The number of online customers worldwide is expected to reach more than 2,1 billion due to the constant growth in device diversity and Internet availability. It is more than a quarter of the world's population as potential buyers. Availability, user-friendliness, and cost-effectiveness of e-commerce prompted many companies to launch digital showcases and expand their business on the Internet. So creating an online store is an excellent way to reach a wider audience and adapt your business to modern challenges.
Peculiarities of e-commerce testing
A good commercial website is the key to success. It should be an adequate analogue of the showcase. The «You never get a second chance to make a first impression» saying is also relevant for online stores. There are plenty of choices on the web. For that reason, if the user is not comfortable interacting with the resource, he can go to another site. That is why the product needs to be thoroughly tested.
Types of testing for online stores
1. Functional testing
The base and foundation of the testing e-commerce website process.
If the product doesn't perform its essential functions, nobody will use it. Therefore, it is crucial to test the whole user's workflow to offer customers comfort and unproblematic interaction with the website. It requires us to test the following functions: login settings, account registration, sorting and filtering, product searching, adding/removing products from the cart, checkout and payment processing.
2. Usability testing
A nice-looking e-commerce site attracts potential customers' attention. But unfortunately, many stores cannot retain customers only because their pages are uncomfortable. If the main page or any other page doesn't meet the users' needs, they just leave it. The same works for information if it is unclear the user doesn't read it. And if it is easy to get lost on the website, users find another one.
So in case a website doesn't meet the users' expectations or they cannot perform the planned actions, plenty of alternatives offered by the competitors are just one click away. Small elements have a strong influence. Consequently, such details as the image-to-text ratio can impact the profit.
It is vital to understand that the quality of website usability becomes a crucial factor. No matter how much is spent on advertising, it is not worth expecting sales if the site is not user-friendly. For example, the seemingly little thing as messages or tooltips presence can play a key role.
3. Security testing
Identification of security problems is one of the most important criteria that should be considered during the e-commerce website testing. Since online stores deal with valuable information, including personal and banking data, security problems are non-negotiable. Among the different testing methods that can be used, SQL-code implementation and ethical hacking should be mentioned while entering the system. Effective security testing of the e-commerce websites and applications protects them from cyberattacks and helps gain the trust and loyalty of the customers.
4. Performance testing
The page speed affects the website's performance in almost every aspect, from interaction with the user to search optimization. Studies show that if a website is loaded for more than 4 seconds, the user will go to another place. Consequently, the reduction in the page's load time can significantly affect the success of the site.
What matters is to test online stores to see how the system works under specific load and how fast the product pages will be loaded, see how it deals with traffic peaks, and identify potential performance weaknesses. The e-commerce website stability depends on the different conditions, one of which is the number of users who make transactions on the website over a certain period. Thus if many people are using the system simultaneously, it is necessary to take into account the website loading speed to avoid risks related to payment transactions, user interface and customer's trust.
Furthermore, different components of the SEO strategy should be tested, such as title tags, alt image tags, URL structure, meta descriptions to obtain a higher ranking in the leading search engines.
5. Database testing
Database testing checks the hidden from the user elements. These are internal processes, storage, tables, columns, keys and indexes, stored triggers, database servers, and data duplication. It is no less important to check data integrity and coherence. Moreover, stress testing can be used to test the high load on a database system. This testing method allows determining the point of failure of the database system to see that it can withstand the expected peak traffic load.
A database is important for any software, that is why its testing helps to prevent data loss, stores data on terminated transactions and prevents unauthorised access to information.
6. Mobile application testing
At the moment, more and more people use mobile devices, encouraging companies to their e-commerce testing strategy and focus on mobile devices. According to the analytical predictions, the number of people that use only mobile devices for work on the Internet in the next 5 years will increase to 25% every year. So it is vital to check whether the site is optimised for mobile devices. Another important aspect is testing the application adapting design on mobile devices with different screen sizes.
Before starting testing the mobile version of the site, it is necessary to answer some typical questions. For example, how fast does the website load? Is the content attractive? Does the site draw attention to the main points of the business? Does the website leave a good impression? Is it easy and clear to navigate the site? And finally, is the landing page drive interest in other pages?
7. A/B testing
A/B testing of the online stores allows studying the customers' advantages.
Sometimes e-commerce websites have bad sales numbers despite the efforts made for website optimisation. Buttons on product pages or pop-up windows on the landing pages can be an obstacle. The changes are made on the site according to assumptions and hypotheses. But what to do in case of a rapid sales drop? In this situation, A/B testing help check whether the changes have led to higher conversions. Furthermore, since some of the customers see one version of the site, and others see another one, we can determine which version is more effective.
For any e-commerce website, fast and effective testing means exceptional customer service that contributes to profitability. On the other hand, online store quality problems can lead to dissatisfied users and lost marketing and sales opportunities. Hence, every aspect should be tested and changed thoroughly to provide comfortable interaction and a pleasant experience working with the website.
