Looking for products to sell online that are not only easy to sell but profitable as well?
Then, we have exactly what you are looking for.
We have carefully curated a list of the best digital products to sell online that will need minimum investment from your end and will yield profitable results.
Even if you’re a newbie or are looking to switch your business model, this list will help you get your next business idea.
What is a Digital Product?
Digital products are intangible products that purely exist in a digital form and have no physical presence.
For example, you can’t touch an eBook like a physical hardcover book but can access it through your device.
Or a membership to your favorite OTT platform.
Such digital products are not physically delivered and they do not need any inventory management. They are mostly downloaded or made available to the customer’s accounts.
Because of such convenience, more entrepreneurs are opting for digital products, and buyers are loving this, too.
Let’s look at some benefits you enjoy picking a digital product over a physical one.
Why Sell Digital Products Over Physical Ones?
- Low overhead costs: You don’t have to store inventory or pay for shipping.
- High profit margins: There’s no recurring cost of goods, so you retain the majority of your sales in profits.
- Scalability: You can sell your digital product an infinite number of times.
- Minimal startup costs: You can quickly and easily distribute your product to customers anywhere in the world for little or no cost.
- Last forever: Digital products don’t wear out or deteriorate.
Types of Digital Products To Sell Online
There are various types of digital products to sell online. You can pick anyone from the category that best suits your goal and your resources (also, you will find our list of digital products that might fall into one of the following categories.)
- eBooks and PDFs: These include articles, study papers, or practical guides on a particular topic or niche-specific
- Online courses: A hands-on, detailed study material for learners out there
- Digital graphics and art: Fulfilling any design-related needs like templates, character-designing, digital art, videos, and more
- Software and apps: One of the popular types of digital products are products/apps that solve day-to-day problems
The other types of digital products also include:
- Photography
- Online services
- Data analysis
Now that we have a pretty solid idea about digital products and different elements around them. Now, let’s move to the list of digital products to sell online.
Best Digital Products to Sell Online [List]
- eBooks
- Audiobooks
- Tutorials and Guides
- Online Courses
- Online Coaching
- Memberships and Subscription
- Plugins and Extensions
- Applications
- Software as a Service (SaaS)
- Digital marketing services
- Graphic design and digital art
- Printables
- Video editing
- Stock Photos
- Music creator
- Podcast
- Research and data analysis
- Document Templates
1. eBooks
eBooks are among the most profitable digital products to sell online. According to statistics, 191 million eBooks were sold in 2020. Since the pandemic, the number of online readers has gone up.
You can write and publish your eBooks on various popular platforms like Amazon Kindle or Apple Books on any topic you hold expertise in.
There is no limit on the type of ebook you can create; it can be on fitness, beauty, time management, finance management, and more.
2. Audiobooks
Audiobooks—a sibling of eBooks that a fair amount of people really love; while some like to read, others like to listen to the same content.
And this opens a golden opportunity for you to convert your ebook into an audiobook to reach those listeners.
You can split your one powerful piece of content into multiple options, and your customers can consume it the way they like.
3. Tutorials and guides
As mentioned earlier, you can break down your powerful content into many valuable bits and pieces. Guides and tutorials fall under the same umbrella.
To be honest, a guide or your tutorial doesn’t need to be around your eBook or audiobook. It can be exclusive as well.
Let’s say you have expertise in pet care, then you roll out a series of how-to guides and tutorials via email and start earning for your exclusive piece of content.
4. Courses
Courses hold a prime spot in this list of top digital products to sell online. It has become a significant medium for learners to seek new skills.
You can teach others through pre-recorded classes. Udemy is a good example of this. With a bit of investment and powerful sessions, you can hit the nail on the right head and grab the learner’s attention.
Just like Udemy, many other platforms will help you get started in no time.
The above-mentioned digital products are a prime example if you are willing to give a downloadable option to your customers. They are one of the best digital download products to sell online.
5. Coaching
The other way to earn a profitable income is to become an online coach.
You can conduct live sessions with your clients or customers to help them refine their skills.
You can list yourself on popular platforms (like UrbanPro, TeacherOn, and more) or market yourself via social media.
6. Memberships
Selling online membership and subscriptions is an effective way to be profitable online, and these days, such subscription modules are gaining popularity, especially on YouTube.
Via your membership, you can give your members access to exclusive content that is personally curated for them. Your content can be in-depth research on a particular topic, a guide, or goodies.
Brands like National Geographic, Starbucks, Disney+, and more have adopted this model. It is safe to say this digital product has the potential to make a successful business.
Premium memberships are among the best online digital products to sell. You can try to work around this one.
7. Plugins and Extensions
Extensions and plugins are quite popular these days. They extend the functionality of your software.
For example, Grammarly. It is a good extension to check spelling errors and perfect your grammar.
If you have really good technical knowledge, you can make plugins/extensions and sell them online.
Among digital product ideas to sell online, WordPress has a stronghold in the market. Around 43% of websites use WordPress plugins, making it a good investment opportunity for you.
8. Applications
Do we even need to mention how popular applications (aka apps) are?
Currently, on your smartphone, you must be using 2 to 3 apps that you use daily. Imagine how many people’s problems the app must solve might be in thousands/lakhs. That’s why they are among the top digital products to sell online.
Here, with the help of a developer or yourself, you can build an app that solves a problem. And you can monetize this app as the audience base grows, to make money out of it.
9. Software as a Service (SaaS)
Software is one of the very effective products to sell online. You’ll have to invest a good amount of time and effort to create software for a specific audience.
It can help you bring recurring revenue as most SaaS-based companies use a weekly/monthly/yearly subscription-based model.
You will need to bear the initial cost of having a good team to help you build this, but once it takes off, you can crunch out some good numbers.
10. Digital marketing services
As more and more businesses are coming online, the demand for digital marketing is rising each day.
According to LinkedIn, the “Digital Marketing Specialist” role is in-demand, with 860,000 job openings. So,
it is inevitable that the demand is there. You can grab this opportunity and offer digital marketing services as a freelancer or an agency.
11. Graphic design and digital art
If you are a graphic designer, this is your ideal digital product. You can independently work and create social media posts, logos, icons, PowerPoint templates, and digital characters.
If you are willing to go deeper into this, you can also create different web elements like themes, templates, and backgrounds.
And work as a complete designer. It doesn’t have to be niche-specific or design-specific. You can work for a startup or big organization and charge accordingly.
12. Printables
If craft is at the core of your heart, then you will love this digital product. You can create your patterns and offer them as printables to your customers.
Marketplaces like Etsy are a great platform to list your product and start selling your product.
13. Video editing
Videos have become one of the popular forms of content that the audience seeks to learn or entertain themselves.
Many big names have made a lot of money from their video creation efforts, and so can you.
You can create videos on curious topics. Here are some ideas from our end:
- Drone footage
- Product review
- Online gaming
14. Stock Photos
Photography is a classic digital product to sell online. Many designers and creative enthusiasts use high-quality pictures for their projects.
You can submit stock and related images on Freepik or Shutterstock and earn every time a creator downloads your pictures.
Note each site has a different policy when it comes to monetizing, but it will be worth taking the chance.
15. Music creator
Music is a man’s best friend and can be your money-making machine.
You can create audio clips and files based on different niches and sell them online. Many meditation apps or spiritual apps offer calm music and soothing audio clips as a part of their services.
You can work your way and make your music available on such platforms.
16. Podcast
If you are still wondering what is the best digital product to sell online, this one won’t disappoint you.
The number of podcast creators is going up, and so is the number of listeners.
Creating a podcast needs minimum effort. All you need to do is get the setup ready, and then you can put out your podcast weekly.
There are free platforms that let you upload your podcast, and as your listener base grows, there are chances of monetization.
17. Research and data analysis
This digital product requires depth and strong analytical skills.
You can conduct deep analysis on the topics of your interest or specific niche and offer the statistics to interested audiences through exclusive membership.
Definitely, here, your research work will take a lot of your time, but it will yield satisfactory results.
18. Document Templates
If you have a great hand in creating documents and working effortlessly with spreadsheets, you should not miss this digital product.
You can create different types of documents for your audiences or companies looking for an expert in documentation. And the cherry on the cake here is that it doesn’t need any heavy investment. With a regular spreadsheet, you can start making a good income.
How to Start Selling Digital Products Online?
Now that we have covered the list of online digital products to sell, it is time to take action!
We promise not to complicate this process but keep it as simple as possible.
Let’s break this process into three steps:
- Pick a product from the above list
- Conduct research and validate it
- Make your digital product available to your audience
1. Pick a product from the above list
The first key step is picking a digital product that you would like to sell online.
It can be an overwhelming process, as there are some really good options out there.
Keep these 3 factors in mind while picking a product, as they will help to bring clarity:
- Relevancy: How much can you relate to the product and if it is solving a real problem
- Expertise: Do you have complete knowledge of the product offering, or will you need a helping hand
- Investment: How much will you need to invest pre and post-launch of the product
You might not get direct answers to all the questions, but trust the process and keep moving forward.
2. Conduct research and validate it
After having a product in your mind, start with your research. Understand the pain points of your target audience and see how similar players like yours are addressing it.
So, it goes without saying a competitive analysis is a must here.
Besides this, you can visit forums and platforms to know the concerns of your target audience—for example, Quora, Reddit, review platforms, and other social media platforms.
Now, coming to the validation part.
After you have gathered the much-needed information, it is time for you to validate them. This process is to ensure you are moving in the right direction.
Here are some ways you can validate your research:
- Conduct keyword research or use Google Trends to know the interest level of your target audience
- Talk to industry experts and some customers directly to get quality feedback
- And continuously review any changes in the market
3. Make your digital product available to your audience
After you have decided on your product, you will need a place to sell it. There are different ways you can do this. You can opt to build your website with your own backend or opt for third-party services.
Here are some of our recommendations:
- Best marketplace to sell digital products online: Amazon, eBay, and Udemy
- Best paid and free digital platforms to sell online: Payhip, Podia, and Gumroad
- Best platform to build your own online store: Shopify
And then, you can start selling on your desired platform. Each platform differs from the others, so make sure you understand them carefully.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Type of Digital Product That I Can sell?
You can sell digital products like eBooks, online courses, software, and digital graphics.
What are the Best Digital Products to Sell Online?
Some of the best digital products to sell online are online courses, plugins and extensions, memberships, and eBooks.
What are the 2 Advantages of Selling Digital Products?
The two advantages of selling digital products are less overhead cost and a good profit margin.
How Can I Make Digital Products to Sell?
You can use a website or third-party platforms to sell your products.
Conclusion
And now it is over to you! We hope you are now clear on what digital products to sell online. Pick the product from the above list of the best digital products to sell online that best fits your budget, requirements, and availability of other resources.
Digital selling has the upper hand over a physical store as the need is relatively less, and everything is manageable online. With small, easy steps, you can work your way up and become a successful seller online.
