From Idea to 4,000+ Sales Points: The Story of Order’s Digital Transformation

Amid the rapid digital transformation sweeping through the food and beverage sector, “Order” has emerged as a homegrown solution that successfully bridged a critical gap in the direct ordering experience for restaurants and cafés. What began as a crisis-driven response during the pandemic evolved into a comprehensive digital platform serving over 4,000 points of sale. In this interview, we follow the founder’s journey—from an urgent need to a scalable product reshaping the relationship between brands and their customers.

1. How did the idea for “Order” come about? What market need or challenge inspired the launch of the platform?

The story of Order began in mid-2020, driven by an urgent need within the F&B sector to compensate for the sharp decline in sales during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, the absence of dine-in and pick-up orders posed a major challenge for restaurant and café owners, as in-store experiences were a key contributor to daily revenue.

Meanwhile, digital platforms and direct-order solutions were scarce in this sector—unlike the retail and e-commerce space, which had a wide array of service providers. This imbalance highlighted a critical digital gap in F&B, which Order set out to bridge.

Today, we’re proud to serve over 1,200 brands across more than 4,000 points of sale in Saudi Arabia.

2. What are the main challenges restaurants and retailers face when trying to build strong digital relationships with their customers?

Restaurants and retailers face several key challenges in establishing meaningful digital connections with their customers:

• Building Trust: Customers expect service levels comparable to those offered by food delivery apps, putting pressure on brands to deliver a seamless experience.
• Fostering Loyalty: Securing the first order isn’t enough—retailers must continuously engage and retain customers to encourage repeat business.
• Effective Targeting: Customer targeting strategies vary by brand and can be based on behavior, preferences, or other factors.
• Order Experience Channels: Customers typically choose between a browser-based order page or a brand-specific app. Each channel comes with its own pros and cons, requiring merchants to optimize both to suit different user preferences.

3. How do Order’s solutions enhance the user experience, boost customer loyalty, and encourage repeat purchases?

At Order, the end-user experience is at the heart of everything we do, as it is the cornerstone of success for F&B brands. Our key solutions include:

• Streamlined Ordering: A simplified process that takes just 5–6 steps from landing on the order page to checkout, reducing abandonment rates.
• Intuitive Interfaces: Elegant, responsive designs make the platform easy to use and allow businesses to personalize and interact with customers directly.
• Flexible Loyalty Programs: Brands can customize reward systems—whether through points redeemable for free products or visit-based perks—to build long-term loyalty.
• Discount Codes & Coupons: Effective marketing tools to attract new customers or re-engage existing ones, with options like percentage discounts, free items, or cashback rewards.

4. What are the most important technical features Order offers today to help merchants manage orders, delivery, and marketing in one place?

Order provides an integrated suite of tools that empowers merchants to manage their operations from a single platform. Key features include:

• Comprehensive Dashboard: Offers full control over branches, menus, and orders, along with real-time performance metrics and periodic reporting.
• Flexible Delivery Options: Merchants can use their own fleet with our delivery management system, partner with one of our 16+ delivery providers, or combine both for hybrid fulfillment.
• Smart Marketing Tools: Include push notifications, promotional banners, and targeted messaging to support customer engagement and drive sales.

5. How did you navigate technical challenges or market resistance during the early stages of the business?

Technical hurdles are common in the early stages of any tech-driven business, and we certainly faced them at Order. Thankfully, having a technically proficient co-founder helped us overcome critical infrastructure and product development obstacles.

Back then, our product was still maturing, so we prioritized customer feedback. Every piece of user input was treated as a valuable opportunity for improvement and addressed with urgency in our development cycle—ultimately making the product more resilient and aligned with market needs.

6. What role does data and customer behavior analysis play in helping merchants improve performance and increase sales?

Data is a strategic asset for informed decision-making and performance optimization. It gives business owners actionable insights into customer behavior, purchase trends, and product performance.

Through our detailed reporting dashboard, merchants gain visibility into their sales metrics, best- and worst-performing items, and peak activity periods. These insights support precise, data-driven decisions that elevate the customer experience and enable sustainable sales growth.

7. How has your team culture and internal development approach contributed to building a scalable and adaptable local product?

Team culture and development methodology have been pivotal in building a flexible, scalable local solution. From day one, we fostered a collaborative work environment with a commitment to listening closely to market needs.

Every team member was immersed in the local context, helping us create solutions grounded in reality. Our agile infrastructure has allowed us to roll out new features quickly, experiment with business models, and enter new markets without having to rebuild from scratch.

8. What is your long-term vision for Order? Where do you see the platform within the digital commerce landscape in the coming years?

Our ambition from day one has been to become a leader in digital commerce across the region—by delivering exceptional user experiences, leveraging cutting-edge technologies, and maintaining a high standard of service.

Looking ahead, we plan to expand our reach into new markets while ensuring that the brand remains agile and responsive to rapid changes. Our vision is to offer data-driven solutions that enable our clients to grow sustainably and position Order as a key player in the region’s evolving digital commerce ecosystem.

From a quick-response initiative to a strategic tech partner, Order is reshaping the digital ordering experience in the F&B sector. By leveraging data, advanced technology, and a deep understanding of the local market, the platform is laying the groundwork for a smarter, more customer-centric future—cementing its role as a driving force in the region’s digital transformation.