Digital products: passing trend, or commerce disruption? 

A significant portion of e-commerce businesses have been called to undergo a huge transformation - namely in their digital products and services. E-commerce merchants across multiple industries are introducing digital goods or services to their product catalogues and looking for deeper insights to better understand their newly "digitized" customer base. In fact, in 2020 alone, it is estimated that 2 billion shoppers purchased digital products. 

Throughout the pandemic, when businesses across the world suffered from the production, distribution and shipping disruptions, digital goods and services drove a meaningful portion of the market. This allowed many businesses to not only continue driving revenue and products off their shelves, but foster deeper, more meaningful relationships with their customers. Daily active users of digital products increased starkly by 54% between January 2020 and August 2021 considering the usage of just 18.9% in April, 2019. 

Still, the big question is whether the rise of digital goods is simply a trend of the pandemic, or a long-term disruptor to the e-commerce industry. 

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It’s a yes for the future of digital products and services 

According to a report by CIO, 83% consumers expect the demand to increase even further in the post-pandemic stage, signifying a positive attitude in the market for dynamic digital offerings. This might be the start of a new era, one in which digital products surpass physical products of value and significance. Evidently, businesses need to start thinking about optimizing the customer experience and journey to account for the digital product shift to be a mainstay. 

Let’s explore all the ways in which business owners can implement strategies to harness this next commerce revolution and power new revenue streams well into the future.

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The 5 top digital products in the market

There are lots of digitally disrupting products that are easy and affordable to produce and sell. Here are the top five gaining momentum in popularity and revenue: 

1. E-books: The industry is projected to reach a whopping revenue of $17.04 billion this year, making it one of the hottest products of 2022. Since the average revenue per user for e-books is $15.75, stores that sell physical products can see an immediate boost in revenue by bundling the offering with their existing catalogue. Additionally, industry experts providing their services to customers, like digital marketers, app developers, etc., can provide insightful educational material through this medium that would provide authenticity to their brand and grow their customer base.
2. Audio: This can come in the form of various products that are steadily growing in demand. For example, podcasts, audiobooks, music, etc. In 2022, revenue from the Digital Music segment is expected to reach US$28.24 billion. With the growth of apps like Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, etc., more and more users are signing up for digital music downloads or streaming services.
3. Video: Video content is simple to comprehend, amusing, and engrossing. According to a report by Zenith Media, an average user is predicted to spend around 100 minutes a day watching online videos. Capitalising on this demand can be extremely profitable for business owners.
4. Designs: Demand for high-quality designs, like logos, graphics, brochures, is at an all-time high. In 2020, the web design industry generated a revenue of $38 billion, and there are plenty of platforms online that are encouraging these ventures, like FreePik and SeekLogo. These designs can provide conceptual tools to your consumers so they can do jobs that are either outside of their skill set or take a lengthy time.
5. E-learning Material: During the pandemic, education providers all across the world had to switch to a digital mode of teaching. Through asynchronous courses, educational videos, e-books, video lessons, and much more, they were able to transfer their knowledge to interested students in a digital format. However, it is worth noting, that although the pandemic sped up the inculcation of e-learning, the market was already seeing a steep upwards curve since 2000, growing by over 900% in the last decade, and this is only expected to increase in the coming years.

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How to sell digital products

Shopify is one of the biggest up-and-coming frontrunners in the e-commerce industry providing full-featured solutions for merchants to carry out business activities. Business owners are not required to know how to code or have tech expertise in order to build their online store in minutes. And the various apps on Shopify make it even easier to implement the complicated aspects of business management and operations. For example, by using apps such as Sky Pilot, you can automatically deliver downloadable digital files, digital products, courses, music and ebooks to your customers right after their purchase. Let’s take a quick look at how it works:

• Create easy-to-navigate delivery of multiple digital items organised into folders.
• Your customers will have automatic access to files and videos immediately after purchase.
• Customizable pages deliver your files and videos to customers.
• File protection allows you to limit downloads per file, as well as set access to expire after a chosen number of days, and finally get alerts when access is being abused.
• Files/videos can be attached to physical products without affecting fulfilment status, easily allowing you to sell files/videos bundled with a physical product.
• Organize files and videos into folders and playlists, customizable to your specific needs.
• Unlimited files/videos per item in your store.

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Sky Pilot also makes the customer journey super simple and instinctive; after checkout, your customer will be directed to a page within your store to download files and/or stream videos associated with their purchase. The customer will also receive a link to the page via email to download at their convenience.

At any point, a customer can log in to their account in your store to access files or videos they have purchased. This page shows an organizable list of files and/or a playlist of all streaming videos. You can also visit the demo store to see the app fully in action.

All delivery pages are hosted directly within your Shopify store. It is completely customizable, with access to both basic settings and full code customization to accommodate both the unique needs of your business, and the seamless experience expectations of your customer. Additionally, friction is further removed in the process by driving delivery right within the transaction as opposed to sending the customer to another location. 

The pricing of Sky Pilot starts from only $15/month, and merchants can avail a 14-day free trial to test out the app and see if it works for them. Moreover, the app’s excellent customer support team can manage both advanced, and customized business logic needs. Download and install Sky Pilot - Digital Downloads, and launch your digital offering now. 

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