In a market where convenience is key, Locate had a clear mission—to streamline local deliveries while offering a superior customer experience.
A Merger Built on Opportunity
Shukah and Maeda were once competitors in the Eastern Province, sharing similar customer bases and ambitions, and they merged to create Locate. The post Shukah-Maeda merger strategy focused on three clear objectives: product enhancement, customer growth, and community building. With a fresh new design and great promotions, Locate quickly became the go-to app for customers—not just for food and groceries, but also for essentials and pharmaceuticals
The Post-Merger Challenge: Scaling Payments
With the merger came a 400% increase in customer orders on Locate. For Locate, that translated into more customers, more transactions—and more pressure on the payment experience.
“We weren’t just dealing with volume, we needed every payment journey to be fast, secure, and seamless. That’s what our users expected—and that’s what we had to deliver.” said Talal Alhammad, Co-Founder, Business Growth at Locate.
The Locate team quickly realized they needed a payment partner that could keep up with their growth and enhance the overall customer experience. That meant:
- A wide range of payment options
- Fast and secure transaction processing
- Support for high traffic volumes
- Localized expertise and account management
- Scalable infrastructure for regional expansion
Partnership with HAQM Payment Services
HAQM Payment Services became a strategic enabler for Locate’s next phase of growth. From the start, the partnership was built on deep collaboration.
In partnership with HAQM Payment Services, Locate could offer a full suite of payment options tailored to Saudi customers—including Apple Pay, STC Pay, Mada, credit cards and Payment Link. This flexibility played a key role in driving higher conversion rates and reducing cart abandonment.
Even more impactful was the hands-on account management. Locate was paired with a dedicated account manager who visited the team on-site, helped optimize reporting, and offered strategic insights based on payment data.
Insights That Drove Smarter Decisions
The data analytics provided by HAQM Payment Services helped Locate better understand customer behavior. While most customers preferred Apple Pay and credit cards, Mada emerged as the most cost-effective option for Locate, thanks to faster reconciliation and lower fees.
These insights led Locate to design subtle campaigns within the Locate app to encourage Mada usage—balancing customer preference with business efficiency.
Supporting Restaurants and Building Loyalty
Locate’s growth isn’t just customer-driven. Locate places a strong focus on its restaurant partners, many of whom previously worked exclusively with Shukah or Maeda.
Today, these restaurant partners benefit from a unified dashboard that offers:
- Real-time payment tracking
- Order history
- Customer feedback
- Clear reconciliation timelines
On the customer side, Locate is constantly innovating. Features like Group Order allow multiple people to add items to a single shared cart—ideal for families or office teams. Upcoming rollouts include Payment Link options to give customers even more flexibility at checkout.
None of this would be possible without a robust and adaptable payment infrastructure—and HAQM Payment Services has been critical in making these features work smoothly at scale.
The Results
Since integrating HAQM Payment Services, Locate has seen measurable business impact:
✅ 17% growth in total orders across service regions
✅ Faster reconciliation—especially for Mada transactions
✅ Stronger customer retention tied to preferred payment methods
For Locate, this is just the beginning. As the platform continues to expand its offerings and customer base, Locate’s partnership with HAQM Payment Services remains a core pillar of its strategy.
Looking Ahead: IPO Ambitions and Beyond
With plans to go public and become one of Saudi Arabia’s few listed food delivery platforms, Locate is thinking big. The team remains proudly self-funded and deeply committed to building a homegrown success story.
As it scales across Saudi Arabia and potentially into the wider GCC, one thing is clear: a seamless, secure, and scalable payment experience will be key to sustaining momentum.
With HAQM Payment Services, Locate has found more than a solution—it has found a partner in growth.
