Many people still believe that online sales are limited to physical products. But the digital product market like eBooks, software, and more is growing quickly. The space of digital products from eBooks to software is rapidly growing. WordPress offers strong plugins especially directed toward selling digital downloads, hence catering to both the creators and the businesses selling it.
With these plugins, you are selling digital products painlessly: educational material, digital artwork, or downloadable software. No physical product? No problem. WordPress has all the right plugins you need to succeed in the growing digital marketplace.
Who Can Use These WordPress Plugins to Sell Digital Downloads?
- Authors and Publishers: Sell eBooks and other downloadable reading materials with ease.
- Educators and Course Creators: Distribute online courses, course materials, and teaching resources as digital files.
- Artists and Designers: Sell digital artwork, printables, graphics, and design assets directly to customers.
- Musicians and Audio Creators: Offer music, soundtracks, or audio files for instant download.
- Software Developers: Distribute software, apps, and digital tools without dealing with physical inventory.
- Easy digital downloads (EDD)
Easy Digital Downloads is a complete eCommerce solution geared toward selling digital products, with admiration for simplicity and flexibility. EDD lets its users create an optimized online store that requires simple settings and it comes packed with all the essential features for selling digital goods.
The free version offers a solid foundation with unlimited products, no listing fees, and essential tools like an integrated shopping cart, secure file storage, and basic payment integrations. EDD Pro includes subscriptions, software licenses, and front-end submissions for those looking for advanced features, making it a versatile choice for various digital products.
EDD integrates seamlessly with popular payment gateways, including Stripe and PayPal, enabling global sales and a user-friendly checkout experience. With customizable email receipts, customer management tools, and robust support options, EDD ensures a smooth and professional eCommerce experience for digital creators.
Why Easy Digital Downloads is Ideal for Selling Digital Products:
- Unlimited Digital Product Listings: Sells various digital goods without extra costs.
- Integrated Secure Checkout: Optimizes conversions and supports popular payment methods.
- File Protection: Secure download links protect digital products for intellectual property security.
- Advanced reporting capabilities: Give knowledge and insight into customer behavior, sales trends, and how the products are doing.
- Discount Management: Easy creation and management of discount codes for promotions and special offers.
- Content Restriction: Enhances exclusivity and value perception.
- Customer Profiles: Manages customer data and sends customized communications.
- Flexible Add-ons and Integrations: Can expand to meet specific business needs.
With WooCommerce custom development, Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) integrates smoothly with WooCommerce, allowing for enhanced functionality and seamless eCommerce experiences tailored to your unique business requirements.
- Download Manager
The WordPress Download Manager plugin is a file management and digital product distribution tool. Designed to help users manage, track, and control file downloads, it comes equipped with features to enhance security and access control.
This plugin provides various ways to manage downloads by setting password protections, user roles, download speed limits, and CAPTCHA or IP-based restrictions. For those selling digital goods, Download Manager transforms WordPress into a complete eCommerce platform, offering cart and checkout options, licensing, and pricing customization, which makes it a versatile solution for digital product sellers.
Why It’s Suitable for Selling Digital Products:
- License-based pricing for tailored sales strategy.
- Secure downloads with password protections, user role management, and CAPTCHA.
- Built-in shopping cart and checkout flow for seamless digital purchases.
- Unique tools like download counters, license APIs, and order expiration options.
- Straightforward checkout for enhanced user experience.
- In-depth sales and marketing reports for strategy refinement.
- Integrations with Google Drive, and Dropbox for offloading file storage.
- Custom blocks for branded product pages in Gutenberg and Elementor.
- Download Monitor By WPChill
Download Monitor is an easy-to-use plugin that streamlines the management and distribution of downloadable files. With its familiar WordPress interface, this plugin lets users upload, organize, and track downloads directly from their website.
Download Monitor supports multiple file versions, categorization, and tagging, and offers shortcode-based download displays for enhanced flexibility. It provides gated content options like requiring users to fill out forms or submit email information before accessing a download, making it a valuable tool for businesses looking to control access to digital assets.
Why It’s Suitable for Selling Digital Products:
- Facilitates direct selling of digital products from WordPress sites.
- Supports email locks, CAPTCHA, and form submissions for lead collection.
- Allows customization of download buttons to match branding.
- Tracks download counts and user activity for insights.
- Enables the addition of alternative download links or mirrors for managing large files.
- Supports member-only downloads for exclusive content.
- Offers advanced features like Google Drive support for offloading storage and secure files.
Consider a WordPress development company if the plugins don’t meet your needs. They can create a custom solution tailored to your business, meeting all your unique requirements and optimizing your digital product sales.
- Premium Packages
The WPDM Premium Packages plugin offers a seamless solution for converting your WordPress site into a full-featured e-commerce platform designed specifically for selling digital products. With straightforward setup and flexible pricing options including single licenses, extended licenses, and unlimited access this plugin is perfect for digital product entrepreneurs who want a secure, user-friendly shopping experience.
The streamlined checkout process and robust order management system, including features like sales reporting, abandoned cart recovery, and license key management, make it a comprehensive choice for secure digital transactions.
Why Premium Packages Plugin is Ideal for Selling Digital Products
- Offers two-click checkout for enhanced customer satisfaction.
- Provides license-based pricing and multiple variations for easy product license sales.
- Includes order expiration, auto-renewal, and notification options for timely renewals.
- Sends automated recovery emails and discount codes for customer satisfaction.
- Provides customizable reports for data-driven decisions.
- Enables setting discounts based on user roles.
- Supports global or product-specific coupons for promotional pricing.
- Allows flexible pricing for donations or voluntary payments.
- Digital downloads with Arforms
The Digital Download with ARForms plugin simplifies selling and distributing digital products through custom forms on WordPress. Integrated seamlessly with the ARForms form builder, it lets users download digital products instantly after completing a form and a successful payment.
This add-on combines the form submission and digital download processes, supporting various payment gateways and customizable options for an efficient and user-friendly purchasing experience. With its shortcode capabilities, the plugin provides flexibility in placing purchase forms across pages, posts, and widgets.
Why It’s Suitable for Selling Digital Products:
- Combines form submission, payment, and download processes into a single step.
- Offers flexibility with multiple payment add-ons.
- Enables purchase of multiple digital items through a single form.
- Provides shortcode support for download links/buttons for customization.
- Provides insights into sales and download activity for marketing strategies.
- Ideal for sellers targeting a global audience with multilingual support.
- Manages digital products from a centralized dashboard for easy access and organization.
Conclusion
Selecting the ideal WordPress plugin for selling digital downloads can transform your online store’s potential and streamline the buying experience for your customers. With options like Easy Digital Downloads, Download Manager, Download Monitor, Premium Packages, and Digital Download with ARForms, WordPress offers a range of solutions tailored to specific digital product needs—whether it’s managing downloads, offering secure payment options, or handling licenses for complex software.
Each plugin brings unique advantages: from protecting intellectual property and tracking user data to enabling flexible pricing and creating branded product pages.
Whether you’re an artist offering digital downloads, a software developer distributing apps or an educator sharing course materials, WordPress offers versatile tools to make digital sales seamless and secure. Embrace these tools to maximize your store’s impact, optimize customer satisfaction, and build a scalable, successful digital business.
