girl scout cookies
Girl Scout cookie boxes were loaded into vehicles during the Girl Scouts Heart of Central California's Mega Drop event at Big Valley Church in Modesto, California, on Monday, Feb. 20, 2012. Approximately 322,130 packages of cookies were distributed to Girl Scout troops for delivery. Bart Ah You/Modesto Bee/MCT via Getty Images

Buying Girl Scout Cookies is about to get easier. The beloved baked goods are set to become available for sale online after the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) national organization gave its approval for the rollout of a “Digital Cookie,” a platform that would allow Girl Scouts to sell and ship their cookies online.

The digital transformation of the nearly 100-year-old tradition will give Girl Scouts the opportunity to expand the reach of their usual door-to-door sales efforts -- on the condition that local scout councils and guardians agree.

Depending on where customers live, they will have the option of buying Girl Scout Cookies through two separate digital platforms: One is a personalized website run by individual Girl Scouts, who would have the power to invite customers by email. The other would be a mobile app giving scouts the ability to take in-person orders that would allow for credit card processing and direct shipping.

The announcement marks a major departure from GSUSA’s longtime prohibition of online sales of cookies and signals a significant shift for the iconic program. “For almost a century, the Girl Scout Cookie Program has been teaching girls to be leaders in the world of business and finance, and we intend to ensure that legacy continues in the digital age,” said Anna Maria Chávez, CEO of GSUSA, in a press release. “Digital Cookie is a game-changer for Girl Scouts and a quantum leap forward in the evolution of the cookie program.”

More than 1 million scouts are expected to participate in the Digital Cookie program as cookie-selling season gets underway this month, according to Fortune. But this digital expansion is not intended to replace the traditional Girl Scout Cookie sales methods, which generate an estimated $800 million in sales a year.

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