Many entrepreneurs are constructing total companies round digital merchandise—comparable to ebooks, on-line programs, music, or customized templates—as a result of their recognition and ease of distribution. Different corporations are launching them to enrich bodily gadgets and companies.
Studying promote digital merchandise gives the potential for passive revenue, since they are often created as soon as and bought repeatedly to completely different clients with out needing to replenish stock or take care of order achievement. That makes them excellent for creatives, bloggers, educators, and freelancers searching for environment friendly methods to become profitable on-line.
If that’s you, right here’s create, market, and promote digital merchandise on-line—together with examples of the highest digital merchandise.
What are digital merchandise?
Digital merchandise are intangible items that exist in a digital format. These embrace ebooks, music, digital artwork, software program, on-line programs, and digital items in video video games. They’re sometimes delivered to clients through obtain or e-mail, and supply companies a method to offer worth with out bodily stock.
Why promote digital merchandise versus bodily items?
There are various benefits to promoting digital merchandise, which makes them uniquely engaging to entrepreneurs:
- Low overhead prices. You don’t have to carry stock or incur any transport prices.
- Excessive revenue margins. There’s no recurring price of products, so you keep nearly all of your gross sales in earnings. Calculate your revenue margins forward of time.
- Potential to automate. Orders might be delivered immediately with no oversight.
- Versatile merchandise. You possibly can supply free merchandise to construct your e-mail checklist, month-to-month paid subscriptions for entry to unique digital content material, or licenses to make use of your digital merchandise. There are various choices for incorporating digital merchandise into your corporation.
- E-learning is more and more widespread. On-line educators have a large alternative to develop their enterprise and influence with e-learning, an trade anticipated to be price $840 billion by 2030.
However on-line digital merchandise additionally include particular challenges you’ll must be careful for:
- You’re competing with free content material. With digital items, customers will normally have entry to free alternate options to what you’re promoting. This necessitates cautious excited about your area of interest, the kinds of merchandise you promote, and write your product descriptions.
- You’re prone to piracy. You may want to cut back the danger of content material theft by using instruments to guard your merchandise.
The place to promote digital merchandise
There are three foremost channels for digital merchandise: self-created on-line shops, social media, and digital marketplaces.
- Begin an on-line retailer utilizing an ecommerce platform like Shopify, then combine a digital product app for seamless promoting and administration.
- Promote your digital merchandise to your viewers through social media. Use native purchasing options or join your Shopify retailer.
- Create a profile on a longtime digital market inside your area of interest and entry a pre-established viewers.
Bear in mind, in trade for publicity, some marketplaces can take as much as 50% fee for each sale. Keep away from vendor charges by constructing your personal on-line vacation spot for trending digital merchandise.
💡 Be taught extra: Trending Merchandise to Promote
10 greatest digital merchandise to promote on-line
- On-line programs
- Ebooks
- Licensed digital content material
- Premium content material libraries
- Digital templates and instruments
- Product images
- Music, artwork, and leisure
- Digital companies
- Printable digital merchandise
- Digital memberships
1. On-line programs
On-line programs are the easiest way to current in-depth content material in a monetized digital format. You possibly can create a presentation, document a video walk-through, or develop a course that includes the voices of subject-matter consultants.
As soon as created, your course might be taken by hundreds (or a whole lot of hundreds) of scholars. You solely must make updates when your content material turns into outdated or loses relevancy.
When ideating your course, start by visualizing learner outcomes: what would you like your learner to know or be capable of do after they have accomplished your content material?
On-line programs can embrace quizzes, data checks, and different interactive actions to break-up passive studying content material and enhance engagement.
💡 Be taught extra: How To Create an On-line Course
2. Ebooks
![Product card for a baking ebook with images, a buy button, and a product description.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/How_to_Cake_It.png?v=1614205950)
In case you are the supply of information for a web-based course, you can additionally bundle your experience as an e book. How one can Cake It, for instance, sells digital cookbooks alongside their programs for straightforward scrolling and bookmarking when you bake.
Ebooks are a well-known digital format throughout audiences and might be accessed through an ereader, laptop, or cell system. You possibly can write an e book on something—however earlier than you decide to a subject, analysis the provision of free content material in your topic.
If there’s already an abundance of weblog posts or YouTube tutorials that your readers can entry without cost, you’ll must differentiate your content material with a novel promoting proposition (USP).
Your e book’s USP could possibly be your status as an professional or profitable particular person inside your area of interest. Alternatively, your guide may promise to delve deeper and additional into your matter than current free on-line content material. Or, place your guide as the important useful resource for readers hoping to progress inside your self-discipline.
Additionally, keep in mind that the majority ebooks are priced competitively and will embrace free downloadable sections within the hopes of promoting a excessive variety of copies.
3. Licensed digital content material
![Product page for downloadable films with sections on project details, tech specs, and license pricing.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/City_Lights.png?v=1614205984)
From inventory pictures to video footage, music, and sound results, there’s a world ecosystem of licensable digital belongings uploaded by creatives for different creatives to make use of of their work.
Licensing your content material to be used by people and companies is a strategy to generate passive revenue out of your creations. Make investments your labor in creating some top-quality video transitions or background music, then obtain income from their use, for so long as they continue to be widespread.
You possibly can promote licenses from your personal retailer, just like how EditStock sells licenses for college kids. Or you’ll be able to promote by means of on-line marketplaces, comparable to these inventory picture websites.
When brainstorming asset concepts, work backward from the wants of your target market. Begin by excited about what sort of content material is in demand—and the place current creators usually are not fulfilling market wants.
Make sure to shield your digital merchandise with watermarks and different safety measures, particularly should you’re promoting pictures on-line.
4. Premium content material libraries
![Laptop and smartphone showing video guides to snowboarding.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/Snowboard_tutorials_membership_site.png?v=1614206065)
When you’ve had success promoting a web-based course or e book, or from licensing content material, one strategy to evolve your providing is to bundle your creations. You possibly can present full entry to your total catalog of digital merchandise for a month-to-month or yearly subscription—or a one-time price.
Snowboard Dependancy, for instance, is a monetized vacation spot for all issues snowboarding. Prospects can store for bodily snowboarding gear in addition to obtain tutorials and join stay on-line programs.
One benefit of a subscription-based enterprise mannequin is that it generates a motivated, energetic neighborhood. Your subscribers are your greatest prospects for any new content material you create, and could also be an important useful resource to seek the advice of when contemplating your subsequent transfer.
Since your library will solely be accessible to paying subscribers, you can additionally think about internet hosting unique content material, comparable to livestreams and AMA classes.
You possibly can promote digital product subscriptions with Shopify through the use of a subscription billing app.
5. Digital templates and instruments
![Illustrator digital product bundles shown at discounted prices.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/Retro_supply.png?v=1614206110)
Digital merchandise additionally come within the type of instruments, equipping professionals to do duties extra shortly or competently. You possibly can promote digital options to frequent ache factors inside a task or frequent on-line process, comparable to video enhancing.
Instruments might be standalone apps or gadgets that mix with different digital software program. For instance, RetroSupply Co sells brushes, textures, and templates for designers to make use of in widespread applications comparable to Procreate and Photoshop. (Word how additionally they supply on-line programs and ebooks.)
Different digital instruments and template merchandise to promote on-line embrace:
- Digital advertising technique templates for entrepreneurs
- Resume templates for job-seekers
- Cellular apps for companies
- Graphic design templates for brochures, flyers, posters, and many others.
- Adobe Photoshop filters and plugins for media editors
- Icons, fonts, or UX Kits for internet designers
6. Product images
![A person wearing a towel holds up a pot of body butter in this example of product photography.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/productphoto.png?v=1702422471)
When you’re a photographer, promoting your companies on-line generally is a profitable enterprise. Due to the rise of ecommerce, skilled product pictures have by no means been in greater demand.
The most effective product photographers can determine the options of an merchandise that customers are most inquisitive about and use their pictures to emphasise these elements. Different ideas for taking high-quality product pictures embrace investing in a great tripod and studying assemble the precise lighting setting.
Like different digital merchandise on this checklist, you’ll be able to promote product pictures through your personal web site, with an company, by means of a market, or all three (until you signal an exclusivity settlement). When promoting your companies, think about providing completely different packages primarily based on variety of pictures, kinds of merchandise, or particular kinds and setups.
7. Music, artwork, and leisure
![Image of an idyllic cabin in the mountains next to product information for digital sheet music.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/Stardew_valley.png?v=1614206138)
Digital product concepts do not need to be purely practical. When you’re a musician, artist, or content material creator, likelihood is you’ve explored these or comparable methods to monetize your skills on-line:
- Crowdfunding platforms comparable to Patreon permit followers to assist creators in return for unique content material.
- For artists, on-line galleries like Saatchi Artwork are a great place to search out patrons on your work.
- To construct your following, add or stream content material on social media in return for a share of advert income, sponsorship offers, and viewers ideas.
Past inventive and entertaining content material, there’s an entire world of merchandise and branded digital merchandise. If folks take pleasure in a specific podcast or album, for instance, they is likely to be inquisitive about gadgets carrying designs that reference the artwork.
You should utilize print on demand corporations to create branded merch and promote it on a Shopify retailer, without having to pay for manufacturing till you make a sale.
Typically, this type of digital product promoting works greatest with area of interest goal markets. For instance, Materia Retailer sells digital sheet music for widespread online game soundtracks.
8. Digital companies
![a person doing a push-up next to some weights in a gym.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/Gym_services_digital_product.png?v=1614206172)
Providers pair effectively with digital merchandise. A designer can supply a logo-creation service alongside downloadable templates. A private coach may supply stay private coaching classes to their exercise plan subscribers. Likewise, you’ll be able to place companies—digital or in actual life—as add-ons to your on-line merchandise.
For instance, you may promote consultations together with a personalised report or Excel spreadsheet. Or, you can supply a free downloadable product to generate leads on your e-mail advertising checklist, a tactic that many on-line companies make use of.
If there are duties you generally full as a part of your service enterprise, you’ll be able to think about separating and productizing them to create extra income streams.
9. Printable digital merchandise
![Outline illustrations of anthropomorphic fast food items such as a donut and a soda cup.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/illustration_0c2dd59c-0c8d-4b77-af65-59e40c515a4d.png?v=1702422539)
This class of digital merchandise spans a variety of print-at-home prospects, from customized wall artwork, planners, and greeting playing cards to specialised fashions for 3D printers. Prospects can obtain and print your designs for private use or as a part of their very own craft.
For a youthful viewers, printable coloring pages and worksheets are an in-demand mixture of enjoyable and studying. For instance, digital obtain model Caravan sells coloring posters as downloadable recordsdata or shipped prints.
10. Digital memberships
![Illustration of a nautical-themed dive bar with fishing nets, anchors, and buoys](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/membership.png?v=1702422621)
Digital memberships are golden tickets to an unique neighborhood centered round your model or content material. Becoming a member of your digital membership may bestow members with entry to premium content material, the chance to buy limited-edition merchandise, or tickets to occasions.
Different digital members golf equipment grant entry to networking advantages. Nomad Checklist, for instance, is a world community for digital nomads, providing memberships that join customers with different nomads, in addition to offering metropolis information and journey planning options.
Because the development for token-gated initiatives has proven, nevertheless, digital communities needn’t be centered round a tangible merchandise or service. Membership to an open-ended collective might be priceless in itself. Digital initiatives such because the Bored Ape Yacht Membership use blockchain expertise to offer proof of membership and grant entry to perks and not using a central raison d’etre.
When crafting your digital membership expertise, deal with creating a way of exclusivity. The aim is to offer steady worth for members—and to make potential shoppers really feel like they’re lacking out.
How one can create and promote digital merchandise
1. Discover or create a digital product
Discover a digital product to promote. You possibly can create your personal digital merchandise or develop into an affiliate companion for an current creator. In style digital merchandise embrace:
- Leisure content material
- Music
- Fonts
- Design belongings
- Photoshop presets
- Templates
- Software program and plug-ins
- E-learning programs
- And different on-line companies
Product brainstorming
When producing concepts on your digital merchandise, don’t be too vital—the important thing to brainstorming is to keep away from overthinking. When you’re searching for concepts of downloadable merchandise to promote on-line, listed here are some inquiries to ask your self:
- Are you able to educate clients use your merchandise? For instance, should you promote knitting merchandise, you can supply appointments to show superior knitting methods.
- Are there issues you’ll be able to assist your clients with associated to your total trade? When you promote surfboards, you can create a exercise program to assist your clients keep in surf form at house.
- What are the values you’ve constructed your corporation on, and what are matters associated to them? For instance, should you promote sustainable attire, you can create a course educating your clients stay a extra sustainable life.
- In what methods may you carry your neighborhood of shoppers collectively? When you promote kitchen provides, you can run a digital guided wine-tasting occasion.
- What are you good at? When you’re actually nice at product images, you can educate different folks get higher at product images too.
💡 Be taught extra: Discovering Your Area of interest: 8 Area of interest Market Examples to Encourage You.
2. Product validation
Validate your concept earlier than committing an excessive amount of time to it. The very last thing you need to do is make investments loads of time or cash in a brand new enterprise with out figuring out it has a great likelihood to achieve success.
Listed here are some methods to validate your concept as you determine promote digital merchandise:
- Key phrase analysis. Use a key phrase analysis instrument to see how many individuals are looking for your matters. This offers you an concept of the chance measurement of every one.
- Google Tendencies. Search your matters on Google Tendencies. Search for matters which can be rising in curiosity. This implies the chance measurement will continue to grow.
- Fb teams. There are Fb teams devoted to each area of interest and viewers conceivable, making them an important place to be taught what your potential clients care about.
- Trade boards. Boards devoted to hobbies and communities in your trade may also help you be taught extra about what folks need and want in your broader trade.
- Product opinions. Learn each the opinions on your merchandise and opponents’ merchandise to get concepts. These may come from the opinions on product pages in addition to standalone opinions on blogs and different web sites.
- Begin small and iterate. Typically, the simplest strategy to validate an concept is to experiment with a smaller model of the thought with room for development. The aim is to get one thing out into the world as quickly as attainable so you’ll be able to put your concept to the check and enhance it from there.
It doesn’t matter what trade you’re in, you’ve distinctive strengths and data that will be priceless to your clients and promoting digital merchandise.
💡 Be taught extra: The 16-Step Information to Evaluating the Viability of Any Product Thought.
3. Create a web-based retailer
When you validate a digital product concept, you’ll need to get an ecommerce platform to promote on.
Make an internet site to promote your digital merchandise and rise up and operating in a couple of hours. Decide from a catalog of web site templates, populate together with your brand, copy, and pictures, and also you’re able to get promoting.
![Selection of free Shopify themes with example color schemes.](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/image1_246afd4b-de59-4e78-bfba-1def0f59767b.png?v=1695598764)
Shopify is the simplest and most respected strategy to create an ecommerce retailer for on-line digital merchandise. You don’t want any tech abilities or a giant price range, and you’ll select from greater than 100 templates with built-in options to get arrange shortly.
There are additionally over 4,000 free Shopify apps you need to use for managing your retailer and promoting extra digital merchandise on-line. Apps make the supply of digital merchandise simpler than ever. Browse the App Retailer to search out apps that plug into your retailer and do every little thing from internet hosting course content material to delivering PDF purchases.
4. Market your digital merchandise
With a digital product and a web-based retailer sorted, it’s time to search out your clients. When you’re promoting fonts or design templates, construct an viewers of designers and creators on the social platforms they use most. Additionally think about influencer advertising, social adverts, or lead magnets.
8 apps for promoting digital merchandise on Shopify
- EDP ‑ Straightforward Digital Merchandise. EDP is a well-liked app for promoting downloadable recordsdata and license keys out of your on-line retailer
- Filemonk. Filemonk is designed to make it as straightforward as attainable for Shopify retailers to model and promote digital merchandise.
- SendOwl. For extra advanced digital product companies, SendOwl comes with a wide range of automation options.
- Programs. This Shopify app allows you to create classes, tutorials, webinars, and manuals and promote them on-line.
- Single. When you’re a musician promoting music, Single bridges the hole between bodily and digital music gross sales.
- FetchApp. FetchApp is one other digital obtain supply app with a free plan obtainable (5 megabytes of storage).
- Sky Pilot. This app for constructing a membership program. Promote recordsdata and unique video streams to clients.
- BookThatApp, Tipo, or Sesami. Use these apps to schedule consultations or teaching classes with clients. All three have a free plan obtainable.
Past these digital product supply programs, there are different Shopify apps to energy and shield your digital items, comparable to:
- RecurrinGO!. That is an app for weekly or month-to-month subscriptions. Use it to automate recurring orders, invoices, and digital subscriptions for on-line memberships or applications.
- Disable Proper-Click on. When your content material is your product, this app helps you shield it from theft. You possibly can lock pictures and textual content to allow them to’t be saved or copied with out your permission.
Word: When creating digital merchandise in Shopify, make sure to uncheck “It is a bodily product.”
Gross sales and advertising ideas for promoting digital merchandise
Whether or not you’re a brand new enterprise proprietor or including on-line digital merchandise to your current retailer, hold the following tips in thoughts:
Create an important digital product
The primary standards for creating digital merchandise is so as to add worth to your clients’ lives. Because you’re competing with free content material on the net, put money into constructing a product folks can’t discover wherever else.
Promote a free lead magnet
No matter how a lot your product prices, create a light-weight model of it without cost. A free product may also help you construct an e-mail checklist you’ll be able to promote to sooner or later. It additionally opens the door for upselling and retargeting potential clients with completely different promotions. Free merchandise can construct belief between your corporation and potential clients.
Begin an associates program on your product
Associates are an enormous supply of visitors and gross sales for creators promoting digital merchandise. Discover influencers who’re established and trusted in your trade and supply them a fee for every sale they make. You possibly can create completely different percentages for various associates, so if somebody has a big viewers, you may give them the next fee fee to advertise extra and entice clients.
Acquire preorders
A good way to get early gross sales is by giving a reduced “early hen” value. When you’re releasing a brand new digital product, you’ll be able to supply a 50% low cost for the primary 100 patrons, then 25% for the following 100 patrons, after which launch the product at full value after the 25% low cost runs out.
Provide a money-back assure
When you’re hesitant about providing a guaranty in your merchandise, it is sensible. Some folks may purchase and use your product then ask for his or her a refund. But it surely’s all part of operating a web-based enterprise. The rewards of upper conversion charges outweigh the small share of people that could abuse the coverage. A a refund assure reveals potential patrons you’re placing the danger on you, not them.
Creating one of the best digital merchandise for your corporation
With out the necessity to maintain stock or the overhead related to promoting bodily merchandise, all kinds of digital merchandise might be worthwhile on-line enterprise concepts.
There are numerous methods you’ll be able to create one of the best digital content material to promote and resell and incorporate them into your corporation. With slightly ingenuity and upfront funding of time, you’ll be able to serve up irresistible worth that may greater than pay for itself over time.
Digital merchandise FAQ
What are some examples of digital merchandise?
- On-line programs and webinars
- Kindle books
- Audiobooks
- Software program applications
- Net parts like Shopify or WordPress themes
- Printables
- Membership websites
- Workbooks
- PowerPoint templates
How do you create a digital product?
- Brainstorm digital product concepts.
- Analysis purchaser ache factors.
- Validate concepts by means of key phrase and development analysis.
- Produce your digital merchandise.
- Create a Shopify retailer.
- Construct an viewers and market your digital merchandise.
What digital merchandise are in demand?
- Academic merchandise like ebooks and on-line programs
- Unique membership communities
- Digital templates and instruments
- Repurposed music or artwork
- Productized companies
- Licenses to make use of digital belongings
What sort of digital merchandise promote greatest?
The most effective-selling digital merchandise embrace graphic design, templates, downloadable prints, music and audio, inventory images, and print on demand merchandise like customized t-shirts, notebooks, and mugs.