Страницы - Cart-Power

Top 14 Marketplaces for Selling Digital Products: the Best Global Practices

Ksenia Cheburova — Mon, 25 Dec 2023 14:14:29 +0000

In today’s increasingly digital world, selling digital products has become a lucrative endeavor for many individuals and businesses alike. With the convenience of online platforms, creators can turn their digital content, such as e-books, music, software, or photography, into profitable ventures. In this article, we will explore the top stores and marketplaces for selling digital products and uncover the best global practices that can help aspiring sellers succeed.

Do you have an idea? We have a solution!

We'll develop a website for digital products on CS-Cart

Find out more

1. Amazon

Amazon, known for its vast selection and customer-centric approach, has emerged as a dominant player in digital sales. The company’s Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets have revolutionized the way people consume books and other digital media. Amazon Prime, with its streaming services and digital content library, further strengthens their position in the digital product space.

E-books: Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing platform enables authors to sell and distribute their digital books effortlessly. KDP provides user-friendly tools for formatting, uploading, and promoting e-books, allowing authors to access a wide global audience. With features such as Kindle Unlimited and promotional tools like Kindle Countdown Deals, authors can effectively enhance their book’s visibility and sales potential.
Graphics and digital art: Artists and graphic designers can showcase their unique pieces by uploading images to Amazon Merch on Demand. This provides the opportunity for their work to appear on various products like t-shirts, mugs, bags, and pillows. Amazon’s print-on-demand service eliminates the need for inventory ownership to sell products. Upon receiving an order, Amazon handles the printing and shipping of the product to the consumer, while the seller earns a royalty for the sale.
Music: Through TuneCore, an offering of Amazon Music, musicians can swiftly upload their songs and make them instantly accessible across numerous platforms such as Amazon, iTunes, Spotify, and Google Play, along with 150+ other global stores.
Apps and games: The Amazon App Store enables sellers to distribute their applications or games to millions of Amazon devices in over 230 countries. This includes availability on Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire tablets, and the Amazon Appstore on Windows 11.
Audiobooks: Using Audible’s Audiobook Creation Exchange, anyone can create and self-publish an audiobook on Amazon. Similar to KDP, once the audiobook is uploaded, it becomes available for purchase and download by all Audible customers.
Video: For creators of movies, short films, or shows, making their content available on Prime Video Direct provides an excellent opportunity to reach wider audiences through Prime Video.

2. Apple Digital Ecosystems

Apple has effectively integrated its hardware and software ecosystem. The App Store, iTunes Store, and Apple Books provide users with a comprehensive array of digital products for their iPhones, iPads, and Macs. The App Store presents a vast selection of iOS apps, catering to diverse needs and interests.

3. Google Digital Ecosystems

Google, equipped with the Android operating system and the Google Play Store, caters to a vast global user base. Offering a diverse range of digital products, such as apps, movies, music, and e-books, Google has effectively established its presence in the digital sales market. Its seamless integration across various devices and user-friendly interface has contributed to its significant market presence. The Google Play Store is the primary platform for Android users, providing an extensive collection of apps, games, movies, and books. Its integration with various Google services and devices ensures a cohesive user experience.

4. Walmart

Walmart offers an excellent opportunity to promote a wide range of digital products, including tax software and music downloads, among others. To commence selling digital products on Walmart Marketplace, you’ll need to register as a third-party seller, create a storefront, and list your products. This encompasses uploading files such as e-books, music, videos, or software, and setting prices for your items. It’s essential to adhere to Walmart’s policies and guidelines, as well as to fulfill the associated fees charged by Walmart.

5. eBay

eBay, an esteemed e-commerce platform, provides sellers with the opportunity to showcase a diverse range of digital products to a vast global audience. Whether you’re an artist, musician, software developer, or author, eBay serves as an ideal platform to exhibit your work and engage with millions of active buyers. Sellers can offer a wide array of digital products through eBay, including music, software, ebooks, art, digital photographs, digital trading cards, virtual items related to online gaming, digital trading cards, videos, digital textbooks, and electronic tickets.

Nevertheless, it’s important to note that selling unauthorized software keys or digital copies/codes of movies not intended for individual resale is prohibited. It must be included as part of the sale of the physical product.

It is crucial to ensure that these products are appropriately formatted and protected to prevent unauthorized copying or downloading. eBay has specific guidelines for selling digital products, including the necessity for secure file delivery and a digital rights management (DRM) system. Adhering to these guidelines is essential to guarantee a smooth and legally compliant selling experience on eBay.

6. Envato Market

Envato Market is an expansive ecosystem specifically designed for creatives to sell and purchase digital assets, such as themes, templates, audio tracks, video footage, and more. The platform is split into various marketplaces, each tailored to cater to different digital products. Envato offers a high level of exposure and visibility, attracting millions of customers and boasting a strong community of sellers.

Envato Market provides a platform for authors to directly sell their items to customers. Authors upload their work, users purchase and license the item, and authors earn from these transactions. The customer base on Envato Market ranges from smaller to large enterprises, specifically those seeking to acquire individual items as per their requirements. Additionally, authors who have received invitations to sell on Envato Elements may have their items featured on both platforms, subject to the type of content.

Envato Market encompasses a diverse range of categories and marketplaces, such as:

ThemeForest for Web Themes & Templates.
AudioJungle for Audio & Music (temporarily not accepting new authors).
VideoHive for Video Templates & Stock Video.
PhotoDune for Stock Photos.
GraphicRiver for Graphic Fonts, Logos, Icons, Templates and more.
CodeCanyon for Code Script Items.
3DOcean for 3D Print Models and CG Textures.

7. Etsy

Though traditionally known for handmade and vintage items, Etsy has expanded its marketplace to include digital products as well. Artists and designers can sell digital prints, wedding invitations, artwork, and much more on Etsy. The platform provides a user-friendly interface, extensive marketing and promotional tools, and a substantial customer base looking for unique digital creations. Etsy takes a 6.5% + $0.3c transaction fee for every digital product plus $0.20c for every digital product you list on their platform.

Some of the products can be sold on Etsy are:

ebooks (.mobi, .epub, pdf),
music (mp3),
notes,
custom GIFs,
Microsoft document,
any image files (jpg, png, bmp),
movies (.mov).

8. Creative Market

Creative Market offers a dynamic online platform tailored for designers to vend diverse digital assets like fonts, graphics, templates, and themes. This marketplace not only provides exposure to design professionals and enthusiasts but also fosters a robust community conducive to exploration and collaboration. Sellers benefit from the flexibility to establish their own pricing and retain a substantial share of their earnings, making it an advantageous choice for those aiming to maximize profits.

For designers, artists, or creators seeking to generate supplemental income through the online sale of digital products, Creative Market serves as an excellent starting point. At present, Creative Market imposes a 40% transaction fee on every sale. In return, sellers gain visibility among 8 million members, access to their streamlined eCommerce solution, and insights into current market trends offered by the platform.

9. ClickBank

In recent years, ClickBank has emerged as a hallmark of internet marketing, renowned as the premier platform for purchasing and selling digital products. This is the hub where product owners and affiliates can connect with each other to facilitate those sales. With a dedicated customer base enthusiastic to discover innovative offerings within their specific niches, ClickBank presents an optimal marketplace.

The platform’s affiliate program is celebrated for driving significant revenue through the utilization of ClickBank’s extensive promotional resources. Notably, the product spectrum on ClickBank is predominantly centered on educating users about harnessing the full potential of internet marketing, with recent emphasis on topics such as email marketing and organic promotional strategies.

10. Udemy

Udemy’s prominence as the largest marketplace for course creators is underpinned by several compelling reasons. As of 2023, Udemy boasts an extensive catalog of over 204,000 courses offered in 75 languages, catering to a global student base exceeding 40 million, establishing itself as a trusted leader in online education.

Upon joining as a creator on Udemy, ample resources are extended to provide support at every stage of the course creation process. Notably, Udemy offers its marketplace insights to all creators for free, featuring valuable data on student demand, search volume, and revenue potential for various topics.

Udemy encompasses popular course categories in business, technology, and personal development, addressing the diverse interests and aspirations of learners. The platform maintains a transparent payment system, ensuring that instructors receive 97% of revenue when students utilize their coupon code and 50% when they arrive organically through search.

11. Folksy

Folksy, a marketplace based in the UK, serves as an outstanding platform for trading unique handmade items and is also a thriving hub for digital downloads. Delve into the limitless opportunities offered by Folksy to exhibit and vend various digital products, such as wedding invitation templates and gift cards.

12. Creative Fabrica

Creative Fabrica is an open marketplace that allows independent designers, illustrators, and creative professionals to upload and sell their digital products. These products range from laptop stickers to wall art, and everything in between: fonts, graphics, crafts, embroidery, bundles. The website’s designs are quite unique and come from a variety of contributors, making it a great place to find something truly original.

13. Loopazon

Loopazon serves as a platform for producers to exchange their loops, samples, acapella vocals, tracks, and beats. There are Loopazon’s video tutorials and music-related articles to acquire knowledge for creating samples and loops, for instance, “The Top Free VST Plugins for FL Studio.”

14. Shutterstock

Shutterstock is an online stock photo and video platform. Users can browse through the extensive catalog of high-quality images and clips and purchase a license to use them for commercial or personal projects. Shutterstock has a variety of image categories, including nature, architecture, business, people, and more. Its search engine allows users to find specific images based on keywords, keywords and phrases. Alternatively, users can use the advanced search options to filter images by specific criteria, such as image size, color, date, and more.

Key Global Tips to Sell Digital

When it comes to selling digital products on these platforms, there are a few best global practices to keep in mind:

Quality Matters: Ensure your digital products are of high quality and provide value to customers. Positive reviews and ratings play a crucial role in gaining visibility and attracting potential buyers.
Optimize Descriptions and Keywords: Craft compelling descriptions and use relevant keywords to improve your products’ discoverability within the platforms’ search algorithms.
Leverage Marketing Tools: Utilize promotional options provided by the platforms, such as limited-time discounts, special offers, or cross-promotion opportunities, to effectively reach and engage with your target audience.
Engage with the Community: Actively participate in forums, groups.

Do you have an idea? We have a solution!

We'll develop a marketplace of any complexity

Get in touch

Looking to sell your digital products? CS-Cart allows you to set up a specialized marketplace of digital products or a mixed marketplace that offers both physical and digital goods. You can swiftly create an online store to sell ebooks, music, video content, and digital art. Selling downloadable products is effortless with CS-Cart. Simply upload your file, set a price, and select a payment option.

Cart-Power is the official CS-Cart partner. We provide services for development from scratch and grow online business. Launch website of digital products of any scale with Cart-Power! Creating an Online Store for Digital Goods with CS-Cart: A Guide to Setup and Cost Estimation.

The post Top 14 Marketplaces for Selling Digital Products: the Best Global Practices first appeared on Cart-Power.

Mastering Digital Goods: Key Insights into Selling and Platform Selection for Success

Ksenia Cheburova — Tue, 19 Dec 2023 14:12:24 +0000

Digital goods, also known as digital products, play a crucial role in the dynamic development of electronic commerce, offering significant potential for entrepreneurs. In this article, we aim to provide insights into the various types of digital goods, their benefits, and strategies for generating income in this industry.

Introduction

CS-Cart is a popular ecommerce platform that can be utilized to build a website selling demo access to cash gambling games. Some popular cash gambling games that can be offered include:

Aviator – This is a crash-type game where players bet on how long a virtual airplane will fly before it crashes. The longer the flight, the higher the potential payout.
Space XY – A spaceship flying game where players cash out before the spaceship crashes. This game has a space exploration theme and multiplying payouts.
Aviatrix – A medium volatility crash game featuring an aviation theme and NFT integration, allowing players to customize planes.
Magnify Man – A superhero-themed gambling game featuring expanding symbols and focusing on instant wins.
JetX – A fast-paced crash game featuring a jet plane theme and elements of skill-based gambling.

Steps to Create the Gambling Games Website

Install CS-Cart and activate a gaming demo data addon which contains base templates for a gambling site.
Create product categories for each type of cash gambling game offered. Configure category settings.
Add each gambling game as a digital product within the appropriate categories. Enter product descriptions, pricing plans, demo access details, and media.
Setup online payment methods to allow visitors to purchase demo access or play money for the games.
Design the frontend of the site through templates and skins to have a gambling aesthetic.
Add dynamic blocks and widgets to promote top games and new additions.
Configure shipping and order management rules for digital fulfillment.
Launch the site and continue adding new cash gambling games over time to expand the offerings.

Do you have an idea? We have a solution!

We'll develop a website for digital products on CS-Cart

Find out more

What Are Digital Goods

Digital goods encompass products and services that are delivered in electronic format, such as subscriptions, graphics, online courses, music, videos, software, games, in-game items, and online consultations. NFT tokens, a type of digital goods gaining global popularity, are also available for purchase, sale, or exchange. In our article “NFT Marketplace – What Is It And How To Create It?” we provided in-depth insights into creating a marketplace for NFT goods.

These goods do not necessitate physical delivery and can be transmitted to the buyer online following payment, providing them with online access or a download link for the file.

According to JPMorgan Research, the annual expenditure on digital goods exceeds $54 billion, and it is projected to reach $74 billion by 2025. This market expansion is propelled by the uptake of Internet technologies, evolving consumer preferences, and overall technological advancements.

The Profitable Nature of Selling Digital Goods

Streamlined Launch: Transitioning digital products and services to a marketplace or personal website demands minimal effort, offering a swift start for sellers already equipped with digital assets.
Simplicity and Cost Efficiency: Digital goods eliminate the need for packaging, storage, and delivery, reducing logistical and warehouse expenses.
Effortless Profit Generation: Following an initial investment in product development, digital goods can be sold repeatedly without additional production costs, thereby generating passive income.
High Margins: The production cost of a digital product primarily consists of the content and visual display for the online store, facilitating high profit margins.
Scalability: Non-physical products can be produced, duplicated, and sold in substantial quantities, allowing for diversification of product offerings and accelerated sales growth without excessive expenditures.
Reduced Risk: Testing and modifying a digital product is cost-effective, enabling sellers to ascertain its success before a large-scale launch.
Sustained Demand: Statistical agencies indicate that the sale of digital goods is among the fastest-growing sectors, with an average annual growth rate of 10 to 15%.

Who Can Benefit from Establishing a Business in the Realm of Digital Goods?

Experts who are already selling their non-physical products through other channels. For example, if you sell educational materials or guides through social networks, then launching an online store will not be difficult.

For a business that wants to expand its range and receive passive online income. For example, if you already have a restaurant, you can add a section with: master classes and recipes. If you have an offline business, such as a pottery workshop, you can sell an online course on your own website.

Here are a few examples who should think about launching their own online store or marketplace for digital goods:

Creative professionals: artists, designers, photographers, writers, musicians, videographers and digital content creators. They can sell their works and creative works through their own online store or marketplace.
Experts and Consultants: Professionals in business consulting, education, healthcare, fitness, psychology and other fields can develop and sell digital courses, e-books, video tutorials and other information products.
Software developers and technicians: They may offer digital tools, apps, templates, website themes, and other digital solutions.

Entrepreneurs who want to occupy a promising and profitable niche in e-commerce. Then it’s time to decide on the right digital product to sell.

8 Profitable Digital Products to Sell

1. E-Courses

Online courses and video lectures are currently among the most sought-after digital products. Creating them does not necessitate significant investments and can leverage existing expertise. The course format can range from short, insightful videos to comprehensive programs for mastering new skills. Once developed, the course can be marketed for years, enabling easy scalability for the business. Even with a modest audience, profitability is achievable.

Pros:

High potential earnings.
Profitability feasible with a small audience.
Utilizes existing expertise.

Cons:

Requires profound understanding of the target audience to achieve success.
Demands more creation time compared to smaller digital products like guides.
Significantly valuable content needed to compete with free resources.

2. Expert Guides

Experts can monetize their knowledge by offering downloadable training materials, usually in the form of PDF documents, to teach specific skills or provide practical advice. Achieving profitability necessitates a substantial audience and top-quality content. If the individual already conducts consultations and webinars, minimal additional material creation is required.

Examples:

Collection of child-friendly recipes.
Pet training guides.
Gardening and plant care guidelines.
Social media guides and instructions.
Knitting or crocheting master classes.
Analytical reports.

How to Begin:

Identify the most frequently asked questions in your profession. These inquiries are perfect topics for your materials. Dedicate time to crafting high-quality guides and utilize tools like Canva to personalize the appearance and save them in PDF or EPUB formats.

Pros:

Easily created, often using existing materials.
Quick preparation of all files.
Utilizes pre-existing skills.

Cons:

Challenging to generate profit without a high sales volume.
Competes with free content.
Strong marketing and promotion required for consistent income generation.

3. Online Services

Another option is to advertise your services digitally. These service advertisements are designed similarly to other digital products. Internet-based services like online advertising creation, coaching, consulting, and mediation are in high demand.

Examples:

Interior design consultations.
Online personal training.
Career coaching.
Nutrition consultations, dietary guidance.

How to Begin:

Develop a service package tailored to your target audience. Promote the services on social media platforms.

Pros:

Opportunity to better understand your audience.
High profitability.
Low initial investment.

Cons:

Lack of passive income.
Limited scalability compared to traditional digital products.
Demands expert’s time and active participation.

4. Design Templates

Pre-made templates that allow users to incorporate their information are also popular. Types of templates that consistently attract users include website designs, elements for creating unique images, and graphic templates for social media, all of which are constantly in demand due to the increasing number of online purchases.

Examples:

Graphic design web templates.
Canva templates.
Social media graphics templates.
Printable planner templates.

Pros:

Relatively easy to learn.
Lower time commitment compared to larger digital products like courses and software.
A viable source of passive income for experts.

Cons:

Requires a large sales volume to be profitable.
Necessitates an effective sales funnel for consistent income.
Competition with freely available content.

5. Software and applications

Software and applications stand as some of the most lucrative digital products, necessitating a considerable amount of expertise, time, and financial investment for their development. Moreover, continual maintenance is essential post initial product release. The demand for online services and software spans diverse business domains, catering to large corporations, small enterprises, and individuals requiring applications for accounting, inventory management, business process organization, task tracking, and cloud data storage.

For instance, Cart-Power operates an online store that offers ready-made solutions for CS-Cart and Multi-Vendor, catering to specific features or industry-specific needs that are not readily available on the CS-Cart platform. Each add-on can be effortlessly customized to align with unique business requisites.

Examples:

Operating system licenses and antivirus software.
License codes for software activation.
Highly specialized software applications.

How to begin:

Identify the market needs for essential programs, applications, games, or SaaS products. Promote the software or game via popular app stores like the App Store or Google Play Store.

Pros:

Potential for consistent monthly revenue.
Innovative software products can generate substantial profits.
Expansion opportunities for software development firms beyond small-scale enterprises.

Cons:

Requires coding skills or a proficient development team.
Initial investments in time and finances are comparatively high.
Elevated risk of failures and returns.

6. Digital art, images and sound

Producing and selling digital art enables individuals to earn money while pursuing their passion. This category of product can be lucrative, but it necessitates the acknowledgment of the creator and an engaged audience, resulting in a higher entry barrier compared to other forms of digital content.

In contrast, stock images, videos, and audio are inexpensive and demand substantial traffic to generate profits.

Examples:

Written notes.
Data bits.
Licensing offers.
Drawings and illustrations.
Collections of stickers.
Photographs and video footage.
NFTs.
Printable coloring pages.
Animated motion design.
3D graphics.
Infographics.
Standard sound effects.

Pros:

It offers a reliable source of passive income with a defined audience.

Cons:

It operates within a highly competitive market.
Safeguarding the copyright of digital art can be challenging and requires awareness and compliance with copyright and related rights legislation.
There is a risk of piracy.
A substantial customer base is necessary to generate income from stock products.

7. Filters, fonts, presets

Filters, fonts, and presets are set to become increasingly popular, much like web design templates, and are poised to attract a dedicated customer base. This is driven by the ongoing digitalization of various services and the growing demand for individual online projects. Their development demands strong visual appeal.

Examples:

Vector illustrations.
Icon sets for websites or applications.
Fonts.
Social media filters.
Text effects.
Digital wallpapers.
Stickers.

Pros:

Ease of content creation.
Low time commitment.
Potential for passive income.

Cons:

Requires software for creation.
Significant traffic and sales are necessary to generate profit.
Faces stiff competition.

8. Subscriptions

Selling access to content or services for a specific period offers a predictable income stream for sellers and digital marketplaces, often renewing automatically at regular intervals and conveying a sense of savings to the buyer.

Examples:

Educational email newsletters.
Podcast subscriptions.
Digital magazine access.
Vlog subscriptions.
Weekly meal plan access.
Guided meditation subscriptions.

Pros:

Reliable source of recurring monthly income.
Potential for high profitability.
Fosters strong brand loyalty.

Cons:

Not entirely passive income, as continual content development and supplementation are required.

Where to Sell: Your Own Platform or an Existing Marketplace

Selling digital products through established marketplaces may seem like the simplest option. Numerous multi-category platforms such as Amazon, Walmart, and eBay exist, alongside specific marketplaces like Etsy for handmade art, ThemeForest for digital artwork and code, and Udemy for courses, and more. Top 14 Marketplaces for Selling Digital Products: the Best Global Practices.

These platforms offer the benefit of high recognition, substantial traffic, and a loyal customer base, making product placement straightforward and rapid.

However, this approach is not without significant drawbacks:

Certain digital products may not perform well on cross-category marketplaces due to the availability of specialized services for purchasing and consuming such goods. Before entering a marketplace like Amazon, it’s advisable to explore niche platforms tailored to your target audience.
Promoting digital products on multi-category marketplaces can be challenging since these platforms may allocate less advertising space for digital goods compared to physical products. Niche marketplaces often provide special promotion tools for their sellers.
Multi-category marketplaces, where physical and digital goods coexist, present the risk of buyer confusion, potentially leading to negative feedback for the seller.
The commission on marketplaces typically ranges from 5 to 30% of the product price, and the withdrawal of funds for the author may be inconvenient or subject to internal limitations.
High competition on marketplaces necessitates a unique offering to differentiate your digital product.
Constraints on implementing monetization schemes and sales funnels are common on marketplace platforms.
Dependency on third-party traffic and marketing efforts can result in fluctuating visibility and traffic, especially when platforms change their ranking algorithms.

Setting up your own online store for selling digital goods involves tasks such as uploading products, designing the site, creating content, and implementing advertising. Despite the initial complexity, this approach offers compelling benefits:

Independence from content ranking tools on external platforms, allowing you full control over your content’s display.
The ability to configure flexible advertising settings, including contextual and targeted advertising to attract potential customers.
Retaining the full commission for your digital products or expert services, ensuring you receive the entire amount from each sale.
Swift withdrawal of earnings, with funds directly deposited into your account upon customer purchases.
Leveraging various marketing tools to inspire customer engagement, such as offering gifts, coupons, discounts, and other incentives.
Opportunity for additional monetization through the creation of sales funnels around your primary digital product. For instance, providing templates or presets for photos as part of a subscription for a social media promotion guide.

Furthermore, establishing your own marketplace is more straightforward than it appears. For example, platforms like CS-Cart support downloadable products and can be easily tailored to accommodate the specific needs of any business with the assistance of expert teams.

Developing your own marketplace permits the launch of diverse online businesses centered around digital goods, such as an online school, a publishing agency, a digital art gallery, an NFT platform, a music platform, or a games and software store. Content creators act as sellers, with the potential for increased profitability as more sellers register and attract more buyers. This business model is particularly promising, given the 15% annual growth of the digital goods market.

How to Start Selling Digital Goods

If you already possess a pre-existing website or social media page, employing turnkey solutions like CS-Cart allows for the swift launch of an online store. Even its core functionality encompasses essential features for promptly establishing various e-commerce projects. As your online store starts generating revenue, you can enhance the out-of-the-box functionality with features tailored to your specific requirements, precisely when needed.

For those in the initial stages of entering the digital products market, adhere to these steps:

Identify your niche and gradually familiarize yourself with the market. Ensure there is demand for your product by determining the problems it addresses, its utility, potential objections from prospective buyers, and strategies for resolving them.
Assess your competitors and pinpoint what sets your product apart. Seek to strengthen your solution to a specific issue or introduce an innovative, original approach.
Select the most suitable platform to host your digital business.

CS-Cart provides built-in support for the sale of digital goods, allowing you to effortlessly establish a specialized niche store or a comprehensive marketplace offering downloadable products. The user-friendly layout editor enables the creation and updating of pages directly from the storefront without the need for programming expertise.

As an official partner of CS-Cart, Cart-Power specializes in supporting businesses from their inception to development. They are equipped to assist with diverse projects across various industries or business models. Whether you seek to launch a profitable marketplace or an online store for digital goods, Cart-Power can offer valuable assistance on CS-Cart. Creating an Online Store for Digital Goods with CS-Cart: A Guide to Setup and Cost Estimation.

Do you have an idea? We have a solution!

We'll develop a marketplace of any complexity

Get in touch

The post Mastering Digital Goods: Key Insights into Selling and Platform Selection for Success first appeared on Cart-Power.

Key Functionalities Required for Successful Food Delivery Mobile Apps

Ksenia Cheburova — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 11:00:00 +0000

Since January 2020, there has been a thirteen-fold increase in the number of users utilizing food delivery services. In recent years, the prevalent trend has been the adoption of food technology mobile applications. These include not only aggregators such as Uber Eats, DoorDash, GrubHub, but also individual food delivery applications tailored to specific restaurants and fast food outlets.

With two-thirds of global purchases being made via mobile devices, having its own mobile application has become a fundamental necessity for any food delivery business. This article will explore the essential functionalities that should be incorporated into a mobile application to ensure a user-friendly experience for both customers and restaurant administrators.

Do you have an idea? We have a solution!

We'll develop e-grocery app or service

Find out more

Who Would Benefit from Having a Mobile App?

Two distinct business types stand to gain valuable convenience and advantages from the mobile application:

delivery services, encompassing logistics and transportation companies,
companies involved in the catering sector, including restaurants, cafes, sushi bars, and pizzerias.

For detailed insights into how restaurants can generate revenue online, we invite you to explore our article.

Essential Features for Customers

User Account and Registration

It is recommended to complete the registration and authorization process before finalizing the order, particularly after the cart has been filled. Provide the option for users to register using their social media accounts. The registration form should be brief and straightforward.

Enhance Search Functionality

Enhance search capabilities and incorporate convenient filters to enable users to easily locate their preferred restaurants or dishes. Additionally, please consider accommodating special requests such as vegetarian or allergen-free options.

Attractive Image and Comprehensive Description

The visual element holds significant importance: users first respond to the images and then delve into the description. The preview image should be sizable, visually appealing, and accurately represent the food. The absence of photos significantly diminishes the likelihood of placing an order. In the description, it is advisable to include the ingredients, weight, calorie content, and nutritional details — the more comprehensive, the better, to address any potential user inquiries.

Customization Options for Dishes

Delivery services often confine users to predefined meals and packages. If a product contains an undesirable ingredient, the user will likely opt not to place an order. Offer flexible dish customization: the ability to remove unwanted ingredients, add preferred toppings, select the degree of meat doneness, and so on, depending on the restaurant’s specifics.

Order Tracking

Enable users to track their orders in real-time within the app and through push notifications, promoting transparency in the delivery process and alleviating user concerns.

Upfront Delivery Information

Communicate delivery costs and minimum order amounts at an early stage, ensuring users have a clear understanding of the total order cost, including delivery, eligibility for free delivery, and whether the minimum order amount has been reached.

Timely Delivery and Multiple Address Storage

Offer various delivery options, such as expedited delivery or delivery by a specific time, and permit users to save multiple addresses for convenient ordering at different locations, such as home, work, or a friend’s residence, without the need for manual entry each time.

Reviews and Ratings

Incorporate a section for user reviews, ratings, and feedback, allowing for convenient submission. This section serves as a vital source of information for all parties involved, driving service improvement for restaurants based on feedback and aiding users in navigating the breadth of available options. Furthermore, motivating users to explore new dining experiences or eateries is another benefit of these features.

Encourage users to rate the app to enhance its ranking on App Store and Google Play, an approach that can be implemented through a post-delivery pop-up window, for instance.

Promotions and Discounts Banners

Highlight enticing offers and promotions through banners on the app’s home page or via push notifications.

Chat and Calls

Provide users with the capability to communicate with couriers via chat or phone. This functionality proves useful in scenarios such as delays in delivery or when customers urgently need to manage the delivery location. Additionally, incorporate a chat support feature for order clarification prior to placing an order.

Quick Options

Integrate one-click quick options for users to specify delivery preferences, such as “Leave at the door”, “Meet me on the street”, offering a streamlined approach instead of requiring detailed notes.

Repeat Order

Facilitate the quick repetition of orders through buttons in the user’s personal account or post-delivery.

Loyalty Program

Implement a customized loyalty program, considering the unique aspects of your business and user profiles. This approach can contribute to enhanced average spending and foster customer loyalty in your independent delivery application.

Essential Features for Administrators

Restaurant Control Panel. If you have an aggregator, the control panel should be straightforward and user-friendly for each restaurant. Restaurants should be able to view incoming orders, accept or decline them, and access all order details specified by the client, including the ability to modify ingredients if needed.

Real-Time Notifications. Ensure that notifications are promptly delivered to the restaurant’s end in real time, enabling swift responses to new orders or modifications to existing ones.
Menu Management. Empower restaurants to update their menus in real time to prevent inadvertent acceptance of orders for unavailable items.
Delivery and Coverage Area Configuration. Grant each restaurant the capability to define its delivery zone and set maximum distance parameters to mitigate issues with couriers.
Order Analytics and Reporting. Provide restaurants with accessible and intuitive tools to analyze key metrics through visually engaging formats such as graphs, charts, and summaries. A seamless visualization of statistics fosters restaurants’ confidence and trust in your service.

Customer Interaction and Feedback. In instances where direct inquiries are necessary, restaurants should have the capability to promptly contact customers to address inquiries or difficult situations. The most efficient method is through the phone number provided during order placement. For non-urgent queries, establish a centralized message center or incorporate a chat feature within the messenger.
Promotional Offers. Empower restaurants to craft and personalize special offers and discounts to drive customer attraction and foster application user growth.

How We Develop an Application

Phase 1: Planning

Initiates with preliminary analysis and project evaluation, involving a comprehensive review of the concept, a brief study of existing business processes and niches, and an evaluation of project complexity by a technical specialist.

Phase 2: Design

Involves outlining business processes and application logic, creating user journey maps, developing prototypes of application pages, and detailing technical specifications.

Phase 3: Development

Entails compiling a backlog of development tasks, planning sprints, and task distribution, designing the application interface, creating application pages for various use cases, developing a cross-platform application from the user’s perspective using React Native, building the Backend API, and integrating servers for data storage and payment gateway.

Phase 4: Testing and Publication

Comprises testing the application and publishing it on Google Play and Apple Store.

Phase 5: Technical Support

Involves ongoing technical support and maintenance of the application.

Do you have an idea? We have a solution!

We'll develop a mobile app of any complexity

Get in touch

What Factors Influence the Cost

The expense of creating a mobile food delivery application is contingent on its complexity and unique development requirements. Based on our experience, the initial cost of developing a mobile application starts at 700,000 rubles if a web version is already accessible. This estimate encompasses design development and its integration into the application, minor personalized modifications, and the process of publishing the application on Google Play and Apple Store. If you’re contemplating the development of your own online food store, our UX/UI designer offers guidance on constructing an effective conversion interface.

The post Key Functionalities Required for Successful Food Delivery Mobile Apps first appeared on Cart-Power.

Boosting Revenue: Effective Monetization Options for Restaurants Expanding Online Presence

Ksenia Cheburova — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 10:06:00 +0000

Based on Statista forecasts, it is projected that by 2027, approximately 2.5 billion individuals will be utilizing food delivery services, representing about 30.8% of the global population. This suggests that approximately one in every three individuals will be placing orders for food through online platforms.

In recent years, the prevailing global trend has been omnichannel, wherein a brand engages with its customers through various sales channels, including offline, websites, applications, and social networks. This trend has had a significant impact on the restaurant industry, particularly evident during the 2020 lockdown. Restaurants that successfully adapted and implemented delivery services were the ones able to survive.

Food delivery is not the only option for restaurants to generate income online. Below, we will offer effective monetization options for restaurants expanding online presence and how they can attract new customers.

Do you have an idea? We have a solution!

We'll develop e-grocery marketplace or service

Find out more

Benefits of a Restaurant Going Online

Expand audience reach: By going online, a restaurant can appeal to customers who are unable to visit the physical location due to factors such as distance or time constraints.
Enhanced competitiveness: In today’s market, having an online presence can be a critical differentiator in the competition for customers, particularly as many consumers prefer the convenience of ordering food for home delivery.
Customer flexibility and convenience: Online ordering offers customers time-saving and effortless options, eliminating the need to physically locate the restaurant, wait in lines, or prepare meals themselves. Customers can select and pay for their orders at their convenience, contributing to improved customer loyalty.
Access to customer feedback: Online platforms enable restaurants to gather and utilize customer reviews to enhance the quality of their services.
Transparent analytics: Online platforms and aggregators compile order information, presenting it in user-friendly reports, allowing restaurants to access valuable analytics for decision-making purposes.

Online Ordering via Delivery Platforms

The most straightforward choice for a restaurant is to collaborate with a food delivery service like UberEats, DoorDash, or GrubHub to deliver food from the restaurant directly to customers’ doors. The service lists the restaurant’s products and dishes available for home delivery. Restaurant staff access a dedicated application where orders placed through the service are shown.

Drawbacks include:

High service commissions.
Loss of brand uniqueness, as customers only see product cards.
Inability to maintain control over the final dish quality, as delivery is handled by the service's employees.
Challenges in swiftly updating the menu due to service moderation constraints.

Online Ordering via Restaurant’s Own Ecommerce Platform

Operating its own delivery service gives a restaurant full control over orders, from the kitchen to the customer’s hands. This allows for direct monitoring of dish quality, freshness, and timely delivery, consequently shaping the restaurant’s reputation and fostering trust with customers. This model can be realized through the functionality of an online store or a dedicated showcase on the restaurant’s website.

A client can visit the website, choose a dish based on visual and descriptive information, and select pickup or delivery. The administrator then reviews the order, confirms details with the client via phone, and subsequently forwards the order to the kitchen.

CS-Cart contains over a dozen delivery add-ons and integrations with external services. This empowers restaurants to exercise full control over delivery operations, including setting different tariff zones, offering free delivery, or disabling delivery for pickups. Additionally, the platform supports the implementation of various loyalty programs, coupons, gift certificates, and promotions.

Meal Kits and Semi-Prepared Food Items for Delivery

Offering semi-prepared food and meal kits for delivery can serve as an extra revenue stream for a restaurant. Recent research indicates a consistent rise in the demand for semi-prepared food. In fact, some studies project that the market for such meals is set to expand at an annual growth rate of 7.5% between 2021 and 2028.

A meal kit business model involves delivering pre-portioned ingredients and recipes to customers who want to prepare healthy and easy meals for themselves, families, or coworkers. The business can offer a variety of meal plans, from dietary restrictions like vegan or gluten-free to specific culinary preferences such as Italian or Mexican cuisine. The business likely operates through an online platform where customers can order and track delivery, with the option to customize their meal selections or skip orders if necessary. Meal kit companies often have a subscription model, but one-time purchases are also possible. They usually charge a fee per meal.

This approach involves incorporating an additional catalog section in the online store, where customers can add products to their cart and place orders as they normally would. Restaurant staff can then view and process received orders from the administrative panel.

What it should look like online food store to bring in more orders, said our UX/UI designer.

Meal Subscriptions

Provide customers with the opportunity to enroll in a meal plan in which they receive a predetermined number of meals weekly, delivered directly to their doorstep. The Recurring Subscriptions add-on enables clients to subscribe to products and receive regular billing for these products. This subscription model offers a valuable resource: time. Customers save time by automating recurring orders, while the store benefits from loyal customers, aiding in product stock planning. CS-Cart offers the Recurring Subscriptions add-on to facilitate this business model.

Food and Beverages for Takeout

It’s essential to cater to customers who prefer picking up their food and drinks in person. Offering take-out options not only serves as a form of advertising for the restaurant if orders are packaged in branded containers with the logo and contact details, but also provides convenience to customers.

Implementing this is straightforward. In the online store, you simply need to include pickup as a delivery option and provide the necessary pickup address details. By leveraging add-ons in CS-Cart, you can configure Google Maps to display pickup locations in a more user-friendly format.

Booking Tables and Catering Offerings

To streamline order management and reservations at your establishment, consider integrating a reservation system into your online store. This feature is beneficial not only for regular restaurants looking to facilitate table bookings, but also for those specializing in hosting banquets and catering. Additionally, you can utilize the restaurant premises for events, offering all these options in a dedicated section of the online store for swift and easy customer bookings.

It’s essential to provide comprehensive information on prices, terms, and available dates to preempt unnecessary client queries. A booking form and calendar can be designed for visitors’ convenience, ensuring they can swiftly access the required details without searching extensively.

For Event.top, we devised a timeline system that offers clear, concise visibility into all bookings. This automated calendar populates based on placed orders, streamlining the process and transparently presenting order statistics in the administrative panel. Moreover, the multidimensional price calendar functionality enables the restaurant to implement a flexible pricing strategy based on various factors such as the time of day or day of the week.

Gift Certificates

Restaurant gift certificates serve as an effective method to boost sales and entice new customers. They enable individuals to effortlessly offer gifts to their loved ones, while providing the restaurant with additional revenue.

The standard edition of CS-Cart features gift certificates and promotional codes.

Branded and Digital Products

In addition to food, the restaurant has the opportunity to sell other products online.

If the restaurant has established a strong following, there may be a demand for branded merchandise, such as items adorned with the restaurant’s logo. These can serve as promotional tools for the establishment, encouraging customers to revisit for their preferred dishes.
If the restaurant offers specialty food and drinks that are suitable for delivery, they can be listed as products in a dedicated section on the website. For instance, the restaurant could offer sweets, jams, and liqueurs for sale.
It is also feasible to sell items such as master classes and recipe collections. These products can be showcased on the website like regular goods, and upon purchase, the buyer would receive a link to download or access the file.

With CS-Cart, it is possible to commence the sale of digital products, including master classes, e-books, images, 3D models, online courses, software, music, games, and applications. This presents a cost-effective and straightforward method to generate additional revenue.

Proprietary Mobile App

A proprietary mobile application for a restaurant serves as a convenient platform for engaging with customers and enhancing their loyalty. It facilitates the following capabilities:

Swift and convenient ordering for delivery or pickup.
Access to the menu, ongoing promotions, and special offers.
Capability to leave reviews about the restaurant visit or communicate with the administration.
Receipt of notifications regarding new dishes, promotions, and events.
Creation of lists comprising favorite dishes and tracking of order history.
Ability to leave a tip and evaluate the performance of the server.

The mobile application can encompass all the features available on the desktop version of the restaurant website.

Do you have an idea? We have a solution!

We'll develop a marketplace of any complexity

Get in touch

Key Findings

Operating its own online store enables a restaurant to:

Gain independence from food delivery services and avoid paying commissions.
Foster customer loyalty and uphold brand reputation.
Attract customers and generate revenue around the clock by selling branded products, merchandise, and gift certificates.
Build a customer database using their contact details for sending out news and promotions.
Expand its business without the expenses of renting and renovating physical premises.
Increase profits through the use of a mobile application.

CS-Cart is an ideal solution for realizing various business concepts, including those tailored for restaurants. Connect with us to create a top-notch online store or grocery delivery service.

Read about other e-grocery business models.

The post Boosting Revenue: Effective Monetization Options for Restaurants Expanding Online Presence first appeared on Cart-Power.

Creating an Ideal Online Grocery Store Interface: 15 Key Rules for an Exceptional User Experience

Ksenia Cheburova — Mon, 04 Dec 2023 08:39:00 +0000

The main goal of designing an online grocery store is to convert visitors into customers. To prevent customers from switching to competitors, it’s essential to plan the user journey from the website’s main page to the final order completion, finding a balance between creativity and usability.

Efficient design should be intuitive, with smooth product navigation, clear categories and filters, and easy ordering. Our UX/UI designer, Sergei Rogov, provided insights on the essential aspects of interface development for an online grocery store that require special consideration.

Do you have an idea? We have a solution!

We'll develop e-grocery marketplace or service

Find out more

1. Utilize Home Page Banners

Banners serve as a pivotal tool for boosting website conversion rates. On the main page, they can showcase promotions, products of the day, new recipes, or curated product selections. The key is to ensure that they are conspicuous without causing visual clutter. Notably, approximately 84% of users engage solely with the first image in a carousel, underscoring the importance of dynamically changing banners to captivate attention.

2. Implement Intelligent Search

The smart search feature should be prominently displayed in a familiar location for users. Enhancing the search bar graphically ensures maximum visibility to attract buyers’ attention effectively. Modern online store search functionalities should include auto-suggestion, typo correction, and synonym-based search capabilities.

Try CS-Cart Live Search add-on. Through this tool, you can personalize the look, establish specific search parameters, incorporate auto-suggestions, and more. This effectively eradicates customer loss stemming from a convoluted search process and irrelevant search outcomes.

3. Include an Extra Menu Featuring Thematic Catalog Sections

To provide buyers with rapid access to popular products and selections, these items can be housed within a distinct menu. Typically located at the top of the page, this placement ensures immediate visibility to the user.

4. Utilize High-Quality Images

Compelling food photos can effectively convey the qualities of your product, even without the ability to taste it. Uploading high-quality product images is vital for boosting sales.

Product pictures should be enticing and presented in a uniform style. It’s advisable to engage the services of food photographers for this purpose. When capturing images, natural light, a minimalistic backdrop, varied angles, and appetite-inducing elements should be incorporated. Additionally, the packaging details and product texture should be clearly visible in the photographs.

5. Incorporate an Infographic

Consumers often make product choices based on various attributes, but some individuals prefer not to spend time examining all available options. This typically involves navigating to the product card, locating the specifications tab, and reading through the details. By presenting essential information prominently, customers can make purchasing decisions more quickly and easily. Product features can be displayed as infographics alongside the main product photo or as supplementary images on the product card.

6. Craft an In-depth Product Description

In the product description, include details from the packaging such as composition, calorie content, storage guidelines, and manufacturer’s identity. This practice aids buyers in making well-informed purchasing choices. Additionally, highlight specific labels like “contains allergens”, “suitable for individuals with diabetes”, “vegetarian”, and “suitable for fasting”. If your products possess distinctive attributes or competitive advantages, such as the creation of gluten-free cookies, be sure to emphasize these aspects in the description.

7. Streamline the Ordering Process

Reducing the number of steps required for customers to place an order enhances the likelihood of completing a purchase. Simplifying this process boosts conversions and draws in more customers. Providing the option to swiftly review products and proceed to checkout expeditiously prevents buyers from reconsidering their decision.

Shorten the customer’s path by enabling guest orders, allowing clients to place orders without the need for registration. However, this may lead to administrative challenges, as orders are not associated with specific online store users. This issue can be resolved by automatically generating a user account after a successful order, and an add-on for this functionality is available in CS-Cart.

8. Add Product Options to a Product Card

Instead of inundating the catalog with numerous similar products, it is more effective to consolidate all available product options onto a single product card. This approach, commonly employed by pizzerias, allows for the convenient inclusion of buttons to select parameters such as diameter, type of dough, and spiciness directly on the product card. Additionally, as options are selected, the price should adjust automatically for a seamless user experience.

It’s essential that when a specific option is chosen, the product image also updates. This feature stimulates cravings and assists the buyer in feeling confident about their selection. To enable the uploading of an extensive range of images for options in CS-Cart, there is a dedicated Additional Option Images add-on.

9. Implement the Recommended Products Block

When a visitor is in a purchasing mindset, it’s relatively easy to encourage them to make additional purchases. Incorporate sections such as Similar Products and Additional products onto the product card to effectively promote cross-selling. This approach is particularly effective in suggesting complementary items, such as offering candy or chocolate when a store visitor adds ground coffee to their cart. Additionally, when providing ready-made meals, relevant suggestions for additional products, such as toppings and souses, can enhance the customer’s options, ultimately increasing profits.

These additional sections can be strategically placed both on the product card and in the cart, positively impacting the overall user experience. The placement of Similar Products and Additional products sections should be tailored to the specific characteristics of the online store.

10. Add Ratings and Reviews

Incorporate product ratings and reviews to address pre-purchase quality concerns. Ensure that customers can easily access reviews and ratings directly from the product page, eliminating the need to navigate to external sites. Optimizing the visibility and accessibility of these sections will enhance customer confidence in the product. Moreover, ratings and reviews serve as social proof, boosting trust and stimulating interest in purchasing a product with higher ratings.

11. Offer Adaptable Cart Management Options

Ensuring user convenience involves not only effortless addition of products to the cart but also the ability to manage them as per the buyer’s preference. This includes the capability to remove a product if the buyer changes their mind, adjust the quantity, and more. Additionally, selected products should be retained even after the browser window is closed for a seamless shopping experience.

12. Save Information in Customer’s Account

A user-friendly personal account should allow users to track order statuses, view purchase history, and easily reorder items with just one click.

13. Create Informative Pages to Address Customer Inquiries

Every online store seeks to distinguish itself from competitors and persuade customers that their products are the ones to purchase. Emphasizing the production features, raw materials, and suppliers is particularly crucial for local farms or highly specialized stores.

To prevent product cards from becoming overloaded with excessive information, it’s advisable to present intriguing facts and competitive advantages on a separate “About Us” or “Frequently Asked Questions” page.

14. Leverage Your Blog for Organic Product Promotion

Recipes on websites or social networks are one of the drivers of growth in purchases in the e-grocery segment. Post them on your blog to advertise your products natively. Provide easy navigation so that the visitor can add products to the cart directly from the recipe page. In CS-Cart you can link recipes to products using the Power Blog add-on.

15. Evaluate Adaptability and Enhance the Application

The majority of users prefer ordering groceries and food delivery via smartphones. Ensure that they can effortlessly navigate the interface, easily access the required information without excessive clicking and scrolling, and that the visuals are well-suited to the screen width.

Consider investing in the development of a mobile application, as this can provide a competitive edge and streamline the purchasing process for customers. However, it’s crucial to prioritize simplicity and clarity in the application’s primary function. The application should leverage smartphone benefits such as rapid access to instant messengers, form auto-fill features, registration via social networks, and mobile payment capabilities.

Do you have an idea? We have a solution!

We'll develop a marketplace of any complexity

Get in touch

When engaging Cart-Power for UX/UI design, the focus extends beyond aesthetic appeal. The emphasis is on developing online stores and food services that effectively address user needs across various interaction scenarios, ultimately leading to increased sales.

From organic forms to augmented reality, the future of web design is already here. Find out which trends will be the main ones this year!

The post Creating an Ideal Online Grocery Store Interface: 15 Key Rules for an Exceptional User Experience first appeared on Cart-Power.