How to Sell Digital Products on Your Website (The Simple Way)

So you’ve created a digital product – maybe it’s an ebook, a course, a template, or a guide – and now you’re ready to sell it on your website. But you’re not sure where to start, and the idea of setting up payment systems sounds overwhelming.

The good news? You don’t need to set up a complex ecommerce platform to start selling digital products. In fact, there are simpler, more beginner-friendly, and often more affordable ways to add payment options to your existing website.

A quick note: You might have seen my other blog post about selling physical products where I mention Stripe and PayPal. You’d think they’d work great for digital products too, but here’s the thing: both Stripe and PayPal require additional software to automatically deliver digital files to your customers. Whereas when you use them for physical products, you’re responsible for physically sending the product through USPS, UPS, or FedEx. With digital products, that additional software adds complexity and extra steps you don’t need. The three options below all handle automatic delivery for you, making the process much simpler.

In this post, I’m walking you through three straightforward ways to sell digital products on your website. We’ll cover the pros, cons, and fees for each option so you can choose what works best for your business. The key with digital products is that they need to deliver immediately after purchase (within seconds). People won’t wait for you to send the product after purchase – it needs to be done automatically. That’s what makes them digital!

Option 1: Flodesk Checkout

Flodesk is primarily an email marketing platform, but they offer an add-on feature called Flodesk Checkout that makes selling digital products incredibly easy and beautiful.

How it works:

If you’re already using Flodesk for your email marketing, you can add Flodesk Checkout to your account. You can’t just have Flodesk Checkout alone – you have to have Flodesk for Email Marketing and then add Checkout. You create your digital product, set the price, upload the file, and Flodesk generates a payment link. You or your designer can add that payment link to your website, or you can share that payment link on social media, in emails, or anywhere else. When someone purchases, Flodesk automatically delivers the digital product to them. No manual work required on your end.

The fees:

Flodesk base email marketing starts at $19/month. If you add Flodesk Checkout, it’s $25/month if you have just one digital product to sell, or $50/month if you want to sell more than one product. You’ll also pay Stripe processing fees of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. So if someone buys a $97 ebook, you’ll pay $3.11 in Stripe fees plus your monthly Flodesk fee.

You can get 50% off Flodesk (including Checkout) with my code here. Note that you need the Flodesk Pro or Everything account to use the Flodesk Checkout feature – the lower tiers don’t offer checkout.

Pros:

• Automatic delivery – Flodesk automatically sends the digital product to customers after purchase, no manual work required
• Beautiful, on-brand checkout – Flodesk is known for its gorgeous design, and the checkout experience reflects that
• Email marketing integration – If you’re already using Flodesk for email, this is a two-for-one solution that simplifies your tech stack
• Less techy – The interface is more user-friendly and intuitive than other platforms
• All-in-one platform – Manage your email list and sell your products in the same place

Cons:

• Monthly fee – You’ll pay a monthly subscription whether you make sales or not
• Only for digital products – Flodesk doesn’t support physical products (yet – fingers crossed that’s on their horizon)
• Requires Flodesk subscription – You can’t just have Flodesk Checkout alone. You need to be using Flodesk for email marketing to access Checkout

Best for:

Business owners who are already using Flodesk for email marketing, or those who need an email platform anyway. It’s a two-for-one solution that simplifies your tech stack. You get both email marketing and a sales platform in one place. Perfect if you want automatic delivery and a less technical setup.

Why Flodesk might make sense for you:

If you’re in need of an email marketing platform, Flodesk is a great choice. It’s beginner-friendly, beautifully designed, and now gives you the ability to sell digital products too. I’ve written more about why I love Flodesk for email marketing here.

How to connect it to your website:

You’ll get a payment link for each product. Your designer can connect these links to buttons on your Showit website, making it seamless for customers to purchase.

Option 2: ThriveCart

ThriveCart is a dedicated sales platform built specifically for digital products and online courses. It handles everything from checkout to automatic delivery, with powerful features for growing your sales.

How it works:

You create your digital products in ThriveCart, upload your files, set your prices, and ThriveCart generates payment links or checkout pages. When someone purchases, ThriveCart automatically delivers the digital product to them. You can also set up upsells, downsells, order bumps, and affiliate programs to maximize your revenue.

The fees:

ThriveCart’s base plan is a one-time payment for lifetime access, typically $495. Their more advanced options require you to pay yearly for the software. After that initial investment, you only pay payment processing fees of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. No monthly fees for the base plan.

Make sure you check out which plan best fits your needs – it’s a pretty expensive software if you’re just getting started.

Pros:

• Automatic delivery – ThriveCart automatically sends digital products to customers after purchase
• One-time fee – Pay once and own it for life, no ongoing monthly costs
• Advanced features – Upsells, downsells, order bumps, affiliate tracking, and course hosting
• Built for digital products – Designed specifically for selling digital products and courses
• Scalable – Grows with your business as your product line expands

Cons:

• Significant upfront investment – The one-time fee can feel like a lot if you’re just starting out
• Technical and complex to set up – ThriveCart is something you probably need to hire a pro to set up, or be in some course to teach you how to set it up correctly. Otherwise there will be a lot of trial and error
• May be more than you need – If you’re only selling one or two simple products, you might not need all these features

A note from experience: This is what I use to sell my website templates. But I had hired someone to teach me how to set it up correctly for my type of business.

Best for:

Business owners who are serious about selling digital products and want advanced features like upsells, affiliate programs, or course hosting. If you’re planning to build a digital product business and want to avoid ongoing monthly fees, ThriveCart’s one-time payment model can save you money in the long run. ThriveCart can also sell physical products, but I think Shopify is better for that.

How to connect it to your website:

ThriveCart provides payment links and embeddable checkout options that your designer can add to your Showit site. You can link directly to checkout pages or embed buy buttons seamlessly into your existing pages.

Option 3: Shopify

Shopify is a full ecommerce platform that works for both digital and physical products. If you’re planning to sell more than just digital products, or want a complete online store experience, Shopify might be the right fit.

How it works:

You create your products in Shopify, upload your digital files, and Shopify handles the checkout and automatic delivery. Shopify gives you a complete online store with shopping cart functionality, inventory management, and the ability to sell both digital and physical products from the same platform.

The fees:

Shopify charges monthly fees starting at $39/month, plus payment processing fees. If you use Shopify Payments (their built-in processor), you’ll pay standard processing fees of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. So if someone buys a $97 ebook, you’ll pay $3.11 in processing fees plus your $39 monthly Shopify fee. If you use a third-party payment processor, you’ll pay both processing fees and additional Shopify transaction fees.

Pros:

• Automatic delivery – Shopify automatically sends digital products to customers after purchase
• Works for digital AND physical products – One platform for your entire product line
• Full shopping cart experience – Customers can buy multiple items in one transaction
• Lots of apps and integrations – Extensive app marketplace to add features as you grow
• Scalable – Built to handle significant growth and high sales volumes

Cons:

• Monthly fees – You’ll pay ongoing monthly subscription fees whether you make sales or not
• More complex – Shopify has more features than you might need if you’re only selling a few digital products
• Learning curve – Can feel overwhelming for beginners compared to simpler platforms
• May be more than you need – If you’re only selling digital products, you’re paying for physical product features you won’t use

Best for:

Business owners who are selling both digital and physical products, or those planning to expand their product line in the future. If you want a complete online store experience with room to grow, Shopify makes sense. It’s also good if you’re already familiar with Shopify or plan to eventually open a full shop.

How to connect it to your website:

Shopify allows you to create product links or embed buy buttons that can be added to your Showit site. You can either keep your main website on Showit and link to specific Shopify product pages, or work with your designer to integrate Shopify elements directly into your Showit pages.

Which Option is Right for You?

Here’s a quick recap to help you decide:

Choose Flodesk Checkout if: You’re already using Flodesk for email marketing, or you need an email platform anyway. It’s a two-for-one solution that simplifies your tech stack, automatically delivers your digital products, and offers a beginner-friendly setup.

Choose ThriveCart if: You’re serious about building a digital product business and want advanced features like upsells, affiliate programs, or course hosting. The one-time payment means no monthly fees, but be prepared for the upfront investment and a more technical setup process.

Choose Shopify if: You’re selling both digital and physical products, or planning to expand your product line in the future. Shopify gives you a complete online store, but you’ll pay monthly fees and might have more features than you need if you’re only selling digital products.

My recommendation? Start with Flodesk Checkout if you need email marketing, or ThriveCart if you don’t. Both handle automatic delivery beautifully and are designed specifically for digital products. You can always grow into Shopify later if you decide to add physical products or need a full online store. There’s no need to invest in the most robust platform until you’re ready for it.

No matter which option you choose, the most important thing is getting started. Pick the solution that feels manageable for you right now. You can always upgrade or switch later as your business grows.

Need help setting this up? If you’re working with a designer to create or update your Showit website, they can handle all the technical setup for you. All you need to do is create your products and provide the payment links. Your designer will make sure everything connects seamlessly to your site. Ready for a Showit website that showcases your vibe and makes selling simple? Let’s work together.