Have a WooCommerce store and want to sell digital downloads? Not sure how to enable digital downloads in WooCommerce?
Digital downloads are a popular and convenient way for customers to purchase and access a variety of products, including music, movies, ebooks, software and online courses.
If you run an eCommerce store using the popular WooCommerce platform, you might be interested in offering digital downloads to your customers.
In this article, we’ll provide a step-by-step guide on how to enable digital downloads in WooCommerce and start selling these products to your customers. We will also discuss the types of digital products that can be added to your store and provide tips for pricing and promoting these products.
By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to set up and sell digital downloads through your WooCommerce store.
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Importance of offering digital downloads in an e-commerce store
There are several reasons why offering digital downloads can be beneficial for your WooCommerce store:
- Increase in product offering: Digital downloads allow e-commerce stores to offer a wider range of products to their customers, including digital media such as music, movies and ebooks, as well as digital services such as software and online courses.
- No physical inventory: Digital products don’t require physical inventory, which can reduce the cost and hassle of warehousing and shipping products.
- Immediate delivery: Digital products can be delivered to customers immediately after purchase, increasing customer satisfaction and reducing the risk of products being lost or damaged during shipping.
- Global Reach: Digital products can be sold to customers anywhere in the world, which can expand the potential customer base for an ecommerce store.
- Increase in profit margins: Digital products often have higher profit margins than physical products due to the lower cost of manufacturing and distribution.
Overall, offering digital downloads can be a lucrative and cost-effective way to expand an ecommerce store’s product offerings and increase profits.
Prerequisites to enable digital downloads in WooCommerce
Before you can enable digital downloads in your WooCommerce store, you need the following:
- A WooCommerce store: You will need a working WooCommerce store to sell digital products. If you still need to get a WooCommerce store, you can follow the instructions provided by WooCommerce to create one.
- A payment gateway: To process transactions for digital downloads, you’ll need to set up a payment gateway for your WooCommerce store. Some popular options include PayPal, Stripe and Square.
- Digital Products: You will need to have digital products that you want to sell through your WooCommerce store. This could be a digital file (like an ebook or software) or a service (like an online course).
- Host files: You’ll need a way to host the digital files you sell through your WooCommerce store. There are a few options for hosting these files, including using a third-party file hosting service or hosting the files on your own website.
Once these prerequisites are met, you can follow the steps below to enable digital downloads in WooCommerce and start selling these products to your customers.
Step-by-step guide to enabling digital downloads in WooCommerce
Follow the steps below to enable digital downloads in your WooCommerce Store.
First, log into your WooCommerce shop dashboard and go to Products form. From there, click on Add product button to create a new product.
In the Product data section, select the Downloadable option below Product Guy.
Upload the file you wish to offer as a digital download by clicking Choose the file button. You can also enter a name and description for the download in the corresponding fields.
Repeat this process to add more files if needed.
Set price for digital download. You can also set sales prices and schedule sales if you like.
Scroll down to Inventory section and make sure the Action Management the option is set to “Do not track inventory for this product”. This is important because digital products don’t have physical inventory.
In the Downloadable limit section, you can set the number of times the file can be downloaded and the download expiration time.
Finally, click To publish button to make the digital download available for purchase on your store.
Repeat these steps to add more digital downloads to your store.
Before you can start selling digital downloads, you’ll need to set up a payment gateway to process your transactions. You can do this by going to WooCommerce tab in the dashboard and selecting the file Payments option. From there, you can choose and set up a payment gateway of your choice.
Now that you know how to enable digital products, you can start selling them. To help you sell your digital products, we’ve included a few tips to help you boost your sales.
Determine the value of your product
Before setting a price, consider the value of your digital product to customers. Is it a unique product that solves a specific problem or fulfills a need? Is it something customers are willing to pay for?
Research the market
Look at the prices of similar products offered by competitors to get an idea of the going rate for similar products.
Set a fair price
Aim for the right price for both you and your customers. If your price is too high, customers may not be willing to buy it. If it’s too low, you may not be able to cover your costs or make a profit.
Offer discounts
Consider offering special discounts or promotions to encourage customers to buy your digital products.
Promote your products
Use social media, email marketing, and other channels to promote your digital products and drive sales.
Offer freebies
Consider offering freebies or bonuses, such as free ebooks or video tutorials, to promote your digital products and boost sales.
Use testimonials and reviews
Encourage customers to leave reviews or testimonials on your website or social media accounts. These can help build trust and credibility and encourage more sales.
Check out the best WooCommerce plugins
WooCommerce plugins can help you transform your online store into a competitive and modern one. Check out the articles below for WordPress plugin ideas that can work for your website.
Start selling digital products on your WooCommerce store today!
Offering digital downloads in your WooCommerce store can significantly expand your product offering and reach a wider audience.
By following the steps outlined above, you can easily enable digital downloads on your store and start selling various digital products, including ebooks, software, music, videos, and more.
You can successfully sell digital products and increase your online sales with the right pricing and promotion strategies.
To take your WooCommerce store to the next level, check out all of the great plugins for download on Envato Elements.