E-commerce development across the GCC.
We design and build online stores for brands across the Gulf: WooCommerce, Shopify and custom builds with the payment gateways each market trusts, cash on delivery, Arabic and English storefronts, and WhatsApp built in.
Odysense is an e-commerce development company based at Qatar Science & Technology Park in Doha. We build online stores on WooCommerce, Shopify or a custom stack for brands selling in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, and we work with clients outside Qatar remotely from Doha.
A launch-ready store typically costs QAR 8,000–10,000, including one year of domain and hosting, and comes with our Store Portal free for the first year. We integrate the local payment gateways for each country, set up cash on delivery, connect any courier that offers an API, and build Arabic and English storefronts.
E-commerce guides by market and platform.
E-commerce in Saudi Arabia
mada, local gateways, COD, ZATCA e-invoicing and Arabic-first stores for KSA.
ii.E-commerce in the UAE
Gateways, VAT, the federal e-commerce law and bilingual stores for the UAE.
iii.Kuwait, Bahrain & Oman
Local gateways, VAT differences and delivery for the smaller GCC markets.
iv.WooCommerce development
Full ownership, low running costs and Store Portal to run it from your phone.
v.Shopify development
Managed simplicity, and an honest view of when Shopify fits a GCC store.
vi.Platform comparison
WooCommerce, Shopify, Salla, Zid or custom: a fair side-by-side.
vii.E-commerce cost
Prices, what's included and the running costs to budget for.
viii.Web design in Saudi Arabia
Arabic-first, right-to-left websites for Saudi businesses.
What does Odysense build for GCC online stores?
The whole store, end to end: the storefront design, the build, payments, shipping, content and the tools you use to run it after launch. One team handles all of it, so there's no hand-off between a designer, a developer and a payments consultant.
- Storefront design around your catalogue and brand, mobile-first, in Arabic, English or both.
- Development on WooCommerce, Shopify or a custom/headless stack, chosen for your catalogue and team.
- Local payment gateways for each country, tested end to end, plus cash on delivery where you want it.
- Courier integration with any carrier that offers an API, so labels, tracking and status updates flow automatically.
- WhatsApp order confirmations and support through WASL, our official WhatsApp Business API platform.
- Store Portal, our WooCommerce operations app, free for the first year with every build.
Do you have offices in Saudi Arabia or the UAE?
No. Odysense is based in Doha, at the Innovation Centre in Qatar Science & Technology Park, and that's where our team works. We serve clients in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman remotely, with video calls, shared project boards and WhatsApp.
In practice the distance matters less than you'd think: Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain share a time zone (UTC+3), and the UAE and Oman are one hour ahead. We already work with clients across the GCC this way.
How is selling in each GCC country different?
The storefront can look the same everywhere, but payments, tax and regulation differ by country, and the store has to handle them.
Selling into several GCC countries from one store is possible: multiple currencies, country-specific shipping rates and gateways that settle in the right currency. We plan that structure with you at the start, because adding it later costs more.
| Market | VAT | What the store must handle |
|---|---|---|
| Qatar | None | Qatar's 2026 e-commerce licence for online sellers, local gateways, Arabic/English |
| Saudi Arabia | 15% | mada cards, ZATCA e-invoicing for VAT-registered sellers, e-store registration, Arabic-first content |
| UAE | 5% | Federal e-commerce law (Decree-Law 14 of 2023), international and local gateways, English-first with Arabic |
| Kuwait | None | Local debit payments through Kuwaiti gateways, Arabic/English |
| Bahrain | 10% | VAT-inclusive pricing, local gateways |
| Oman | 5% | VAT-inclusive pricing, local gateways |
Which platform should a GCC store use?
It depends on your catalogue, your team and how much control you want. WooCommerce gives you full ownership and low running costs, Shopify gives you managed simplicity, Saudi platforms such as Salla and Zid are quick to start in the Kingdom, and a custom build suits unusual requirements or high traffic.
We build on WooCommerce, Shopify and custom stacks, and we migrate stores between platforms, so our recommendation isn't tied to one tool. The platform comparison below goes through the trade-offs honestly.
Gateways we've integrated on live stores.
Need one that isn't listed? We can integrate it too.
Qatar
- MyFatoorah
- Tap Payments
- PayTabs
- Amazon Payment Services
- SADAD
- QNB
Saudi Arabia
- HyperPay
- Moyasar
- Tap Payments
- PayTabs
- Amazon Payment Services
- Geidea
UAE
- Stripe
- Checkout.com
- Network International
- Telr
- Amazon Payment Services
- PayTabs
- Tap Payments
Kuwait
- MyFatoorah
- Tap Payments
- PayTabs
- Amazon Payment Services
- UPayments
Bahrain
- MyFatoorah
- Tap Payments
- PayTabs
- Amazon Payment Services
- EazyPay
Oman
- MyFatoorah
- Tap Payments
- PayTabs
- Amazon Payment Services
- Thawani
Stores we built, tools we run.
Eleganza
+60% conversion rate after launch · 2.1s mobile load time
Rafea Line
+70% checkout completion rate · 10 days from kickoff to launch
Store Portal
Run your WooCommerce store from your phone: products, orders, POS and analytics in one portal.
WASL
Order confirmations, delivery updates and support on WhatsApp through the official Business API.
Asked often.
How much does an online store cost with Odysense?
A launch-ready store typically costs QAR 8,000–10,000, including one year of domain and one year of hosting; advanced stores cost more. That's roughly SAR 8,200–10,300, AED 8,100–10,100 or USD 2,200–2,750 at the fixed USD pegs. Every project gets a fixed, itemised quote before work starts.
Can you build a store for Saudi Arabia or the UAE from Qatar?
Yes. We don't have offices outside Qatar, but we build and support stores for clients across the GCC remotely from Doha, and we integrate the gateways each market uses.
Do you set up cash on delivery?
Yes. We set up cash on delivery alongside online payment, and we can confirm COD orders on WhatsApp before dispatch to cut failed deliveries.
Which couriers do you integrate?
Any courier that offers an API. We connect it to the store so shipping rates, labels, tracking numbers and status updates flow without manual copying.
Can you migrate my existing store?
Yes, from any platform to any platform: products, customers and orders, either through the platform's export tools and our own migration scripts or, where the old platform doesn't allow exports, by collecting the data from the storefront. We map old URLs to new ones so you keep your search rankings.
- Baker McKenzie: GCC VAT framework update (2026)
- ZATCA: E-invoicing (Fatoora)
- UAE Ministry of Economy: Federal Decree-Law No. 14 of 2023 on Trading by Modern Technological Means
Laws, tax rules and fees change. Treat this page as a guide, not legal or tax advice: Odysense builds the store, and we're not a law firm.
Related reading.
E-commerce licence checklist: what your Qatar online store must show customers
A practical checklist for online stores licensed under Qatar's Decision No. 25 of 2026: the business details, policies and customer-service information to display, and where each belongs on your site.
Your Qatar online store needs a .qa domain: how to set it up or switch without losing SEO
Qatar's e-commerce licence requires a .qa or .com.qa domain. How to choose and register one, and how to move an existing store from .com without losing search rankings.
Qatar e-commerce licence 2026: QAR 500 fee, 194 activities and the .qa domain rule
MoCI's e-commerce licence is now live: a QAR 500 issuance fee, 194 approved activities, no office for eligible online businesses, and a .qa domain requirement. What it means and how to get your store ready.
How to start an online business in Qatar without an office (2026)
Qatar's 2026 rules let you launch an online store without a physical office. A step-by-step path from idea to a licensed, selling e-commerce business.
Planning a store for the Gulf?
Book a free consultation. Tell us where you sell and what you sell, and we'll recommend a platform, the gateways and a fixed quote.
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