Step-by-step guide: Selling digital downloads on Square

Benefits of selling digital downloads on Square



So, you want to start selling digital goods, but maybe don’t know where to sell them. Enter Square — which offers unique advantages for selling digital products, including its user-friendly interface, secure payment processing, and robust marketing tools to help you make your new business thrive. 

What are printables?

Creating and selling printables online is a fantastic way to generate passive income. Printables are digital products that you craft and make available online for customers to buy, download, and print at home. Printables can cater to a wide variety of needs and interests — making them popular among a diverse group of buyers.

Setting up your Square online store

Creating a Square account

The first thing you’ll need to do is set up your Square online account. Head on over to Square, and quickly and easily create your free account today. Make sure you download the Square app to stay current with your notifications.

Setting up your online store

After you create your account, it’s time to set up your Square online store. You’ll be able to choose a store name and theme — and configure all your payment options. Getting all this work done early will set you up for success as your first sales — and the income they generate — start rolling in!! 

Customizing your store's design and layout

Explore the various customization options available on Square to tailor your store's appearance to suit your brand identity and enhance the user experience. Your landing page is going to be the first thing people see when they visit your online store, so you want it to be compelling!

Adding digital products to your Square store

Types of digital products you can sell

You can sell a plethora of downloadable digital goods on Square, from ebooks, wall art, and planners, to music, graphic design templates, and online courses. Whichever digital products you choose to offer, make sure to encode them in the most appropriate file types for your buyers to download. Then let Square do the rest!

Creating product listings for digital downloads

Explore different ideas for how to create compelling product listings that effectively showcase your products in your item library — and entice customers to buy them —  on your Square online store. You can use AI software like ChatGPT to help you come up with some ideas, depending on your item type. But you'll also want to check out similar products online, to get some ideas for how you can make your own listings stand out.

Setting prices and offering discounts

Price your products competitively by doing research on sites with similar products. You can offer discounts to attract customers and drive sales, while also ensuring you turn a profit. Once you have a potential customers’ email address (you can collect them through sign-up campaigns), you can offer special prices and promotions to those users as well. 

Payment processing and delivery

Configuring payment settings on Square

The Square payment gateway will allow you to set up several payment options, so that customers can securely buy from your store regardless of  the payment methods they choose.

Automating digital product delivery

SendOwl will provide you with tools to automate the delivery of digital downloads to customers seamlessly and automatically, saving time and enhancing the overall shopping experience. These automated deliveries will provide secure digital download links to all your buyers, so you can focus your attention on other aspects of your business. You will also receive any important notifications via the Square app or on your SendOwl dashboard, so you won’t miss anything! 

Ensuring secure download links for customers

Square makes it easy to use best practices for safeguarding digital product links to prevent unauthorized access and ensure a secure digital download process for customers.

Marketing your digital products

Optimizing product descriptions and images for SEO

In this competitive digital marketplace, effective SEO (Search Engine Optimization) can make all the difference in getting your products noticed. Dive deeper into keyword research techniques, and learn how to strategically incorporate relevant keywords into your product descriptions and image alt texts. Additionally, explore the importance of high-quality images and how they contribute to better search visibility and user engagement for different types of digital products. 

Promoting your digital products on social media and other channels

While having a strong presence on social media platforms is essential for promoting your digital products, it's equally important to diversify your marketing channels for maximum exposure. Delve into the various social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Pinterest, and learn how to tailor your promotional strategies to each platform's unique audience and features. Writing a quick blog post about the benefits of your digital products is also a great way to spread the news about your products! Overall, your the digital content you put on your social accounts will help to expose your products to new customers and keep current customers interested in your brand. 

Leveraging square's marketing tools and integrations

Square offers a range of built-in marketing tools and integrations designed to help sellers amplify their promotional efforts and drive sales. Explore features such as email marketing campaigns, social media integrations, and customer loyalty programs — and learn how to leverage them effectively to engage customers and encourage repeat purchases. 

Providing customer support

Creating an FAQ section for common questions

While a well-crafted FAQ section can address many customer queries upfront with additional information, it's essential to continually monitor customer feedback and update your FAQs accordingly. Explore strategies for gathering customer feedback through surveys, reviews, and support interactions. Then use these valuable insights to refine your FAQs and anticipate future customer needs. Additionally, consider incorporating multimedia elements such as tutorial videos and visual guides to supplement your text-based FAQs and provide a more comprehensive support experience for your customers.

Offering refunds and handling customer complaints

While no seller wants to deal with refunds or complaints, handling these situations promptly and professionally can turn dissatisfied customers into loyal advocates for your brand. It’s important to resolve customer complaints effectively, by actively listening to customer feedback, replying to them with empathy, and proactively solving problems. These actions can turn initially negative customer experiences into positive outcomes that foster long-term customer satisfaction.

Using square's customer management features

Square's customer management features offer valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences, allowing you to personalize the shopping experience and build stronger relationships with your audience. Dive into the various customer management tools available on Square, such as customer profiles, purchase history tracking, and email marketing integration — and learn how to leverage them to segment your audience, send targeted promotions, and nurture customer loyalty. 

Analyzing sales and performance

Tracking sales and revenue data on your online Square dashboard

While tracking sales and revenue data is essential for assessing your digital product business's performance, it's equally important to analyze other key metrics to gain a holistic view of your performance. Explore advanced analytics features on Square, such as customer lifetime value, average order value, and conversion rates. Learn how to interpret these metrics to identify trends, opportunities, and areas for improvement. By checking these stats daily on the Square app, you can start to see patterns easily. 

Identifying top-selling digital products

Identify your top-selling item types so you can examine them and understand why they resonate with your audience. Then apply that knowledge to replicate these items’ success with your other offerings. Take a deeper look into product performance analysis techniques, such as sales trend analysis, customer feedback analysis, and competitive benchmarking. Using insights from your online Square dashboard, you can optimize your product offerings, pricing strategies, and marketing campaigns based on empirical evidence. 

Start selling digital products on Square today

As we’ve demonstrated here, selling digital goods on a Square online shop offers a myriad of benefits for beginning entrepreneurs and seasoned businesses alike. From its user-friendly platform and secure payment processing to its robust marketing tools and analytics capabilities, Square provides everything you need to succeed in the competitive digital marketplace.

If you're ready to take your digital product business to the next level, there's no better time to start selling on Square. With the comprehensive knowledge and strategies shared in this guide, you have everything you need to achieve your goals and succeed in the world of e-commerce, selling digital downloads. So download the Square app today to start building your own successful digital downloads business!