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Alva Digital Downloads

Quick Start Tutorial: Your First Digital Product in 5 Minutes

This tutorial will walk you through creating your first digital product from start to finish. By the end, you’ll have a working digital product ready to sell!

What You’ll Learn

Section titled “What You’ll Learn”
  • How to upload a digital file
  • How to create or select a Shopify product
  • How to link files to products
  • How to test the download experience

Time required: ~5 minutes

Step 1: Upload Your Digital File (1 minute)

Section titled “Step 1: Upload Your Digital File (1 minute)”
  1. Open the Alva Digital Downloads app from your Shopify admin
  2. Click Files & Packs in the navigation menu
  3. Click the Add New File button (top right)
  1. You’ll see the file upload interface:
    • Drag and drop your file into the dropzone, OR
    • Click Browse to select a file from your computer
  1. Wait for the upload to complete (progress bar will show)
  2. Once uploaded, you’ll see your file appear in the files list

Tip: For this tutorial, use a small PDF or image file to make uploading faster.

Step 2: Create or Select a Shopify Product (2 minutes)

Section titled “Step 2: Create or Select a Shopify Product (2 minutes)”

Now you need a Shopify product to attach your file to. You can either create a new product or use an existing one.

Section titled “Option A: Create a New Product (Recommended for Tutorial)”
  1. From the Alva Digital Downloads app, click Products in the navigation menu
  2. Click Create New Product button
  1. Fill in the product details:
    • Title: e.g., “My First Digital Product”
    • Price: e.g., $9.99
    • Description: Brief description of what the customer will receive
    • Product type: Select “Digital Products” or create a new type
  1. Click Save to create the product

Option B: Use an Existing Product

Section titled “Option B: Use an Existing Product”
  1. Go to Products in the Alva Digital Downloads app
  2. Find an existing product in your store
  3. Click on it to select it

Step 3: Map Your File to the Product (1 minute)

Section titled “Step 3: Map Your File to the Product (1 minute)”

Now connect your uploaded file to your product:

  1. After selecting or creating a product, you’ll see the product mapping page
  2. In the Files section, click Add Files
  1. A file selector modal will appear
  2. Find the file you uploaded in Step 1
  3. Click the checkbox next to your file
  4. Click Add Selected Files
  1. Your file is now linked to the product!
  1. The app will automatically generate a ZIP file for this product (you’ll see a “Generating ZIP…” message)

Step 4: Configure Download Settings (30 seconds)

Section titled “Step 4: Configure Download Settings (30 seconds)”

Before testing, let’s verify your download settings:

  1. On the same product mapping page, review:
    • Download Type: ZIP (default) or Individual Files
    • ZIP Title: Custom name for the downloadable ZIP file
  1. For now, leave the defaults
  2. Click Save if you made any changes

Step 5: Test the Download Experience (1 minute)

Section titled “Step 5: Test the Download Experience (1 minute)”

Now let’s test that everything works!

Section titled “Option 1: Test Order (Recommended)”
  1. Go to your Shopify admin
  2. Navigate to Orders → Create order
  3. Add the product you just created
  4. Add a customer (use your own email)
  5. Mark as Paid
  6. Click Create order
  1. Check your email for the download link (if email notifications are enabled)
  2. Or visit the Thank You page to see the download button

Option 2: Manual Test

Section titled “Option 2: Manual Test”
  1. In the Alva Digital Downloads app, go to Orders
  2. Find a recent order that includes your digital product
  3. Click on the order to view details
  4. You’ll see the download link generated for that customer
  1. Copy the link and open it in a browser to test the download

Step 6: Verify Download Works

Section titled “Step 6: Verify Download Works”

Click the download link from either method above:

  1. You should be redirected to the download page
  2. The ZIP file will begin downloading automatically
  3. Open the ZIP file - it should contain your uploaded file

✅ Success! You’ve just created and tested your first digital product!

What Happens Next?

Section titled “What Happens Next?”

Now that you’ve created your first digital product, here’s what happens automatically when a customer purchases:

  1. Customer completes checkout on your Shopify store
  2. Order is marked as paid by Shopify
  3. Alva Digital Downloads receives webhook notification
  4. Download link is generated with secure expiring URL
  5. Customer receives email (if enabled) with download button
  6. Download appears on Thank You page and in customer account
  7. Customer downloads files securely

Common Quick Start Issues

Section titled “Common Quick Start Issues”

File upload failed

Section titled “File upload failed”
  • Check file size: Make sure it’s under your plan’s limit
  • Check file type: Verify it’s a supported format
  • Check internet connection: Large files may timeout on slow connections

Product not appearing

Section titled “Product not appearing”
  • Refresh the page: Sometimes it takes a moment to sync
  • Check product status: Make sure product is “Active” in Shopify
Section titled “Download link not working”
  • Check order status: Order must be marked as “Paid”
  • Check email settings: If email is disabled, use Thank You page instead
  • Check fraud prevention: If enabled, high-risk orders may be held

Next Steps

Section titled “Next Steps”

Congratulations on creating your first digital product! Here’s what to learn next:

Section titled “Recommended Next Articles”
  1. Understanding the Dashboard - Navigate the app like a pro
  2. Managing Your File Library - Organize and update files
  3. Customizing Email Templates - Brand your download emails
  4. Download Security Settings - Protect your digital products

Advanced Features to Explore

Section titled “Advanced Features to Explore”

Video Tutorial

Section titled “Video Tutorial”