# WhatsApp Marketing in Saudi Arabia: Consent, Timing and Tone

> WhatsApp marketing in Saudi Arabia: what the PDPL says about consent, how to write messages Saudi customers welcome, and when to send in Riyadh and Jeddah.

Published 4 October 2026 · About Nitro · 8 min read
Source: https://leadsadd.com/blog/whatsapp-marketing-saudi-arabia

WhatsApp marketing in Saudi Arabia rests on three things: consent that holds up under the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL), messages that sound natural to a Saudi reader, and timing that fits the Saudi week. This guide covers all three, with steps for collecting consent, tips for writing in Arabic and English, and a plan for your first campaign to customers in Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam.

## The short answer

1. Get prior consent before you send marketing messages, keep a record of it, and make withdrawing it easy.
2. Write in Arabic for most consumer audiences, and in Arabic and English for mixed B2B lists.
3. Send Sunday to Thursday for B2B. The Saudi weekend is Friday and Saturday.
4. Plan around prayer times and Ramadan, when daily rhythms change.
5. Start small, from numbers your customers recognise, and answer every reply.

## WhatsApp marketing in Saudi Arabia and the PDPL

At the time of writing (October 2026), the PDPL is overseen by [SDAIA](https://sdaia.gov.sa), the Saudi data authority. For marketing messages, the core points are simple:

- **Prior consent.** You need the person's consent before you send them marketing messages.
- **Easy withdrawal.** People must have an easy way to withdraw that consent, and you must respect it.
- **Personal data.** A person's name and mobile number are personal data, even when you write to them about their business. A WhatsApp message to a purchasing manager's mobile is still a message to a person.

In practice: know where every number on your list came from, say who you are in every message, and stop at once when someone asks. WhatsApp points the same way. It is built for conversations people welcome, and it can limit accounts that many people block or report, so message people who know your business and expect to hear from you.

This is general information, not legal advice; check the current rules for the country you send to.

## How to collect consent that holds up

1. **Ask where the customer already gives you their number:** your website form, checkout, booking form or loyalty sign-up. Use a box the customer ticks, not one that is ticked for them.
2. **Say what you will send and how often,** for example: "offers and new arrivals on WhatsApp, about twice a month".
3. **In your shop, use a QR code** that opens a click-to-chat link with a ready-made message such as "Yes, send me your offers". The customer writes first, and the chat itself is the record.
4. **Record the details:** the date, the source and the wording the person agreed to.
5. **Send a short welcome message** that confirms what they will get and how to stop.
6. **Honour every withdrawal at once,** whatever language it comes in.

| Source of the number | Counts as consent? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Unticked box the customer ticked | Yes | Keep the wording and the date |
| Box ticked in advance | Weak | Do not rely on it for marketing |
| Customer messaged your QR link asking for offers | Yes | Keep the chat |
| Number given for a delivery only | Not for marketing | Use it for the delivery and nothing else |
| Business card from an exhibition | Only if they agreed to offers | One personal follow-up about your talk, then ask |
| Bought list or directory | No | Leave it out of WhatsApp campaigns |

## Writing WhatsApp messages Saudi customers welcome

Most Saudi consumers respond more warmly to a message in Arabic than to one in English. B2B buyers often work in both languages, so a mixed list can get an Arabic line first and a short English line below.

- **Tone:** formal Modern Standard Arabic is safe for B2B messages. Consumer brands can use a lighter, local tone, but keep it respectful.
- **Greeting:** the traditional greeting of peace is a respectful opening for almost any audience, and good-morning and good-evening greetings work too.
- **Name with a fallback:** use a name field with a polite Arabic fallback meaning "our dear customer", so an empty name still reads well.
- **Variety:** spin text works in Arabic just as in English, picking one of several greetings for each message.
- **Digits and brand names:** prices, dates and English brand names inside Arabic text can shift on screen. Send a test to yourself and read it on a phone.
- **Native writers:** have a native speaker write or check every message; stiff, translated text gets ignored.
- **Opt-out line:** in the Arabic version, ask people to send STOP, keeping that one word in Latin letters.

Here is the shape of a good offer for a shop in Riyadh, shown in English. Write the Arabic version with a native speaker:

```
Peace be upon you, {{first_name|dear customer}}.
The new winter collection has arrived at our branch in Al Olaya.
Our regular customers get a special price until the end of the week.
Reply STOP to stop these messages.
```

## When to send WhatsApp marketing in Riyadh and Jeddah

Saudi Arabia runs on one time zone (UTC+3), one hour behind the UAE.

- **The week:** most offices work Sunday to Thursday. Friday and Saturday are the weekend.
- **Prayer times:** they move through the year, and many shops close for a short time at each prayer. A message that lands during prayer is simply read later, but avoid starting a campaign right at Friday prayer.
- **Ramadan:** daily life shifts later, and consumer activity often peaks after iftar. Dates follow the moon, so check them each year.
- **National moments:** Founding Day (22 February) and National Day (23 September) suit warm greetings and offers for customers who already know you.

| Audience | Good days | Starting times (Saudi time) | Avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offices in Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam | Sunday to Wednesday | 09:30 to 11:30 and 13:30 to 16:00 | Thursday afternoon and the weekend |
| Consumers | Thursday to Saturday | 17:00 to 18:00 and 20:00 to 22:30 | Early morning and very late night |
| Consumers during Ramadan | Any day | After iftar, into the late evening | The hours just before iftar |

Treat these as starting points to test against your own reply counts, not as fixed rules.

## Business culture in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam

Relationships matter. A B2B buyer in Riyadh or the Eastern Province will often expect a call or a meeting after a first message, so use WhatsApp to confirm the meeting, send the brochure and follow up, not to close a large deal in one message. Introduce yourself fully: your name, your company and how you got their number.

For Saudi numbers, add the country code 966 and drop the first 0, so 050 123 4567 becomes 966501234567. Mobiles start with 05; numbers starting 011 (Riyadh), 012 (Jeddah and Makkah) or 013 (Eastern Province) are landlines.

## Where Nitro fits

Nitro is WhatsApp campaign software for Windows that sends through your own WhatsApp numbers, linked with Linked devices the same way WhatsApp Web works. Messages can be written in Arabic, English or any other language. [Personal fields](/nitro/features#fields) with fallbacks, spin text and up to 50 versions of a message keep each one personal. Before a campaign, you can [preview the message](/nitro/features#preview) the way WhatsApp shows it and send a test to yourself, which is the easiest way to catch Arabic text that displays oddly.

Set 966 as the default country code when you import, skip landlines, and let Nitro check that each contact uses WhatsApp. People can reply STOP (or UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT) and Nitro adds them to the opt-out list with a short confirmation; START adds them back. Those keywords are English words, so ask for STOP in your Arabic opt-out line, and watch the inbox for people who ask to stop in Arabic.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is WhatsApp marketing allowed in Saudi Arabia?

Yes, when you have the person's prior consent, say who you are and give them an easy way to withdraw. The PDPL, overseen by SDAIA, sets these expectations, and messages to strangers do not meet them.

### Do I need consent to send B2B WhatsApp messages in Saudi Arabia?

When the number belongs to a person, such as a manager's mobile, treat it as personal data and get consent before marketing. A first personal message about a real conversation is different from adding someone to a campaign.

### Should I write WhatsApp messages in Arabic or English for Saudi customers?

Arabic for most consumers, and Arabic first with a short English line for mixed B2B lists. Whatever you choose, have a native speaker check the text.

### What if someone asks to stop in Arabic instead of typing STOP?

That is still a clear request to stop, so honour it. Automatic opt-out lists usually read set English keywords, so ask for STOP in your opt-out line and check Arabic replies yourself every day.

## Next step

Set up one consent source this week, such as a QR code at the till, and send your first campaign to the people who join. Plan seasonal sends with our guide to [Ramadan, Eid and holiday campaigns](/blog/ramadan-eid-holiday-whatsapp-campaigns), then [see how Nitro works and get started](/nitro) and compare the [Nitro plans](/nitro/pricing).