In recent years, demand for digital products such as e-books, music files, software, and templates has been growing. Since there's no need to hold physical inventory, selling digital content is an attractive option for EC operators who want to keep startup and management costs low.
Amid this trend, Shopify's official app "Digital Downloads" is a powerful ally for anyone running a Shopify store. This app makes it easy to sell digital products in your store. It smoothly handles everything from uploading files to automatically providing download links to buyers, significantly reducing the burden on store owners.
This article thoroughly explains "Digital Downloads" — its features, the benefits of adopting it, and specifically how to use it. If you want to start selling digital content, please use this as a reference.
What Is Shopify's Digital Product Sales App, "Digital Downloads"?
Image source: Digital Downloads | Shopify App Store
Digital Downloads is Shopify's official digital content sales app. Once you install it, you can sell digital content such as PDFs, images, music, and videos by attaching them to a product. When a customer completes a purchase, the app automatically displays or sends the file's download link.
What's more, the app is free to use. This makes it easy even for EC beginners to adopt, and it's a great way to start selling digital products with minimal setup.
Digital Downloads' Main Features and What You Can Do With It
Here are the main features and capabilities of Digital Downloads.
Attach Digital Files to a Product
With Digital Downloads, you can easily register and sell various digital file formats — PDFs, images, music, video, and more — as products in your Shopify store.
It also supports hybrid sales that combine physical and digital products. For example, you can handle a bundle such as "a physical book plus an e-book file" or "a figure plus its production data" within a single order.
Automatic Download Link Issuance and Delivery
When a customer purchases a digital product, a download link for the product is automatically issued. This link is instantly displayed on the order confirmation screen (thank-you page) and sent in the post-purchase confirmation email.
This eliminates the need for the store operator to handle shipping tasks or manually send files, and customers can download the file immediately after checkout.
Limiting the Number of Downloads
To prevent redistribution or misuse of digital content, you can configure detailed rules around downloading. It supports download count limits, letting you set options such as "only once" or "up to three times."
This makes it easier to manage the distribution of digital content and guard against misuse.
Benefits of Adding Digital Downloads to Shopify
Here are the benefits you gain by adopting Digital Downloads.
Diversifying Your Product Lineup and Creating New Revenue Streams
By offering digital products in addition to your existing physical products, you can significantly broaden your store's sales format. For example, you could add an e-book version of a printed book, or, if you sell your own photography, sell high-resolution data alongside the prints.
This lets you make flexible offers that match customer needs and secure a new revenue stream with no inventory risk.
Improved Customer Satisfaction Through Instant Downloads
After completing a purchase, customers immediately receive the download link. The high convenience of not having to wait is significant value for digital content buyers who prioritize speed.
Being able to deliver the product right away reduces post-purchase dissatisfaction and improves the customer experience (CX), which in turn makes repeat purchases more likely.
Streamlining Store Operations by Reducing Operating Costs and Effort
Digital Downloads has the ability to automatically deliver a download link once a customer completes their purchase. Eliminating the need for manual file delivery makes day-to-day store operations much simpler.
With less manual work, you can focus more on higher-value tasks such as product development, promotion, and customer support. As a result, it becomes easier to run a store efficiently and productively even with a small team.
How to Install and Use the Shopify App Digital Downloads
From here, we'll explain how to install Digital Downloads and how to use it in practice.
Preparation
In advance, register the product you want to sell as digital content.
Image source: Shopify
Under "Shipping," uncheck "This is a physical product." If this box is left checked, shipping costs will be added.
If you want to set a maximum order quantity, configure the inventory quantity under "Inventory." If you don't want to set a limit, uncheck "Track quantity."
Now let's install and configure the app.
Installation Steps
First, install "Digital Downloads" from the Shopify App Store.
Image source: Digital Downloads | Shopify App Store
A confirmation prompt will appear again in your Shopify store, so click "Install."
Installation is now complete.
Initial Setup
There are two initial settings you should complete.
- Translating the email template into Japanese
- Displaying the download link on the thank-you page
Let's go through each one.
Translating the Email Template into Japanese
The body of the email automatically sent when a product is ordered is displayed in English by default. Let's change this to Japanese (or your preferred language).
From the app menu, select "Settings," then click "Edit template" next to "Your download is ready" under "Email templates."
Since it's in English by default, translate it into your preferred language. Refer to the image below.
Note that the customer's name is ordered "first name → last name" by default. Move "{{customer.first_name}}" (the customer's given name) to after "{{customer.last_name}}" (the customer's surname), or simply remove "{{customer.first_name}}" altogether.
Below "Your download is ready," the "Digital file updated" item is a template for the email sent when a digital file is updated. This is useful, for example, if you offer e-learning content and update it with the latest information. Translate this as needed.
Displaying the Download Link on the Thank-You Page
Displaying the download link on the thank-you page after checkout saves the user the trouble of checking their email, which raises customer satisfaction. We recommend setting this up as well.
On the "Settings" screen, click "Customize" under "Checkout."
You'll be taken to your Shopify store's checkout settings screen, so click "Customize" under "Settings."
You'll be taken to the checkout page editing screen. Select the "Thank you" page from the top of the screen.
Click the app icon on the left, then click "Digital Downloads Links." Select "Thank you."
Click "Save."
The download link will now be displayed on the thank-you page.
That's the end of the initial setup.
How to Use It in Practice
From here, we'll explain how to add a digital file to a product. Open the "Digital Downloads" home screen and select the product you want to add a digital file to.
Click "Add file" and select the digital file.
That's all it takes to link the product with the digital file.
Next, click Fulfillment.
Here you can set how the digital file is delivered and configure download limits.
You can choose between "automatic delivery" and "manual delivery" for the delivery method.
If you want to limit the number of downloads, uncheck "Unlimited downloads" and enter a number in "Maximum downloads." Then click "Apply."
For manual delivery, click "More actions" at the top right of the screen, then click "Create download link." Send the generated URL to the customer, and they can download the data from that link.
This method also works when, after purchase, a customer says "I accidentally hit the download limit — could you reissue it?"
Once the setup is complete, place a test order to confirm everything works. After checking out, the thank-you page appeared and displayed the download URL.
If an email containing the download URL also arrives at the customer's email address, the setup is working correctly.
That covers how to use it.
Start Selling Digital Content with Digital Downloads
This article thoroughly explained Shopify's official "Digital Downloads" app — its main features, the benefits of adopting it, and specifically how to use it.
Digital Downloads is a simple app that lets you start selling digital products just by uploading a file, with no complicated setup or specialized knowledge required.
Because it can automate the delivery of your product, it can significantly reduce operational effort. Even EC beginners can easily secure a new revenue stream.
If you want to start selling digital products, use this article as a reference and give it a try.
Finally, the blog post below explains how to combine "Digital Downloads" with the perk-granting app "RuffRuff Order Bonus" so that buyers automatically receive a digital product as a gift. If you want to give away digital content for free once a certain condition is met, please use it as a reference.
