Explains how to sell digital products in SHOPIFY and how to start a membership fee

In today's business world, there is growing attention on selling intangible products, which allow you to instantly deliver goods to customers worldwide without the need for inventory. To put it simply, intangible products refer to "things" rather than physical "objects." This time, we'll explain how to sell intangible products using Shopify, as well as how to set up a membership subscription system.

If you already have a shop on Shopify but want to try selling intangible products, or if you're interested in starting an online membership business, please take a look.

When you think of "online shopping," you might picture purchasing a product online, waiting for a shipping notification, and then having a delivery company bring the item to your door.

On Shopify, an e-commerce platform where anyone can set up and run an online store, store owners around the world sell products overflowing with originality.

On Shopify, it's easy to sell not only physical "products" but also intangible goods.

Let's look at a few examples.

If you're already selling products on Shopify, you can start selling gift cards right away using the standard features.

Menu > Product management → Select gift card → Add gift card product

Enter the title and amount variation, and optionally add an image or other details as you like.

With just this, the basic setup is complete. Customers who visit the store simply enter the required information and make a purchase, and the digital gift code will be sent to them by email.

The received email will include the gift card code. When purchasing a product, simply enter the gift card code and the discount will be automatically applied.

If the card balance is insufficient, only the remaining amount will be charged. If the card balance exceeds the payment amount, the remaining balance will be saved as data and can be used for future purchases.

Of course, you can also send the gift card directly via email to friends or loved ones, instead of using it yourself.

You can also sell digital books, audio, and video content on Shopify.

This time, I'll explain using the official Shopify app "Digital Downloads" as an example.

First, install the app in your store.

Next, register your digital download products on the Shopify product information page.

After that, simply add the digital file to the registered product from the Digital Downloads app settings screen.

That's all for the basic setup.

When a customer visits your store and purchases an eligible product, a download link for the digital file you set up will be sent to them.

In the detailed settings, you can choose between automatic or manual sending of the link, and you can also freely edit the email text.

Since the email text uses a bit of Liquid, the language for building Shopify, if you're unsure, GO RIDE can also provide support. Please feel free to contact us.

Up to this point, we've discussed selling digital products like gift cards and digital files as one-time purchases.

Now, let's consider selling digital products through a subscription model.

Examples of selling digital products by subscription include:

• Membership site fees
• Memberships
• Digital magazine subscriptions
• Monthly tuition for lessons, and so on.

Here, we'll use yoga studios as an example and explain how to sell using the Shopify subscription app "GoSub."

Create a product as usual. When doing so, please make sure to uncheck "Track inventory" and "This is a physical product that requires shipping."

On the GoSub settings screen, go to Subscription Groups → click "Create Group"

Create a plan group and set up the target products.

You can set the plan name and discount rate, among other settings. You can also register without setting a discount, in which case the amount set during product registration will be billed monthly.

In this example, the following settings have been registered:

• Monthly payment
• First time: 10% OFF
• From the second time onward: 5% OFF

When viewed from the customer screen, it will be displayed like this.

You can customize the display style and more. If you have concerns about editing code, GO RIDE support is available, so please feel free to contact us.

Once a subscription purchase is completed, billing will proceed according to the cycles and discount rates set in the admin panel.

You can also change statuses and plans from the customer's personal account screen or the store owner's management screen, allowing for flexible subscription sales.

Even if you set up Shopify mainly to sell intangible products such as monthly subscriptions for yoga studios, you can of course also sell tangible products.

You can create and sell related products such as yoga mats, wear, and water bottles for your studio on your store.

You can increase your business by selling tangible products together with membership subscription plans.

In addition to Shopify's basic features, there are a variety of apps available that match the types of products you handle and the form of your store. Many apps, including the GoSub app introduced here, can be started for free, so be sure to give them a try!