, an increase of 37.74 percent while compared to the same period last year, reaching SR79.26 billion.

According to the latest data of electronic point of sale transactions, the sectors of communications, entertainment, transport, culture, building and construction materials, and miscellaneous goods recorded their highest levels in their history.

The sales in the communication sector have doubled by more than 100 percent, bringing the total sales of this sector to about SR1.04 billion compared to SR452 million last year, an increase of 130 percent, with a margin of SR587 million.

According to the report, sales in the transportation sector exceeded the level of SR5.8 billion, an increase of 11.95 percent on an annual basis, while the entertainment sector crossed for the first time the level of SR3.65 billion, rising by 22.13 percent on an annual basis, after it was SR2.99 billion during the same period last year.

As for the sales of services and miscellaneous goods, they continued to register record levels, bringing the value of those sales paid through electronic services to SR9.3 billion, after it was previously SR7.53 billion. This posted an increase of 23.44 percent, with a jump in the value of sales by SR1.77 billion.