Shopify Digital Product Delivery Schema

Choosing the Right @type for Digital Products

schema.org has multiple types suited to digital goods. The correct choice depends on what the product delivers:

AI agents use @type to filter by content category. A SoftwareApplication with applicationCategory: "DesignApplication" is surfaced for "design software" queries that a generic Product would not match.

Digital Product JSON-LD Patterns

PDF guide / ebook

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": ["DigitalDocument", "Product"],
  "name": "{{ product.title | escape }}",
  "description": {{ product.description | strip_html | truncatewords: 150 | json }},
  "url": "{{ shop.url }}/products/{{ product.handle }}",
  "image": "{{ product.featured_image | img_url: '1200x630' }}",
  "fileFormat": "application/pdf",
  "contentSize": "{{ product.metafields.digital.file_size | default: '2.5 MB' }}",
  "encodingFormat": "application/pdf",
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "price": {{ product.price | money_without_currency | json }},
    "priceCurrency": {{ cart.currency.iso_code | json }},
    "availability": "https://schema.org/OnlineOnly",
    "deliveryLeadTime": {
      "@type": "ShippingDeliveryTime",
      "businessDays": {
        "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
        "dayOfWeek": ["https://schema.org/Monday","https://schema.org/Tuesday","https://schema.org/Wednesday","https://schema.org/Thursday","https://schema.org/Friday","https://schema.org/Saturday","https://schema.org/Sunday"]
      },
      "handlingTime": { "@type": "QuantitativeValue", "minValue": 0, "maxValue": 0, "unitCode": "DAY" },
      "transitTime": { "@type": "QuantitativeValue", "minValue": 0, "maxValue": 0, "unitCode": "DAY" }
    },
    "description": "Instant digital download — PDF delivered immediately after purchase."
  }
}

Software / Shopify theme / plugin

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": ["SoftwareApplication", "Product"],
  "name": {{ product.title | json }},
  "applicationCategory": "{{ product.metafields.software.category | default: 'WebApplication' }}",
  "operatingSystem": "Web",
  "softwareVersion": "{{ product.metafields.software.version | default: '1.0' }}",
  "fileFormat": "application/zip",
  "contentSize": "{{ product.metafields.digital.file_size | default: '1.2 MB' }}",
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "price": {{ product.price | money_without_currency | json }},
    "priceCurrency": {{ cart.currency.iso_code | json }},
    "availability": "https://schema.org/OnlineOnly",
    "description": "License key and download delivered by email after purchase."
  }
}

Online course

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": ["Course", "Product"],
  "name": {{ product.title | json }},
  "description": {{ product.description | strip_html | truncatewords: 150 | json }},
  "provider": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": {{ shop.name | json }},
    "url": {{ shop.url | json }}
  },
  "hasCourseInstance": {
    "@type": "CourseInstance",
    "courseMode": "online",
    "courseSchedule": {
      "@type": "Schedule",
      "repeatFrequency": "P0D",
      "description": "Self-paced — start any time"
    }
  },
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "price": {{ product.price | money_without_currency | json }},
    "priceCurrency": {{ cart.currency.iso_code | json }},
    "availability": "https://schema.org/OnlineOnly",
    "validFrom": "2026-01-01"
  }
}

Instant Delivery and No-Shipping Signals

The three signals AI agents use to classify a product as "instant digital delivery":

Common delivery description patterns

In addition to structured properties, the Offer.description field is parsed by AI agents for delivery context. Effective patterns:

• "Instant digital download — PDF delivered immediately after purchase."
• "Download link emailed within 5 minutes of purchase. No physical shipping."
• "Lifetime access. Download anytime from your account."
• "ZIP file includes 47 SVG icons + editable Figma source. No physical product."

Avoid vague descriptions like "digital product" with no delivery context — this matches too broadly and gives agents no useful delivery signal.

Metafields for Digital Product Data

For consistent digital product structured data at scale, use Shopify metafields to store digital-specific attributes. Create a digital namespace with these definitions:

Digital Product Structured Data Checklist

Related Resources

• Shopify Digital Products AI Visibility — broader guide to making digital products discoverable across AI shopping channels.
• Shopify Schema Markup Guide — full Offer and Product JSON-LD reference with Liquid implementation examples.
• Shopify Product Availability Structured Data — OnlineOnly vs. InStock vs. InStoreOnly: when to use each.
• Ecommerce Shipping Time Structured Data — physical product delivery lead time patterns for comparison.

Frequently Asked Questions

Audit Your Digital Product Structured Data

CatalogScan detects digital products missing OnlineOnly availability, zero-day delivery lead time, and file format signals — three checks that together determine whether AI agents surface your downloads for instant-access queries.