Choosing the Best Digital Products to Sell for Profit

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Shift Toward Digital Goods on Shopify
3. 1. Online Courses: The Gold Standard of Digital Products
4. 2. Membership Sites and Paid Communities
5. 3. Digital Guides, E-books, and Resource Libraries
6. 4. Professional Templates and Workflow Tools
7. 5. Coaching Bundles and Hybrid Models
8. How to Identify Your Best Digital Product
9. The Financial Advantage: Zero Transaction Fees
10. Protecting Your Content and Intellectual Property
11. Scaling Through Bundles and Upsells
12. Why "Native" Shopify Integration Matters
13. Setting Realistic Expectations
14. Conclusion
15. FAQ

Introduction

Did you know that the digital product market is projected to reach over $400 billion by 2030? This staggering figure represents a massive shift in how consumers interact with brands. Gone are the days when a Shopify store was limited to physical inventory, shipping logistics, and warehouse overhead. Today, the most successful merchants are diversifying their revenue by asking one critical question: what is a good digital product to sell? Whether it is a professional athlete selling training regimens or a baker offering sourdough masterclasses, digital goods have transformed from a "side hustle" into a core pillar of modern e-commerce.

The purpose of this guide is to explore the landscape of digital assets, identifying which types of products offer the highest margins, the best customer retention, and the most seamless integration with your existing Shopify store. We will look beyond the simple PDF download and dive into the world of online courses, membership communities, and high-value templates. We will also examine how to leverage the right tools to ensure that your digital offerings are protected, professional, and profitable.

At Tevello, our mission is to turn any Shopify store into a digital learning powerhouse. We believe that merchants should have total control over their data and their brand. This article will provide you with a roadmap for identifying, creating, and scaling digital products that resonate with your audience while maintaining a healthy bottom line. By the end of this post, you will understand not only what to sell but how to position those products for long-term growth and recurring revenue.

The Shift Toward Digital Goods on Shopify

For years, e-commerce was synonymous with physical items. You sourced a product, listed it, sold it, and shipped it. While that model remains viable, it is inherently limited by "cost of goods sold" (COGS) and shipping complexities. Digital products represent a fundamental shift in the economics of a Shopify store. When you sell a digital course or a membership, your profit margins often exceed 90% because you create the asset once and sell it infinitely.

Furthermore, digital products are the ultimate tool for increasing Customer Lifetime Value (LTV). A customer who buys a physical yoga mat might not need another one for two years. However, if you offer that same customer a monthly subscription to a "Yoga Flow Community," you have transformed a one-time purchaser into a recurring source of revenue. This stability is why many of the world’s top brands are moving toward a hybrid model—selling physical goods alongside high-value digital experiences.

When considering what is a good digital product to sell, it is helpful to look at the market through the lens of expertise. Every merchant has knowledge that their customers value. A merchant selling high-end cameras can sell photography tutorials; a merchant selling organic seeds can sell garden planning masterclasses. The key is to stop viewing your store as just a "shop" and start viewing it as a destination for both products and expertise.

1. Online Courses: The Gold Standard of Digital Products

Online courses are arguably the most effective digital product for any merchant looking to scale. They allow you to package your expertise into a structured curriculum that provides real results for your customers. Unlike a simple e-book, a course offers a journey. It uses video, quizzes, and progression tracking to keep the student engaged.

For example, consider a merchant who sells specialty coffee beans. While the beans are the primary product, the merchant can create an "At-Home Barista Masterclass." This video course walks the customer through every step of brewing the perfect cup, from grind size to water temperature. It is a high-margin upsell that requires no shipping boxes and no additional inventory. Once the course is recorded, it becomes a "set it and forget it" revenue stream that enhances the value of the physical coffee beans.

To ensure success, we recommend using a system that allows for all the key features for courses and communities without forcing your customers to leave your store. When a student has to log in to a third-party platform, it breaks the brand experience and increases the likelihood of support tickets. By keeping everything on your own URL, you maintain a unified experience that builds trust and authority.

Structuring Your Course for Success

A good course is not just a collection of videos. It should be broken down into logical modules. Start with the "Quick Wins"—lessons that provide immediate value—before moving into more complex topics. Using tools like drip content scheduling allows you to release modules over time, which prevents students from feeling overwhelmed and increases the likelihood that they will complete the curriculum.

2. Membership Sites and Paid Communities

If you are looking for recurring revenue stability, memberships are the answer. A membership site provides customers with ongoing access to exclusive content, a community forum, or monthly resources in exchange for a recurring fee. This model is particularly effective for niches that require constant updates or ongoing support, such as fitness, business coaching, or hobby-based groups.

Think about a merchant who sells woodworking tools. They could launch a "Makers' Circle" membership where members get a new project blueprint every month, access to a private forum to ask questions, and a monthly live Q&A session with a master woodworker. This creates a community where customers help each other, reducing the burden on the merchant while providing immense value to the user.

At Tevello, we have seen how powerful this model can be for reducing churn. When a customer feels like they belong to a community, they are far less likely to cancel their subscription. This is one of the many examples of successful content monetization on Shopify that we see daily. The focus shifts from "making a sale" to "building a relationship."

Managing the Technical Side of Memberships

One of the biggest hurdles for membership sites is login friction. If a customer has to remember multiple passwords for your store and your community site, they will eventually stop logging in. This is why we prioritize a unified login system. By using a native integration, your customers use their existing Shopify account to access their digital content. We have seen this solve major headaches, such as solving login issues by moving to a native platform, which directly leads to higher engagement and fewer customer support requests.

3. Digital Guides, E-books, and Resource Libraries

While courses and memberships are high-value, they also require a significant time investment to create. If you are just starting to experiment with digital goods, e-books and resource libraries are an excellent entry point. These are often lower-priced products that serve as a "tripwire" to bring new customers into your ecosystem.

What is a good digital product to sell in this category? Focus on "speed to result." A 100-page book on fitness might be too much for some, but a "7-Day Meal Prep Guide" is highly actionable. Other successful examples include:

• Recipe Books: Perfect for kitchenware or food brands.
• Lookbooks: Excellent for fashion or home decor brands.
• Instructional Manuals: Deep dives into how to get the most out of a specific physical product.
• Checklists: Simple, one-page documents that help a customer complete a task.

The beauty of these products is their versatility. You can use them as lead magnets (offering them for free in exchange for an email address) or as "Order Bump" offers at the checkout page. Because they are delivered instantly as a PDF or a secure link, the customer gets immediate gratification.

4. Professional Templates and Workflow Tools

In the "B2B" or "Professional Creative" space, templates are king. People are willing to pay for products that save them time. If you have developed a specific workflow or design system that works, there is a high probability that others want to buy it.

Commonly sold templates include:

• Notion Templates: For project management, habit tracking, or business CRM.
• Canva Templates: For social media posts, resumes, or marketing presentations.
• Excel/Google Sheet Templates: For financial tracking, inventory management, or data analysis.
• Website Themes: For specific platforms or industries.

For a merchant, this is about selling "the process." If you run a successful clothing brand, you could sell the "Fashion Marketing Planner" you use to coordinate your launches. This positions you as an authority in your industry while providing a scalable digital asset. When selling these, it is crucial to provide clear instructions on how to use them. A video tutorial included with the template can significantly reduce refund rates and improve customer satisfaction.

5. Coaching Bundles and Hybrid Models

One of the most effective ways to increase your average order value (AOV) is to bundle physical products with digital coaching. This creates a "complete solution" for the customer. Instead of just buying a product, they are buying a transformation.

Imagine a merchant selling high-performance skincare. Instead of just selling a serum, they could offer a "30-Day Skin Transformation Bundle." This includes the physical serum plus a digital course on facial massage techniques, a diet guide for clear skin, and weekly email check-ins. By adding these digital layers, the merchant can charge a premium price while ensuring the customer actually uses the product correctly to get the best results.

If unifying your stack is a priority, start by a simple, all-in-one price for unlimited courses. This allows you to experiment with different bundles without worrying about rising costs as your student base grows. We believe in providing a platform where physical products and digital education live side-by-side, creating a seamless journey from the moment the customer hits "buy" to the moment they complete their first lesson.

How to Identify Your Best Digital Product

Deciding what to sell requires a mix of market research and self-reflection. You don't need to reinvent the wheel; you just need to find the "knowledge gap" in your current market. Here is a step-by-step framework to help you decide.

Step 1: Analyze Your Customer Support Queries

Look at your inbox. What are the top five questions your customers ask? If people are constantly asking "How do I use this?" or "What should I do after I buy this?", you have the foundation for a digital product. Those questions represent a pain point that can be solved with a guide, a video tutorial, or a community.

Step 2: Look at Negative Reviews (Even Competitors')

Browse the reviews of similar products in your niche. When people leave 2 or 3-star reviews, they usually explain exactly what was missing. "The product was good, but I didn't know how to set it up," or "I wish there were more examples of how to use this." These missing pieces are your opportunities. Build the product that solves the complaints people have about others.

Step 3: Identify Your "Unfair Advantage"

What do you know how to do better than 90% of people in your industry? Perhaps you are a master of branding, a wizard at technical setup, or an expert in a specific hobby. Your digital product should be built around this core competency. Authenticity is the most valuable currency in the digital space. Customers can tell when a creator is passionate about their topic, and they are much more likely to buy from an expert they trust.

The Financial Advantage: Zero Transaction Fees

When you start selling digital products, the platform you choose has a massive impact on your take-home pay. Many third-party course platforms operate on "success fees" or tiered pricing that takes a percentage of every sale you make. We believe that is your money, not ours.

At Tevello, we take a different approach. We offer predictable pricing without hidden transaction fees. Whether you sell $100 or $100,000 worth of courses in a month, we charge 0% transaction fees. This allows you to keep 100% of your earnings, which is vital for reinvesting in your marketing and growth.

Transparent pricing is one of our core values. We offer an Unlimited Plan for $29.99 per month. This plan is designed to grow with you, including:

• Unlimited courses and students.
• Unlimited video hosting and bandwidth.
• Full community features (profiles, directories, social feeds).
• Drip content scheduling and interactive quizzes.

By providing a flat-rate plan that supports unlimited members, we remove the "penalty for success" that so many other platforms impose. You can scale your business with total confidence in your monthly overhead.

Protecting Your Content and Intellectual Property

A common concern when selling digital goods is piracy. Because digital files can be easily copied and shared, many merchants worry about losing revenue to unauthorized distribution. While no system is 100% foolproof, there are several ways to protect your assets:

1. Native Hosting: By using a native Shopify app like Tevello, your content is locked behind a customer’s account. They must log in to view the videos or download the files. This is much more secure than simply sending a "hidden" link that can be forwarded to anyone.
2. Drip Content: By releasing content slowly over time, you make it much harder for someone to "scrape" your entire course and distribute it elsewhere.
3. Community Engagement: When you build a community around your content, the value is no longer just the "file"—it’s the interaction, the support, and the networking. You cannot pirate a community.
4. Watermarking and Personalization: For high-value PDFs, consider using tools that add the customer’s email address as a watermark to the file.

Our focus on keeping customers at home on the brand website also serves as a protective measure. When the learning experience is deeply integrated with your Shopify store, it becomes a seamless part of the brand rather than a loose file floating around the internet.

Scaling Through Bundles and Upsells

Once you have identified what is a good digital product to sell, the next step is maximizing its reach. Digital products are incredibly flexible, making them perfect for "funnel" strategies.

The Order Bump

An order bump is a small checkbox on the checkout page that allows customers to add a digital product to their order with one click. For example, if a customer is buying a set of resistance bands, an order bump could be a "$7 Daily Workout PDF." Because the price is low and the value is high, a significant percentage of customers will add it to their cart.

The Post-Purchase Upsell

After a customer completes a purchase, you can offer them a more expensive digital product, such as a full video course or a three-month membership. Since they have already entered their payment information and trusted you with their first purchase, they are in the "buying mindset." We have seen how effective these strategies can be, including how brands converted 15% of challenge participants into high-paying students by using smart upsell paths.

Migration and Growth

As your store grows, you might find yourself managing thousands of students. If you are currently using a fragmented system where your shop is on one platform and your courses are on another, you are likely dealing with a "support nightmare." We specialize in migrating over 14,000 members and reducing support tickets for brands that need a more robust, native solution. A clean, unified system is the foundation for scaling without burnout.

Why "Native" Shopify Integration Matters

You might wonder why it’s so important to keep everything inside Shopify. Why not just use a dedicated course platform? The answer comes down to the customer journey and data ownership.

When you use a third-party platform, you are essentially "renting" your customers. They have to create a separate account, use a different checkout, and often deal with a different interface. This causes "conversion friction." Every extra step you ask a customer to take is an opportunity for them to change their mind.

By choosing a solution that offers "Native Shopify Integration," you ensure a seamless checkout experience. Your customers use the payment gateways they already trust, like Shop Pay, Apple Pay, or credit cards, all within your branded environment. They never leave your URL. This consistency builds immense brand loyalty.

Furthermore, you own your data. You can see exactly which physical products a student has bought, how far they are in their course, and when they last logged into the community. This unified view of your customer allows for much more powerful marketing. You can send an automated email to everyone who finished "Module 1" of your course, offering them a discount on a physical product that helps them with "Module 2." This is the "digital learning powerhouse" model in action.

Setting Realistic Expectations

While digital products offer incredible benefits, it is important to approach this business model with a long-term perspective. You are not going to make six figures in your first week just by uploading a PDF. Building a successful digital business requires:

• Consistency: Regularly updating your content and engaging with your community.
• Marketing: You still need to drive traffic to your store through SEO, social media, or paid ads.
• Quality: In a world of free content, your paid products must offer superior value, better organization, and a clear path to results.

Instead of looking for a "get rich quick" scheme, focus on how digital goods can diversify your revenue streams, increase your recurring revenue stability, and turn your customers into lifelong fans. A well-built course or community is an asset that grows in value over time as you add more testimonials, more content, and more success stories.

Before you commit to a platform, we recommend checking merchant feedback and app-store performance signals to see how other store owners are using these tools. Real-world adoption is the best indicator of a tool's effectiveness.

Conclusion

Determining what is a good digital product to sell is the first step toward transforming your Shopify store into a highly profitable, scalable business. Whether you choose to launch a comprehensive online course, a recurring membership community, or a suite of professional templates, the key is to leverage your existing expertise to solve your customers' problems. By moving away from a "physical-only" mindset, you can enjoy higher margins, better customer retention, and a more stable financial future.

At Tevello, we are here to support that journey. Our Unlimited Plan gives you everything you need—unlimited courses, students, video hosting, and community features—for a simple, flat fee of $29.99 per month. And most importantly, we charge 0% transaction fees, ensuring that you keep 100% of the value you create. We invite you to install Tevello from the Shopify App Store today to start your 14-day free trial. You can build your entire curriculum, set up your community, and see the power of native integration for yourself before paying a single cent.

To build your community without leaving Shopify, start by reviewing the Shopify App Store listing merchants install from.

FAQ

1. Can I sell digital products and physical products at the same time on Shopify? Absolutely. In fact, this is the model we recommend most. Selling "hybrid" bundles (e.g., a physical yoga mat bundled with a digital yoga course) is a fantastic way to increase your average order value and provide a complete solution to your customers. Tevello integrates directly with your Shopify store, allowing both types of products to live side-by-side in the same cart.

2. Do I need to pay for separate video hosting for my courses? No. When you use the Tevello Unlimited Plan, unlimited video hosting and bandwidth are included in your $29.99 monthly fee. This saves you from having to pay for expensive third-party video hosting services and ensures that your videos load quickly and securely for your students.

3. How does the 14-day free trial work? The 14-day free trial gives you full access to all Tevello features. You can install the app, create your courses, set up your community area, and even start enrolling students. It’s a great way to see how the "Native Shopify Integration" works with your specific theme and brand before you are billed.

4. What happens if I have thousands of students? Will my price go up? No. We believe in simple, predictable pricing. Our Unlimited Plan is a flat fee of $29.99 per month, regardless of whether you have 10 students or 10,000 students. We don't believe in "per-user" fees because we want to encourage you to grow your community as large as possible without worrying about increasing costs.