Selling digital files that are automatically emailed to purchaser.

[tlh]

I would like to see a feature on square.

I would like to sell downloadable digital files, where an automated email goes out with the file link right after check out.  I would be able to have one more way to have sales in my business.  I am a hypnotist and don't have a way to sell digital files through my website.  I don’t know how to sell digital files through square.  

[Michael_L]

Because it isn't as simple as you think. 

The Square store is built to help us sell products, but it doesn't have a storage system for delivering them.  That's true for both physical and digital products - if you want Square to start delivering your product then there needs to be a storage system as well as a delivery process.

To set up what you want, Square would need dedicated storage space to host your files before they could deliver them.  Doing that needs software development, server upgrades, and new pricing plans for digital storefronts to cover the cost of bandwidth and storage.  It also has liability implications - what if someone was using their servers to re-sell copyrighted or questionable content? 

I've said this to others: although it's bothersome, it's possible that you need to find another storefront to sell your digital content.  Square can still provide the payment solution but you could use different software to manage your website and sell your digital products.  One day Square might implement this feature, but it is more complex than it appears and they have made no promises if or when it will happen.

[biglizconjure]

Michael, 

I would agree with you, EXCEPT this WAS a feature on both Square and Weebly before they merged. They took it away, and I don't understand how a company as big as them could not address this need due to the pandemic and because this is the internet and very basic service to offer. They have made many improvements, but this is something that needs to be addressed.

[Michael_L]

What link would you want to send out?

As soon as you try to figure out how it would be done, it becomes more obvious that it isn't just about sending emails from the store. 

[Michael_L]

You are correct: you need to use other marketplaces (or at least other storefront software) to sell digital files.

[biglizconjure]

Hi Michael,

My site offers several live, online classes every month via Zoom. When a customer orders the class, we send them a letter with the link and password. As many people offering digital products, it is usually a small file (e.g., a PDF). I have no desire to send them outside of the POS system I am using to get the link. So, we have to send each customer an email. This is very time consuming. 

The benefits to Square outweigh this issue. I also have a storefront and use their POS, register, invoicing, payroll, etc. I just wish they would fix this. 

[Michael_L]

I think the issue is more about generating the unique link within Square than the emailing itself.  I'm assuming each customer gets their own custom link, otherwise they could just forward the link to other people or even post it online somewhere for anyone to use.

In any case I wouldn't wait for the Square store to be upgraded before finding a solution.  If you can get a spreadsheet with the customer's data and the link they should get, you could use something like Mail Merge for Thunderbird to combine the data fields into an email template and send them automatically.

Could that help?

https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/addon/mail-merge/

[JLJohnson]

Implementing a storage back end isn't simple. It sounds like a lot of the people are asking that they have the ability to deliver digital goods that they are already delivering from a different storage back end. I personally deliver my digital assets (photos and videos) using Dropbox. What I want Square to do is paywall the link. It would be great if I didn't need Dropbox and Square, but in the mean time, it would just be great if I could paywall a link to Dropbox that becomes available once they check out. 

I use the invoice feature and not a store. When I create an invoice, if there was a field for a download link that I could just paste a unique Dropbox link into, then when my client checks out, their receipt reveals the link, that would be ideal. This would require no storage back end for Square and would be easier to code. 

[biglizconjure]

Great!

But what most people are saying here is that Square AND Weebly offered this feature before, took it away after they merged, and we've been advised they are "working on it" for YEARS now.

This is the problem. When I signed up, they told me that I had the ability to sell digital products, but nobody told me that I would have to send out those products manually until I'd already invested in hardware for my storefront and built my website with them.

Like I said before, they have a ton of great features, but it is an inconvenience.  

[Fadyyatooma]

I see that others have also requested automatic delivery for digital files. Please consider adding this feature, it is crucial for nearly all business types and adds so much convenience to both the business and customers' experience. 

[Ria]

Hi @Fadyyatooma - Welcome to The Seller Community, it's always nice to see a new face 😊

I can definitely see the need for a feature like this and how beneficial it could be for customers as well as sellers. I'll be happy to move this over to a feature request board so that our engineers have visibility of your suggestion. We appreciate you sharing your request. While there is no time frame for when it will be implemented, i'm happy to make sure our engineers have eyes on your request. 

As always, feel free to stop by The Community with question, concerns and even feature requests. We are more than happy to assist. ✨