Salla, a leading ecommerce platform provider headquartered in Makkah, has acquired Sweply, a prominent digital advertising platform, for an undisclosed amount. Post-acquisition, Sweply will be rebranded as “Salla Ads” and integrated into Salla’s ecosystem as its official advertising solution. This acquisition enhances Salla’s offerings by enabling merchants to launch and manage their digital marketing campaigns directly within the Salla platform.
Founded in 2016 by Nawaf Hariri and Salman Butt, Salla has helped merchants establish online stores quickly and efficiently. The company recently raised $130 million in a pre-IPO investment round, led by Investcorp, with support from Sanabil Investment and STV. Salla’s strategic move to acquire Sweply further strengthens its position in the ecommerce and digital advertising space.
Sweply, launched in 2021 by Ebrahim Saeed and Wael Hassan, has become a key player in the regional digital marketing sector, with over 35,000 registered advertisers. With the integration of Sweply’s services into the Salla ecosystem, merchants will benefit from AI-powered targeting, advanced analytics, and a seamless process for managing advertising campaigns directly from their store dashboards.
Nawaf Hariri, CEO of Salla, emphasized that the acquisition aligns with the company’s long-term vision to empower merchants and provide innovative solutions. With digital advertising spending in Saudi Arabia expected to reach SAR 9.5 billion by 2030, the integration of Salla Ads will allow merchants to thrive in the rapidly growing digital economy. The service is expected to be available on Salla’s platform by the second quarter of 2025, with minimal disruption for current Sweply users during the transition period.
