Consumer retailers with an online sales presence are way behind in offering digital downloads.

Many retail companies offer online digital downloads. However, the retailers of online digital downloads are dominated by tech-oriented companies like Amazon (via kindle), Apple, Microsoft, Google, often via their online app stores. The tech industry has been marketing and selling digital downloads online for decades. In 2020 digital downloads was a $200 billion industry.

Change
One of the fundamental changes stemming from the pandemic of 2020 is how many more consumers bought online. Something that millennials and younger generations have been doing for years. During the pandemic consumers bought nearly everything online. They purchased both physical and nonphysical products and services. Many of these were digital downloads.

From JPMorgan.com, “The pandemic has pushed more shoppers online … and this trend is likely to stick, even as brick-and-mortar stores open their doors again.”

Digital downloads is, and is destined to be, a booming market. Digital downloads usually fall into the following categories:

• Ebooks
• Software
• Video
• Audio and music
• Photography
• Graphics
• Digital art
• PDF documents
• Online courses
• Web-based applications

Many more retailers can expand their online sales presence to include these and other digital downloadable items.

What are the advantages to a company in selling online digital downloads?
 new revenue stream
 low cost/ease of startup
 low ongoing overhead
 high profit
 constant inventory
 no manufacturing
 no warehousing
 fast delivery
 no shipping

Regarding digital downloads, a company does not necessarily have to be in a tech related business. They could simply and easily expand their sales and marketing into another area, like digital art downloads. Or entertainment downloads. Or one of the other areas of the digital download world. Even if they are already selling digital downloads. Diversification is often a good idea.

Example
On a small scale, as a photographic artist, in addition to offering my physical art prints on a major online art retailer, I just listed 5 of my Cool Color Art Photos as a pdf instant digital download on my website and another major site. At $19.95. 5 fabulous fine art photos, for $19.95. My profit margin? More than 95%! It took me less than an hour to list it. Depending on sales, this is a potentially huge profitable digital download. Consumers who are decorating or redecorating their apartment, home or office is a large worldwide market. The global home decorating market is valued at over $600 billion and is expected to continue to grow.

It would be relatively simple and fast and inexpensive for an existing established retailer to add, in this case, digital downloadable fine art prints to their existing online retailing. They could simply collaborate or partner with existing online sellers or with the artists directly.

It is now easy and quick and profitable to participate in a modern potentially long-term booming market, online digital downloads.