E-Commerce Testing – What, Why & How You Should Do It?

Imagine you are a passionate entrepreneur venturing into the world of e-commerce. You’ve meticulously developed an online store that offers unique products, a user-friendly interface, and secure payment options. However, before you launch your website to the world, there’s a crucial step you can’t afford to miss, i.e. experiencing the entire journey yourself, where you learn how the platform you’ve created actually operates and does it make you want to shop and stay around or does it not provide the experience that you aim to deliver.

E-commerce has revolutionized the way we shop and conduct business. As an integral part of the digital era, online stores need to deliver seamless user experiences, and that’s where E-commerce Testing plays a pivotal role. In this article, we will delve into the significance of E-commerce Testing, exploring what it entails, why it is essential, and how to implement it effectively to ensure a successful online business.

What is eCommerce Testing?

E-commerce testing is a crucial process that involves evaluating and validating various aspects of an online store to ensure its reliability, functionality, and security. It aims to identify and address potential issues before the website goes live, allowing customers to shop without any hiccups. Software developers, while crafting e-commerce platforms, must be cognizant of the diverse testing strategies required for a smooth user experience.

“E-commerce testing is like setting up a trial run for your online store, before it goes live.”

Why E-commerce Testing is Important?

E-commerce testing holds paramount importance because it guarantees a flawless online shopping experience for your customers. By validating the functionality, security, and usability of an e-commerce website, businesses can gain the trust of their customers and encourage repeat visits and purchases.

Imagine this – you’re a customer looking to buy a new smartphone from an online store. You search for the desired model, add it to your cart, and proceed to checkout. Suddenly, the website crashes, and you lose all the items in your cart. Frustrating, right?

This unfortunate scenario highlights the importance of E-commerce Testing. By thoroughly testing your website, you can prevent such issues and ensure that your customers have a smooth shopping journey, leading to customer satisfaction and loyalty.

What Should You Know Before You Run an E-commerce Test?

Now, let’s say you are preparing to launch an e-commerce platform that sells personalized gifts, somewhat Archies. However, before you conduct your E-commerce Test, keep the following pointers in mind:

1. Understand Business Requirements: To cater to your target audience effectively, identify the specific goals and requirements of your personalized gift store.

2. Test Environments: Create separate test environments, just like a mock store, to perform testing without any impact on the live website.

3. User Scenarios: Consider different types of users, such as new customers, returning customers, and even first-time online shoppers, to test various user journeys.

4. Test Data: Populate your test environment with realistic data, like sample products and customer profiles, to simulate real-world scenarios.

What are Some Key Issues Related to E-commerce Testing?

1. Testing for Bugs: Imagine a customer trying to customize a mug on your personalized gift store, but the design tool malfunctions, leaving them frustrated. E-commerce Testing helps identify and fix such bugs, ensuring a seamless experience for your customers.

2. Testing Conversion Rates: Let’s say your e-commerce analytics reveal that a significant number of customers abandon their carts during the checkout process. Through testing, you can optimize the checkout flow, leading to improved conversion rates and increased revenue.

How to do E-commerce Testing?

Now, let’s explore how you can conduct E-commerce Testing with a focus on your personalized gift store:

1. Search and Navigation: Ensure that your search functionality allows customers to find personalized gifts quickly. Test different search queries like “personalized mugs” or “engraved keychains” to verify accurate results.

2. Homepage Design and Features: Test the layout and features of your homepage to create an engaging experience. For example, check if featured products and personalized gift categories are prominently displayed.

3. Product Pages: Verify that product descriptions and personalization options are clear and visually appealing, guiding customers in their purchase decisions.

4. Shopping Cart and Checkout Process: Conduct end-to-end tests to ensure a smooth checkout process. Simulate adding items to the cart, applying coupon codes, and completing the payment.

5. Site Performance Across Devices: Imagine a customer accessing your store on their smartphone but encountering slow loading times and distorted images. Test your website’s responsiveness on various devices to deliver a consistent experience.

Types of Testing for E-commerce System

Type of Testing	Testing Process in Steps
Functionality	1. Develop test cases based on business requirements.
	2. Execute tests to verify functionality.
	3. Analyze results and report defects.
Usability	1. Define usability criteria for evaluation.
	2. Conduct usability tests with real users.
	3. Gather feedback and implement improvements.
Security	1. Perform vulnerability assessments.
	2. Implement security patches and measures.
	3. Regularly update security protocols.

Given below is a brief overview about the types of testing involved for an E-Commerce System –

Useful Tools for testing E-commerce Site

1. Testsigma: As your comprehensive test automation tool, TestSigma allows you to streamline and automate your E-commerce Testing process. From testing product search functionality to validating the checkout process, TestSigma simplifies the task, enabling you to focus on delivering a seamless shopping experience for your customers.

Automate your ecommerce tests for web and mobile, 5x faster, with Testsigma

2. Selenium: Use Selenium to enhance your automation capabilities and ensure accurate verification of product search functionality and other critical features for web browsers.

3. LoadNinja: Perform load testing using LoadNinja to assess your website’s performance under high traffic conditions and validate that your personalized gift store can handle increased user demand.

4. BrowserStack: Utilize BrowserStack to verify cross-browser compatibility, ensuring that your online store functions flawlessly on various browsers and devices.

5. Google Analytics: Leverage Google Analytics to gain valuable insights into user behavior, allowing you to refine your personalized gift store to meet your customers’ preferences and needs.
   

When to Automate and How to Automate E-commerce Test Case with Testsigma

Automating your E-commerce test cases can significantly boost efficiency and save time. However, it’s essential to identify the right scenarios to automate for maximum benefit. Here’s when and how to automate E-commerce test cases using Testsigma:

When to Automate:

1. Repetitive Test Cases: Whenever you find yourself repeating the same set of tests, such as product search, adding items to the cart, or completing the checkout process, automation is the ideal solution. Testsigma can quickly execute these repetitive tests, freeing up your time for more critical tasks.

2. Regression Testing: Whenever you make changes or updates to your personalized gift store, you need to ensure that existing functionality remains intact. Automated regression testing with Testsigma enables you to efficiently validate the system after modifications, reducing the risk of introducing new bugs.

3. Cross-Browser and Cross-Device Testing: With an increasing number of browsers and devices in the market, ensuring cross-browser and cross-device compatibility is crucial. Testsigma enables you to run automated tests across multiple browsers and devices simultaneously, saving time and effort.

How to Automate E-commerce Test Cases with TestSigma:

For an easy understanding and navigation purposes, please find below the steps to create a test case with TestSigma and to automate it.

1. Login to your TestSigma Dashboard, and the click on “Test Development”.

2. Then, hop on to the “Create” button on the top right corner. 

3. Then, give a name to your test case and add your Website URL that you want to test.

4. Once this is done, simply enable the TestSigma extension in your browser, and click on “Record Steps”.
5. Now, simply execute the user journey that you wish to test. 
6. In the image attached below, I managed to create a few steps for you, that will add some items to the cart.

7. For automating this test run, all you have to do, is click on “Requirements”, Create a new requirement, select your test case and schedule the time and number of times it has to run. 

And just like that… Voila!! Your test cases are automated!

Challenges of E-commerce Testing and Automating it

While E-commerce Testing and automation offer numerous benefits, they come with their fair share of challenges. Overcoming these hurdles is crucial to ensure the seamless functioning of your personalized gift store and delivering an exceptional shopping experience to your customers. Let’s explore the key challenges that arise during E-commerce Testing and how to address them effectively.

1. Diverse Devices and Browsers: Ensure that your personalized gift store works flawlessly across various devices and browsers, from smartphones to laptops.

2. Realistic Test Data: Generate relevant test data for personalized products to simulate actual customer scenarios.

3. Security Concerns: Protect sensitive customer information by implementing robust security measures.

4. Continuous Testing: Overcome the challenge of conducting frequent tests while the website is live, without causing disruptions.

E-commerce Testing Checklist

As you embark on the journey of launching your personalized gift store, meticulous testing becomes the cornerstone of success. An E-commerce Testing checklist serves as a systematic guide to ensure that every aspect of your online store is thoroughly evaluated and optimized before it goes live. 

1. Verify functionality across the entire website.
2. Test search functionality and navigation.
3. Evaluate homepage design and features.
4. Validate product pages and information.
5. Check the shopping cart and checkout process.
6. Ensure site performance on different devices.
7. Conduct usability and user experience testing.
8. Perform security testing and vulnerability assessments.
   

Conclusion

Just like assembling the perfect personalized gift, E-commerce Testing is the key to crafting a successful online store. By meticulously testing your website, you can provide your customers with a seamless and delightful shopping experience. So, before you launch your personalized gift store, ensure that it has undergone comprehensive E-commerce Testing to win the hearts of your customers and pave the way for e-commerce success.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which testing is used for e-commerce application?

E-commerce applications undergo various types of testing, including functionality, usability, security, and performance testing, to ensure a seamless user experience.

2. How do I manually test an e-commerce website?

Manual testing involves evaluating an e-commerce website’s features, navigation, and functionality by simulating user scenarios and identifying any potential issues.