Overview
The B2B Catalog lets an organization buy a quantity of seats on a course and pay for them in one transaction, so its Learners can take the course without each person paying individually.
A hospital buying 25 seats of a first aid course for its nursing staff, a contractor buying safety training for a crew, or an association buying continuing education for its members are all the same shape: one buyer, one payment, many learners.
This article explains what the B2B Catalog is and what each role experiences. For the steps to turn it on, see Setting Up the B2B Catalog — Genius CE & Enterprise.
The Three Roles Involved
Three different roles are involved in a B2B purchase, and they do not share screens or tasks.
Role | What they do | Where they work |
Administrator | Turns the B2B Catalog on, edits the form organizations fill in, and sets up any bulk discounts. | Your organization's Genius administration pages. |
B2B Manager | The buyer at the customer organization. Signs their organization up, chooses courses, and pays for a quantity of seats. | The organization catalog, inside the Genius administration area. |
Learner | Creates their own account, then enrolls themselves in the course. | The standard Learner catalog. |
How a B2B Purchase Works
The sequence matters, because the buying step and the enrolling step are done by different people at different times.
A B2B Manager signs their organization up and the organization record is created.
The B2B Manager buys a quantity of seats on one or more courses. No Learners are named at this point.
The organization gives its people a sign-up link.
Each learner uses that link to create their own account.
Each learner enrolls themselves in the course from the catalog, and the organization's purchase covers the cost.
Important: The organization does not assign people to the seats it bought. There is no screen where a B2B Manager types in names, uploads a list, or attaches learners to a purchase. Buying seats makes the course available and paid for; each learner still has to create an account and enroll themselves.
What the Organization should send its Learners
Administrators can find the link for Learners on the organization's Dashboard page. Learners who create accounts through that link are attached to the Affiliation, which is what connects their enrollment to the seats the organization paid for.
How Organizations are Stored
An organization created from the B2B Catalog is stored as an Affiliation— the same record Genius already uses to group Learners by employer, association, school, or agency.
Two things are different from an Affiliation an Administrator creates by hand:
They are created automatically when a B2B Manager signs up, rather than added by an administrator.
They are all filed under a single parent affiliation named Organizations, which Genius creates for you the first time the B2B Catalog is turned on.
Important: Do not archive or re-parent the Organizations Affiliation. New organizations are created inside it, so either change will impact the intended experience.
Where the Money is Recorded
Which catalog was used decides who is charged, and the same Learner can appear on both sides at different times.
Purchase made through | Who pays | Where it is recorded |
The organization catalog, by a B2B Manager | The organization (Affiliation) | The Affiliation’s financial records. |
The standard Learner catalog, by a Learner | The Learner | The learner's own financial records. |
The organization's funding reaches its Learners through an Agreement — the same mechanism Genius uses for any outside party covering course costs, such as a sponsor or a scholarship program. Agreements are managed under Financials.
Clarification for Similar Features
1) The B2B Manager is not the Affiliation Manager role.
Genius has an existing role, described in Adding Affiliation Managers — Genius CE & Enterprise, that is often referred to simply as the Manager role. It is a different role with a different purpose.
| B2B Manager | Affiliation Manager |
What they do | Buys a quantity of seats for their organization. | Oversees the Learners already attached to an Affiliation. |
How they are created | Signs themselves up through the B2B sign-up link. | An Administrator grants the role. |
Main task | Purchasing. | Monitoring progress and records. |
2) Buying seats for an organization is not Quantity Registration.
Genius already has a way to buy "seats" for other people, described in Quantity Registration: Buying Seats for Others — Genius CE & Enterprise. It solves a different problem.
| B2B Catalog | Quantity Registration |
Who buys | A B2B Manager, on behalf of an organization. | A Learner, on behalf of other Learners. |
Where they buy | The organization catalog. | The standard Learner catalog. |
Are recipients named at purchase? | No. Learners enroll themselves afterwards. | Yes. The buyer enters each person's details. |
Who is charged | The organization. | The individual buyer. |
What You Need Before You Start
The B2B Catalog is turned on for your site. Contact your Genius representative to have it switched on.
You have decided what the organization sign-up form should ask for.
You have decided whether you want volume-based pricing, which is set up separately as a bulk discount.
Where To Go Next
Setting Up the B2B Catalog — Genius CE & Enterprise — turning it on and what to check first.
The Organization Creation Form — Genius CE & Enterprise — what organizations are asked when they sign up.
Bulk Discounts — Genius CE & Enterprise — lower per-seat pricing as order size grows.
Buying Seats for Your Organization — Genius CE & Enterprise — the guide to send a B2B Manager.