Are you planning to start an online business? Selling digital products is a great business idea with a low entry barrier and high profitability. According to Deloitte Insights, digital products and services account for 2.7% of a global consumer’s monthly expenses. This is a significant share, considering clothing accounts for only 3.9%.
You don’t need costly infrastructure to create and sell digital products. If you have a laptop or a mobile phone with internet connectivity, you’re good to go. That said, it’s essential to explore the types of digital products and pick one that works for you.
First, let’s start with the basics.
What is a digital product?
As the name suggests, a digital product doesn’t have a physical form. You can’t touch or feel it, but you can access it through digital devices like laptops, tablets, mobile phones or video game consoles.
Digital products are easier to create, store and distribute than physical products. Once you create a digital product, you can sell it forever without additional manufacturing costs. These features make digital products a great source of passive income.
Let’s explore a few examples of digital products that can help you make money.
12 best digital products to sell on your online store
01. Digital courses
Digital courses are extremely popular since they allow people to gain knowledge anywhere and anytime. According to Statista, the global online education market will reach $279.3 billion by 2029. You can easily create online courses if you’re an expert in a domain. You could also hire external trainers to develop courses.
Here are a few areas where you can create and sell digital courses:
Web design
Coding
Graphics design
Arts and crafts
Cooking
As an instructor, digital classes offer you great flexibility. You can use presentations, animations or graphics to share your know-how in an engaging way. Plus, you could deliver online courses as documents or blog posts.
You may sell your digital courses by creating your own website or online marketplaces like Coursera or Udemy.
Digital courses are highly profitable because:
You can create a course once and keep earning passive income.
There is no limit to the number of students you can sign up.
Online courses can bring in a global audience.
You could sell individual courses or bundle several into a master class.
If you’re looking for inspiration, check out Chiro21, a website offering online courses for chiropractors. It offers diverse classes in personal injury, joint health and total rehab.
02. Digital music and artwork
Are you a musician or artist waiting for your big break? Here’s the good news: You can sell your music and art online to make money and earn an audience.
Digital products present a great opportunity for artists in every field. For example, a painter can sell high-definition digital copies of their work, and a musician can create albums, jingles or ringtones.
You can sell music or art through your website by converting it into an online store. You can stream your music through social media— think YouTube Music—or streaming marketplaces, such as Twitch. You can also collect tutorials and how-to guides and upsell them as product bundles.
No matter what channel you use for digital art or music sales, they offer you multiple advantages:
Reaching a global audience without touring the world
Succeeding without the backing of a big label
Gaining more audience through online platforms with millions of subscribers
Avoiding paying commissions to art dealers or agents
If you are looking for inspiration, check out Chelsea McShane’s online store, which specializes in contemporary art. The website offers both physical and downloadable digital artwork.
03. Photos and photography presets
If you love photography and click quality pictures, you could make money by converting them into digital products. You can sell them as print-ready files or digital design assets.
Stock photos are another option for photographers. People need stock photos to design webpages, blog posts and marketing materials. You can sell them through your ecommerce website or marketplaces like Alamy or Shutterstock.
If you have a vast collection of photos, consider creating a membership website where people get access to a certain number of photos every month. You can also sell your photo presets or filters.
04. Digital craft patterns
Are you good at sewing, knitting or crocheting? Do you spend hours creating and experimenting with patterns? You can turn your hobby into a small business that sells digital craft patterns.
Craft patterns often come in a printable PDF format and have detailed instructions on what brand of materials to use. You may create and sell a wide range of digital craft patterns for:
Sewing, knitting and crocheting
Embroidery
Origami and quilling
In addition to selling patterns, you can make money by including affiliate marketing links to materials and tools that you use.
When displaying your patterns on your online store, it’s crucial to make it clear that they’re just patterns and not finished products.
Here’s an example of a successful digital craft pattern business: Sewn Ideas sells sewing patterns for zipper pouches, totes and handbags. It offers basic patterns for free and advanced patterns for $6–10.
05. Stock audio and videos
With more people creating digital content, demand for stock audio and video has also increased.
To create great stock audio, you just need good recording equipment and an ear for unique sounds. You can sell your audio files through your own website or upload them to marketplaces like Storyblocks.
Here are a few stock audio ideas to pursue:
Natural sounds
Background music
Sound effects
Ringtones
Audio logos or jingles
Stock videos are useful for creating trailers, presentations, social media posts and promotional videos. You can shoot actual videos of landscapes, cities, people or buildings. Alternatively, you can create animated sequences.
It’s essential to state the licensing terms for your audio video clearly on your download page. Explain copyright terms and how customers can reuse or repurpose your digital asset.
06. Digital templates
Digital templates are customizable files that people can use to create digital assets. From simple packing lists to complex Notion boards, the world of templates is versatile, making them an excellent choice for digital products.
Professional templates help workers achieve their tasks faster. They can assist with PowerPoint presentations, content calendars, spreadsheets to calculate tax and interest rates, resumes and cover letters.
Web and graphic design templates are helpful for building websites or digital marketing content. From full-fledged WordPress themes to small elements, like a logo, there are plenty of ideas to explore under graphic design templates.
Planner templates help people track and achieve personal tasks. These include templates for diet plans, grocery lists, exercise regimens, packing lists and itineraries.
Creating templates that complement your skill set improves your chance of success. For example, if you’re a fitness trainer, you can make an exercise plan and sell it along with your course.
Here’s some inspiration: New York-based content creator Clarke Peoples sells an annual planner that includes everything from comprehensive monthly personal goal planning to shopping lists.
07. Printables
Printables are digital products similar to templates and patterns. They often come as print-ready PDFs.
You can sell a variety of digital printables, such as:
Coloring sheets
Games and riddles
Worksheets
Teaching material
Posters and inspirational quotes
You could sell printable files in various formats and sizes at different prices. Ensure you offer high-definition digital files and correct dimensions for high-quality print output. You could use digital designing tools like Adobe Photoshop or web tools like Snappa to create printables.
08. Ebooks and audiobooks
Ebooks and audiobooks allow people carry hundreds of books on a small device and access them wherever they go. Statista estimates that by 2027, ebooks will have 1.1 billion users worldwide. And the Audio Publishers Association has found that over half of U.S. adults have listened to an audiobook.
The popularity of ebooks and audiobooks makes them ideal digital products to make money. Ebooks are so versatile that people from any profession can create an ebook to complement their income. Here are a few examples:
A yoga trainer can write a guide for yoga routines.
The owner of a food business can sell a digital cookbook.
A traveler can create digital and audio travel guides.
Here’s a great example: Desiree Baird started the Pediatric Sleep Coach, helping parents and children sleep better. As a part of her niche services, she also sells ebooks on sleep schedules and ideal sleep environments.
Ebooks and audiobooks needn’t be just for utilitarian purposes. If you are a writer, you could make money by writing ebooks or selling serialized fiction on platforms like Amazon Kindle Vella.
The ebook market is highly competitive, so you need to make great ebooks to beat the competition. Consider hiring an ebook designer to create a high-quality layout.
09. Mobile apps
As of 2024, the U.S. has around 316.2 million smartphone users. That's over 90% of the U.S. population. If you’re a developer, creating mobile apps is a fantastic money-making opportunity.
And if you don’t code but have a great app idea, you can hire IT engineers to build your app.
You should also consider creating mobile apps that complement your business. For example, if you’re a dance teacher, you can sell a mobile app to teach your choreography sequences.
Many mobile apps are free to download but make money through in-app advertisements and purchases. You could also offer a basic, freemium version and charge for access to advanced features.
Creating an app might require an initial investment. You must also follow the process to get it approved by the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
10. Digital services
If you’re an expert in a specific area, you could use your skills to make money through digital services. For example, if you’re a writer, you could offer content writing services. Here are a few other examples of digital services:
Editing and proofreading
Translating and transcribing
Product photography
Web and graphic design
Digital marketing and promotion
If you’re already selling digital products, you can pair them with digital services with minimal effort. This will help you create an extra source of income.
Here’s an example to inspire you. Moonstrive Media is a music promotion company started by musicians. It offers promotional services to fellow musicians, helping them reach millions of listeners.
11. Podcasts
Edison Research has found that around 42% of Americans listened to podcasts in the past month. Podcasts are the perfect online business to start with a little money. According to Podcastle, starting a podcast side gig can cost just $500.
While many podcasts are free to listen to, you can make money through sponsorships and advertisements. Creating a podcast doesn’t just help you make money. It also can attract potential customers and establish you as an authority in your field.
You could create a subscription-based podcast offering unique value to subscribers. For example, if you’re an experienced investor, you could start a premium podcast with investment advice.
Check out this business for inspiration: Make Pop Music has a biweekly podcast featuring discussions around music and business. The podcast creates value for songwriters, musicians and artists.
12. Membership sites and communities
Do you have multiple digital products, like online courses, webinars, podcasts and downloadable resources? You can bundle them together and start a membership site.
Membership sites offer different tiers, each including different bundles of products. They’re also a great way to build a community around your brand.
With Wix, you can create a member-exclusive area right on your website.
Where to sell digital products online
When you explore digital product ideas, it’s not just enough to think about the product. You must consider distribution channels or platforms through which you’ll sell your products. With a flourishing e-commerce ecosystem, you have many options.
Your online store
Setting up an online store to sell digital products offers many advantages:
Offers creative control over how to list and market your products
Makes it easy to sell physical and digital products side by side
Eliminates the need to pay a digital marketplace fee
Gives you more control to debug and fix website issues
Starting an online store requires a bit of effort initially. You must find a robust ecommerce platform that ensures performance and security. In addition, you need to think about apps and integrations for your store, payment gateways and pricing strategies.
Wix eCommerce helps you make a stunning storefront using an AI-assisted drag-and-drop website builder. Wix supports physical and digital products in audio, image, document and zip file formats. You could also create subscriptions and membership websites with Wix.
If you’d prefer outside assistance, you could hire a professional web designer from the Wix marketplace to do the job for you.
You may also consider digital dropshipping services, where a third-party website will provide the storefront. When someone places an order, you can send your items to the customer directly.
Third-party marketplaces
While your online store is an excellent place to sell digital products, you could diversify your sales through third-party marketplaces. Multi-channel sales have many advantages:
Boost the visibility of your brand
Improve profitability by relying on multiple sales channels
Avoid over-reliance on a single channel
You must choose a third-party marketplace with the ideal target audience for your digital products. Here are a few examples of excellent third-party marketplaces for digital goods:
Amazon is the perfect place to sell ebooks and audiobooks. It has a huge number of customers, making it easy for your books to reach them. Kindle Direct Publishing is a fantastic platform for creating and selling ebooks.
Etsy is a perfect place to sell art or crafts. You can sell digital art, planners, posters, craft patterns or graphics.
Creative Market is ideal for selling digital products like fonts, photos and business templates.
It’s a great idea to integrate third-party marketplaces with your online store. Wix eCommerce offers you third-party integration features for selected channels. This allows you to sync your products, descriptions, images and pricing across multiple sales channels.
Social media
Purchasing products through social media (social commerce) is picking up speed. In 2023, social commerce accounted for 18.5% of total e-commerce sales. You’ll be able to reach a lot of customers through social media.
When you plan to sell through social media, choose a platform that best suits your product. Here are a few examples:
YouTube: A fantastic option for monetizing music and video content, such as online courses.
TikTok: Draw attention to your printables and craft patterns with TikTok’s shoppable ads.
Instagram/Pinterest: Choose Instagram or Pinterest if you want to sell products with high visual appeal, such as digital art.
You may not want to rely on a single social media channel to sell your digital products. Instead, complement your online store with social commerce.
Advantages and disadvantages of selling digital products
Now that you’ve seen the wide range of digital products you can sell online, let's focus on the pros and cons of selling them.
Advantages of digital products
Higher profit margin: Digital products don’t need storage space or physical shipping. This means you can save on the cost of renting a warehouse or shipping the product through a courier service. You have low expenses, so you get a higher profit margin on digital items than on physical products.
Infinite shelf life: Most physical products have a shelf life, and if the item doesn't sell within that time, the seller might incur losses. Since digital products don’t expire, you can sell them forever with tweaks and updates.
No inventory hassles: A main challenge with physical products is inventory planning. You must keep tracking your sales and replenish inventory so your product doesn't go out of stock. With digital products, you can sell infinite copies, eliminating the need for inventory planning.
Potential to attract young customers: Young customers like Gen Z and Gen Alpha are digital natives. They’re comfortable with online purchases through social media and ecommerce platforms. Your digital products can attract young customers to your brand.
Diverse product portfolio: Digital products can complement your physical offerings. For example, if you have a physical book, you can create ebook and audiobook versions to boost sales and appeal to different target audiences.
Disadvantages of digital products
High competition: Digital products are easy to create and sell. This low entry barrier makes it a highly competitive business area. Many of these digital products are free, making it challenging to sell a similar product at a higher rate.
Frequent updates: Digital products like mobile applications need frequent maintenance and updates. You need to keep courses and other materials up to date. Ongoing maintenance takes time and effort.
Piracy: Digital products are easy to distribute over the internet, which could lead to piracy. When creating products, take precautions to minimize piracy. You could include a copyright note with your products, watermark digital images and provide unique download links for customers.
Is it time for you to ‘go digital?’
With 67% of the world’s population using the internet, selling digital products is a great idea right now. You can sell a wide variety of products, and they have many advantages over physical goods. You could also complement your business by adding digital products to your portfolio.
Digital products to sell FAQ
What are some examples of digital products?
Online courses, tutorials, digital artwork, ebooks, audiobooks, printable resources, podcasts and templates are profitable digital products.