Salla: The Future of E-Commerce, an Easy Platform to Launch Your Business

Imagine browsing the internet looking for an item, finding it on an online store, and deciding to buy it right away, only to be surprised that the only available payment method on this store is cash on delivery.   

What a shock! With the advancement of technology and the convenience we enjoy after the expansion of online shopping, who carries cash anymore? Personally, how much cash do you carry in your wallet right now?  

I expect that most people—in the scenario above—would cancel the purchase and go look for another store.

Digital payments and the availability of payment gateway solutions in Saudi Arabia have become one of the most vital foundations of e-commerce today, and one of the most important answers to "How do you make your e-commerce site seamless?". 

Therefore, in this article, I will review with you the best digital payment gateway solutions in Saudi Arabia and how you can activate them on your Salla store step-by-step. But first, let us clarify what digital payment gateways are and their actual role in e-commerce.

What Are Digital Payment Gateways?

They are electronic intermediaries between two parties whose mission is to facilitate payment transactions, ensuring both parties can transfer funds smoothly, quickly, and securely, away from theft and fraud, while also providing data security.  Simply put, it is that form that enables you to enter your payment card details to complete your transaction online, thereby facilitating financial transactions in e-commerce.

Banks may provide them to their customers, but they can also be provided by a specialized financial service provider as a standalone service. 

What Is the Role of Payment Gateways in E-Commerce?

We can describe payment gateways as the backbone of any online buying, selling, or digital marketing process. Without them, purchases from online stores cannot be completed, unless the store provides cash on delivery, which causes many complications for store owners that you can well do without. 

Payment solutions help e-commerce store owners accept payments for the products or services they sell on their stores in an easy, reliable, and secure manner, in exchange for a low transaction fee.

 Once a customer enters their credit card details on your store, the payment gateway securely transmits this data to the payment processor to ensure that the entered data is sufficient to complete the transaction, as well as to verify its validity. 

It also protects payment card data by encrypting all sensitive information it retains. This means that personal data used for purchasing remains secure between both parties, the merchant and the buyer.

How Do I Choose the Best Payment Gateways for My Online Store?

Regardless of the nature of your store, selecting the appropriate payment gateway is determined based on the e-commerce platform you built it on, as well as the country you operate in and what the best payment gateways suitable for e-commerce there are. Therefore, some payment gateways may be available to you while others are not.

At Salla, we provide stores with the best Saudi payment gateway solutions to help you create a successful online store from day one. That is why we made sure to streamline the steps for integrating our stores with these gateways, and we will now provide you with a detailed guide on how to link your Salla store to them.

Steps to Activate Payment Gateways on Your Salla Online Store

Setting up payment methods is the third step in configuring your online store on Salla. Now, let us walk through the steps required to link payment gateways to your store on Salla:

Steps to Set Up Payment Methods:

1- Navigate to the side menu of the Control Panel, then click on Home

2- Click on Activate Payment Methods located within the initial store setup steps

Or from the side menu of the Control Panel, click on Store Settings

From the Store Settings page, click on Payment Methods

3-  From the Payment Methods page, click on + New Bank Account

4- Enter your bank account details:

•  Bank Name

•  Account Holder Name

• Bank Account Number

•  IBAN

 5- Then click Save

Note: You can delete and update your bank account at any time by clicking Delete Account on the account page itself.

Then click on the bank account you wish to update, modify the bank details, and then click Save

At this point, you have completed the steps for setting up payment methods.

Note: You cannot receive orders from customers on your store before activating at least one payment method; setting up Cash on Delivery is considered one of the payment methods. 

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What Payment Gateways Does Salla Provide?

The Salla platform provides its clients with the best payment gateway solutions in Saudi Arabia for their stores, including:

In the following section, we explore how to link these payment methods to your online store on Salla 

Steps to Link Digital Payment Gateways to Your Store on Salla?

To date, the Salla platform provides you with seven payment gateways that you can connect to your online store, namely: 

(Mada, Visa and Mastercard, PayPal, STC Pay, Apple Pay, as well as Tabby and Tamara).

I will now guide you through how to connect these gateways to your store, as well as the most common questions regarding each of them. 

Steps to Activate Payment via Mada, Visa, and Mastercard:

We will now review the steps for activating Mada, Visa, and Mastercard together because the activation process is the same, but note that you will activate each card separately using the same method: 

•  After accessing the Payment Methods page from Store Settings, click on Mada or Visa and Mastercard

• Enter the required information, then click Save

1- Select the entity type (Individual, Establishment, Company, Charity, etc.)

Entity Type: This is the type of activity your store belongs to—whether it is an individual venture, under a specific management, a team, a company, or a cooperative.

2- Upload the Commercial ID document, if the entity type is Individual

3- Specify the bank account for transferring payouts

Here you select the bank account to which payments will be transferred. We explained above how to enter different bank accounts by adding a new bank account, which is a prerequisite for linking your store to the Mada or Visa and Mastercard payment gateway.

4 - And do not forget to agree to the Sales Policy on the Salla platform

Can I disable the use of Mada / Visa Mastercard in my store?

Of course, you can disable the card's use on your store and re-enable it whenever you wish by clicking the Activation toggle next to the payment method, as shown in the following image:

Can I change the bank account to which payments are transferred?

Yes, go to Mada account settings, then select the new bank you wish to transfer payouts to from the (Bank account for payout transfers) list

Steps to Activate PayPal as a Payment Method:

• From the Payment Methods page, click on PayPal as shown in the following image

• Enter your PayPal account email address in the designated field, then click Save

Requirements to Activate PayPal Payment Service on My Store

There is only one condition to activate the PayPal payment gateway on your store, which is registering on the PayPal website and activating the account. You can visit the website via the following link and follow the registration and activation steps: www.paypal.com

Steps to Activate Apple Pay as a Payment Method:

• After opening the Payment Methods page from Store Settings, click on Apple Pay and select Activate

Note: Activating Apple Pay requires activating Mada first.

If you wish to activate Apple Pay for charities or stores specializing in selling digital content that have a technical integration with an electronic payment gateway, you can head to the Help Centre within your Salla account and search for activating Apple Pay with payment gateways; you will find the step-by-step activation guide.

Steps to Activate Tabby as a Payment Method:

Before we begin the steps to connect your online store to the Tabby payment gateway, you must first register on the Tabby website.

• Go to the Tabby website to register from here 

• The Tabby team will then contact you to finalize the agreement, sign the contract, and provide your credentials (Public and Private keys)

• After receiving the keys, navigate to the Payment Methods page and select Tabby 

• Enter the Public Key and Private Key in the designated fields, choose your desired payment options, then click Save.

 How Will Your Online Store Benefit from Adding Tabby?

Subscribing to Tabby will grant you several advantages, including:

-  Achieving more sales by providing easy and flexible payment options

- Increasing checkout completion rates, especially with the installment option 

- Tabby enables you to secure steady and reliable cash flow; Tabby transfers funds to your store first and then collects from your customers later

- Eliminating the hassles associated with cash on delivery with the "Pay in 14 days" option

- Tabby absorbs the risks related to collecting payments from your customers

- Collaboration in product marketing across social media platforms and advertising campaigns

Are There Any Interest Charges or Fees for the Customer When Using Tabby?

Tabby is free of charge for the customer because its revenue comes from merchants; however, there are late fees detailed here  

What Are the Merchant Subscription Fees for Tabby?

Fees are determined based on the contract the merchant signs with Tabby, depending on the type of products, their value, and various other considerations.

Steps to Activate Tamara as a Payment Method:

Tamara is a buy-now-pay-later service with no fees for customers. You can order the product you need and pay 30 days after shipping.

• From the Payment Methods page, click on Tamara, then proceed to the Tamara website to register

• The Tamara team will contact you immediately after registration to agree on the service provision contract for your store

• Once the contract is signed, you will receive a token; paste it into the designated field (Merchant Key), and click Save

You can also enable or disable the display of its logo on the product page.

How Does Your Store Benefit from Tamara?

• Increasing customer purchase rates by offering the option to pay later (30 days after shipping)

• Tamara serves as a convenient alternative for customers to the Cash on Delivery option

• Provides protection for your store in case of customer non-payment

• Increases purchase completion rates after items are added to the cart

• Ensures appropriate liquidity by transferring funds to the store on a weekly basis

• Opportunities for marketing collaboration through co-advertising on social media by following the best marketing strategy .

What Are the Merchant Subscription Fees for Tamara?

Fees are determined based on the product category, value, and various other considerations agreed upon in the contract between the merchant and the service. 

When Are Settlements Paid Out to Merchants?

The amount becomes due after the order is shipped to the customer. All payments are settled according to the schedule agreed upon with the store.

What Is the Policy Followed by Tamara for Returned Products?

Tamara adheres to your store's return policy. Refunding with Tamara is better than with other payment methods because it avoids transfer fees.

Where Will Approved Digital Payment Methods Appear in Your Salla Store?

Digital payment solutions appear at the bottom of the store's homepage, as shown in the following image:

In addition to appearing among the available payment methods during checkout.

Now that we have reviewed the best digital payment gateways you can connect to your Salla store and their step-by-step activation, we will move on to another essential topic you should understand for your peace of mind: electronic payouts.

What Are Electronic Payouts?

These are orders completed via electronic payment methods such as Mada, credit cards, and Apple Pay, which are scheduled periodically and transferred to your primary bank account.

Steps to View Electronic Payouts for Your Salla Store:

1-  From the side menu of the Control Panel, click on Electronic Payments

2- The electronic payouts table for your online store will be displayed

as follows:

3- To export this payout table to an Excel file—as shown in the following image—click on Export from the payments page.

A dedicated column for digital payment VAT has been added to serve as a reference for merchants when filing tax returns.

How Can You Print the Tax Invoice for Your Salla Store?

You can print the invoice by clicking on the invoice you wish to print, as shown in the following image:

Click on Tax Invoice to print, as illustrated:

Steps to Set Up the Electronic Payout Transfer Cycle

1-  From the side menu of the Control Panel, click on Store Settings

2- From the Store Settings page, click on Store Options 

3- Under general store options, click on the Set indicator next to the electronic payout transfer cycle

4- Select the appropriate payout transfer cycle, then click Save

Summary:

Payment gateways are an integral part of any store; therefore, you must choose the most suitable digital payment solutions in Saudi Arabia to facilitate and boost sales on your store, and ensure customer satisfaction .

You can now select the most appropriate digital payment methods for your store and target audience. If you need more details about any of the payment gateways we covered, you can visit the Help Centre inside your Salla store account or get in touch with us.