How to Sell Digital Products on Shopify: A Beginner's Guide

You can be an artist, writer, or creator. The digital world offers opportunities to showcase and sell online. You will turn your hobbies like photography, writing, or teaching into a source of income.

This beginner-friendly guide covers everything you need to start. This guide will help you succeed in the digital marketplace.

What is a Digital Product?

Digital products are things you can use or get online without needing a physical version. They are unlike regular products like books or toys. Digital products are electronic, usually as files you can download. They cover a lot, like ebooks, music, videos, apps, and online classes.

One great thing about digital products is easy to get. You can buy, send, and use them all online. It is without needing to make or ship anything physical. This saves time and money. You can use them right away on your computer, phone, or tablet.

Also, digital products are flexible and easy to make more of without extra costs. This is super handy for businesses and creators. They want to reach more people and change things up to fit what customers want.

There are lots of digital products out there. It can be art and photos to templates, apps, games, and services you subscribe to. They cover all sorts of things, like fun, learning, work, and making life easier.

Overall, digital products make life online easier and more fun. They let you do things without any hassle, help creators share their work worldwide.

Who Can Benefit From Selling Digital Products On Shopify

Today, many people can make money online by selling digital products on Shopify. Whether you are an artist, teacher, freelancer, or business owner, Shopify lets you share your work with people worldwide. This section explores who can benefit from selling digital products on Shopify, such as creative folks and professionals.

• Creatives and Artists:  If you are into painting, photography, graphic design, or digital works, Shopify is a great place to showcase your work and sell it worldwide. Your products can be digital prints, illustrations, photos, or custom graphics.
• Educators: You love teaching and sharing what you know. Shopify lets you create and sell online courses, tutorials, e-books, or educational services. You are teaching a language. You can offer business advice, or share special skills. You can reach students all over the world.
• Freelancers: You are a web designer, marketer, writer, or consultant. Shopify is handy for selling digital services, templates, or consulting packages. You can turn your skills into downloadable resources. There can be website themes, marketing guides, or business templates, and sell them directly to clients.
• Businesses and Entrepreneurs: Shopify isn’t just for physical products. Businesses big and small can make extra money. You can sell digital downloads alongside your physical products. You can start a digital subscription service. Shopify helps you manage and sell your digital products hassle-free.
• Niche Experts and Influencers: You are a pro in your field or an influencer with a bunch of followers. Shopify lets you cash in on your expertise. You can sell digital guides, tutorials, or exclusive content to your fans. You are into fitness, fashion, or tech. You can create digital products. That fits your niche and keeps your followers engaged.

How to sell digital products on Shopify

Step 1: Choose Your Digital Products

You start selling digital items. It’s important to pick what you want to offer. Here are some popular options to think about:

• Books (“ReadWise” for example): Get into digital writing by sharing different kinds of written products. It can be stories, guides, manuals, or ebooks. That lets you flexibly share knowledge and stories.
• Classes (“SkillShare” for example): Help people learn with online courses. These can include videos, PDFs, quizzes, and assignments. Online classes are great for folks to learn new skills. They can enjoy learning.
• Music (“Bandcamp” for example): Share your music with others by offering original songs or soundtracks. They are digital downloads. People are always looking for new tunes to listen to. This can be a good way to make money.
• Art (“Etsy” for example): Show off your artistic side by offering illustrations, designs, photos, or digital paintings. Digital art lets you express yourself in unique ways.
• Tools (“Envato” for example): Help people out by offering useful software products, like apps, plugins, or templates. These can make tasks easier, boost productivity, or solve common problems for individuals and businesses.
• Game (“Steam” for example): Get into gaming by offering virtual items, like in-game assets or virtual money. Gamers are always looking to improve their gaming experience with cool digital products.

You can pick what to sell, and make sure it fits with your brand and your customers. Understanding what your potential customers are into can help you choose the right products.

Step 2: Set Up Your Shopify Store

• Sign up for Shopify 

Make sure to sign up to access all the tools and features.

• Select a theme 

Pick a theme that matches your brand and your customers. Think about its looks, its seting up,…’=

• Consider extra tools 

It depends on what you’re selling. You might need extra tools to make your store work better. You want to sell digital products. You’ll need tools to help people download it easily.

• Customize your store 

Spend time making your store fit your brand. Add your logo, pick colors you like, and arrange things. It will look good and works well for visitors. This will make people trust your store more.

• Explore available features 

Take a look at all the things Shopify offers. There are tools for payments, shipping, and getting the word out about your store. Knowing what’s available can help you make your store even better.

Step 3: Integrate Digital Products

• Pick the right app: Go to the Shopify App Store. Find the Digital Downloads app or similar ones for managing digital goods. Install by following the provided instructions.
• Add a new product: Log in to your Shopify admin area. Go to the “Products” section. Hit the “Add product” button to create a new listing.
• Fill in the details: Enter all the info about your digital product, like its name, description, and price. Make it clear what buyers are getting. Then, upload the digital file, whether it’s a PDF, MP3, or ZIP.
• Add cover images: Make your product look appealing by adding nice cover images. These small pictures catch shoppers’ eyes and make them want to know more. Pick visuals that show what your product is about.
• Publish your product: You add everything and check it over. Click “Save” or “Publish” to make your digital item available for sale on your Shopify store.

Read more: HOW TO GET YOUR FIRST SALE ON SHOPIFY WITH 10+ TIPS

Step 4: Marketing Strategies

• Promote your digital products: Through your website, social media, email newsletters, and other channels. Share interesting content and sneak peeks to get people interested. 
• Consider offering free products to get people interested and their emails. You can also offer monthly subscriptions for special products to get people to sign up.
• Leverage SEO techniques: Use good words in your product descriptions, titles, and tags to show up in search results.  

By doing these things, you can make more people notice and like your digital products, and sell more on your Shopify store.

Read more: SHOPIFY TECHNICAL SEO: A GUIDE TO BOOST YOUR RANK

Step 5: Order Management

Dealing with orders for digital products is simple. Because they’re delivered right away. Here’s what to do:

• Automatic delivery: 

Digital products are sent out immediately. You don’t have to check each order manually. Your Shopify store will handle sending them automatically when someone buys.

• Fast delivery: 

Make sure your customers get their files quickly after buying. This keeps them happy and makes shopping easy for them.

Risk And Opportunity To Sell Digital Products On Shopify

In this part, we’ll look at the good and tough parts of selling products online using Shopify. We’ll talk about the chances to sell a lot and make good money, but also about the challenges like dealing with free competition and worries about piracy. 

We’ll share tips to help you handle these ups and downs. You will build a strong business selling digital products. You may be just starting. You have been in business for a while. Let’s learn how to do well on Shopify.

Opportunity

• Sold repeatedly without physical inventory or order fulfillment: Unlike physical goods, digital products can be sold over and over. It is without worrying about storing or shipping items. This makes it super easy to grow your business. You do not deal with the hassles of traditional retail.
• Low overhead costs: Running a Shopify store for digital products costs way less than having a physical shop or stocking inventory. Since there’s no need to keep physical items in stock or send them out, you can use your resources more wisely and focus on making your business bigger.
• High-profit margins: Digital products usually have big profit margins because they’re cheap to make and deliver. Once you’ve created them, you can sell them lots of times, bringing in more money without spending much more.

Risk 

• Competition with Freebies: There are full of free products online. It is hard to get people to pay for your digital goods. To stand out, you need to show your products. These are special and worth paying for.
• Piracy: Keeping your digital content safe from pirates and people sharing it for free is a big concern. It’s easy for folks to copy and spread digital files, which could mean losing money and hurting your brand.

So, how to deal with these risks? Here are solutions:

• Protect your content: Invest in tech that protects your digital assets from being used or shared without permission. Use tools like watermarks, access controls, and special agreements to keep your product safe and sound.
• Focus on providing value to your customers: Instead of just trying to sell, think about how you can help your customers with your digital products. You should make top-notch content, and offer personalized experiences. You have to chat with your audience to build trust and loyalty. You give people something great. They’ll be happy to pay for it.

Additional Tips for Succeeding in Your Online Business

In this part, we’ll give you some extra advice to help you succeed in your online business journey. These tips will give you helpful ideas to improve your strategy and boost your success. 

• Know Your Audience: You know what your customers like and what they need. Make your products and advertisements match your customers wants. This process involves researching demographics, behaviors, and feedback. You then analyze competitors and create personas to tailor products and ads effectively.
• Offer Good Products: Sell digital things that are helpful or interesting to your customers. Your products add something special to their lives. They tend to buy again.
• Describe Your Products Well: Write clear descriptions of your sale. Tell people about all the good things your digital products can do for them. Help your products show up in online searches.
• Get Feedback from Customers: Ask happy customers to say nice things about your products online. If other people see good reviews, they’ll trust you more and buy.
• Market Your Products: Spend time and money to promote your digital store. Use different methods, such as social media, email, and celebrities. You can also create content to spread the word.
• Keep Up with What’s Popular: Pay attention to your industry and your customers. Be ready to change your products. 
• Watch Your Store’s Stats: Use Shopify’s tools to see how many people are visiting your store, converting, and having experiences. This information will help you improve your store.
• Help Your Customers: Make sure your customers get great service. Answer their questions quickly and solve any problems they have.
• Follow the Rules: Know the laws about selling digital products, including copyrights and privacy rules. Stay compliant with laws like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) for copyrights. There is also the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for privacy,…

5 Biggest Brands That Sell Digital Products On Shopify

In this part, we’ll explore some leading brands. They excel in selling digital products on Shopify. These brands are top players in their fields. It offers a variety of digital items to customers worldwide. We’ll see how they use Shopify to connect with their audience. Let’s discover.

Motion Array

Who They Target: Aims at a wide range of creators. They are filmmakers, video editors, YouTubers,… Those are for both beginners and pros. People want top-notch video assets for their projects.

How They Succeed: Motion Array’s success comes from offering lots of digital assets at fair prices. Their subscription model gives users unlimited access to tons of products, keeping customers happy and coming back for more.

How They Spread the Word: Motion Array uses blogs, social media, and partnerships to reach its audience. They share tips and ideas on their blog and social media to show off what their products can do.

Motion Array offers unlimited access to a wide range of products

Pixel Union

Who They Target: Pixel Union goes after Shopify sellers and business owners. They want nice-looking themes and apps for their online stores. They serve businesses of all sizes. There are startups and big brands. Those who want to make their online shops better.

How They Succeed: Pixel Union shines because they focus on making things look good and work well. Their themes are known for being pretty and easy to use, while their apps help Shopify stores sell more.

How They Spread the Word: Pixel Union uses blogs, emails, and Shopify connections to tell people about their products. They write articles, share stories, and host online events to show why their themes and apps are awesome.

Out of the Sandbox

Who They Target: Out of the Sandbox aims at Shopify merchants who want cool and customizable themes for their stores. They serve businesses in many industries. There are fashion, beauty, home goods, and electronics.

How They Succeed: Stands out by making themes. That looks great and works well on mobile devices. Their themes are eye-catching, easy to change, and loved by Shopify sellers.

How They Spread the Word: Out of the Sandbox uses search engines, social media, and friends to get the word out. They show off their themes’ cool features through demo stores, videos, and happy customer stories.

Troop Themes

Who They Target: Troop Themes helps small businesses and startups get nice and simple Shopify themes for their stores. Their themes are easy to use, affordable, and perfect for new businesses.

How They Succeed: Troop Themes does well by focusing on making things simple, useful, and friendly for customers. Their themes are easy to use and fit right into Shopify stores without any fuss.

How They Spread the Word: Troop Themes uses social media, emails, and Shopify’s store to talk about their themes. They make videos, write newsletters, and chat with customers to show why their themes are great.

Troop Themes believe in simple design, crafted with purpose and personality

Happy Creative

Who They Target: Happy Creative helps Shopify sellers and small businesses get cool digital products to make their brands look good online. They offer graphics, fonts, and templates for people who want to stand out.

How They Succeed: Happy Creative rocks because they have lots of great products that are easy to use and don’t cost a lot. Their products help anyone make professional-looking designs without needing fancy skills.

How They Spread the Word: Happy Creative uses social media, stories, and partnerships to tell people about their products. They make fun posts share how-to guides, and team up with others to show why their products are awesome.

Conclusion

In short, selling digital products on Shopify offers opportunities for success. We’ve covered the steps to start and grow your digital business on Shopify. You should stay informed, adapt to changes, and focus on customer satisfaction. You can unlock the full potential of your digital business on Shopify.