Some cheer for Alexa skill developers. Amazon says they will now be able to sell “consumables” within their voice apps, i.e. Alexa skills, & be able to take advantage of this new feature to sell products to Alexa device owners, which can be purchased, used, then purchased again.
So what exactly are Alexa Consumables? Developers & Content creators build skills aimed at retaining customers, so with in-skill purchasing (ISP), they can sell premium Content to “enrich your Alexa skill experience.”
A Consumable is an in-skill product that customers can purchase, use, & then purchase again. In addition to one-time purchases & subscriptions, consumables give developers more ways to deliver premium experiences to customers. With consumables, developers can sell products that are relevant in the moment to customers as they experience your skill.
Here’s an example. Consider a trivia skill that offers customers a pack of hints. If a customer gets stuck on a question, rather than get the question wrong, they can purchase & use hints to keep the round going. When they run out of hints, they have the option to purchase again. Amazon describes Consumables as “a great way to keep your customers engaged during pivotal moments of your skill and drive revenue for your voice business.”
As part of a private beta, developers used consumables to elevate their voice-first experience. While consumables are most common in the game and trivia space, Alexa developers are using this feature creatively across various categories to drive engagement with their skills.
How to Start With Consumables
Similar to one-time purchases & subscriptions, developers can use the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) Command-Line Interface (CLI) to build & manage their consumables. An important feature to note when building consumables versus a one-time purchase or subscription is the inventory management function required to monitor consumable usage. For this, they will use a database & offer an inventory intent. Developers can learn more about inventory management for consumables here. You can also check out technical documentation here.
