In this hands-on workshop, you walk through the process of integrating in-skill purchasing in your Alexa skill, writing code, deploying to AWS Lambda, using the Alexa SDK to save state in Amazon DynamoDB, and finally, enabling products to be purchased with a user's voice. Leave this workshop with a working skill that you can modify to make your own. Bring your laptop.

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Welcome to today’s workshop!
To successfully complete this workshop, you’ll need:
• An AWS account - https://aws.amazon.com
• An Amazon Developer account - https://developer.amazon.com/alexa-
skills-kit
• The ASK-CLI installed on your laptop - https://alexa.design/cli-jump-
start
Don’t have these all ready to go? While you’re waiting for the session to
start, check out https://alexa.design/isp-workshop-get-ready

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Use Alexa Skills to Buy Digital
Content: A Workshop for In-Skill
Purchasing
Sampat Biswas
Sr. Software Dev Engineer
Amazon Alexa
A L X 4 0 1
Franklin Lobb
Sr. Solutions Architect
Amazon Alexa

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Agenda
How Alexa In-Skill Purchasing (ISP) works
Creating In-Skill products + lab
Incorporating ISP into your VUI and skill code + lab
Persistent attributes & consumable tracking + lab
Wrap-up

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What is In-Skill Purchasing?
• Used to sell premium (digital) content
• Complements the free experience
• Uses payment options associated with
the customer’s Amazon account
• Currently en-US only

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What can customers purchase?

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Let’s talk price
Subscriptions and
one-time purchases
$0.99 - $99.99
Consumables
$0.99 to $9.99

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More on price
70%

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Who does what?

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Workshop architecture
Skill
• Game to guess TV show
• Sell hints in packs of five
Components
• Alexa Skill Kit
• AWS Lambda
• Amazon DynamoDB
• Alexa Monetization Service
Alexa Skills KitEcho
Amazon DynamoDB
Alexa Monetization
Service
AWS Lambda

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Adding a consumable
•ask add ispStart from ASK CLI
•ConsumableSelect ISP type
•Consumable_TemplateSelect template
•referenceName in jsonEnter name

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Consumable ISP JSON—Type and referenceName
{
"version": "1.0",
"type": "CONSUMABLE",
"referenceName": "two_hint_pack",
"publishingInformation": {
"locales": {
"en-US": {
"name": "2 Hint Pack",
…

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Consumable ISP JSON—Product details
…
"summary": "You can purchase the 2 hint pack to get two hints during game play to help
you guess the number.",
"description": "With the 2 hint pack, you can ask me twice for a hint to help you guess
the number during any game play. Purchase as many as you need or as you go.",
…
"purchasePromptDescription": "The <PREMIUM_CONTENT_TITLE> includes 2 hints you can use
during game play to help you guess the number.",
"boughtCardDescription": "You now have 2 more hints to use. To use hints, say 'Alexa,
give me a hint' during gameplay.“
…

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Consumable ISP JSON—Pricing and purchasability
…
"pricing": {
"amazon.com": {
"releaseDate": "2018-01-01T00:00Z",
"defaultPriceListing": {
"price": 0.99,
"currency": "USD"
…
"purchasableState": "PURCHASABLE"

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Lab one—Create
consumable products
Objectives
• Deploy skill w/o ISP’s
• Add consumable ISP’s to skill
using the ASK CLI
Alexa Skills KitEcho
Amazon DynamoDB
Alexa Monetization
Service
AWS Lambda
https://alexa.design/isp-workshop-lab-one

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Lab one—Create
consumable products
Completed
 Deployed skill w/o ISP’s
 Added Consumable ISP’s to
skill using the ASK CLI
Alexa Skills KitEcho
Amazon DynamoDB
Alexa Monetization
Service
AWS Lambda
https://alexa.design/isp-workshop-lab-one

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Briefly stepping out of the flow

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• Suggestive of option, based
on context
• Dynamic prompt
• Ends with yes/no question,
for example: Would you like
to learn more?
• If yes, moves directly to buy
• Includes pricing information
(including any discount)
• Purchase prompt is in product
configuration
• If Voice Code is configured,
checked if customer wants to
buy

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Are there any other adventures
I can try?

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We have a jungle adventure which is
available for purchase. Do you want to
know more about it?
Are there any other adventures
I can try?

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We have a jungle adventure which is
available for purchase. Do you want to
know more about it?
Are there any other adventures
I can try?
Upsell

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We have a jungle adventure which is
available for purchase. Do you want to
know more about it?
Are there any other adventures
I can try?
Yes!

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We have a jungle adventure which is
available for purchase. Do you want to
know more about it?
Are there any other adventures
I can try?
Yes!
The jungle adventure is amazing. Prime
members save 19 cents, without Prime
it costs 99 cents. Would you like to buy
it?

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We have a jungle adventure which is
available for purchase. Do you want to
know more about it?
Are there any other adventures
I can try?
Yes!
The jungle adventure is amazing. Prime
members save 19 cents, without Prime
it costs 99 cents. Would you like to buy
it?
Buy

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I want to buy the jungle
adventure.

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I want to buy the jungle
adventure.
The jungle adventure is
amazing. Prime members save
19 cents, without Prime it
costs 99 cents. Would you like
to buy it?
Buy

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Purchase process
ACCEPTED
DECLINED
Connections.SendRequest
Connections.Response
Upsell
Buy

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Upsell directive
return handlerInput.responseBuilder
.addDirective({
'type': 'Connections.SendRequest',
'name': 'Upsell',
'payload': {
'InSkillProduct’: { 'productId': HINT_PACK_PRODUCT_ID
},
'upsellMessage': 'You do not have any available hints
to use. Want to learn more about how to purchase?'
},
'token': 'correlationToken' }) .getResponse();

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Buy directive
return handlerInput.responseBuilder
.addDirective({
'type': 'Connections.SendRequest',
'name': 'Buy',
'payload’: {
'InSkillProduct’: { 'productId': HINT_PACK_PRODUCT_ID }
},
'token': 'correlationToken'
}) .getResponse();

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Connections response

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Testing In-Skill Purchasing
Developer (account)
• Never pays—no money changes
hands—even after going live
• Reset using ASK CLI
Beta tester
• During beta test, does not pay
• Reset during beta test using ASK CLI
• Automatically reset at end of beta test
• Purchases do not carry over

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Lab two—VUI and skill
code updates
Objectives
• Update voice interaction
model to include buy, upsell,
and other ISP related intents
• Update the skill code to
handle new intents
• Update the skill code to send
connections directives and
handle connections events
Alexa Skills KitEcho
Amazon DynamoDB
Alexa Monetization
Service
AWS Lambda
https://alexa.design/isp-workshop-lab-two

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Lab two—VUI and skill
code updates
Completed
 Updated voice interaction
model to include buy, upsell,
and other ISP related intents
 Updated the skill code to
handle new intents
 Updated the skill code to
send connections directives
and handle connections
events
Alexa Skills KitEcho
Amazon DynamoDB
Alexa Monetization
Service
AWS Lambda
https://alexa.design/isp-workshop-lab-two

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Three types of attributes in the SDK
Request
attributes
Session attributes
Persistent
attributes

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Connect to Amazon DynamoDB
const skillBuilder = Alexa.SkillBuilders.standard();
exports.handler = skillBuilder .addRequestHandlers( // ... handlers )
.addRequestInterceptors( // ... request interceptors )
.addResponseInterceptors( // ... response interceptors )
.addErrorHandlers(ErrorHandler)
.withTableName(“mySkillName")
.withAutoCreateTable(true)
.lambda();

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Get persistent attributes

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Set persistent attributes

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Save persistent attributes

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Consumable lifecycle events
• Initialize when first run (zero out)
• Consume it (decrement)
• Refill—purchase more (increment)
• Return / Cancel (decrement)
• Inventory check (current value) Inventory
Initialize
Consume
RefillReturn
Check

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What should be tracked?
Required
• Remaining inventory
Strongly recommended
• Total purchased
Optional
• Expiration timestamp
• Purchase/usage history
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
1 2 3 4

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To stack or not to stack?

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Out of skill “experience”—Customer refunds

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Re-enablements with consumables
User id = ABC123User id = XYZ321

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Promo codes

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Lab three—
Consumable tracking
Objectives
• Use persistent attributes to
track consumable inventory
levels
• Test by purchasing and
consuming hints
Alexa Skills KitEcho
Amazon DynamoDB
Alexa Monetization
Service
AWS Lambda
https://alexa.design/isp-workshop-lab-three

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Lab three—
Consumable tracking
Completed
 Used persistent attributes to
track consumable inventory
levels
 Tested by purchasing and
consuming hints
Alexa Skills KitEcho
Amazon DynamoDB
Alexa Monetization
Service
AWS Lambda
https://alexa.design/isp-workshop-lab-three

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Congratulations!
Alexa Skills KitEcho
Amazon DynamoDB
Alexa Monetization
Service
AWS Lambda
Today you:
 Created a skill
 Added consumable ISP
 Updated VUI and skill code
 Tracked consumables

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Next steps
• Add premium content and ISP’s to your skill
• Consider adding additional analytics within your skill
• Conduct a beta test (tweet me and I’ll be a beta tester for your skill)
• Submit for certification
• Monitor your skill’s performance
• Iterate and enhance your skill
https://alexa.design/isp-workshop

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Related Sessions
Thursday, November 29th
Deep Dive into Three Critical Aspects of Alexa’s In-Skill Purchase API
11:30 am – 12:30 pm | Bellagio
Wednesday, November 28th
Build an Interactive Alexa Voice Experience for Multiple Screens
7:00 pm – 9:15 pm | Venetian

57. Thank you!
© 2018, Amazon Web Services, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Sampat Biswas
@sampatbiswas
Franklin Lobb
@franklinlobb

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