Avenia Digital Products is a WordPress plugin for selling digital files, ebooks, templates, software, audio, presets, and similar downloads. Customers pay with Stripe or PayPal, then receive a secure download link. You can also let them create an account so they can come back and download again later.
What You Need Before Installing
Your site should meet these minimums:
- WordPress 6.5 or newer
- PHP 8.0 or newer (your hosting control panel or host support can confirm this)
- An SSL certificate so your site loads over https://
Without SSL, payment providers and browsers will treat checkout as unsafe. Most hosts offer free SSL through Let’s Encrypt.
Installing The Plugin
The easiest path for most people is the WordPress plugin directory:
- Log in to your WordPress admin (usually yoursite.com/wp-admin).
- Go to Plugins → Add New.
- Search for “Avenia Digital Products”.
- Click Install, then Activate.
If you have are installing a ZIP file instead, use Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, choose the ZIP, install, and activate.
When activation succeeds, the plugin quietly does several things for you:
- Creates the pages your store needs (catalog, cart, checkout, account, login, and order received)
- Turns on Simulate payments so you can practice purchases without real money
- Adds a Avenia Digital Products menu in the left admin sidebar
You do not need to create those pages by hand unless you want different page titles or URLs later.
Pages Created For You
After activation you should see pages similar to these (names can vary slightly if WordPress had to avoid a duplicate title):
Products
Your shop catalog. Customers browse products here. You can open this page in the editor and add headings, images, or text above the product grid.
Cart
The full shopping cart page.
Checkout
Where customers enter their name, email, and payment method.
My Account
Where logged-in customers re-download files, view license keys, and manage subscriptions.
Login
A customer-facing login form. This is separate from the WordPress admin login at /wp-admin/. Link this page in your site menu so buyers are not sent to the dashboard login by mistake.
Order Received
The thank-you page after a successful purchase. Customers land here with their order details. You can edit the page content; assign a different page under Settings → General → Core Pages → Thank You Page if you prefer.
You can rename these pages or change their content. What you should not do is delete the store block or shortcode on the page without assigning a replacement under Settings. If the checkout page loses its checkout shortcode, customers will not be able to pay.
To point the plugin at different pages: Avenia Digital Products → Settings → General → Core Pages.
Finding Your Way Around The Admin
Open Avenia Digital Products in the admin sidebar. You will see items such as:
Dashboard
A quick look at sales and recent orders.
Products
Create and edit everything you sell. This is where you spend most of your setup time.
Orders
Every purchase, including manual orders you create for support or comps.
Subscriptions
Recurring plans, if you sell them.
Customers
People who bought from you or used an email-required free download.
Discount Codes
Coupons for percentage or fixed discounts.
Reports
Sales numbers and CSV export.
System Status
Checkout mode, payment keys/webhooks, protected uploads, and download URLs. Use this when going live or when something payment-related feels wrong.
Settings
Currency, pages, payments, emails, license key format, and storefront colors.
Your First Practice Purchase
Simulate payments is on by default. While it is on, checkout finishes on your site without contacting Stripe or PayPal. That lets you confirm products, emails, and downloads before you deal with payment accounts.
Here is a simple path:
- Leave Simulate payments on (Settings → Payment).
- Go to Avenia Digital Products → Add Product.
- Enter a title and a short description in the main editor.
- Set a Featured Image if you have one (recommended for the catalog).
- In the Product Details box, leave Download Source on Uploaded file, click Select File, and upload a small test file (a PDF is fine).
- In the Pricing box, enter a price greater than zero for license quantity 1.
- Click Publish.
- Visit your Products page on the front of the site (open the site, not the admin) and click your product.
- Add it to the cart and complete checkout. You should not be sent to Stripe or PayPal.
- Open Avenia Digital Products → Orders. You should see a completed order.
- If your site can send email, check the inbox for the order and download messages. Many hosts block default WordPress mail, so if nothing arrives, see emails article for SMTP tips.
When that flow works, connect Stripe and/or PayPal (see Setup Stripe and Setup Paypal). Turn off Simulate payments and choose Test mode (sandbox) to practice real checkouts with test cards, then switch to Live mode when you are ready for real sales.