Why 2026 is the year to sell digital and why you need to get started now.
Let me guess, you have been dreaming about building your own business, or at least a side hustle. Maybe you want the freedom (you could be working poolside right now), or the flexibility (you want to pick your kids up from school) or the security (an income stream you own that no one else can take from you).
You have an idea, or the beginning of an idea, but….
Your kids keep bringing home new viruses; you’re exhausted. Your 9-5 is already draining you and when you’re done all you want to do is become one with your sofa and your television. Or maybe, lucky you, you have a big trip planned to the Himalayas and you really need to pack.
I get it!
Life is busy!
But the market waits for no one and if you want to start selling digital products, the time is now.
I’ve been paying close attention to our economy and creator trends and I believe there are three significant shifts underway that, when combined with an additional fourth ingredient, will culminate in the perfect storm for digital merchants who capitalize early.
Shift #1: From “Skills Gap” to Speed Gap
Since the 1980’s there’s been nervous chatter about impending “skills” gaps. Back then the worry was that technical workers (like machinists) didn’t have the skills employers needed. In the 2010s it was digital fluency: spreadsheets, coding basics, new software. Then, the pandemic hit and remote work tools created another wave. Suddenly you really needed to know how to use Zoom, Figma, Miro, Teams, Trello, Notion….
A few short years later and AI has turned the volume all the way up. Not only do you need to be able to talk fluently about what an LLM is, you now need to know how to use AI to edit videos faster, to generate quality images, to do more with less. New tools, tactics and companies seem to appear almost daily.
The world doesn’t just need more skills, it needs faster learning. As AI reshapes industries week by week, the most useful knowledge isn’t in textbooks or lecture halls; it’s being packaged by creators into digital products. Think of a new AI workflow guide, a niche growth playbook, or a fresh productivity template—these resources ship and update at the same speed as the tools themselves.
What this means: The demand for creator-led learning will only grow. Creators who can filter noise, package what actually works, and update quickly are stepping into the role of trusted educators for a fast-changing economy. You are either going to be one of them, or you will learn from one of them.
Shift #2: The Creator Economy Has Hit a Tipping Point
YouTube’s latest updates have quietly reset the economics of being a creator. By introducing AI-powered editing, smarter live tools, and more flexible ad placements, the platform has made back catalogs more valuable than ever. Just like TV reruns with refreshed ad slots, older videos are generating meaningful new revenue. That changes the math: creators don’t just live or die by their latest upload anymore—archival content is now an asset that compounds.
Meanwhile, top creators are scaling like media companies. The Sidemen, a UK YouTube collective, have spun out into consumer products, live events, and even a venture capital fund. MrBeast’s “Beast Industries” generated nearly half a billion dollars in 2024. Creators are no longer hobbyists; they’re operating as full-fledged businesses.
What this means: The ceiling has never been higher, but the floor is rising too. Audiences expect polish, brands expect professionalism, and new entrants are competing not with hobbyists but with startups. But don’t worry, keep reading. AI is here to help…
Shift #3: The AI Democratization Wave Is Resetting the Bar for Entry
AI is now built into the platforms creators use every day. YouTube can auto-edit raw footage into highlight reels. Descript trims filler words and edits video “like a doc.” Runway generates B-roll or restyles clips without reshoots. Shopify Magic drafts product copy and generates images in seconds. What once required a small team—editing, copywriting, design, product setup—can now be handled by a single solo operator.
What this means: The floor might just have risen but you have all the tools you need to meet that challenge head on.
The Fourth Ingredient: Job Losses Driving Independence
Overlay these three shifts with today’s economic climate, and the picture sharpens. Tech layoffs over the past two years have displaced tens of thousands of highly skilled, digital-first workers. Many of them no longer trust that a “safe job” is really safe. Instead of chasing the next role at a shaky startup, they’re turning their expertise into courses, templates, and consulting offers—using digital products as the foundation for independence.
This influx of talent is swelling the ranks of solopreneurs, accelerating both innovation and competition. What might have taken years to trickle in has hit the market all at once: a new wave of savvy, motivated, digital-native creators.
What this means: 2026 won’t just be the year creators earn more—it will be the year when disenchanted laid-off professionals re-enter the market as entrepreneurs, raising the bar for what digital products can be.
Why 2026 Will Be Different
Put it all together—the speed gap in learning, the professionalization of creator platforms, the AI democratization wave, and the potential surge of new solopreneurs after massive job losses—and you see why 2026 won’t just be another growth year. It’s an inflection point.
The future belongs to creators who see the perfect coming and prepare early.
At SendOwl, our job is to make it simple for those creators—whether you’re a solopreneur, consultant, or scaling creator business—to package, sell, and deliver your digital products with ease.
Helping people sell digital goods in a better way
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