Alternate Purchase Paths

Use Case Information

Alternate purchase paths help companies sell the same content in more than one way, without copying courses or building custom pages.

Alternate purchase paths are a good fit when you want to:

• Let learners buy one course, or get it as part of a subscription. For example: "Included in our All-Access Pass."
• Point learners to a learning path, collection, or bigger course that includes the same content.
• Stop selling a course on its own and have everyone buy a subscription, collection, or outside offer instead.
• Send learners to a site outside Thought Industries, like your own store, a company portal, or a partner site.
• Set this up on lots of courses at once using the API.

Use a separate catalog item instead when:

• The two offers are really different products that need their own pages or descriptions.
• You want more than one extra buy button on the same page.

Here's the big picture before you set anything up: where the button lives, where it can send learners, and when it shows up.

An alternate purchase path is a second buy button on a content item's detail page. There are two things to keep straight: which pages can show the button, and where the button can send learners.

Which detail pages can show the button

You can add the button to the detail page of any content item except a learning path. You set it up in that item's settings, and each item can have one.

Where the button can send learners

• A subscription, collection, learning path, or course on your site
• An external URL, which is any web page outside your site

The only thing the button can't point to is a non-subscription bundle. And keep in mind: a learning path can't show the button on its own page, but a button on a course page can send learners to a learning path.

You're in control of how the button works. You write the words on it, and you can hide the regular buy button so yours is the only way to buy. The platform also makes sure the button only shows up when it makes sense. For example, a learner who already owns what the button points to won't see it.

Setting up an alternate purchase path only takes a few minutes. You'll pick where the button goes, write what it says, and decide whether to keep the regular buy button.

You need permission to edit catalog settings to do this.

To add an alternate purchase path:

1. Go to Courses > All Courses and click the content item.
2. Click Design > Edit Catalog Settings, then click the Detail Page tab.
3. Scroll down to Alternate Purchase Paths and click Add Alternate Purchase Path.
4. Under Link type, pick where the button should go: Subscription, Collection, Learning Path, Course, or External URL.
5. Pick the exact place:
   • For an item on your site, type its name in Linked item and click it.
   • For an external URL, type a title and the full web address. It must start with http:// or https://.
6. In Button Label, type the words learners will see. This is required. You can make words bold, italic, or underlined, or add a link.
7. Optional: Turn on Hide Primary CTA if you want this to be the only buy button on the page.
8. Check the Learner-Facing Preview to see how the button looks.
9. Click Save. The button goes live right away.

What happens when you click Save

Before your button goes live, Thought Industries double-checks a couple of things for you:

• If the button points to something on your site, it makes sure learners can actually buy it. It also makes sure the button doesn't point back to the same page it's on.
• If the button points to an outside web page, it only checks that the address looks right, like starting with https://. It doesn't visit the page, so click the link yourself to make sure it works.

Hiding the regular buy button

The Hide Primary CTA setting controls the regular buy button that's already on the page, like Enroll Now. (CTA stands for "call to action," which is just a button that asks learners to do something.)

• Off (default): Learners see the regular buy button, with your new button below it.
• On: The regular buy button disappears, and learners only see your new button. This is handy if you only want to sell through a subscription, collection, or outside site.

Turning this on doesn't change prices or sign anyone up. It only changes which buttons show on the page.

Editing or Removing an Alternate Purchase Path

Plans change. You can update the button's words or where it goes at any time, or remove it completely if you don't need it anymore.

To edit an alternate purchase path:

1. Go to Courses > All Courses and click the content item.
2. Click Design > Edit Catalog Settings, then click the Detail Page tab.
3. Scroll down to Alternate Purchase Paths and click the pencil icon (Edit).
4. Make your changes and click Save.

To remove an alternate purchase path:

1. Go to Courses > All Courses and click the content item.
2. Click Design > Edit Catalog Settings, then click the Detail Page tab.
3. Scroll down to Alternate Purchase Paths and click the trash can icon (Remove).

Once it's removed, the page goes back to showing only the regular buy button.

Where the Button Can Go

The button can send learners to something on your site or to a page outside it. Each choice works a little differently, so it helps to know the difference before you pick.

Either way, learners leave the page they're on to finish buying. Here's how the two choices compare.

Here's what learners see when they visit the item's detail page, and why some learners might not see the button at all.

Your new button shows up at the bottom of the buy area. It shows the name of the item it points to, your button label, and a View Details link. The button always stays in the buy area and can't be moved.

• Normally, it sits right under the regular buy button.
• If you turned on Hide Primary CTA, it's the only buy button.
• People who aren't signed in can see it too. They're asked to sign in or create an account when they go to buy.

A course that costs money:

A free or open access course:

If the button can't load for some reason, the page looks the same as before. The regular buy button still works.

Why a learner might not see the button

The platform hides the button on its own, so learners don't get offers they don't need or links that go nowhere. A learner won't see the button if:

• They already own this course. There's nothing to buy, so both buy buttons are hidden.
• They already own what the button points to. For example, they already have the subscription. This only works for items on your site.
• What the button points to isn't for sale. For example, it isn't published, has no price, or isn't sold in their currency.
• Their Panorama doesn't sell it. See Alternate Purchase Paths in Panoramas.

If you use Panoramas to run separate portals for different audiences, the button follows each Panorama's own rules.

These rules include license allocations, so the button might show on your main site but not in a Panorama.

The button is hidden in a Panorama if:

• Ecommerce is turned off for that Panorama.
• What the button points to isn't provisioned or for sale in that Panorama.

There's no extra switch to turn the button on for a Panorama. It just follows that Panorama's settings.

To show the button in a Panorama:

1. Turn on ecommerce for the Panorama.
2. Make the course sellable in the Panorama.
3. Make what the button points to sellable in the Panorama. You can add it by item or by purchasable tag.

Want to hide the button in just one Panorama? Take what the button points to off that Panorama's list of things for sale.

Quick answers to common questions about alternate purchase paths.