We are excited to announce that we are expanding in-skill purchasing (ISP) capabilities internationally, starting with the UK, Germany and Japan. Soon, developers from around the world will be able to build premium skill experiences with localized content that is relevant for customers across different countries, languages and currencies. Additionally, developers who monetize their skills across numerous skill stores will be able to tap into a larger customer base, generating revenue to grow their global voice business.

Voice Is the Next Frontier to Reach Customers and Build a Business

In a recent interview on the future of voice and ambient computing, renowned technology investor Mark Cuban encourages developers to get in on voice today, and tells entrepreneurs that we are at an inflection point for voice to become the next major channel for commerce. “You have to be there early because even though you might not get a lot of traction early on, you get the strongest understanding. So, today if you’re not as a brand selling products through voice, you’re at a huge disadvantage because there are over 100 million Alexa-enabled devices right now and this is a big selling opportunity.”

Deliver Quality Premium Voice Experiences to Customers

With ISP, you can sell digital goods and services to customers through voice by offering three types of in-skill products: one-time purchases or entitlements, subscriptions, and consumables. Premium content can include anything from hints in a trivia skill, expansion packs in an adventure game, a monthly subscription to premium features, and more. Developers are already using ISP to build successful voice businesses for US customers, including Gal Shenar who is seeing a 34% conversion rate in his popular game skill Escape the Airplane, and Max Child who reported half a million active monthly customers across several of his popular monetized skills.

Monetize Your Skills Using the Command-Line Interface or the Alexa Developer Console

With the international expansion of ISP, you will be able to monetize your skills using tools that currently exist: the Alexa Skills Kit Command-Line Interface (ASK CLI) or the Alexa Developer Console. The ASK CLI is best for developers who prefer to write their own code from scratch, whereas the developer console offers a series of step-by-step instructions that developers can click through. Familiarizing yourself with these tools today will enable you to be among the first developers who publish monetized skills in Alexa Skills Stores around the world. Start monetizing your skill using the ASK CLI or the developer console today.

Tell Us About Your Idea

Now is the time to join the pioneers who have embarked into the exciting, new territory of building a business through Alexa. Thinking about building a monetized skill? Tell us by filling out this form, and someone from the Alexa Skills Kit team will reach out to you to talk through your idea and implementation.

Get Inspired by Premium Experiences from Other Developers

We encourage you to experience some of our best-in-class monetized skills to get a sense of how developers are designing delightful premium experiences. See a few, below.

• Question of the Day
• Would You Rather for Family
• Escape the Room
• Beat the Intro
• Jeopardy!
• Big Sky
• Yes Sire

Want to learn more? Check out our resources, below:

• Musicplode Media Uses In-Skill Purchasing to Turn Its “Beat the Intro” Voice Game into a Hit for Alexa Customers
• Hypno Therapist Alexa Skill Uses In-Skill Purchasing to Reach More Customers and Build a Business
• Alexa Game Skill “Would You Rather for Family” Adds In-Skill Purchasing and Sees Revenue Growth
• Video: Make Money with Alexa
• Introductory Guide: Make Money with Alexa Skills
• Best Practices for Building an Engaging Monetized Skill That Is Eligible for Amazon Promotion

You can also join in for office hours (no sign up required) or chime in our developer forum.

We can’t wait to see what incredible premium experiences you build for Alexa customers around the world. Stay tuned to the Alexa blog for more details on the expansion of ISP.