When looking for trending products or e-commerce niches, don’t ignore how popular digital goods are. Adults in the U.S. spend $125 a month on digital goods, from content streaming to online wellness courses. This jumps to $170 a month for Gen Z and Millennials. Learning how to sell digital products on Shopify prepares your store for future opportunities.
Can You Sell Digital Items on a Shopify Store?
Yes, Shopify lets you create digital product pages, add them to collections, and include them in sales and discounts. Shopify also offers a free app integration — Digital Downloads — to support digital downloads of artwork, PDFs, images, videos, music, and other media files.
Some online goods and services may need a paid app. Shopify app integrations add functionality for recurring subscriptions and paywalls, digital courses, online events, and content watermarking/copy-prevention tools.
How Do You Sell Digital Products on Shopify?
The specific steps you need for digital media depend on the type of products you sell. This checklist covers the basic process:
- In your Shopify admin dashboard, open “Settings” and click on “Apps and sales channels.”
- Select the Shopify App Store and search for the Digital Downloads app.
- Click “Install.”
- Return to your Shopify admin and click on the “Products” tab.
- Click on “Create a product” to add a new digital item.
- Name your new digital product (e.g., “Desert Waves — Poster”), add an engaging description, and set the price.
- If you have several variants of the item (such as “Desert Waves – Greeting Card”), add them under the “Variants” heading.
- Under the heading “Shipping,” uncheck the box marked “This is a physical product.” This should remove any shipping requirements.
- Click “Save” to finalize the product.
To create a new digital collection, click “Create collection” and customize the details.
How Do You Manage Digital Files and Downloads on Shopify?
Before you can start selling digital products, you have to set up the delivery method so customers can download the files:
- Go to Shopify admin > “Products” and click the product for which you want to upload the media file.
- Select “More action” next to the product’s title.
- Click on “Add digital file.”
- Choose the file you want to upload. Repeat this process for all variants, making sure to select the correct variant file.
- When you’re ready, click “Publish.”
- Under “Product status,” set the tab to “Active” and press “Save.”
Don’t forget that you may need to charge sales tax on Shopify digital products and services depending on your state.
What Are the Most Profitable Digital Products To Sell Online?
Now that you know how to sell digital products on Shopify, the next question is which ones to focus on. Your items must stand out from the free content available on YouTube and Pinterest.
Artwork and Illustrations
Despite the threat of AI — or maybe because of it — plenty of global customers are looking for human-created digital art. Posters, prints, anime creations, and other goods are in Shopify’s top 20 best-selling products. It’s easy to set up Shopify to sell original canvases at a premium alongside less-expensive digital collectibles.
Arts and Crafts Designs
Don’t underestimate how many people of all ages enjoy arts and crafts hobbies. This category is also in Shopify’s top 20. Websites like Simplicity make money by selling clothing patterns instead of the dresses themselves. Other shops create intricate designs for crocheting, quilting, and knitting — and sell them alongside high-quality fabrics and supplies.
Webinars and Online Courses
Online courses are exploding in popularity, with eLearning generating nearly $400 billion a year. Examples range from online university courses and professional workshops to “Masterclass”-style coaching sessions and team-building webinars you sell tickets to. Digital services require different billing tools to manage (and usually an app for subscriptions), but Shopify is an excellent platform for monetizing a content library.
Tutorials
There’s no need to be so formal when it comes to online learning. You can also launch a brand around teaching your secrets to DIY enthusiasts. Beauty classes, cooking classes, music lessons, gardening classes, and many other topics can be your ticket to online success.
App Plugins and Shopify Themes
Professional coders, software developers, web designers, and programmers don’t have to work for some colossal firm to bring in money from their work. The popularity of platforms like Shopify and WordPress means that there’s always a need for app solutions. If you have the skills, you can design an app or theme that delivers functionality the base platform lacks, like wholesale tools for B2B companies or automated tools for GDPR compliance.
Audiobooks
Even in the digital age, people haven’t stopped loving books, no matter how busy they are. The audiobook market is growing quickly, on track to hit 1.8 billion users in under five years.
Specialized Cookbooks and Recipes
There are free recipes available online, but they don’t hold a candle next to mouthwatering creations from professional chefs or secret recipes from around the globe. Digital cookbooks, which are easy to download onto an iPad, are ideal for date nights or foodie gatherings.
Interactive Storybooks
Make storytime for kids exciting by taking the classic children’s book to the next level. Making stories interactive with animations and activities, as well as clicking wars, gets kids and parents involved and sets your content apart.
How Can You Market Shopify Digital Products?
Creating digital goods and adding them to your store is just the beginning. Your goal is to build a thriving business.
Be Unique
Avoid generic content. Low-effort YouTube-level videos and blog articles won’t cut it for digital sales. You need high-quality content that has a unique perspective. For example, if you’re an expat living in Thailand, your backstreets travel guide can be completely different than the majority of guides.
Know Your Target Audience
Creating digital art or music to express yourself is good, but it doesn’t sell unless you resonate with a target audience. Figure out who likes your style, and you can end up with a large fan base (and maybe loyal Patreon subs).
How Do You Boost Sales of Digital Products on Shopify?
To make your store unforgettable, create incredible user experiences with Shopify apps. Offer exciting bundles, such as gift sets with digital art, signed merchandise, print-on-demand coffee cups, greeting cards, and more. Discover other tools and tips for selling digital products on Shopify by contacting our helpful StayTuned Digital team.