subject: Sell Downloadable E-goods Through Your Ecommerce Website [print this page] Sell Downloadable E-goods Through Your Ecommerce Website
Digital goods, which also go by the names electronic goods, e-goods and downloadable products, are an integral part of ecommerce. People are becoming accustomed to purchasing tangible products on the internet, but e-goods are quickly gaining ground too. These terms all refer to products that are stored, downloaded and used in an electronic format. Examples of such products include e-books, software, music files, digital images, e-tickets and html templates. These items can be downloaded via a link either on the e-commerce web site itself or through an email.
The buying and selling of egoods are becoming a very profitable business with huge potential to grow even bigger in the years to come. Online shoppers are getting used to purchasing and using e-goods and often like it better than physical goods. There are some major differences between physical goods and e-goods. Not to say that electronic goods are better than tangible goods, but there are some distinct advantages. Here are some worth mentioning:
No inventory
No shipping
Little to no startup cost
Consumers receive instant gratification
Transaction is almost automatically completed
Costs the same to sell one or thousands
If you are interested in starting an e-commerce business and have no money to invest then you should start to sell downloadable e-goods. If you already own an online store and want to give your customers more choices then sell some e-goods alongside your regular products. There is such a wide variety of downloadable goods which makes including them into an existing e-commerce business relatively easy. An ecommerce solution which offers its users the ability to sell downloadable e-goods should have some of these basic features:
Automatic product download
Multiple file download for one product
Custom download criteria that give you the option to choose # of clicks or # of days the link is valid until and also the option of identifying customer IP addresses for product downloads
Have the option of no shipping
Allows specification of product options and variables
Simultaneous tangible goods and e-goods checkout
Encrypted URL for added security
Simply listing downloadable products on your e-commerce web site is not enough to really boost your sales revenue. You need to promote your e-goods as much as you would your tangible goods. There are several ways to promote downloadable goods online. One of the best ways is to create an affiliate program, which is actually much simpler than starting an affiliate program for physical goods. One of the largest marketplaces for e-goods on the web is ClickBank, they specialize in e-books and software. You will be given access to thousands of affiliates by becoming a member. Another good tactic is to find product directories that feature the type of egoods that you are selling and get listed there. There are a lot more creative methods to promote your egoods, just try to think outside the box.
