Shopify agency for Dubai and the UAE: bilingual, VAT-ready, fast.
Arabic and English stores with right-to-left layouts done properly, AED and multi-currency pricing, Tabby and Tamara at checkout, VAT-compliant invoices and Aramex delivery, built by a team that works your morning from India.
What a UAE Shopify store needs, and what we set up
- Arabic and English, right to leftA true RTL layout, not a mirrored English theme: on a Horizon-family theme, which Shopify says supports right-to-left natively, or a custom theme where we build it. Typography, navigation, galleries and cart all reviewed in Arabic.
- AED first, multi-currency afterAED as the base currency, with Shopify Markets for Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and beyond: local currency, duties and shipping rules per market.
- Payments Gulf shoppers expectShopify Payments, which is available to UAE businesses, for cards and Apple Pay, buy-now-pay-later with Tabby and Tamara, and cash on delivery where your margins allow it.
- VAT-ready invoices5% VAT configured correctly, tax-inclusive display, TRN on invoices, zero-rating for eligible exports, and reports your accountant can file from.
- Delivery and returnsAramex, Fetchr, Quiqup or your own fleet integrated, same-day options for Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and a returns flow that handles COD refunds.
- Speed for mobile networksDawn-based custom themes, compressed images and no app bloat, because most Gulf shoppers arrive from Instagram on a phone.
How we build
The same build that took a saree label from Instagram to 44 products in under a week
Our Shopify work starts with the phone screen, because that is where Gulf and Indian shoppers are. For a designer label selling only through Instagram DMs we built a custom theme on Dawn around their brand motif, turned their posts into 44 named and priced products, added a sticky add-to-cart bar and one-tap WhatsApp ordering, and delivered in under a week.
For the UAE we add the bilingual layer, the payment and VAT setup above, and Shopify Markets for the rest of the GCC. Plainly stated: our published case studies are Indian and international brands; UAE-specific stores are a service we offer and quote, not yet a case study we can show. The first one will appear on the work page.
Products live in under a week on a custom Dawn theme
Languages per store, Arabic RTL and English
Configured with TRN invoices and export zero-rating
Shopify Markets for KSA, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman
Packages UAE brands ask for
Fixed prices after a short brief, quoted in AED or USD.
- Bilingual launch store
- Custom Dawn theme in Arabic and English, up to 50 products, AED, cards and Tabby or Tamara, VAT, Aramex. Two to three weeks.
- GCC expansion
- Shopify Markets for the other Gulf countries, local currencies, duties, hreflang and localised content. One to two weeks on an existing store.
- Store rescue
- Speed, broken RTL, checkout friction and SEO problems on an existing UAE store, fixed from a prioritised audit.
- Monthly management and SEO
- Product uploads, campaigns, bilingual content and a fixed SEO deliverables list each month, reported from your Search Console.
Getting found in the UAE
Arabic and English search behave differently, and Google’s AI Overviews and ChatGPT now answer “best abaya brand Dubai” style questions directly. We pair UAE builds with bilingual SEO and GEO so your products are the ones named.
Why an India-based team for a Dubai store
The same working day, a ninety-minute time difference, rupee-based costs quoted as a fixed AED price, and a team that already handles UAE VAT and company compliance for clients. Our guide to building an Arabic Shopify store covers the details. Also see Shopify for India and UK and US.
Questions from Dubai and UAE brands
Do you build Arabic Shopify stores with right-to-left layout?
Yes. We build bilingual Arabic and English stores on a Horizon-family theme, which Shopify says supports right-to-left natively, or on a custom theme where we build the right-to-left layout, Arabic typography checked on real devices, and Shopify’s language and market setup so each language has its own URLs and hreflang.
Can you add Tabby and Tamara to a Shopify store in the UAE?
Yes. Both buy-now-pay-later providers integrate with Shopify checkout in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. We set them up alongside card payments and Apple Pay, and configure cash on delivery rules if you offer it.
How is UAE VAT handled on Shopify?
We configure 5% VAT with tax-inclusive prices, your TRN on invoices and zero-rating for eligible exports, and set up reports your accountant can file from. VAT registration and returns themselves go through your adviser, or through our compliance partners if you need them.
How long does a UAE Shopify store take?
A bilingual launch store with up to 50 products takes two to three weeks. Adding Shopify Markets for the rest of the GCC to an existing store takes one to two weeks.
Do you work in Dubai hours?
Yes. India is ninety minutes ahead of the UAE, so our working day overlaps yours fully, and we reply within one working day.