How to Add Downloadable Product for BigCommerce?
By Sam Nguyen
It is no surprise that digital products are still on the increase, with technical advancements boosting the use of online communities and bringing digital media consumption into the mainstream. Nearly all of the top professional bloggers, speakers, and other powerful public people have embraced downloadable products, providing sought-after content such as PDF manuals, eBooks, podcasts, and videos.
In this article, we will show you How to add downloadable product for BigCommerce to ultimately upgrade your BigCommerce store.
What is a downloadable product?
A downloadable or digital product is an intangible asset or piece of media that can be sold and distributed multiple times online without the need for inventory replenishment. MP3s, PDFs, videos, plug-ins, and templates are common examples of digital files that can be downloaded or streamed.
Benefits of creating downloadable products
Despite economic changes, eCommerce thrives – and with technical advancements boosting the use of online communities and pushing digital media consumption into the mainstream, it’s no surprise that digital products are still in demand. Below is advantages of BigCommerce downloadable products that impress users a lot.
- Lower overhead costs
- The internet is a large market
- Lower barriers to entry
- Profit margins are irresistible
- Digital products last forever
- Never out of stock
- Easier to manage, sell, and deliver
- Direct lines of communication
How to adding downloadable product for BigCommerce
Step 1: Adding a new product
Add a new product and choose Downloadable product as the product type. At the top of the page, a new tab named Product Files will appear.
Fields that are not applicable to downloaded products are eliminated when you select Downloadable products. This includes the following:
- Inventory tab
- Weight
- Width, Height, and Depth
- Shipping
- Pre-order availability (downloadable products cannot be pre-ordered)
Step 2: Attaching a product file
Click the Product Files tab to connect a product file. In BigCommerce, attaching a product file is optional. If you want to deliver digital items using a third-party service, skip to step 4.
You will notice a section to Upload a New File, as well as a list of connected files for this product (which will be empty if the product is new).
Description (optional) — appear in the invoice and in the customer’s account when they download the file File to Upload — choose between uploading a file from your computer or a file on the server Disable Downloads After — let you decide how long (days/weeks/months/years) after the customer’s purchase they will continue to be able to download the file Maximum Downloads — let you limit how many times the customer can download the file
To use a file that already exists on the server, it must be uploaded to the product downloads/import folder through WebDAV. The files you have uploaded will display in the Please select a file dropdown. The attached files are saved in the product downloads/import folder and can be reused if needed.
Step 3: Repeating the process for any additional files
Attach any additional files you want to include by clicking Attach File to Product and repeating the process. The number of files that can be attached to a product is unlimited.
Step 4: Saving
When you have finished, save your work.
BigCommerce downloadable products common issues
Not enough new products
Some stores may start out strong, but as their product releases fade, they may lose steam. Is it possible for you to stay in the game by releasing enough new products? If there is not anything new to look forward to, people may lose interest.
Consider devoting some time to developing new products or hiring someone to do so for you. There are many ways to repurpose your existing products or create digital product bundles if you do not have the time or resources to create products from scratch. This will revitalize your storefront and pique your customers’ interest.
Poor marketing
There is no denying that effective marketing is critical to the success of your online store. Marketing, in fact, can make or break a sale. If your sales are not up to par, take a look at how you are marketing your products; at the very least, you will be able to rule it out as a contributing factor.
Conclusion
You can sell digital files in addition to physical products. These are referred to as downloadable products in BigCommerce. This can be a quick and easy way to send customers digital files. When customers add a downloadable product to their cart and complete the checkout process, the shipping section is automatically removed (it is retained for carts that include both physical and downloadable products).
We hope that this topic about How to add downloadable product for BigCommerce will help you as best as possible in building up your BigCommerce store.
