How to Sell a Product as Both a Digital Download and Physical Item in WooCommerce

Do you sell products like art prints, books, or music where customers might want either a digital or physical version? With WooCommerce, you can easily offer both options with different pricing—perfect for selling e-books alongside paperbacks or digital downloads alongside framed prints.

In this guide, we’ll walk through setting up a Variable Product since the digital and physical versions typically have different prices. Let’s get started!

Step 1: Create a New Variable Product

1. Go to WooCommerce → Products → Add New in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Give your product a name and description (e.g., “Sunset Landscape Art Print”).
3. In the Product Data dropdown, select Variable Product.

Step 2: Add an Attribute for the Product Format

Since we’re offering two versions (digital and physical), we’ll create an attribute to let customers choose:

1. Go to the Attributes tab.
2. Click Add custom attribute, name it Format (or “Delivery Type”).
3. Add two values:
   • Digital Download
   • Physical Product
4. Check Used for variations and click Save attributes.

Step 3: Set Up Variations with Different Pricing

Now, let’s configure the pricing and settings for each version:

1. Go to the Variations tab.
2. Click Create variations from all attributes → Go.
3. For each variation, configure:Digital Download Variation
   • Price: Set your digital price (e.g., $9.99).Check Virtual (no shipping needed).Check Downloadable and upload your file (e.g., high-res JPEG or PDF).
   Physical Product Variation
   • Price: Set your physical price (e.g., $29.99).Leave Virtual unchecked (requires shipping).Under Shipping, add weight/dimensions for shipping calculations.

Step 4: Configure Shipping for the Physical Version

1. Go to the Shipping tab (for the Physical Product variation).
2. Enter:
   • Weight (e.g., 0.5 kg for a print).
   • Dimensions (if needed for shipping rates).
3. (Optional) Assign a shipping class (e.g., “Framed Prints”).

Step 5: Customize the Display (Optional)

Make it clear to customers they’re choosing between formats:

• Use the Description to explain differences (e.g., “Digital: Instant download | Physical: Printed on premium paper”).
• Add separate images for each variation under Variation images.

Step 6: Test Before Publishing

Before going live:
✅ Add both versions to cart—do prices update correctly?
✅ Place a test order for the digital version—is the download link emailed?
✅ Place a test order for the physical version—are shipping rates applied?

Troubleshooting Tips

• Digital download not working? Double-check that:
  • The variation is marked Downloadable.
  • The file is properly uploaded in Downloadable Files.
• Shipping not calculating? Verify the physical variation isn’t set to Virtual.

Final Thoughts

By using Variable Products, you can seamlessly sell both digital and physical versions of the same item with different pricing. This works perfectly for:
🎨 Art prints (digital file vs. framed print)
📚 Books (e-book vs. paperback)
🎵 Music (MP3 download vs. vinyl record)

Need more flexibility? Plugins like WooCommerce Product Add-Ons can let customers personalize their purchase (e.g., adding a signature or choosing paper type).