eCommerce is an avenue that is fast gaining momentum in the elearning industry. With the rise of various different types of elearning platforms it is now easier than ever for instructors and companies to sell courses online and bring in an extra revenue stream.
No doubt there are plenty of people out there who haven’t yet considered the benefits of selling the content they have spent time and resource creating, as well as people who may be unsure of the best way to go about it. This article should open up some possibilities for those who are considering commercializing their own content, and will give some useful information for sellers who want to learn more about how you can hook your LMS up to an eCommerce platform to add make some cash out of material you have spent a lot of time and effort producing; basically mint some money by selling courses online with the same content that is already prepared.
eCommerce is simply selling your courses/product online, and there are plenty of different platforms to choose from which can each offer you something slightly different depending on your needs, but more about that later. eCommerce gives users the power to sell whatever they want, and to whomever they want, over the internet. Almost all robust learning management systems have some kind of eCommerce integration which allows learning managers and course designers to effectively sell courses online, either to individual buyers or buyers looking to purchase content for organizations or specific elearner groups.
When it comes to selling elearning content, probably the main product you will be wanting to sell are your courses. However the list doesn’t end there. All elearning content you produce can be sold, including webinars, presentations, videos, digital content and even entrance to in-person events.
Some platforms to help you sell courses online
Paradiso LMS integrates with the most popular eCommerce platforms around. Again, which one you choose depends on a lot of factors. WooCommerce is a platform built on WordPress and can be downloaded for free as an add-on, so if you already have a site built on WordPress then this would be an easy transition. Magento on the other hand is designed more for enterprise and larger companies, with tons of great features and almost unlimited customizability, however may be a wee bit out the price range of smaller firms. Shopify is a good option as, for a monthly fee, they take care of a lot of things for you, allowing you to concentrate more on other things such as making your courses the best they can be.