How to Sell Digital Downloads on a Website Hassle-Free

12 min read

Imagine discovering a product that eliminates the need for shipping or managing inventory. How incredible would that be? Great news — such a product exists and can be as diverse as you want. We’re talking about digital products, of course.

With digital downloads, you can create a product once and start selling it to unlimited customers. Plus, the overhead costs are significantly lower than physical products, resulting in more profit for you. And the best part? Selling digital downloads on your website is easier than you think.

In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of selling digital downloads on your website. Dive in!

What Is a Digital Product?

A digital product is any form of content or media that can be downloaded and accessed on an electronic device, such as a computer, tablet, or smartphone. This includes products like ebooks, software, music files, videos, online courses, art, and more.

One of the main advantages of digital products is their flexibility. They can be created in various formats and easily customized to cater to different target audiences.

Go! Girl Guides sell downloadable travel guides for women who are traveling solo

Choosing a Digital Product to Sell

Before diving into the technical aspects, it’s important to choose what type of digital products you want to sell. There are various factors to consider, such as your expertise, target audience, and market demand.

If you’re a writer or blogger, selling ebooks or digital guides might be the best option for you. If you have technical skills, creating software or online courses could be more profitable. You can also sell digital art if you’re an artist or graphic designer.

To get you started, here are 18 digital product ideas that fit almost any niche.

Ebooks with recipes are perfect for businesses selling cooking classes, cookbooks, meal plans

How Does Selling Digital Downloads Work?

Whether you’re an artist, musician, or software developer, digital downloads offer a convenient and cost-effective way to sell your products. However, if you are not familiar with how to sell digital downloads, it may seem like a daunting task. We’re here to reassure you: it’s much easier than you might think!

Selling digital goods can be a seamless and automated process. Here’s how it usually works: you upload a digital product to your online store, and customers automatically receive the download link through an email after the purchase.

But where can you sell digital downloads online? Well, starting an online store is a great option — read on to learn how.

How to Sell Digital Downloads on Your Website

Selling digital downloads on your website can be a lucrative and hassle-free way to make money.

First, you need to choose an ecommerce platform. To sell digital downloads, you need a platform that supports digital products and automated delivery, such as Ecwid by Lightspeed.

Whether you have a site or a blog, you can add an online store to it using Ecwid. Or, if you don’t have a website yet, you can quickly set up one using Ecwid’s Instant Site. It is an ecommerce website with a built-in online store that requires no coding or design skills.

Hiriwā Digital Art created their ecommerce website using the Ecwid Instant Site

Ecwid lets you upload files up to 25GB, which is ideal for digital artists, musicians, or video creators. With this feature, you can upload high-quality files that appeal to customers and don’t have to worry about compression or quality loss when selling your products.

Just upload a file and your digital product is good to go

Also, Ecwid provides secure hosting and digital delivery for all your digital files. This means you are sure that your files are safe and cannot be accessed by unauthorized people.

Ecwid offers extra protection for download links. Download links can sometimes be shared with unauthorized people, resulting in stolen products. With Ecwid, you can set a self-destruct timer for download links or limit their usage. Rest easy knowing your products are secure, even if a customer shares a link online.

You can also disable or renew a download link in the order

Plus, Ecwid allows you to list an unlimited amount of files per product and offers unlimited file storage and bandwidth. As a result, you have ample storage and bandwidth to support your store’s growth as it scales with time.

Lastly, Ecwid ensures a safe download for customers. After the customer purchases the product, Ecwid automatically sends a secure download link.

Selling e-goods on Ecwid is straightforward — just upload the file and set a price. Remember to disable shipping for digital products. Once you receive an order, update the order status to “paid,” and the customer will receive the download link automatically. If customers paid for the order online, they’ll be able to download the file right away.

Check out our Help Center for instructions on adding a digital product to your Ecwid store.

Examples of Selling Digital Products

Here are some real-life examples of businesses successfully selling digital downloads on their websites.

Business coach and Ecwid merchant Kyshira Moffett added an Ecwid store to her existing website to sell digital resources for business owners and entrepreneurs! Digital downloads include planners, video webinars, and more.

Also: How to Start Selling Online Courses as Quickly as Possible

If you sell services, too, you can offer accompanying digital downloads as tools that complement your business. We recommend using Canva, a free design tool, as a cost-effective way to start selling digital downloads.

Take another Ecwid store, Ultimate 5 Squad, for example. His owner, RJ Rise, has built a customer base with free downloadable products that he created himself using Canva. These free worksheets help promote his business by gaining the trust of potential customers: “Maybe they’re checking me out for the first time out of curiosity. I want to make sure I give them a great special gift.” He could charge for it but would rather give it away and build their trust in the brand.

When customers order this free digital download, they get an 11-page worksheet!

How Can I Sell Digital Products Without a Website?

But what if you don’t have a website? No worries! If you’re not ready to commit to a website, there are a couple of places where you can still sell digital products.

Etsy

Mostly meant for handmade products, this marketplace allows you to sell digital downloads but not for free. There are hidden fees associated with each sale. So, if you have a lower-priced product, you may not make much of a profit.

Social Media

Another alternative is using social media to promote and sell your digital products. Now, this requires lots of manual work, and you should know that it may deter customers. But if you really don’t want a website, then consider this option.

Think about how you’ll receive payment and ways to assure customers you are not a scam. For example, you could use PayPal as an invoice and payment method to sell digital products online. And for more on this, head to the next question!

How Do I Sell Digital Products With PayPal?

If you prefer a safe and reliable option, consider using PayPal as an invoicing tool to sell digital products online. It’s a trusted platform that offers security for both you and your customers.

As the merchant, you’ll need to figure out how to deliver the digital product. And while you can use the tried and true email format, you may find some security and file limit hindrances.

If you’re serious about selling digital downloads online and want a seamless experience, an ecommerce platform like Ecwid is your best choice.

Can You Sell Digital Downloads on Amazon?

The ever-popular marketplace giant Amazon certainly does not make it easy for you to sell digital downloads. Remember that they take a percentage fee, but the exposure could be worth it.

If your products fall into these three categories, selling on Amazon could be an opportunity for you.

Music

In partnership with Amazon Music, musicians can upload and start selling their songs on TuneCore. There is a charge to use the software, but Amazon does not charge a fee.

Selling music on Amazon with TuneCore

Art

Talented graphic designer? You can sell branded merch on Amazon with their Amazon Merch on demand feature.

Or, if you open an Ecwid store, you can sync it to a print-on-demand service, Printful, and sell your merch on your website. No inventory, no shipping, no upfront costs. All print-on-demand orders are automatically printed and shipped in your store’s branding.

Books

If you’ve written the next hit romance novel or compiled a family recipe ebook and want to sell it digitally, Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing allows you to publish “digital” or “on-demand.”

Learn more: How to Create and Sell an Ebook

With each of these options, you are limited to those niche products. So, if you offer a variety of digital products, sticking with an online store gives you more flexibility and control.

Start Selling Digital Goods with Ecwid

Selling digital downloads on a website is straightforward, thanks to Ecwid. As a business owner, entrepreneur, or artist, you can sell digital goods conveniently and efficiently. Plus, selling files on your website helps you avoid fees associated with listing your products on marketplaces.

Ecwid offers many benefits, such as secure hosting, extra protection for download links, unlimited files per product, and safe downloads to customers. It is a great option for anyone looking to sell digital downloads, as it is a reliable and user-friendly platform.

Start selling your digital downloads today with Ecwid, and watch your business grow!

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Selling Online

Oct 5, 2023

About the author

Max has been working in the ecommerce industry for the last six years helping brands to establish and level-up content marketing and SEO. Despite that, he has experience with entrepreneurship. He is a fiction writer in his free time.