7 Best Digital Products to Sell in 2021

By LitExtension

Introduction

Regardless of your areas of interest and expertise, if you’re willing to put in a little extra effort to bring some extra cash, opportunities always await you. Actually, eCommerce has enabled you to sell not only tangible items but also digital products to earn a passive income.

To capture a piece of the pie, it’s a wise move to start a digital product business. Are you interested in tapping into one of the fastest growing industries? If so, then get ready to discover 7 profitable digital products to sell in 2021! As a bonus, I’ll also cover the best platforms to sell digital products.

Now, let’s get the ball rolling!

What are Digital Products?

In essence, digital goods are intangible items that exist in digital form. In other words, digital products are items purchased online but don’t have a physical existence.

Why Sell Digital Products?

Before we dive into the best digital products to sell, let’s take a step back and answer the question of why you should sell digital products.

In fact, digital products come with a stack of advantages that make them uniquely appealing to sell.

• Low upfront costs: It’s easy and cheap to create digital products since it costs you nothing but your time and mental energy. Besides, you won’t have to store your inventory or pay shipping fees.
• High-profit margins: It’s possible to make tons of money with one low-cost product. Since the price of your products doesn’t include hard costs, you can set a profit margin at your will.
• Infinite possibilities and scalabilities: Digital commodities, unlike physical items, have no limit, which means you never have to replenish your inventory. Furthermore, scaling your digital business is simple because there are no logistics in place to boost production.
• Automation potential: Orders can be delivered immediately, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business.

These numbers speak for themselves:

• In 2021, there will be over 2.14 billion digital buyers worldwide.
• There are approximately 4.28 billion active mobile internet users worldwide, and the latest 2020 global online penetration rate is 60%.

In fact, regardless of some legal restraints relating to copyright infringement and taxation, it’s worth starting your online business selling some profitable digital products.

7 Best Digital Products to Sell Online.

I’ve got you excited about how fantastic digital products are, and now it’s time to show you the best digital products to sell in 2021!

1. Writing

In 2020, the eBooks industry was worth $18.13 billion. For both authors and users, eBooks have been and continue to be one of the most popular digital goods. They are quite easy to create because they only require written content and a few related photographs. And, a bunch of large markets or self-created web retailers make it easier to distribute eBooks.

eBooks

The beauty of creating eBooks is that you can share nearly anything in written form that you know or are passionate about. With an eBook, you may teach, advise, or curate existing content to sell on your website. Customers may read them on e-readers, tablets, desktops, and even their mobile phones, making them simple to consume.

2. Audio

If you’re a musician, you’ve probably looked into ways to monetize your skills or the following you’ve built. While CDs and DVDs are always an option, you can also consider selling your products online.

Along with music, you can offer recordings, podcasts, audiobooks, or sound effects, etc. With online digital products, you don’t have to keep any inventory, so you may try out multiple forms to determine what your audience wants without taking any risks.

Audio, in essence, is a potent medium for delivering messages. Audio tracks can entertain, calm, instruct, and inspire people who pay for them.

3. Video

For presenting information online, video is a very popular and effective format. Educational, informative, or entertaining video content are all possibilities. It’s far more entertaining than text, and it’s simple to consume by simply pressing the play button and watching. Users adore video and are often willing to pay for it.

If you’re a fantastic public speaker, have a visual-based interest, or simply enjoy expressing your thoughts on videos, it’s highly lucrative to sell videos online. With a little editing time up your sleeve, it’s a doddle to quickly get off the ground.

Overall, video, music, eBooks, online newspapers & magazines, and podcasts are the most popular digital content products on which people spend the majority of their money.

4. Design

In 2020, the web-design industry generated a total of $38 billion worldwide in revenue. The creative process has been eased by modern technology, and practically anyone may now sell their work online. Thanks to eCommerce, it’s now easier than ever to sell designs online, whether they’re books, modern logos, brochures, websites, business cards, 3D pieces, or other forms of designs.

There is a market for high-quality designs, whether you’re a graphic designer, illustrator, or 3D artist. You can sell your designs to a certain customer’s common pain points and wants. These designs can empower your customers with intangible tools to execute jobs that are either outside of their skill set or take a long time.

The following are some examples of ideas to sell online in this manner:

• Product design
• Branding design
• Website design
• Print design
• Publishing design
• Animation design

5. Photography

As you may know, one of the most sought-after digital products nowadays is high-quality, premium pictures. The global photographic services market was worth $32.92 billion in 2020, and it is expected to generate $11.5 billion in sales. Bloggers and website owners are the major users of internet images.

Genuine and stock photography has commoditized the industry to the point that certain images are being offered for less than their true value (or they are given away for free). However, photographers may still charge fair pricing for truly amazing photographs.

A photographer’s portfolio is incomplete without a website. It’s critical to present your work in a nice way if you want to level up your profile. Besides, it’s feasible to make a lot of money selling your independent or client-commissioned photography on your own website if you have competitive pricing and high-quality shots.

6. Software and tech

In today’s digital age, the software industry is massive and continues to expand. In 2021, the global technology industry is expected to be worth $5 trillion. If this prediction comes true, it will result in a growth rate of 4.2%. Beyond a shadow of doubt, the software and technology industry is bursting at the seams with opportunities.

The ability to write any type of code can result in new, beneficial goods for anyone. It doesn’t matter if it’s desktop software, website layout, mobile app, video game, or anything else. The possibilities are boundless, and there is almost certainly a market for it.

You can create a variety of items to sell online if you have the ability to write a programming language. You can make money with codes if you have experience with apps, plugins, themes, snippets, websites, or something completely else.

7. Information products

Information products are products that drive knowledge or advice to audiences that can address a specific need, such as a solution to a common problem. In a more common way, they are online courses, virtual classes & conferences, coaching and consulting, memberships sites with information, webinars, educational series.

Maybe you missed these astonishing statistics:

• Since 2000, the eLearning Industry has grown by over 900%.
• By 2022, the global eLearning market is expected to reach over $240 billion.
• Since 2011, almost 80% of employers have used online learning, making it the most common method of education.
• About 40% of Fortune 500 organizations use online learning to train their employees.
• Top-earning teachers on the website Skillshare made around $40,000 per year on average.

It’s no exaggeration to state that technology and the COVID-19 have revolutionized teaching and learning. The flourishing online education sector provides an opportunity for everyone to get paid for sharing their knowledge. Selling information products online gives you the flexibility of time & workspace, and the opportunity to reach a wider audience. Besides, you can start out free with no material, extra costs, or paperwork involved.

Also, you can leverage an existing reputation as an expert to garner attention for your products. If you’re starting from scratch, you can create and give away free content to generate interest and leads for your paid online courses.

Best Platforms to Sell Digital Products.

Now you might have already chosen a digital product to make money online but are wondering where to start your business. Read on to find out the best platforms to sell digital products!

1. EasyDigitalDownloads

EasyDigitalDownloads (EDD) is a CRM that integrates with your WordPress dashboard and allows you to sell through your site. You can quickly add the “Buy now” and “Add to cart” buttons to your WordPress site with this plugin.

In addition, customers can create an account page on EDD to have a more personalized shopping experience. Besides, they also have full access to the shopping cart system, which allows them to purchase various download ranges at once.

Pricing

There are four annual pricing plans to choose from, with the Personal Pass starting at $99 per year. You’ll pay $199, $299, and $499 for the Extended Pass, Professional Pass, and All-Access Pass, respectively.

2. Etsy

Etsy is a notable marketplace to sell digital products that allow you to register for an online kiosk and share the same space with other sellers. Similar to eBay and Amazon, Etsy helps you display your products to a large number of online buyers globally. However, due to its scale, Etsy is more preferable for small businesses.

Once owning an Etsy seller account, you will surely benefit in many ways. Firstly, besides listing, transaction, and offsite ads fees, you don’t need to pay any additional monthly expenses. Therefore, you are capable of setting up an Etsy store at a low cost.

Plus, it’s very simple to use, thanks to the straightforward uploading method. Last but not least, Etsy can help you run your business more efficiently with a variety of features and toolkits. You can read this article to find out the best digital products to sell on Etsy.

3. Shopify

Shopify, a forerunner in the eCommerce game, is a full-featured solution that allows merchants to sell everything from physical commodities to digital goods and services. This solution simplifies eCommerce with a powerful set of capabilities, powering around 3.500.000 live websites. It’s one of the best websites to sell digital products.

Because Shopify is a hosted solution, you can easily launch a merchandise store without having to worry about codes. In addition, this platform provides users with important sales tools and features including multi-channel integration, product management, abandoned cart recovery, and dropshipping.

Pricing

Fortunately, you can make use of a 14-day free trial. Then, Shopify offers 5 paid plans:

• Shopify Lite: $9 per month
• Basic: $29 per month
• Shopify: $79 per month
• Advanced: $299 per month
• Shopify Plus: custom pricing

Wrap-up

At the end of the day, I have provided you with a glut of options when it comes to the best digital products to sell. Hope that you can clearly determine a suitable one to start your business and flourish.

If you are already running an online store but want to migrate to another platform, LitExtension — #1 Shopping Cart Migration Solution is always at your service. At LitExtension, we offer an advanced automated tool that will transfer all your data securely and flawlessly from your current eCommerce platform to a more robust one. Up to now, we have successfully migrated 160,000+ stores with over 60,000 customers worldwide.

Anyway, don’t forget to join our Community to receive useful eCommerce tips and news. Good luck with your business!