[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2013\/05\/10\/digital-products-coming-to-a-catalog-near-you\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2013\/05\/10\/digital-products-coming-to-a-catalog-near-you\/","headline":"Digital products coming to a catalog near you","name":"Digital products coming to a catalog near you","description":"The latest digital products proliferating e-commerce are bringing new opportunities and challenges to retailers.","datePublished":"2013-05-10","dateModified":"2024-02-27","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/michael-vax\/#Person","name":"Michael Vax","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/michael-vax\/","identifier":68,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/29a07ab76139e5e06e7fd464f16c5e34b9a938b7b8f88d005143634e5711bd73?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/29a07ab76139e5e06e7fd464f16c5e34b9a938b7b8f88d005143634e5711bd73?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/digitization-digitalization-and-digital-transformation-FTR_1.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/digitization-digitalization-and-digital-transformation-FTR_1.jpeg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2013\/05\/10\/digital-products-coming-to-a-catalog-near-you\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/commerce\/","name":"Commerce","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Commerce","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q26643"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/commerce\/e-commerce\/","name":"E-Commerce","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/E-commerce","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q484847"]}],"wordCount":457,"keywords":["Digital Commerce","Digital Marketing","E-commerce","Online Shopping","Retail","SAP Hybris"],"articleBody":"The latest digital products proliferating e-commerce are bringing new opportunities and challenges to retailers.It\u2019s time to stop thinking about digital products as just downloadable music, movies, or books. Technology advances in recent years have blurred the line between our physical and digital worlds. We fly with electronic tickets, read on e-readers, use software applications online, and receive alerts from Groupon to get the best local deals instead of cutting coupons from a newspaper.Digital products now come in many different shapes and forms:Annual maintenance and support contracts sold by equipment manufacturersAccess to shared cars and apartments, currently offered by peer-to-peer lodging rentals Airbnb, or car sharing service ZIPcarMobile applications that you can download to control home devices like smart thermostatsValuable data available through published APIs like those licensed by Hoovers,\u00a0which offers customers access to its vast database of industry informationVirtual goods in online gamesIn many cases, a digital product is an ingredient that allows personalization of a physical object.3D printing and personalization: The future of engagement is taking shape nowWe are already used to customizable text on T-shirts or to selecting a digital image on the Web to be printed, framed, and delivered to your home.3-D printing moves this kind of personalized manufacturing to the next level. At Shapeways.com, a consumer can select existing designs for various objects or upload her own. Shapeways prints ordered goods with its 3-D printers and ships them direct. The possibilities of the service are endless; for instance, a child\u2019s favorite drawing can be transformed into a piece of sculpture for your desk.Here are a few reasons why retailers should be paying attention to digital products:Digital products offer unlimited opportunities to customize your offerings and leapfrog competitionDigital products are \u201calive\u201d and provide new ways to understand and market to your customersMany digital products are sold using subscriptions, which ensures a reliable cash flowAdding digital products to your e-commerce site brings new challenges. Retailers may need to modify or upgrade their systems in order to:Develop product personalization and integrate it with internal systemsSupport order orchestration with different delivery paths for digital and physical productsImplement digital rights managementSupport subscription products, which also requires modifications in pricing that range from defining subscription terms and prices, to implementing a recurring billing systemThere may be countless other ways for companies to creatively enhance their offerings with digital goods. Get your systems ready and brainstorm ideas for digital products that can benefit your business!  Every digital moment matters.Are you making the most of them?1,000 business leaders dish on how to stand out from the crowd with a great CX. Get the details\u00a0HERE.\u00a0"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2013","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2013\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"05","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2013\/\/05\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"10","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2013\/\/05\/\/10\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Digital products coming to a catalog near you","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2013\/05\/10\/digital-products-coming-to-a-catalog-near-you\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]