6 high-demand physical products that will increase the value of your digital offerings

Digital businesses need digital products, right?

Yes, but that’s not the whole story.

While digital products are the top choice for creators— 25% of creators planned to incorporate digital products as a new income stream in 2023—they aren’t the only way to make money.

Physical products are another valuable income stream creators can use. If you play your cards right, physical products can even increase the value of your digital offers.

If you’re curious about selling tangible, hold-it-in-your-hands, feel-the-weight-of-it, and put-in-on-your-mantle physical products, keep reading to learn the ins and outs.

Why should creators offer physical products?

Yes, physical products will take up more of your time and money. You have to get them manufactured, packaged, shipped, and stored. But don’t let that scare you.

Creating a physical product can give you an incredible and unique advantage. Here’s what physical products offer:

• Extensions of digital products: No matter what you teach or share in your digital products, a physical product can correspond with your lessons. Creating companion materials creates a richer experience for your students and clients as they go through your product or service.
• High perceived value: Perceived value can affect how much a customer is willing to pay for your product. So, in this case, a physical product will almost always beat a digital product. An actual value can be placed on it because you can see it, use it, and know what it does.
• Allow product demonstrations: Selling a digital product you can’t see involves a lot of salespersonship. You often need social proof and faith in your brand to make sales happen. But with a physical product, a customer can touch and feel it. You can use a video landing page to show them how it works, what it does, and how it will benefit their life.
• Added personal touch: A bit of humanity is important to keep in today’s world, and the personal touch of a physical product helps customers feel like they’re part of your community.

When I created my site back in 2013, I never thought I’d sell physical products. But I have found that the physical products contribute to the sense of community. It’s something your audience can hold that represents the space you occupy online and in their lives. … It was and remains important to me to develop and maintain an authentic, non-pushy way to sharing our offerings with our audience. So we focus on providing value to our list, and in return they become an even more invested member of our community with the mug to prove it.

– Tonya at MyFabFinance

6 trending ecommerce products you can sell online (+ unique examples)

The best physical products for your business are ones with a personal flair and a relation to your content and audience.

Still, it helps to get inspiration from fellow creators.

Let’s look at six physical product ideas and how creators use them in their businesses.

1. Journals

Blank journals and notebooks lack words but are filled with possibilities. Any audience who writes, organizes, manages, or creates can use a journal. For example:

• Writers who offer courses on writer’s block can sell journals for students to use during class
• Photographers can send notebooks to their top clients with a personal cover photo
• Health coaches can send a notebook as part of a group program to log diet and exercise
• Personal development podcasters can sell notebooks for daily reflection

Journal example by AmandaRachLee

AmandaRachLee began her creator career doing bullet journal doodling and design on YouTube and has since branched into physical products. Her shop offers journals, stickers, washi tape, and everything else her audience needs to doodle alongside her monthly ‘plan with me’ videos.

2. Planners

If a blank slate isn’t your style, opt for a custom planner. Physical planners complement bloggers who teach meal prep, personal development coaches, lifestyle influencers, or any creator who helps their audience organize their thoughts, life, goals, or business.

Planner example by Lavendaire

Aileen Xu created a digital product, The Artist of Life Workbook, as a PDF to complement her YouTube content. People loved it so much that they wanted a physical copy, too.

Now, the Lavendaire site has planners, journals, notebooks, stickers, apparel, and more. Physical products comprise 64% of Aileen’s revenue, alongside YouTube ads, brand deals, course sales, and affiliate and podcast income.

3. Subscription boxes

You can get a subscription box for virtually any popular product today. Want the best in beauty products? Look at Birchbox. Need curated items for pet care? Purchase BarkBox. Want to plant a garden? Invest in My Garden Box.

Creators with a wide range of product ideas (or pens too indecisive to pick just one!) can offer a subscription box to send a variety of relevant and themed items to their audiences.

Kids activity boxes

Bloggers and coaches who work with parents and teachers can offer monthly or quarterly boxes with activities, lessons, and items.

Kids activity box example by Worldly Kidz

The Worldly Kidz subscription box sends a book, shirt, activity, and video focused on social awareness each month.

Food boxes

Food bloggers and chefs with local audiences could offer weekly or monthly fresh meal deliveries. In contrast, creators with a far-reaching audience could send a collection of their favorite pre-packaged goods or kitchen gadgets.

Supplements and vitamins

Wellness coaches and health bloggers can offer recurring shipments of supplements and vitamins or curate health kits like a seven-day juice cleanse or 30-day health kit.

Pet food, snacks, and supplies

Dog trainers, vets, pet behaviorists, and other animal bloggers can set up subscription boxes for food, treats, toys, and training gear. If you don’t want to commit to running a subscription service, you could even offer these items as gifts to your top clients.

Limited edition items

No matter what type of physical products you want to sell, you could offer them exclusively to paying members or as limited-run sales.

Limited edition item example by Mythical Society

Rhett and Link of Good Mythical Morning have turned an internet show into a massive entertainment company, and paid membership customers access special quarterly items unavailable to the public.

4. Printed items

Digital products are wonderful, but there’s something special about holding a physical item. Creators with ebooks, art, or designs can bring their ideas to life with printed items.

Physical book example by Ami Vitale

Ami Vitale is an award-winning photojournalist who brings the story of China’s efforts to breed pandas and release them to the wild to life in her physical book, Panda Love: the secret life of pandas.

Art print example by Shannon Wild

National Geographic filmmaker Shannon Wild sells fine art prints on her website.

5. Branded merch

Any creator can offer branded merchandise—any physical item with your logo or design—as an item in your online shop or as a gift for customers and clients.

I look at the products in my Etsy shop as an extension of my blog. Through my blog, I encourage people to live positively, purposefully, and productively, and the products in my Etsy shop reflect that. I write a lot about productivity, and the notepads I create allow people to take that one step further and really implement my tips.

I also sell coffee mugs and t-shirts. For me, wearing a shirt or drinking from a coffee mug with a fun quote is certainly something small, but also something that can genuinely lift my spirits, and I hope others can take away the same positivity.

–  Erin Gobler

Smartphone accessories

If you are a designer who wants to avoid shipping and fulfilling orders, look into marketplaces like Society6. You upload your artistic design and use it to create iPhone cases, pillows, art prints, coasters, tapestries, and more.

Stickers

Stickers are small (and affordable!) ways for your audience to show their support and decorate their notebooks, phones, laptops, Kindles, and water bottles. Creators can design stickers with inside jokes or designs for their audience or use designs that appeal to a broader audience.

Stickers example by Emily Brimlow

Emily Brimlow, a musician who crowdfunded her debut album, sells branded stickers on her website.

Clothing items

Clothing items like shirts, hoodies, and socks are some of the most common types of branded merch.

Example of clothing collaboration with Harlem Fashion Row

Brandice Daniel founded Harlem’s Fashion Row, an agency that connects brands with designers of color in fashion. Recently, HFR collaborated with TIER and Peanuts Worldwide on a limited-run merchandise line.

Stanley Tumblers, coffee cups, and more

Stanley cups, coffee mugs, and other drinking accessories are commonly used items with plenty of blank space to put your branding.

Can coolie example by Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors

Musician Drew Holcomb of Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors offers branded can coolies alongside other merch in their online shop.

6. Handcrafted products

Artists and makers who teach and share about their craft can sell handmade items as a lower quantity, but potentially higher-earning, way to connect with their audience.

Home decor

Pottery, glassware, wall art, furniture, and textiles bring your designs and skills to life for your audience.

Fashion accessories

Bespoke clothes, personally knitted hats, and handmade jewelry are all beautiful and eco-conscious physical items for makers to sell.

Handmade kids’ toys and accessories

Parents who want to avoid plastic toys or buy unique items can turn to artists who create clothing, toys, and furniture for kids.

Kids toys example by Noe Loluna

Maker Noe Loluna creates crochet kids’ items like dolls, animals, and keychains.

Physical product creation: DIY vs. outsourcing

So you have a physical product idea…now what? Your next decision is deciding who will make it—you or a third party. Here’s what to consider to make your decision.

How long does it take to produce?

The DIY vs. outsourcing decision is clear if your product is a personal, handcrafted item. But what if production could go either way?

Consider how long it would take you to make each item compared to how much you could sell it for. For example, you might be able to print your label onto a t-shirt at home, but it might not be worth it if it takes you an hour for each shirt and you want to sell them for $12 each.

Slower production brings a personal quality to your item, but the price point might not justify the DIY effort and longer wait time for new drops.

Can you do it alone?

50% of creators had no employees or contractors in 2023, so you might already be used to managing everything alone. Consider whether you have the time (and desire) to manage vendor relations and supply chain if you outsource production.

Where will you keep inventory?

If you DIY your product, do you have enough space at home to store products before they sell, or do you need to rent extra storage space? If you don’t want to handle storing, packing, and shipping products on your own, you can consider using a fulfillment center that does it for you. It’s time to use a fulfillment center if:

• You’re too busy to spend hours boxing your product up
• You want to focus on new product design instead of standing in line at the post office
• You don’t know how to keep up with and manage orders

Moving your product to a fulfillment center is a big leap but well worth it when the time comes.

• You can avoid long-term leases from renting your own warehouse space which also leads to saving money from not having to hire staff as you scale.
• Using a dedicated, efficient fulfillment center will also save you money in the long run because they can leverage packaging and shipping costs.
• Finally, by letting a professional take care of all your logistics, you are free to put your mind on the creative side to your business. You’ll suddenly have more time to do that work that will keep growing your business.

The next step is to find the right fulfillment center for you and your physical product. All fulfillment centers function differently, and many specialize in certain areas of business. Try to find one that specializes in your industry and already works with businesses similar to yours. This will help you know that they can handle whatever needs you might have.

How will you package orders?

Many times, packaging decisions come down to your overall branding strategy. Many ecommerce shops create their own packaging for a cohesive look that prioritizes the customer’s experience. Others choose to use packaging from Amazon, USPS, UPS, or FedEx.

We recommend creating an unboxing experience that leaves your customers excited about more than just their item. Sometimes, they will show off their product on a video or on social media like people do for VYNL and FabFitFun.

Once you decide what kind of packaging experience you want to create, you can move on to determining the type of packaging options you have. The more you can save on space and weight, the more savings you’ll generate!

It’s also important to update the weight of each physical product you sell so you’re always aware of how it will affect your costs. This is especially important when considering which shipping methods will be your perfect fit. Then, you can affordably price your items to cover expenses while passing savings on to your customers.

Will you ship it yourself?

If you create products yourself and store them at home, you’ll be responsible for mailing them out to customers. Alternatively, use drop-shipping companies or fulfillment companies.

Dropshipping

Dropshipping means that every customer’s order goes directly to another company that manages the order and shipping.

• Dropshipping pro: You can use manufacturers or wholesalers who can hold large amounts of your inventory and have the systems to ship products to your customers. You don’t have to worry about your basement overflowing with products when you work with a drop shipper.
• Dropshipping con: You may have to compromise on your overall vision for your customer experience. Manufacturers are successful because they stick to a system that works well for them. You may have to be flexible about the shipping process when working with another company.

Fulfillment companies

Alternatively, order fulfillment companies only focus on fulfilling orders from retailers. Manufacturers often juggle multiple tasks at a time (like creating, manufacturing, packaging, and shipping the products), so order fulfillment companies may simplify the process.

One of the more popular fulfillment centers right now is Amazon.

Amazon’s FBA can be your one-stop shop for warehousing, packaging, and shipping.

Here’s a quick overview of the pros and cons of choosing FBA for your fulfillment needs:

Amazon FBA pros:

• No hassle shipping and returns. Never again waste your time at FedEx. Amazon will handle all your packaging, shipping, and even customer returns!
• It’s cheap. No matter what stage you’re at in your business, you can likely afford to work with FBA.
  Automatic Prime. When you use FBA, your products are automatically available for Prime delivery. Gotta love that 2-day, free shipping.
• Multi-channel fulfillment. You’re not limited to only selling on Amazon. You can point any storefront to your FBA account, and Amazon will handle it all.

Amazon FBA cons:

• Stale inventory. Once you reach the stage of shipping thousands of products, you may lose track of what you have in the warehouse. You might store more than you need and pay rent for products you don’t sell.
• Difficulty in shipping to Amazon. Amazon has a strict ASIN/UPC system, which means you have to label every one of your products individually, pack them up into multiple shipments, and then send them off.
• Limited access. You can’t just walk into the Amazon warehouse if you’re hearing that your inventory has quality problems. You will need to either have it removed and shipped back to you or rely on Amazon’s employees to double-check the product inside their fulfillment centers. It’s not entirely ideal.

Will you charge for shipping?

We already talked about knowing the weight of your package, but more determining factors go into measuring your shipping costs. Here are the four elements you need to be aware of:

• Package weight (keep it as light as possible)
• Package size (keep it as small as possible)
• Timing of delivery
• Origin country of package
• Destination country of package

You may be considering offering free shipping since it’s become more of a norm among ecommerce shops, but remember that someone always has to pay for shipping. You are delivering a physical product, after all!

Let’s break down what “free shipping” actually looks like:

• The customer pays for the shipping since it’s part of the overall sales price of every item in your ecommerce shop
• You pay out of pocket for the shipping when it isn’t added to your product cost and then write it off as a business expense (always check with an accountant!)
• You and the customer both pay a percentage rate for the shipping depending on your profit margins and where your price point needs to be for consumers to buy

You will also want to monitor any additional package insurance or tracking costs associated with your delivery method of choice.

Pick a sales channel: virtual marketplace vs. online store

You have two main options for where to list your physical products for sale online: on a virtual marketplace or your own website.

Virtual marketplaces, like Amazon, Etsy, or eBay, have some built-in audiences but typically higher shop fees. Selling on your website, in comparison, gives you more control and more responsibility for driving traffic to your listings.

When to choose an established marketplace

Virtual marketplaces are single websites where many companies and makers list their items for sale. You’ve probably heard of (and used) marketplaces like:

• Amazon for books, mugs, and stickers
• Ebay for secondhand, thrifted, or handmade items
• Etsy for handmade items
• CreativeMarket for digital design elements
• Society6 for custom-printed phone cases, art prints, bags, and more

Using an established marketplace is an option for creators who make physical products that might appeal to a wider audience, like a blank journal, a handmade mug, or a bag of dog treats.

Don’t use marketplaces for merch that has inside jokes from your community or items with your name or face on it. If you aren’t sure if your items are a good fit for marketplaces, search for similar items to see if other creators use the platform in that way.

When to opt for an ecommerce store

Selling physical products on your own website typically requires some more upfront work and maintenance, but it gives you a greater connection to your audience. Use your own ecommerce store if you want to connect your digital and physical products as an experience for your audience, like a companion planner for your coaching program.

The best ecommerce platforms for creators

If you’ve decided to sell physical products on your website—congrats! Now you need to look for an ecommerce platform that connects to your tools like your website and email marketing.

To find the best ecommerce solution for your needs, let’s review some key features to look for:

• Simple setup: The top ecommerce platforms give you the power to start selling your products right away. They’re easy to set up, and you don’t need to learn web development overnight to start your ecommerce store.
• Easy customizations: You need an ecommerce platform that reflects your unique brand. The best ecommerce store platforms let creators easily customize their storefronts to match their brands.
• Mobile device optimization: 79% of smartphone users have made a purchase in the last six months from their mobile devices. To make sure mobile visitors shop at your store, you want an ecommerce platform that looks great (and works) on different devices.
• Email marketing Integrations: Growing an email list for your ecommerce business will help you connect with your audience and promote new products or sales. Your ecommerce platform needs a way to collect email addresses so you can show up in your customers’ inbox with relevant messages!
• Other promotional capabilities: Things like coupons, countdown timers (for shop cart urgency), and sales banners can help you sell more products in your shop.

The best online shop to sell physical and digital products: Shopify

Shopify is one of the most popular ecommerce platforms for creators because of its user-friendly interface, zero transaction fees when you process payments with Stripe and long list of integrations. There are over 4 million ecommerce stores built with Shopify, and users enjoy features like:

• Customizable product pages
• Sell items on your website, integrate with marketplaces, or accept payments for in-person sales
• Shopify Shipping to manage shipping labels

Why Shopify: It’s a plug-and-play ecommerce platform with all sorts of rich features and integrations. Once you’re set up on Shopify, you can integrate it with Kit so every Shopify purchase triggers a Kit follow-up email. Or you can create specific tags for users who have interacted with your Shopify store. This helps you create Kit segments to avoid doubling emails for people who have already shopped with you.

The favorite ecommerce solution for WordPress: WooCommerce

WooCommerce is one of the most popular ecommerce plugins on the planet. Some statistics suggest WooCommerce gets nearly 30,000 downloads—per day. WooCommerce offers:

• No-code website customization
• Numerous accepted payment options
• Checkout field validation for faster customer process

Why WooCommerce: WooCommerce is a must-have for creators with a low initial budget. The Kit integration lets you tag subscribers who make a purchase so you can personalize who you send future product pitches to.

The online store to supplement your existing website: Gumroad

Gumroad lets creators make sales and accept payments on simple landing pages without building an entire website. Gumroad features include:

• Product profiles on Gumroad’s website or your own
• One-time or recurring payment options
• Discount codes

Why Gumroad: It’s so quick and easy, Gumroad and Kit feature a “47-second” integration between the two. You have 47 seconds to spare, don’t you? From there, you can use all sorts of options, such as selling a training product on Gumroad and then delivering one lesson per day through Kit. You can also email your customers through Kit. This helps make Gumroad feel like a “stickier” platform for building customer loyalty. Or set up Kit to upsell an email course to your Gumroad customers.

The most user-friendly online tool for selling digital products: Kit

Kit has the tools you need to grow an audience and monetize with digital and physical products. With Kit, you can sell:

• Digital products like ebooks, courses, albums, and coaching programs
• Physical products like merch, books, journals, art, and handmade goods
• Recurring revenue products like paid newsletters and premium memberships
• Services like 1:1 coaching and freelance projects

The easy-to-use platform lets you build landing pages, automate email marketing, and sell products in a simple tool. Kit commerce features include:

• Custom pricing methods
• Branded product pages
• Integrated payment processing with low fees and weekly payouts

Examples of creators that use 3rd-party ecommerce integrations with Kit

Creators love integrations because they help them work more efficiently with the tools they already have. Here’s how a few creators link their favorite apps.

1. Claire Emerson uses Stripe with Kit Commerce

People Love Projects hosts Flourish!, the newsletter of its creator, Claire Emerson. Given that Flourish! is all about creators and the systems that sustain them, it only made sense that Emerson would take the time to optimize her own.

Emerson used Kit Commerce to beta test her email-based course. Once it held up, she used Kit to create a payment plan for her flagship course.

There was just one problem. Gumroad, which Emerson had used for previous products, had some compatibility issues. Some customers wanted to make payment plans—a feature Gumroad didn’t offer.

Instead, Emerson connected Kit with Stripe to make payment plans possible.

I’ve found [Kit Commerce] so convenient. It connects to Stripe, which I already use for client invoices. And their payment setup and checkout pages are easy to customize.

– Claire Emerson

The Stripe integration has opened up all sorts of payment customization for Emerson’s flagship course. Is it a subscription? One-off payments? Payment plan? Emerson finds she can price it however she likes—whichever fits her customers best.

Emerson also integrated the digital tip jar, which has been a nice boost for her existing newsletter. “Even though I don’t promote, I’ve had some donations, which I think is cool,” said Emerson. She also notes that it saves her from setting up a “Buy Me a Coffee” account, keeping her income flowing through one source.

2. Brennan Dunn uses RightMessage and SparkLoop with Kit

Given that Brennan Dunn of Create & Sell teaches people how to use solutions like these, it’s no wonder he’s mastered the science of Kit integrations. Dunn uses integrations like WooCommerce and Stripe to power ecommerce on his sites and SparkLoop for accelerating newsletter growth.

How does he keep track of it all? With his own self-created company, of course. He’s a founder at RightMessage, which integrates with Kit to segment customers to the right messaging every time.

At Dunn’s Create & Sell Newsletter, he used the SparkLoop integration to incentivize signups via referral programs and newsletter giveaways. Once the subscribers are in, Dunn says his secret sauce is personalization—using integrations like RightMessage to make his Kit emails appeal to every subscriber.

The goal was to get myself front-and-center weekly and soft promote a product. Every week, the newsletter goes out like clockwork, and there’ll be an explicit personalized call to action in it that would link you to that product.

– Brennan Dunn

Selling products like email template packs compatible with Kit, Dunn spins a complicated web of automation, personalization, and customer segmentation. Yet it’s a testament to the power of integrating that it all works like a well-oiled machine.

Ready to sell physical products on your blog?

Now that your mind is buzzing with the possibilities of selling physical products, it’s time to make your move. Create a storefront, find a fulfillment center, and get selling! The world awaits your entrepreneur-focused books, cheeky coffee mugs, gluten-free brownie mix, hand-dyed fabrics, beer-scented candles, essential oil starter packs, or whatever you’re selling.

And when you’re ready to share your product with your audience, it’s time to start selling. And with Kit Commerce, you can have a fully customized product page live and ready to share in just minutes. Try it for free!