From the mountain land to the digital frontier: The journey of Torod: Harnessing data to transform e-commerce and logistics in Saudi Arabia

The case tells the story of Torod, an innovative e-commerce startup in Saudi Arabia founded by Ammar Almaatouq and Faisal Almaklas. Amid the challenges facing the country?s rapidly expanding e-commerce sector, Torod quickly emerged as a game-changer? a data-driven logistics platform that bridged the gap between merchants and couriers. By delivering value to customers, sellers, and couriers alike, the startup quickly earned the trust of over 3,000 sellers and integrated with nearly 30% of all licensed couriers in the country. Torod was fast becoming a key enabler of industry growth. Yet, despite their early success, Ammar and Faisal knew this was just the beginning. Saudi Arabia?s logistics landscape was evolving rapidly, with new competitors, emerging technologies, and rising customer expectations accompanying the country?s embrace of digital commerce. The case describes in detail the journey of Torod, from its inception while both Ammar and Faisal met while attending King Saud University, through its funding, development, launch, and post-launch iteration - detailing both the milestiones and the challenges the startup had to navigate. In parallel, the case explores the role of data in enabling new business models, before posing the new challenges now facing the startup.