How to Sell Digital Downloads on Amazon

Did you know that you could gain a leveraged income stream by selling digital downloads online?

There are many ways to start selling digital products. One of these ways is to use a marketplace like Amazon to sell your digital downloads to a global audience.

Amazon is the biggest e-commerce marketplace today, but it is mainly known for its offering of physical products. Not many people think of Amazon when it comes to finding digital products such as eBooks, downloadable files, templates, etc.

Still, Amazon has a huge audience and is a great platform for selling digital and physical products.

In today's article, we will cover what digital downloads are and how you can start selling digital products on Amazon.

Also, we will share an alternative way you can use to sell digital products online and build a profitable online business doing so!

What Are Digital Downloads?

When we talk about digital products, we usually think of things like pictures, artwork, or files that can be downloaded from the internet. However, the definition of a digital product is much wider than that.

Digital products are things that you can't touch or hold in your hand; they exist in electronic form and are used on devices like computers and smartphones.

Some examples of digital products are computer software, e-books (which are electronic versions of printed books), online courses, memberships, digital music, videos, digital art (like digital paintings, illustrations, graphic designs, photos, or other visual and multimedia content), and various online services.

Here is a list of digital products examples you can create:

• Online Courses
• Membership Sites
• eBooks or PDFs
• Templates and Worksheets
• Tutorials or Video downloads
• Event, Webinar Recordings
• Coaching Sessions
• Podcasts, Audiobooks
• Online Communities
• Digital Art (Illustrations, Photographs, Designs...)
• Software, Online Tools or Add-ons to other products

More digital product examples you can start selling today: 9 Profitable Digital Product Ideas You Can Start Selling Online To Earn Extra Income

These are just a few examples of digital downloads you can sell, and the online marketplace is continually growing and evolving with new product offerings and services being created.

Overall, the main features of digital products are that they can be easily edited, distributed, and accessed digitally, which makes them extremely convenient for both the digital content creator and the customers.

Related articles about selling digital products online:

• 7 AI-Generated Digital Products You Can Start Selling Online Today
• Why You Should Start Selling Digital Products Now
• How to Price Your Digital Products or Downloads: 6 Bullet-Proof Strategies

Why Should You Sell Digital Products on Amazon?

When you decide to sell digital products on Amazon, you gain several significant advantages that can help your products reach a global audience.

Here are the top benefits of selling your digital products on Amazon:

• Global Reach: Amazon has millions of users worldwide, giving your digital products exposure to a vast international customer base. This expands your market and potential for higher earnings.
• Trusted Platform: Amazon is a well-known and trusted online marketplace. Selling your digital products on Amazon instantly gives your products credibility, which can increase customer trust and boost sales.
• No Inventory Hassles: Unlike physical products, digital products sold on Amazon don't require inventory management, storage, packaging, or shipping. This saves you time and money on logistical aspects, allowing you to focus on product creation and promotion.
• Instant Delivery: Customers receive their purchased digital products immediately after checkout. There's no need to wait for shipping, which enhances customer satisfaction and encourages repeat business.
• Leveraged Income: The biggest effort is creating digital products. Once you start selling them on Amazon, there is no more work involved other than customer service. This means that you can build a leveraged income stream (similar to passive income).
• Scalability: Amazon's infrastructure can handle high levels of traffic and transactions, ensuring your business can grow smoothly without worrying about technical limitations or website crashes.
• Marketing Opportunities: Amazon provides various marketing tools and advertising options to promote your digital products. Strategies like sponsored product ads can increase product visibility, attract potential customers, and boost sales.
• Data Insights: Amazon offers valuable data and analytics to help you understand customer behavior, sales trends, and product performance. This data-driven approach empowers you to make informed decisions, optimize marketing efforts, and continually improve your digital products to better meet customer needs.

Which Digital Products Sell Well on Amazon?

Wondering what kinds of digital products you can sell on Amazon?

You have a wide range of digital products to choose from, including ebooks, online courses, prints, and graphic design templates, depending on your skills and interests.

If you're considering selling on Amazon, it's also a good idea to stay informed about the current trends in digital products and what is trending on the platform to understand what's popular at the moment.

This awareness can help you tailor your offerings to meet the demands of the market. Here are some of the best-selling digital products you can sell on Amazon:

#1: eBooks

You can write and sell ebooks on virtually any topic. Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing platform makes it easy to reach readers worldwide.

Amazon Kindle stands out as the largest global platform for ebooks, boasting millions of available titles. It accommodates various formats, including PDFs, making it flexible for authors.

Moreover, your writing scope isn't limited to just fiction or business books. Get creative and consider publishing travel guides, case studies, textbooks, or any content that appeals to your target audience. Diversifying your offerings can broaden your reach and cater to a broader range of interests.

#2: Online Courses

If you're knowledgeable in a specific subject, you can create and sell courses online.

Almost any skill or expertise you possess, whether it's in copywriting, photography, yoga, or any other field, can be transformed into a video course and marketed to a wide audience online, potentially reaching thousands of eager learners.

Technically, Amazon doesn't let creators sell courses on the marketplace, and it does not have any built-in features specific for course creation.

You can still turn an online course into an ebook, video or audiobook if you want to sell it on Amazon.

Amazon is great for helping you get your digital products discovered by a global audience, however, if you are serious about making a living with courses, you should also build your own site and sell courses as a business.

This allows you to keep 100% of your earnings, provide a better learning experience for your students, and build a scalable business under your own rules.

If this is what you are interested in, then you need an online course platform like Heights Platform to create and sell your courses without any transaction fees.

#3: Digital Art (& Print on Demand Products)

Share your artwork on Amazon, catering to customers in search of unique art pieces for their homes or businesses.

Digital artists can also offer digital art prints that customers can purchase and download.

Another way to sell digital art on Amazon is through Amazon Merch, a platform for artists and graphic designers seeking to seamlessly blend digital and physical products.

The process is straightforward: upload your artwork to Amazon Merch, and the service takes care of the rest.

It automatically prints your design on various physical items like t-shirts, eliminating the need for you to manage inventory or shipping logistics.

New products are produced and shipped to customers as they place orders, streamlining the entire process for you.

#4: Game and Software Products

Videogames and software developers can sell their products on Amazon.

You can do this by creating listings on Amazon's Marketplace or using Amazon Web Services for distribution, reaching a broad audience.

Amazon Appstore is another space where you can sell applications and digital downloads. This includes mobile apps, e-commerce themes, and website templates. However, keep in mind that Amazon takes a 30% commission on sales.

#5: Music

Musicians can sell both MP3 and CD versions of their songs on Amazon.

Additionally, within Amazon Music, there's a platform called TuneCore, which offers musicians a means to upload and sell their music across over 150 global stores like iTunes and Google Play.

This facilitates distribution to popular streaming services such as Amazon Music, Spotify, and Apple Music, along with social media platforms.

#6: Audiobooks

With Amazon's self-publishing platform, Audible, anyone can create and sell their own audiobooks and digital audio products.

You don't need specialized equipment or experience: just record your book using a simple microphone and upload it to the Audible website.

Your audiobook will then be available for purchase and download worldwide.

#7: Photography

Photographers can sell their photos on Amazon through various means such as photo books, calendars, or prints of their work, turning their digital photos into physical products.

While it may not be the most common choice, selling stock photography on Amazon can be a viable option for photographers.

Amazon's platform exposes your photos to a vast global audience, potentially reaching millions of people. This means you can tap into a broad market of websites and digital creators constantly in need of stock photos for their content.

#8: Templates

You can create a variety of templates, such as business planning templates, business contracts, DIY home project guides, and even PowerPoint presentations.

While templates may not be very popular on Amazon, this scarcity can be an advantage. It allows you to stand out and potentially attract a unique audience looking for these resources.

How to Sell Digital Downloads on Amazon

To make sure your digital downloads will succeed in such a competitive environment as the Amazon ecosystem, you need to have a plan in place before launching.

Here's a simplified guide to selling digital products online:

Step #1: Find Popular Products

First, research what kinds of products people want to buy online.

You can check Amazon's Bestsellers Rank, Google Trends, and the Kindle Direct Publishing store to see what's selling well.

Even if you already have a digital product idea, it's good to research how others are selling similar products.

Start by searching for relevant keywords and examining the results. Take notes on the product descriptions and images you find.

Plus, consider using third-party tools that offer in-depth analytics for the Amazon marketplace. This research can help you understand how to effectively market your product.

Step #2: Test Your Ideas and Create Your Digital Product

Create a basic version of your product, even if it's not perfect.

This is called a "minimum viable product." It helps you get feedback from potential customers and make improvements before launching.

To make your digital products stand out in a crowded market, make sure to provide outstanding value to your customers.

Whether you're crafting an in-depth eBook, a captivating audiobook, or a feature-packed software application, always aim for excellence in content, design, and functionality. This commitment to quality will help your products stand out and attract satisfied customers.

Step #3: List on Amazon

If your digital product fits on Amazon, it is time to create a Seller Central account and list it there.

When you're adding your digital products to Amazon, it's important to make them more discoverable by optimizing your product titles, descriptions, and keywords.

Start by researching keywords using tools like Amazon's search bar or third-party platforms.

Look for keywords that are both relevant to your product and likely to lead to conversions.

Then, seamlessly integrate these keywords into your product listing. This will boost your product's visibility in Amazon's search results and help potential customers find it more easily.

Step #4: Promote Your Product

Once your product is ready, you need to let people know about it.

You can use social media, targeted ads, online forums, and keywords to reach potential customers and drive sales.

Amazon also offers a range of marketing tools and advertising choices to boost the promotion of your digital products.

Using options like Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and display ads can enhance the visibility of your products and bring more traffic to your listings.

Think about crafting engaging ad campaigns that showcase your digital products' special features and advantages to attract potential customers effectively.

Another Profitable Way to Sell Digital Products Online

Amazon is not the only way to sell digital products online. While it offers many benefits, such as access to a global audience, instant marketing and promotion and other services, selling on

Amazon has some drawbacks too.

First of all, there are the commissions. Amazon's commissions vary depending on the products you are selling.

For digital products, it averages around 15% of your earnings. But it can be up to 45%.

Here is a comprehensive list of Amazon's commissions and costs.

The commissions are not the only costs you have: remember that Amazon is a very crowded market, and to stand out, you will probably need to focus a lot on marketing your products or invest in paid advertisement.

The price of digital products is generally low, so if you add on top of this a 15% commission and the cost of advertising, you might be left with very little earnings.

Another drawback is that you have little control over your business. You do not know who buys your digital downloads, and you cannot access the buyer's information as you would with your own business.

This means that you lack the opportunity to contact your customers again, send them your email marketing campaign, and build a relationship with them.

Last but not least, it is very hard to make an impression in a crowded marketplace.

So what is the solution?

What many creators do is they also build their own businesses and sell digital products from their own websites.

This allow you to set the pricing you want, reach out to your customers, increase conversions and build a strong relationship with your audience, who might come back to you for more products.

Plus, 100% of what you earn is yours to keep, as there are no transaction fees.

This doesn't mean that you cannot sell digital products on Amazon at the same time. You can have both!

To create your own business selling digital products, you need a platform like Heights Platform.

On Heights Platform, you can easily create and sell digital products, collect customer information, set up your storefront and promote your business.

There is a web page builder that lets you design your entire website with unlimited pages, and other marketing features like an affiliate program, your own blog, email marketing and more.

Plus, you have all the features you need to build a scalable online business – you can create and sell online courses, memberships, coaching and more!