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Online stores for the UAE and the Gulf

Ecommerce website development in Dubai, built around payment and delivery

Ecommerce website development in Dubai comes with its own checklist. Your shoppers expect to pay by card, in instalments or in cash at the door. They expect to check out in Arabic or English, and to see the delivery cost before they commit. We settle payment, delivery and product data first, then design the storefront around them.

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01What you get

  • The ways to pay your shoppers expect

    Cards through a UAE payment gateway, instalments through Tabby or Tamara, and cash on delivery where your margins allow it. Each method is tested from order to refund before launch.

  • Arabic from product page to receipt

    Storefront, checkout, order emails and delivery messages all read properly in Arabic, laid out right to left. Nobody drops into English halfway through an order. See Arabic and bilingual websites.

  • Delivery costs shown early

    Zones and rates are set for each emirate and each Gulf country you serve. The shopper sees the cost before the final step. The address form asks for an emirate, an area and a mobile number, because UAE addresses have no postcodes.

  • Product data your team can keep tidy

    Names, variants, prices and stock follow one agreed template. Filters and search keep working as the catalogue grows, and adding a product takes minutes.

02What is included

  • Platform recommendation with written reasons
  • Storefront, category and product page designs
  • Payment gateway integration and test orders
  • Buy now, pay later through Tabby or Tamara
  • Cash on delivery rules and order limits
  • Arabic and English storefront and checkout
  • Delivery zones and rates for the Emirates and the Gulf
  • Product data template, clean-up and import
  • Order emails and invoices in both languages
  • Staff training on orders, refunds and stock

03How we approach it

  1. 01

    Confirm the licence, then apply for the gateway

    Selling online in the UAE needs a trade licence that covers ecommerce activity, and payment gateways ask to see it when you apply. Confirm what your licence allows with the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism or your free zone authority. We help you start the gateway application early, because approval is outside our control and takes time.

  2. 02

    Choose the gateway on fit

    Stripe, Telr, PayTabs, Network International and Checkout.com are all options for a UAE business. They differ in fees, settlement times, the cards and wallets they accept, and how refunds work. Our guide to UAE payment gateways explains how to compare them, and we put our recommendation in writing.

  3. 03

    Match the platform to the catalogue

    Shopify suits most stores, because it takes care of hosting, security and checkout. We cover it under Shopify development. Stores with quoted prices, made-to-order products or close ties to stock software may need WooCommerce or a custom build. We explain the choice and what each option costs to run.

  4. 04

    Clean the product data before design

    Filters, search and size pickers depend on consistent data. We agree a template, tidy the spreadsheet with you and import a sample early, so you review designs with your real products in them.

  5. 05

    Place real orders before launch

    We buy from the store on a phone, in both languages, using a card, instalments and cash on delivery. Then we cancel, refund and return an order. Your team sees every path before a customer does.

04Technology

  • Shopify
  • WooCommerce
  • Next.js
  • Stripe
  • Telr
  • PayTabs
  • Tabby
  • Tamara

Questions

Questions, answered

Do I need a trade licence to sell online in the UAE?

Yes. Selling online in the UAE needs a trade licence that covers ecommerce activity. It can be issued on the mainland or by a free zone, and the right one depends on what you sell and where your company is registered.

We build stores and do not advise on licensing. Confirm the current requirement with the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism or your free zone authority before you apply for a payment gateway.

Which payment gateway should I use for an online store in Dubai?

There is no single answer. Stripe, Telr, PayTabs, Network International and Checkout.com all serve UAE merchants. The right one depends on your licence, your bank, your typical order value and the countries you sell to.

Fees and terms change, so ask each provider for a current quote before you decide. We compare the offers with you and explain what each means for the checkout.

Should I offer cash on delivery in the UAE?

Many shoppers in the UAE still prefer to pay at the door, particularly on a first order from a store they do not know. Offering it can bring in orders you would otherwise miss. It also means more refused deliveries, and your money sits with the courier until it is settled.

We usually build in limits: a maximum order value, a handling fee, or cash on delivery in certain emirates only. You can tighten or relax the rules once you have your own figures.

How do Tabby and Tamara work on an ecommerce website?

Both let a shopper split the cost into instalments. The provider pays you, less its fee, and collects from the shopper. You apply for a merchant account with each, and once approved the option appears on the product page and at checkout.

Each provider sets its own approval criteria, fees and settlement terms. Ask them directly for the current ones.

Can my UAE online store deliver to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries?

Yes. We set up delivery zones, rates and delivery times for each country, and state who pays customs duties before the shopper reaches payment. Cross-border orders bring customs paperwork and returns that cost more to handle, so agree the process with your courier first.

If you sell into Saudi Arabia, ask your gateway whether it accepts mada, the Saudi debit card network.

Related services

Shopify development

Custom Shopify themes, Arabic storefronts and careful migrations, with as few apps as the store can run on.

SEO and performance

Technical audits, website speed optimisation and search set-up, reported with measurements and no ranking promises.

Sectors we build this for

Luxury retail

Restrained online stores for luxury brands, with detailed imagery, concierge enquiries and delivery across the Gulf.

Hospitality

Hotel, restaurant and venue websites built for direct bookings, readable menus and quick loading on a phone.

Startups and new businesses

First websites and first product versions for founders, built on a design system so nothing is thrown away later.

Updated

Let's build somethingDubai remembers.

Tell us what you are planning. We will reply with next steps, or a straight answer if we are not the right fit.

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