How Ramadan Season is elevating MENA’s payments game

The blessed month of Ramadan is just around the corner and the Middle East is ready to step into another festive season of praying, fasting, and engaging in charitable acts. Ramadan is also when people shop more, be it clothes, home décor items, groceries, or gift hampers. Hence, as a merchant, you must make your customer’s experience seamless to earn their trust, build brand value, and attract repeat business. And since checkout is a crucial part of the shopping journey, you need the smartest payment solutions during Ramadan to make transactions safe, efficient, and fast. Luckily, PayTabs can help.

By integrating PayTabs with your e-store or mobile application, you can offer customers ample choice and flexibility in payment. They can pick from multiple methods and currencies, meaning you can sell across the Middle East and anywhere else. PayTabs’ payment orchestration services can also handle large transaction volumes and improve the payment acceptance rate, which means greater customer satisfaction. Now, let’s explore the challenges merchants face during Ramadan and how payment gateway providers make life easy.

Common Retail Challenges

While consumer demand spikes during the holy month, retailers grapple with:

• Overwhelming traffic – Both offline and online stores deal with excess traffic, which poses a high risk of cart abandonment whether shoppers have to stand in long queues or your website is unable to handle large transaction volumes. In either case, customers might get frustrated and decide against checkout.
• Limited options for payment – Long gone are those days when cash payment was the norm. Today, unless you provide ample options, in the form of cards, digital wallets, internet banking, and such, you might lose a lot of business.
• Delayed fund credit – Since banks often operate for limited hours during Ramadan or stay closed on certain days, accepting payments the traditional way (like checks or demand drafts) might mean that funds will take time to get credited in your account.
• Inefficient invoicing – Not sharing correct invoices or not sending them on time might lead to customer dissatisfaction, delayed payments, and poor cash flow.

So, how can payment gateways transform the Ramadan experience for merchants in different sectors?

Booking

Many people visit families or plan holidays during the holy month. Hence, companies offering flight and hotel bookings or travel packages need to accept payments without hassle. A payment gateway provider like PayTabs can make transactions smooth, whether you have people from the Middle East travelling abroad or foreign nationals visiting the Middle East for a unique experience. Even if your website sells tickets to movies, theaters, or sports events, you will find the demand surging as more people want to relax in the evening after hours of fasting. With the right gateway, you can handle this increased demand, route payments to suitable processors, and improve sales.

Retail

Retail shopping witnesses a sharp uptick during Ramadan. Whether you sell apparel, accessories, cosmetics, or appliances, you need a payment solution that can cater to customers any time of the day. Integrating PayTabs with your app or website can do the trick as shoppers can make purchases even late at night or during early morning hours. Being able to make digital payments securely and easily also means they can stay home and focus on praying, fasting, and spending time with loved ones. In case of luxury goods, shoppers can even opt for instalment payment.

Food

Whether you run a restaurant, home delivery service, or grocery store, you are likely to experience increased demand during the holy month. After all, in the Middle East, Iftar and Suhoor meals are usually lavish affairs. Hence, to make sure you don’t lose a single customer, you need the best digital payment solutions during Ramadan. For instance, PayTabs can ease the checkout process in the food industry by minimizing errors even during rush hours. You can also send customers invoices with payment links so they can do the needful from their mobile devices.

Charity

Donating to the needy is an integral part of Ramadan celebrations. So, if you are in charge of an Islamic center, charitable trust, or mosque, you would want to make it easy for people to make donations even if they can’t visit you. With PayTabs, you can enable donors to make payments via any method they like and track it all as well. Since such payment gateways support multiple currencies, you can accept donations even from those who are situated in distant parts of the world.

Have a Bountiful Ramadan

As you gear up for Ramadan 2024, make life easy for yourself and customers by joining hands with a payment gateway provider like PayTabs. Simple onboarding and budget-friendly fee structures will help you get started in no time. Promote happiness and goodness by offering a glitch-free shopping experience in the Middle East and beyond.

In the dynamic landscape of the payments industry, a noticeable shift is underway. The fintech domain is now witnessing an incredible surge in the contribution and direction of women. The digital age continues to reform financial transactions, and women entrepreneurs are making their presence felt in key roles, steering innovation, and cracking barriers in the payment sector and beyond.

In the fintech and payments ecosystem, the last few years have seen an environment conducive to equality, with the spotlight firmly fixed on talent instead of gender. Women entrepreneurs have come to the forefront and are breaking gender barriers. Not only are women building successful careers in the financial services and technology domain, but they are also making significant contributions worldwide.

As women continue to take giant strides and make a mark in leading start-ups and establishing themselves as retailers, investors, and in the banking and payment networks, PayTabs strongly supports their endeavor and appreciates their rise to the top. The team at PayTabs believes in the empowerment of women and plays its part in supporting fempreneurs who serve as role models for others and positively impact the payments industry.

Women’s role in the payment industry is not merely a passing fad or trend but a significant transformation that has broad implications. This sector has always been synonymous with male-centric leadership and perceptions. However, women are being recognized for their diverse talents and receiving accolades for their valuable contributions.

Among the most notable aspects of women’s steady ascent in the payment sector is their leading roles in promoting innovation. Whether it is developing user-friendly interfaces or fronting leading-edge technologies, women entrepreneurs are creating solutions to enhance the efficiency and security of payment gateways.

Webpreneurs, particularly women entrepreneurs, face diverse challenges when it comes to running their businesses. PayTabs addresses one vital challenge, i.e., conforming to changing regulatory regimes and digital payment solutions.

Being technology-driven, businesses today need digital access to global markets and the ease of seamlessly accepting online payments. This is where PayTabs continues to stand by women entrepreneurs by providing payment solutions in over multiple countries and alternate currencies via a single API. This lets women focus on their businesses while PayTabs sorts out their e-payment worries.

Among the leading payment gateways, PayTabs believes in helping more women entrepreneurs lead from the front. PayTabs’ acquisition of Paymes, the largest social commerce platform in Turkey, has empowered scores of female entrepreneurs spread across the Middle East and Africa to receive payments instantly. Female entrepreneurs can create customized web stores and reach out to global markets. This feature offered by PayTabs enables a new segment of female entrepreneurs, especially those who run micro-home-based business enterprises, to sell their products on various social e-commerce platforms like WhatsApp and contribute to the economy.

The rise of women entrepreneurs in the payment sector reflects a significant societal shift towards diversity and gender equality. As more women pursue rewarding careers in fintech, their wealth of expertise and talent enriches the payments industry. This, in turn, drives innovation and helps build a more dynamic as well as more-inclusive workplace environment.

In the region, women comprise a significant chunk of the workforce, with 44% having fulfilling careers. Not only does the UAE present business opportunities for women who wish to branch out on their own and launch successful businesses, but the gender gap seen previously has also undergone a sea change. This gender gap is steadily narrowing, with 7.6% of entrepreneurs being women today as compared to 11.8% of men founders of businesses.

PayTabs’ commitment to women’s empowerment has remained steadfast over the past decade. Its 300-strong workforce has a considerable number of women employees in leading roles in technology, operations, sales, and customer support. PayTabs believes that the inclusivity of fempreneurs fosters positive social impact, bridges financial disparities, and encourages greater economic empowerment.

As women continue to emerge as a strong presence in the payments industry, PayTabs renews its commitment to remain a trusted name in payment gateways for fempreneurs. Women’s role in the payment industry is reshaping its boundaries and redefining the future of payment gateways.

As PayTabs continues to introduce new opportunities in digital transactions, women entrepreneurs can rely on the payment gateway and accept online payments securely and seamlessly across the globe. PayTabs strives to be a dependable partner in this incredible entrepreneurial journey for women.

As we approach our tenth anniversary this March, we realize it has been an incredible journey marked by milestones. We have overcome hurdles and have become a name to reckon with among Payment Gateways Providers. As we cherish our journey, we look back upon all that we have achieved over the last decade.

What began as a vision of our founder, Abdulaziz Al Jouf, to power every transaction in the region has now transformed into a global enterprise. Today, we not only serve scores of merchants spread across diverse industries but have also emerged as a trusted partner for organizations all over the world. Whether you are a large organization or a start-up making its presence felt in the digital landscape, PayTabs’ customized suite of payment processing solutions will help you expand your base.

PayTabs’ journey began with a 6-member team. Today, our workforce is spread across Saudi Arabia and the GCC region, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and India. As a team, we have crossed hurdles and embraced opportunities to make PayTabs a name synonymous with being a trustworthy partner in the growth of our clients.

PayTabs’ journey is marked with milestones that help us look back at the years gone by with joy.

Some prominent Milestones achieved by PayTabs at a glance:

2014: The story starts in January 2014 when PayTabs was established with a 6-member team, with the founder’s seed investment of 2 million US dollars. Subsequently in March of 2014, PayTabs opened an office and commenced payment processing. In June, the company celebrated the successful processing of its’ first live SME merchant payment transaction of USD25.

2015: By May of 2015, PayTabs had successfully expanded into most GCC markets by signing agreements with national payment service methods of the region. This move solidified PayTabs positioning as a GCC startup.

PayTabs then integrated with Sadad offering it as a payment method to ecommerce merchants in the Saudi kingdom. In June, at the Saudi Arabian Enterprise Agility Awards held with the support of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, PayTabs founder Abdulaziz Al Jouf was awarded the Payment Solutions Innovation award for PayTabs significant contribution to the Saudi ecommerce industry. In November, PayTabs obtained Payment Card Industry (PCI) Standards Certification, giving more confidence to its merchant base to accept payment transactions seamlessly and securely.

2016: The year started off with the thrilling news that PayTabs had been awarded the accolade of most promising Saudi startup by Forbes Middle East. This was huge recognition for a Saudi startup.

2017: Another multi award-winning year for PayTabs. First news that the payment processing company was listed fourth on the top one hundred startups in the Arab World, by Forbes Middle East and in December, Asian Banker awarded PayTabs CEO and founder an Innovation Leadership Award for his visionary approach to payments. In the same month, the team launched a mobile version of the PayTabs payment gateway platform – a mobile app to power the growth of mobile commerce in the region, giving merchants access to monitor their payment transactions on the go.

2018: Next came a host of recognition awards – Best Global Online Payments Solution by the World Payments Congress, Top 20 Fintech Startups in the Middle East as accorded by Forbes Middle East and the CEO was once again recognized as being a top fintech influencer in the region, by Forbes Middle East. Arabian Business gave the company the honour of being the Fintech Company of the year.

2019: Fast forward to 2019 and PayTabs was once again bestowed with multiple awards including one from Finext – Top Company in Payments. In July, PayTabs signed an agreement to enable customers in Saudi Arabia to pay online using STC Pay wallets. In Q3, PayTabs once again made it to the spotlight being recognized as number 1 on the top 20 Fintech Startups in 2019 by Forbes Middle East. But the icing on the cake was in 2019 when the company officially commenced operations by setting up offices in Egypt via a joint venture with EFG Hermes.

2020: When the pandemic hit in early 2020, PayTabs forged an alliance with Zbooni to empower micro business owners to sell from home as the entire world was confined to their homes. In March 2020, PayTabs signed an agreement with a subsidiary of Alinma Bank in KSA to grow our market reach in the Kingdom. Via this association, PayTabs also offered a white-labelled solution of its’ dashboard for the Bank’s Click Pay payment portal and website.

In July, as the pandemic raged, PayTabs revamped their website, making it easier for ecommerce merchants to sign up on the payment platform. The platform itself was enhanced to provide merchants with a better user experience. In early Q4, PayTabs integrated with Valu in Egypt to enable ecommerce merchants to accept payments in installments, in the republic.

2021:  In January PayTabs announced that it had tied up with Union Pay International so that ecommerce businesses in the UAE would now have access to the largest card base in the world. In April, the company announced the launch of its tap to pay soft POS solution to enable merchants to accept contactless payments via their Android smartphone devices. In June, PayTabs commenced operations in Iraq – it was the first international payment service provider to enter the Iraqi market. In August, the PayTabs app was given the honor of being one of the top fintech apps in the Middle East by Forbes Middle East.

Onwards and upwards in the MENA region, in November the Soft POS solution was launched in Jordan, in collaboration with Middle East Payment Services (MEPS). PayTabs also enhanced their payment security by announcing the platform was EMV 3D Secure 2.0 ready. The year ended on a high note with PayTabs being awarded as the most innovative payment solutions provider in KSA. In December, the company announced that it had acquired a 100% stake in Paymes – Turkey’s largest social commerce platform to develop social commerce in the GCC region.

2022:  In early 2022, PayTabs completed their acquisition and integration with India’s OGS PayLab. PayTabs entire business vision has acquired a new dimension by acquiring OGS SwitchOn capabilities. This elevates our payment processing capabilities and positioning in the market. As a Fintech enabler for the region, PayTabs vision is to power every digital transaction across the MENA region.

In May, PayTabs launched social commerce payment solutions for micro merchants and freelancers in Egypt. This quickly followed with PayTabs opening its suite of SaaS solutions to serve the MENA market. In June, PayTabs was awarded Best Fintech Company in Saudi Arabia and two other awards quickly followed in August – Best in Class Payment Orchestration awarded by International Business Magazine and top 25 Fintech companies in 2022 – Forbes Middle East. In September social commerce was launched across GCC markets UAE and KSA.

2023: In March 2023, PayTabs attained mada Payment Gateway Certification from Saudi Payments. The company also received the Business Excellence Award from Westford Awards showcasing its commitment to excellence. April 2023 marked a strategic move as PayTabs acquired OGS PayLab, Chennai, expanding its orchestration capabilities. Forbes Middle East recognized PayTabs as one of the Top Fintech Companies of 2023. The momentum continued in June 2023 when PayTabs became the first to deploy 3D secure payment solutions in KSA, demonstrating its commitment to cutting-edge technology. August 2023 saw PayTabs entering the Palestine market, furthering its footprint in the Levant region. November saw PayTabs being honored as the Best Merchant Solution in the MENA region as the company continued to unveil Card Issuance Solutions and formed a strategic partnership with Tabby, solidifying its innovative approach and collaborative initiatives in the fintech landscape. The year culminated with success as PayTabs was honored as MENA’s Fintech Co of the Year by Entrepreneur Middle East

Whether you have been with us right from the beginning or just started your journey with PayTabs, we look forward to being a part of your continued growth and success.

On our 10th PayTabs Anniversary, we look to the future and the opportunities ahead with renewed excitement. PayTabs’ journey is not just a celebration of our achievements but a story where every client, partner, and each and every team member made significant contributions.

Thank you for being an integral part of our incredible story.