Creating Digital Products

In addition to physical products, you can also sell digital files. In BigCommerce, we call these digital products. This is a fast and convenient way to deliver digital files to customers. When a customer puts a digital product in their cart and checks out, the shipping portion of checkout is automatically removed (it is retained for carts that include both physical and digital products).

Before getting started, here are some important things to know about digital products:

• There is no limit to how many files can be attached to a digital product.
• Attaching the file in BigCommerce is optional.
• Files can be uploaded through the control panel or via WebDAV.
• Maximum file upload size is 512 MB, regardless of the upload method.
• Digital products can also be created via product CSV import when using the legacy Import/Export tool.
• Digital products cannot be offered for pre-order.

1. Add a new product, and select Digital from the Product Type list. A new section called Files will appear below Images & Video on the edit page.

When you select Digital, fields that are not applicable to digital products are removed. This includes:

• Weight
• Width, Height, and Depth
• Shipping
• Gift wrapping
• Pre-order availability (digital products cannot be pre-ordered)

2. To attach a product file, scroll down to the Files section. Attaching a product file in BigCommerce is optional. If you want to use a third-party service to deliver digital goods, skip to step 4.

You'll see a list of attached files for this product (it will be empty if the product is new). Click Upload File and enter the following details:

• File to Upload — Choose between uploading a file from your computer or a file on the server.
• Description (optional) — This will appear in the invoice and in the customer's account when they download the file.
• Maximum Downloads — Limit how many times the customer can download the file.
• Disable Downloads After — Set how long (days/weeks/months/years) after the customer's purchase that they will be able to download the file.

3. Click Save and repeat the process for any additional files you want to include. There is no limit for how many files can be attached to a product. When you're finished, click Save.

Uploading Product Files to WebDAV

To use a file already on the server, it needs to be uploaded via WebDAV to the product_downloads/import folder. Files uploaded there will appear under the Please choose a file dropdown when adding a new file to your product. Attached files remain in the product_downloads/import folder, so you can reuse them if necessary.

Using the legacy Import/Export tool, you can add digital files to products in bulk by uploading the file to WebDAV and linking to it in your CSV file. Stores using the modern Import/Export tool must add digital products manually in the control panel.

To learn more about the requirements and instructions for importing digital products, see Importing Variants, Images, and Other Complex Attributes.

If there are no physical products in the order, then attached product files will become immediately available for customers to download. The customer will get a link to download their files after completing payment, and will receive an email with a download link. Customers with storefront accounts can also download product files by locating the order in the Orders tab of their account, then clicking the Download button.

Paid orders that contain only digital products will have an order status of Completed. See Order Statuses for more information.

If physical products are included in the order with the digital product, it will have to be manually set to Completed before the customer is given the download link.

If an order for a digital product is set to a Refunded or Cancelled status, the download link for that order will stop working. Clicking the link will result in a message on the storefront reporting "Something Went Wrong... You have requested an invalid product download. Please try again."

Do I have to attach a product file in BigCommerce?

No. Attaching a file in BigCommerce is optional. It is possible to deliver digital goods without attaching the product files by working with a developer and utilizing theme customisation. Refer to our Partner Directory to explore this option.

How do I delete/remove files from a product?

Once a file has been attached to a product, it can be removed by selecting Delete from the Action menu.

How do I update/replace a file?

Upload and attach the new file version, then delete the old file version from the product.

Can I update files on multiple products at once?

No, product files can be only be attached to a single product at a time.  However, you can upload the same file to different products; files do not need to be unique to the product.

Can I edit/customize the download link email sent to customers?

Yes. The email template can be found in Marketing › Transactional Emails. See Customizing Emails for more information about editing this file.