What is a digital product store?
Digital Products Store is an online platform where people sell non-physical, downloadable, or accessible products—things like ebooks, online courses, software, stock photos, music, design templates, and even digital art. These products don’t require shipping; once someone pays, they either get a download link or access to the product online. For example, if you create a Canva template or record a tutorial video, you can sell it on a digital product store.
Now, how does a digital product store differ from a traditional eCommerce store? Well, the main difference lies in what’s being sold. An eCommerce store typically focuses on physical goods—clothing, phones, groceries, electronics, and so on. These products require logistics, warehouses, inventory management, and delivery systems. So, while both types of stores live online and accept digital payments, a digital product store operates entirely in the digital space, often with no need for stock or shipping.
As for the history part, the first digital product stores can be traced back to the early 2000s when the internet started becoming more commercialized. One of the earliest popular platforms for digital downloads was Apple’s iTunes Store, which launched in 2003 and completely revolutionized how we bought and consumed music. Before that, some independent websites sold digital goods, especially in niche communities like software and eBooks, but iTunes brought it to the mainstream.
Now, fast forward to 2025, and the landscape is huge. Some of the most popular digital product stores today include platforms like Gumroad, Payhip, and Etsy’s digital section. Then there’s Selar and Flutterwave Store, which are big in Africa, especially Nigeria. Teachable, Thinkific, and Udemy remain major players for online courses and educational content. Designers and creatives often use Creative Market or Envato Elements, and content creators turn to Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee to sell things like wallpapers, ebooks, or even exclusive content.
In essence, a digital product store is perfect for creators, educators, and entrepreneurs who want to sell knowledge, creativity, or software without the stress of shipping and physical inventory. It’s lean, scalable, and very cost-effective—ideal for the digital age we’re living in.
So, you want to set up a digital product store and make money online on autopilot? Selling digital products like eBooks, online courses, templates, graphics, or even audio files is one of the easiest and most profitable online businesses you can start today.
And the best part? Once it’s all set up, you can earn while you sleep.
What is a Digital Product?
A digital product is any product that exists in a digital format—something you can download, stream, or access online without needing a physical item to be shipped to you. It’s not something you hold in your hand, but it delivers value, solves a problem, teaches something, or entertains you.
Think of ebooks, online courses, software, design templates, mobile apps, music tracks, videos, or even digital art and NFTs—these are all digital products. If you’ve ever bought a PDF guide, downloaded a Lightroom preset, streamed a tutorial after payment, or bought a license for an app, then you’ve already used a digital product.
What makes digital products so powerful is their scalability. You create them once, and you can sell them over and over again without restocking. Plus, they’re delivered instantly, which means no logistics or delivery stress.
So, in short, a digital product is content or a tool that people can buy and use digitally, often for learning, productivity, entertainment, or creative purposes. Examples of digital products you can sell:
#1. eBooks
#2. PDF guides
#3. Templates and themes (Canva, Notion, Excel, WordPress)
#4. Stock photos
#5. Video tutorials or online courses
#6. Presets (Lightroom, CapCut, etc.)
#7. Music beats or audio files
To get more in-depth knowledge on digital products, read the 10 best digital products to sell for passive income in 2025
How to Set Up Your Automated Store: Step-by-Step.
Step 1: Choose What You Want to Sell
Pick a niche. In digital products, a niche refers to a specific segment of a broader market or product type that you focus on. It’s like narrowing down your audience to target a particular group of people with unique needs, interests, or problems—and offering solutions that speak directly to them.
For example, instead of targeting “people who want to lose weight,” your niche could be “busy moms who want to lose weight with 15-minute home workouts.” Or, instead of just “graphic design,” you might focus on “logo designs for small American businesses.” That’s a niche. It’s more specific, more focused, and easier to connect with.
Now, here’s why niches are super important in digital products:
First, they help you stand out in a crowded market. When you target a specific group, you’re not competing with everyone else doing generic marketing—you’re speaking directly to people who are most likely to connect with your message and buy from you.
Second, having a niche lets you create better content, ads, and products because you understand exactly what your audience wants. This means higher engagement, better conversion rates, and stronger brand loyalty.
Third, niches help you build trust faster. People are more likely to buy from you when they feel like you’re “one of them” or truly understand their situation and are a professional in that subject. When your messaging feels personalized, it builds credibility.
Finally, it makes marketing more cost-effective. Instead of wasting time and money trying to reach everybody, you’re investing in a targeted group with a higher chance of converting—so your ad spend and content efforts go further.
So, in short, a niche in digital product is your sweet spot—the focused space where your brand, your message, and your ideal audience meet. And when you get it right, marketing becomes way more effective and profitable. Some of the best niches for digital products include Health, business, finance, beauty, self-help, and marketing. Also, check out our comprehensive post on the 10 best digital products to sell for passive income in 2025
Step 2: Create the Product
If you’re looking to dive into the world of digital products, there are two main paths you can take—and both have the potential to generate solid, long-term income if done right.
Method One: You can leverage resell rights, which means getting ready-made digital products (like ebooks, courses, templates, or software) that you’re legally allowed to sell and keep 100% of the profits. A reliable platform to find high-quality resell rights products is ResellRightsEmpire.com. There are also other great platforms offering resale rights, but this one stands out for its ease of use and variety. If you’re new to this model and want to understand how it all works, be sure to check out our detailed post: “How to Build a Powerful Passive Income with Resell Rights Digital Products.”
Method Two: You can create your digital products from scratch. This option gives you full control over the content and branding, and it’s easier than you might think! Here’s how to start:
Use tools like Google Docs, PowerPoint, or Notion to create downloadable guides, checklists, or toolkits.
Want to create video content or online courses? Try CapCut (for mobile editing) or OBS Studio (for desktop screen recording and tutorials). Once recorded, you can host your videos on platforms like YouTube (set as unlisted) or Vimeo and then sell or give access to your audience.
Use Canva to design e-books, workbooks, or templates.
Whether you choose to resell or create, the key is to focus on solving real problems for a targeted niche. That’s where the value and the money is.
Just make sure it is high-quality, easy to use, and valuable to your target audience.
Step 3: Choose a Digital Store Platform
Here’s where automation comes in. If you don’t want to go into the hassle of building your websites and handling the payment and delivery. These platforms handle the payment, delivery, and customer access for you:
| Platform | Features |
| Selar | Best for African creators, accepts Naira & others |
| Payhip | Great for global audience, free plan available |
| Gumroad | Simple UI, popular with digital artists |
| ThriveCart | Premium, advanced automation for courses |
| Shopify + Digital Downloads app | Good for branding, higher setup effort |
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Step 4: Set Up Your Products
Uploading your digital product with a clear structure is crucial because it directly affects how well your product performs in terms of visibility and sales.
Product title: This is often the first thing people see. It should be clear, relevant, and easy to understand at a glance. A strong title helps potential buyers instantly know what problem the product solves or what value it offers. It also plays a role in search engines and marketplaces—if people can’t find it, they can’t buy it.
Description is your chance to sell the product without being sales. A well-written, SEO-friendly description not only helps your product show up in search results but also explains how it works, who it’s for, and why it matters. Think of it like your digital salesperson—it answers questions, highlights benefits, and builds trust before someone clicks “buy.”
Price setting is about balance. If it’s too high, you might scare people off. Too low, and it might look cheap or undervalued. A fair price respects your audience’s budget while also reflecting the quality and effort you put into creating the product. It’s about making your offer accessible without underselling yourself.
product file or link. This is the actual content—what your customer is paying for. Whether it’s a downloadable PDF, a video course link, or a Notion template, it needs to be delivered in a smooth, secure, and instant way. A good delivery method builds credibility and keeps your buyer experience professional.
The cover image or thumbnail is what visually represents your product. It should be clean, eye-catching, and give a hint of what’s inside. People do judge a product by its cover, especially online, so this image needs to stop the scroll and spark curiosity. A strong thumbnail can be the difference between someone clicking your product or scrolling past it.
In short, this structure helps your product look professional, reach the right people, and convert interest into income. It’s not just about selling—it’s about creating a trustworthy digital storefront that makes people want to come back for more.
Most platforms will generate a checkout page and handle delivery once someone makes a purchase.
Step 5: Promote Your Store
Now that your shop is live, it’s time to start driving traffic in other ways to generate sales and make a profit.
Share your digital product store on your social media like Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok, or Facebook for people to get introduced to and become familiar with your products
Start a YouTube channel or blog around your niche; this will enable you to educate viewers and readers about your product nd how it can be useful or solve their problem while also establishing you as an authority in the niche.
Run simple ads or collaborate with influencers. You can also run targeted ads to boost sales and get influencers to validate your products, which may appeal to their communities and get you traffic and sales.
Join online communities, groups, threads, and forums to share value and your link so that people who relate to you can check out your digital product store and eventually become customers.
Don’t forget, if you have a personal website or portfolio, link your store there.
Setting up a digital store is low-cost, low-risk, and highly scalable. Once your store is automated, it becomes a passive income machine.
Instead of chasing clients, let your products do the work 24/7.
Ready to Launch?
If you’re serious about starting your own digital product store, I highly recommend checking out a full guide, tools, and tutorials at www.webhostinsider.com. You’ll also find top hosting deals, store-building tools, and more.
