Selling Digital Products: How to Start Selling Digital Products

What are digital products? eBooks, music, online courses, mobile apps, and even digital art like NFTs. Those are digital products! They exist online and can be accessed instantly with your phone or computer.

However, knowing what digital products are and selling digital products online are two different things. If you want to become successful selling digital products, it is important you put several things in place.

For one, you must have the perfect digital product ideas and establish your unique selling point (USP) in that niche. You also need to choose the best business model for your digital product business – eCommerce business model, SaaS business model, subscription business model, or dropshipping business model.

The business model you choose will invariably determine the monetization method of your digital products. You also need to consider your eCommerce marketing and eCommerce sales strategies from the get-go.

Seems like a lot? It is all worth it! 

Selling digital products is a great way to earn passive income in 2024. So, don’t fret – there’s a lot of money to be made.

In this blog, we will look at how to start selling digital products online. Let’s get started!

How to Start Selling Digital Products Online

Selling digital products online is a fantastic way to turn your expertise and creativity into income. It allows you to reach a global audience, offers flexible work hours, and requires minimal upfront investment compared to physical products.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started:

1. Choose Your Digital Products

The first thing you want to do is choose your digital products. Since, you’ll most likely be creating the digital product yourself, you can stick close to home and look inward – what can you offer that others would find valuable?

It could be anything, from eBooks and audio files to mobile apps and graphic design templates. Whatever it is, make sure the product meets a need and is unique in its way.

Learn how to become a graphics designer here.

2. Research the Market

Once you identify what you want to sell, research existing digital products in your chosen niche. You can conduct market research to find out what customers in that niche are looking for and how the available solutions are fulfilling it.

The goal of your research is to find a gap – no matter how small. When you find that gap, you can modify your digital product in such a way that it can fill the existing gap.

3. Conduct Test Runs

Now, before you invest heavily in your digital product, make sure you conduct initial market runs and tests. This will help you see if your digital product is sellable. You can offer free samples or a trial version of the product.

Make sure you collect feedback from your testers. This feedback will help you get your digital product better.

4. Create Your Online Store

To start selling digital products online you need to have a storefront, either digital or physical. If you choose to sell on the digital storefront, several options exist.

You can sell digital products on eCommerce marketplace platforms like Etsy, Amazon, Thinkific, or KDP. Another option is to create your digital product website from scratch.

Some digital product sellers already have an existing online business, like a blogging business, an eCommerce business, or a mobile app development business. It is easier for them to just create a store on their website to sell their digital products.

However, if you don’t have a website already, you can select from popular digital product website options like Shopify digital products, WordPress, or WooCommerce. Make sure you consider the features, pricing, and ease of use of these platforms before making your selection.

5. Design Your Digital Product Website

The next step is designing your digital store. You can either outsource the designing of your website to a web development agency or learn how to become a web developer yourself – which is longer and not for everyone.

Whichever option you choose, make sure your digital store is visually appealing and user-friendly – desktop and mobile. Although having a functional website is great, your customers will appreciate a website that looks good and works well at the same time.

6. Set Up Payment Processing

There are several payment processing solutions you can set up. However, the payment processing solution you pick must be able to integrate well with your digital product website.

It must also be able to provide secure payment checkouts and help you accept online payments. Your customers should be able to make payments seamlessly and without having to worry about any issues.

You can try PayPal, Stripe, or other contactless payment methods available in your country. 

If you are in Nigeria, learn how to open a PayPal account in Nigeria here.

7. Market Your Products

Now that you have a valuable digital product and a great website, it’s time to promote your digital products online. There are several eCommerce marketing tools and strategies you can use to market your digital products.

Just as you will market a physical product, you need to put strategies in place to increase the eCommerce sales of your digital product. The mistake most digital product business owners make is believing their products will make money without any marketing effort.

So, because you’ve heard that you can make money from creating eBooks or mobile apps, you forget that you need to inform customers about your new creation. You cannot just create an eBook and leave it on Amazon Kindle believing it will sell on its own.

Take advantage of eCommerce social media marketing, eCommerce content marketing, eCommerce email marketing, and eCommerce influencer marketing. This will help you attract your target audience and become more visible online.

You can run promotions, offer discounts, and sell bundles to encourage sales and close more deals. Another idea to incorporate when selling digital products is listing your products on established marketplaces – Etsy, Gumroad, or Amazon.

8. Deliver Your Products

Secure delivery is important when selling digital products online. Make sure customers can securely get their digital products after they make a purchase.

You can integrate plugins or apps on your website that offer seamless delivery solutions. If you are selling digital products on eCommerce marketplaces, use platforms with built-in delivery features like SendOwl or Gumroad.

Finally, always be available to answer questions and address any issues promptly. Providing excellent customer service will boost customer loyalty to your brand and increase your customer retention rate.

15 Digital Products to Sell Online

Here are some of the most profitable digital products that have the potential to generate substantial income when sold online:

• Online Courses and Workshops: Knowledge is in high demand. Creating comprehensive online courses or workshops on topics like business skills, programming languages, digital marketing, and personal development can yield significant profits.

• Ebooks and Guides: Writing and selling in-depth ebooks and guides on popular subjects can be highly lucrative. Blog business niches like health and wellness, finance, self-improvement, and niche hobbies tend to perform well.

• Stock Photos and Graphics: High-quality stock photos, illustrations, icons, and design elements are essential for businesses, websites, and marketing materials. If you have a knack for design, this can be a profitable venture.

• Website Themes and Templates: With the growing need for online presence, selling website themes, templates, and plugins can be a steady source of income for web designers and developers.

• Printable Planners and Journals: People are always looking for ways to stay organized. Creating and selling printable planners, calendars, and journals can be a lucrative venture, especially around the start of a new year.

• Digital Art and Prints: If you’re a talented artist, selling digital art prints, illustrations, and designs can attract a niche audience willing to pay for unique and creative works.

• Mobile App Templates: The app market is booming. Developing mobile app templates for various purposes can save time and effort for app developers and earn you a solid income. 

Learn how to monetize mobile apps here.

• Music and Sound Effects: Musicians and sound designers can sell their compositions and sound effects for use in videos, podcasts, games, and other multimedia projects.

• Language Learning Resources: As globalization continues, language learning remains popular. Creating language guides, flashcards, and pronunciation tools can cater to a growing audience.

• Virtual Event Resources: The rise of virtual events and webinars creates a demand for customizable templates, guides, and resources that event organizers can use.

• Writing Templates and Prompts: Aspiring writers and bloggers often seek inspiration and guidance. Offering writing prompts, templates, and resources can be a great source of income.

• Printable Wall Art: Decorative printable art for home and office spaces can cater to interior design enthusiasts.

• Online Printables for Kids: Educational printables, coloring books, and activity sheets for kids can be popular among parents and educators.

• Personal Finance Spreadsheets: Creating comprehensive budgeting and financial planning spreadsheets can be valuable for individuals looking to manage their finances effectively.

• Software and Plugins: If you have coding skills, developing software applications or plugins for platforms like WordPress can be a profitable endeavor.

Websites to Sell Digital Products

There are numerous platforms available to help you launch your online business and start selling digital products.

Here are some of the most popular websites to sell digital products online:

• Sellfy: Sellfy is an excellent option for beginners due to its intuitive interface and simple setup process. It allows you to upload files, set prices, and start selling right away.
• Gumroad: Another user-friendly platform, Gumroad is ideal for selling individual digital products like ebooks, music, or design assets. It offers flexible pricing options and a built-in audience reach.
• SendOwl: Focusing on delivering digital products directly from your website or social media, SendOwl offers custom branding and marketing features.

• Podia: This platform allows you to create and sell online courses, membership sites, and digital downloads with a sleek, modern interface. It provides comprehensive tools for managing course content, student interactions, and memberships.
• Thinkific: Another powerful platform for course creation, Thinkific offers advanced features like quizzes, assignments, certificates, and drip content scheduling. It also includes built-in marketing tools and student management functionalities.
• Kajabi: This all-in-one platform combines course creation, website building, email marketing, and community features. It is a powerful solution for creators who want to build a comprehensive online presence.

• Shopify: While primarily known for physical product sales, Shopify also offers robust features for selling digital products. It provides extensive customization options, powerful marketing tools, and scalability for growing businesses.
• Bigcommerce: Similar to Shopify, Bigcommerce offers a comprehensive platform for selling both physical and digital products. It provides flexible pricing plans, scalability, and advanced marketing integrations.
• Squarespace: This platform is known for its beautiful website templates and user-friendly interface. While not specifically designed for digital products, it allows you to sell ebooks, music, and other digital files seamlessly alongside your website content.

• Creative Market: A curated marketplace for designers and creative professionals, offering design assets, fonts, templates, and more.
• Envato Market: This marketplace encompasses several sub-brands like ThemeForest and AudioJungle, selling themes, plugins, music, sound effects, and other creative assets.
• Etsy: Primarily known for handmade goods, Etsy also allows sellers to offer digital products like printable artwork, patterns, and digital downloads.

What Are You Waiting For?

Selling digital products is a way to make steady and recurring passive income. However, you need to be proactive in implementing strategies that will grow your business.

Some business owners make millions from selling digital products. It is achievable, but make sure you can communicate the value of your digital product from the get-go. 

Keep your customers satisfied and your business will be a success.