Shopify · Saudi PDPL

Cookie consent for Shopify stores under the Saudi PDPL

A Shopify store selling in Saudi Arabia needs a consent banner that asks before analytics and advertising cookies load, gives one choice for each purpose, records every answer and lets visitors withdraw. The PDPL, enforced by SDAIA, applies even when the store is run from outside the Kingdom. Shopify does not set this up for Saudi visitors by default.

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Saudi Shopify stores today

66%

75 of 114 Saudi Shopify stores showed no consent banner at all.

84%

96 of 114 loaded analytics or advertising tags before the visitor chose.

65%

74 of 114 run the Meta Pixel, which does not read Google Consent Mode.

Arqam360 KSA E-Commerce Privacy Compliance Index, September 2026: the Shopify stores among 1,556 Saudi online stores scanned. Open data, CC BY 4.0. See the Index by platform

What the banner on a Saudi Shopify store has to do

Ask before analytics and ad cookies load
Nothing that identifies the visitor loads until they answer. Cookies the store needs to work, such as the cart, can load. (PDPL; Implementing Regulation, Art. 11)
One choice for each purpose
Analytics, advertising and personalisation each get their own consent, not one blanket yes. (Implementing Regulation, Art. 11)
Keep a record and let visitors change their mind
When they chose, what they were shown and what they accepted, with settings that stay reachable so consent can be withdrawn. (Implementing Regulation, Art. 11)
Cover every tag, not only Shopify’s
Shopify's automated banner setup is for the UK and EEA, and it governs Shopify's own cookies and pixels. For pixels added by hand or through apps, Shopify says you may need a third-party cookie banner.

How Arqam360 does it on Shopify

Arabic banner, right to left

Written in Arabic, not machine-translated, shown on Arabic storefronts, with English beside it.

Switched on from your theme

The banner is a theme app embed: after installing, turn it on under Online Store › Themes › Customize › App embeds. No code to paste.

Shopify hears the answer

Each choice is written to Shopify's Customer Privacy API, so Shopify and its pixels follow the visitor's answer.

Google tags wait

Consent Mode v2 starts denied and updates when the visitor chooses, so Google Analytics and Google Ads tags hold back until then.

Meta Pixel held too

A script-blocking setting holds known advertising scripts, such as the Meta Pixel, until consent. It is off by default, because blocking scripts can break a storefront: switch it on, then check your store.

Every choice recorded

Each answer is kept with its date and time, so you can show who agreed and when.

Prices on Shopify

Free	$0	1 domain, 10,000 pageviews a month
Pro	$29.99 a month	3 domains, 100,000 pageviews a month; 14-day free trial
Managed	$99.99 a month	We install it, test your Google and Meta tags and keep it running

Billed through Shopify, on your Shopify invoice.

Install the Arabic consent banner on Shopify

Free to start, billed through Shopify, and switched on from your theme in a few clicks.

Install on Shopify

Questions

Does the Saudi PDPL apply to my Shopify store?

If it processes personal data of people in Saudi Arabia, yes, including when the store is run from outside the Kingdom. Analytics and advertising cookies that can identify a visitor collect personal data, so they normally need consent first.

Isn't Shopify's own cookie banner enough?

It depends on what your store runs. Shopify's automated setup targets visitors in the UK and the EEA, though you can show its banner in any region. It governs Shopify's own cookies and pixels; for pixels added manually or through apps, Shopify says you may need a third-party cookie banner.

What about the Meta Pixel and Google Analytics?

Both need the visitor's consent first in the normal case. Google tags read Consent Mode v2, so the banner passes the answer to them. The Meta Pixel does not read Consent Mode, so it has to be held until the visitor consents to advertising.

What are the fines?

Administrative fines of up to SAR 5,000,000, doubling to SAR 10,000,000 for a repeat violation. SDAIA confirmed 48 enforcement decisions in its January 2026 announcement.

How long does setup take?

Install the app, turn on its app embed in your theme and save. Then open your storefront in a private window to check the banner, and run a free scan. Or choose Managed and we do it for you.