How to sell digital products - picking the right platform
Selling digital products can be a lucrative and rewarding business and a great way to monetize your knowledge online, but it's important to approach it with a plan in mind. Whether you're just starting out or looking to improve your current sales strategy, your set-up matters, it's not just a payment gateway. There are multiple types of platforms that will help you to create your set-up for selling digital products. The platform you choose can make or break your success and determine how much time, money, and effort you need to invest.
In this article, you’ll discover how to choose the best platform for selling your digital products, what factors to consider, and what are some of the most popular options available. If you are looking to learn how to start selling digital products, click here.
Why choosing the right platform matters
Choosing the right platform for selling your digital products is a crucial step in your online business journey. The platform you use will affect how you create, deliver, market, and sell your products. It will also affect how you interact with your customers and handle payments and refunds.
Different platforms have different features, benefits, drawbacks, and pricing plans. Some platforms are more suited for certain types of digital products than others. Some platforms offer more customization and flexibility than others. Some platforms have better customer service and support than others.
Therefore, you need to do your research and compare different platforms before making a decision.
Key aspects to consider when choosing the right platform:
- Fees and costs: Different platforms have different fees and costs associated with them, such as transaction fees, monthly fees, and hosting fees. It's important to understand these costs and how they will impact your profitability.
- Payment gateway options: Make sure the platform you choose offers the payment processing options that you need, such as Stripe, Paypal, or direct bank transfers. And that your clients can pay using not only card but also rapidly growing Apple Pay or Google Pay.
- Product delivery and security: Consider how the platform handles product delivery and security. Can you easily deliver your products to customers, and are they protected from unauthorized access or downloading?
- Customer support: Look for a platform that offers good customer support, such as a knowledge base, responds quickly to email or chat support. This can be especially important if you are new to selling digital products and need help along the way.
- Ease of use: You want to choose a platform that is easy to use and navigate, so you can focus on creating and selling your products, rather than struggling with complicated tools or processes. Is the platform intuitive and easy to understand? How easy is it to set up and get started on the platform?
When looking into specific platforms to sell digital products, there are different options to choose from such as Pensight, Etsy, Gumroad, or Kajabi. These platforms handle the payment processing, product delivery, and customer support for you, making it easy to get started.
Sell digital products online using a Pensight page which can also host courses, memberships, and affiliate links. Here are a few Pensight digital product seller page examples below:
Types of platforms to consider:
- Use a self-hosted e-commerce platform: If you want more control over the look and feel of your online store, you can use a self-hosted e-commerce platform such as WooCommerce or Shopify. These platforms allow you to customize your store and integrate with various payment gateways and marketing tools, but are complicated to set up and are often an overkill for selling digital products.
- Sell through your own website: If you have your own website, you can sell digital products directly through it using a plugin or integration. This can be a good option if you want to keep everything under one roof and have more control over the customer experience. Pensight offers an option for you to integrate Pensight products into your website via embeds.
- Use lightweight commerce platforms: There are platforms like Gumroad or Pensight that allow you to sell digital products with ease. They make it easy to set the store up in minutes, and do everything for you. Consider the price - Gumroad takes 10% plus the payment fees, while Pensight is just 3% and you have everything included: payment gateway, link in bio page, testimonials, and good customisation.
Regardless of which option you choose, it's important to have a clear marketing strategy in place to promote your digital products and reach potential customers.
Building your store only takes minutes if you choose the right platform. This allows you to focus on growing your audience, marketing and selling right away, marketing products in your socials and selling from your link in bio on Instagram and Tiktok.
