12 Things to Sell on Shopify (Other than Physical Products)

When you think of Shopify, what initially comes to mind? Whether it’sdropshipping t-shirt businessesormaker shops, you’re likely thinking about physical products—small businesses creating and curating goods to sell in store or ship around the world.

But when we say “product”, we’re talking about more than just tangible things.

Many merchants are using Shopify in creative ways to sell, well, pretty much anything and everything else. Experiences, courses, rentals, anddigital downloadsare just a few business ideas beyond physical products.

If you’re just starting out on your journey to entrepreneurship, and still haven’t decided on anproduct to sellonline, consider the intangible, too.

Servicesor other non-products may be your core business, or an add-on to an existing product based business. Products and non-products can be sold side by side in the same Shopify store.

For example: sell adventure tours to tourists online and then target them with anemail campaignlater to incite them to buy t-shirts or other merchandise to remember the experience.

What to sell on Shopify (other than products)

We looked at 14 Shopify stores selling everything from consultations to charitable donations to dress rentals to helpinspire your own entrepreneurial genius.

For each type of business, we’ve suggestedappsandtoolsto help you make the most of your Shopify experience, and make the checkout process as seamless as possible for your customers.

1. Services (Appointments)

Sin Chew Opticalsells eyewear on its online store and in a physical location, but customers can also book in-person eye examinations via its website. This is a great option for primarily service based businesses like spas and salons that also offer physical products online.

"I provide eye test appointment booking online. If someone books an eye test we will just free up the slot to be sure we have an optometrist available during that time." – Adriel Wen, Sin Chew Optical

Suggested app:Appointment Bookingadds a dynamic calendar to your store, allowing customers to book preferred time slots with real-time availability. The app syncs with Google Calendar and automatically sends confirmation emails to you and the customer.

2. Memberships

Organizations like theCalifornia Native Plant Societycan sell memberships to customers on Shopify using a simple app. Memberships work much likesubscription box businesses, relying on a recurring payment setup.

Suggested app:Recurring Membershipsallows merchants to sell one-time or recurring memberships online, and can be used for physical businesses (say, a yoga studio) or to manage member-only access to content on a website.

3. Consultations

Sell your time. Whether you’re an interior designer or life coach, an ecommerce site can help you book and sell online or in-person consultations.Healthy Habits Livingsells nutritional supplements via its online store, and owner Carly Neubert offers personalized nutritional assessments also for purchase on the site.

Suggested apps and tools: an app likeSufiohelps manage invoicing for service based businesses. Also try Shopify’sInvoice Generatortool.

4. Digital Downloads

If I Madecreates original creative course content with industry professionals and delivers the programming digitally to students.

“Wedding Styling 101 was an in-person workshop curriculum. We then took that content and brought it all online to make it more portable and accessible. Our courses are a combination of worksheets, PDFs, and video.” – Emily Newman, If I Made

Digital downloads can also refer to music files, fonts, or other design elements. Laura Thomas of Pretty Presets uses Shopify tosell Lightroom presetsto photographers.

Suggested apps: apps likeSky PilotandDigital Downloadscan instantly deliver files to customers after purchase, or send a link to where the files can be downloaded. Also try apps likeEasy Videoto add video previews or free content to product pages.

5. Event Support

The Mobile Locker Co.rents and delivers mobile banks of lockers for marathons and outdoor events. Event organizers arrange lockers with the company, and The Mobile Locker Co. uses ecommerce functionality to let runners book individual lockers (listed by event) through the site.

“Online, we offer runners the opportunity to rent their locker in advance. This secures their locker and, for certain events, saves them 20% off the onsite pricing.” – Owner, The Mobile Locker Co.

Stretch Tentsprovides tents and set-up for events, and due to the custom nature of the service, relies on a chat app to help understand the customers' needs.

Suggested apps: booking services for specific events requires extra information to be collected from customers, and a real-time booking app to secure event dates. Try installingPowr Form Builderor a chat app likeTidio, andBookThatApp.

6. Experiences

Experience-based businesses can range from travel and adventure to wine tastings and hands-on workshops.Aspen Expeditions Worldwidesells rock climbing adventures, international guided trips, and camping expeditions through its ecommerce store. Product pages for each adventure requires a ton of copy—Aspen Expeditions organizes the information byadding tabs to the product description.

Suggested app: travel or experience based businesses may need to collect additional customer information like medical concerns and emergency contacts. UsePowr Form Builderto create more robust and customizable forms.

7. Fitness Classes and Lessons

Wakes Surf and Schoolnot only sells and rents surf and wakeboard gear, they also teach you how to use them. Customers can purchase, rent, and book lessons all through the online store. Gyms and yoga studios can also sell class passes or memberships online—usecustomer accountsto manage member information.

Suggested app: customers can book their own lessons and class passes using theAppointment Booking应用的时候购买。Recurring Membershipsis a great options for gyms and fitness studios, too.

8. Rentals

Rental businesses are technically service-based, even though a physical product is involved.Mannequin Madness通过在线零售销售道具到其他商店tore, but also rents them temporarily. While their rental catalog is online, they use a contact form to assess customer needs before processing the rental.

"I am an accidental entrepreneur. I saw a mannequin on Craigslist and was going to buy it for an art project. When I discovered that the person selling the mannequin operated the only mannequin rental company in town and was leaving the state, I bought his entire inventory of 50 mannequins." – Owner, Mannequin Madness

Dress rental business,Fitzroy, however, asks customers to select a rental period from the product page using a date selector variant, and check out right on the site. They rely on a simple app and aclear FAQ pageto make the rental process smooth for customers, and relatively hands-off for their staff.

Suggested apps: tryPowr Form Builderfor manual rental requests andBookThatAppto add a calendar to product pages.

9. Installations (and Quotes)

GoGreenSolar.comsells and installs solar energy solutions for homeowners. Due to the custom nature of the product and installation, customers can request quotes and expert advice via forms throughout the site.

Suggested app: installQuick Quoteto gather customer quote requests from your store, and use the app to track the quote status and chat with customers. Quick Quote also works for any business doing larger custom projects—graphic designers, furniture makers, or contractors, for example.

10. Donations

Many charities use Shopify as the merchandise arm of the operation, selling t-shirts and other goods with profits supporting the cause. Charities and non-profits likeMADI还我们e an ecommerce site to “sell” one-time and recurring donations.

Suggested apps: useReChargeto accept recurring donations, andTax Receiptsto send automated and customizable charitable donation receipts to customers. Also tryShare the Love, an app to help non-charity stores offer a charity donation option at check-out.

11. Event Tickets

Shopify storeUndertowworks with select artists to sell tickets online for music events throughout the US. They use a paperless delivery method, sending downloadable PDF tickets to customers.

Suggested apps and tools: tryEvents Calendar(an app that syncs with Shopify and Google Calendar) to keep customers and fans in the know about upcoming events. Digital delivery apps likeSky PilotorSendOwlwork great for ticketing. Also try our freeQR Code Generator.

12. Digital Gift Cards

The simplest of non-tangible goods to add to any website is gift cards. From Shopify, you canenable gift cardsfor your store (if you're on the Shopify plan or higher)—they work for both product and service-based businesses, if redeemed online.

Suggested tool: customize your gift card design using ourfree template.

If you’re not shipping physical products from your Shopify store, you may need todisable shipping settings and configure email templatesto suit your business. More complex businesses may also consider hiring aShopify Expertto customize the functionality of the store.

Do you sell services or other non-products on Shopify? In the comments below, tell us about your business and your favorite apps.