Personal cabinet of the e-commerce site. Checklist for testing

According to the statistics of recent years, you can see a significant increase in the number of online stores, an increase in the number of visits and an increase in new users of online markets. More and more people are buying goods and services online. In order to remain competitive and not lose positions, it is important to improve your resource and supplement it with convenient functionality that will retain old customers and attract new ones. In this article, we will talk about such an important element of site navigation as the user's personal account.

Personal account on the e-commerce site is a tool that helps to automate the interaction between the user and the internet shop. It helps users to track their purchases, receive special offers, promo codes and other benefits. It is designed for regular customers who order products regularly. 

A personal account is useful for both buyers and business owners. Next, we will consider the advantages of using a personal account for the client and owners of online stores.

Advantages of using a personal account for the client to see:

• the status and stage of order processing;
• function to auto-fill the personal data after re-applying to the store;
• wish lists of selected products;
• already to get acquainted with viewed products;
• one-click order function, especially convenient for regular purchases, for example, pet food in a pet store;
• accumulated bonuses and opportunities to use them;
• current promotions and individual special offers;
• ability to leave feedback or complaint.

That is why a personal account is necessary for most online stores. The owners provide a wide range of opportunities for their visitors, turning them into regular customers. However, it should be remembered that the personal cabinet is a space for visitors. Therefore, its design, functionality and ease of use are very important.

Advantages of using a personal account for an online store owner:

• automation of processes for the correct organization of work under the condition of project growth and an increase in clients;
• loyalty system that can be implemented through the account;
• collection of the customer base – when registering in the personal account, the user leaves contact data that can be used to contact him;
• it is easy to track the preferences of buyers, what exactly the user buys, and which product is in greater demand, to track the real interest of buyers.

A good personal account should contain:

•  Personal data of the client, with the possibility of changing or adding it. For example, placing an order, you will not need to manually enter your name, surname, delivery address, e-mail, phone number or other data, but only choose from the saved data.
• Order history and last purchase. When a client can go to the order history and see previous orders, they don’t need to spend time on making the purchase again. There are a lot of item bundles or groups that the client wants to buy again. It can be some food items, cosmetics, pet goods or household items.
• Order Tracking. The presence of this function significantly increases the customer's trust in the store and encourages them to buy. This way, a person understands at what stage the order is: it is being prepared for shipment, it is already on the way, or the purchased product has arrived at its destination. 

• Bonuses info. It is important for users to know their status in the store's loyalty program, the number of bonuses on their account, as well as the validity period of bonus points.
• Favorites block If the customer does not have the opportunity to buy the desired product right away, but does not want to spend time searching for this product in the future, the section with selected products will come in handy. This function returns the visitor to the site. If he knows that the online store has a list of delayed products, with a high probability he will not only return but also place an order.
• Personal recommendations block. For example, if the client periodically buys animal feed, then you can offer him recommendations on the selection of animal hygiene products.

What to test in the personal account of the internet store?

1. Registration

A convenient personal account of an online store is, first of all, simple registration and easy access to the account. The entrance to the account should always be visible, the client should not look for the entrance to the personal account deep in the navigation. It is better when the account is created automatically, after the first order is made, or registration is done using social networks. After all, this is how access to the personal account is simplified. The client does not need to remember another login and password, they can view them in the corresponding letter stored in the email, or go to their personal account using social networks.

First of all, it is necessary to check the registration of a new user on the site.

• Registration should take no more than 1-2 minutes and be as simple and clear as possible.
• If registration requires the usage of an email address, a letter with confirmation of registration or with access parameters to the personal account should come to the mail.
• If the registration is done using a mobile phone number, the confirmation comes in the form of an SMS message.
• Check validation messages for mandatory fields so that it is clear where the user made a mistake while filling out the form and how to correct it.
• Also, the registration form may indicate the advantages that the customer will receive as a result of registration: a quick purchase process, special discounts for registered users, access to promotions only for registered customers, special conditions for registered users, and so on.

By making registration convenient, simple and clear, you can increase the number of regular customers.

2. Account page

Next, it is necessary to check the possibility of re-entering the personal account of an already registered user.

• The personal account button should be placed in the upper right corner. It is in this place that it is most familiar and visible to site visitors.
• It is also necessary to check the possibility of editing the profile. For example, is it possible to change or add the user's personal data, delivery address, email, and phone number, or are the changes made in the profile saved?
• Check the password recovery and change feature.

3. Personal data safety

The security of user data is one of the most important points for e-commerce. If certain personal data is collected, it must be securely stored and protected. Here it should be taken into account that, in addition to ordinary ethics, in certain countries there are also relevant legislative acts that prescribe the necessary requirements for the storage and use of personal data, such as GDPR (general regulation for the protection of personal data in the European Union)

In addition to meeting the requirements of the standards, the SSL certificate – a cryptographic security protocol must be used. After its installation, a secure HTTPS connection will be available to the site. Installing SSL certificates is desirable for all sites because it improves search rankings. They also help protect user data from interception, so they should be installed on online shopping sites.

4. Order tracking

Order tracking allows the buyer to feel safe and not worry about where their package is. Especially if the buyer has already paid for the product online. At this stage, it is necessary to check whether the status of the order really changes in the section of the personal account, to check whether it is possible to receive notifications about the change in the order status.

5. Order history and repeated purchase

In this section, it is necessary to check whether the buyer can immediately find their past order and issue it again using a couple of buttons. Everything should be simple and clear. This is necessary in order not to search again for the product on the website, add to the cart, and fill out forms.

6. List of favorite items

A registered visitor must be able to add a product to the «Favorites» or «Wishlist» section.

When testing this section, the following points must be checked:

• whether there is the «Add to Favorites» button next to each product so that the user can add the product to the wish list;
• whether the registration form or login to the user's personal account appears after clicking on the «Add to Favorites» button;
• whether the number of added products in the wish list is displayed correctly.

7. Discount system

Discounts and bonuses are a key tool for motivating regular users to buy, so this information should be located in a separate tab.

Online stores can use various loyalty programs and discount offers, therefore, when testing this section, it is necessary to study all the terms of the discount program in detail, and then perform checks of the features that are specific to this particular store.

Next, we will consider some loyalty programs that can be used by online stores:

• Cashback. The user makes a purchase, after which a certain percentage is returned to their account. In this case, you should check whether the amount of interest for the purchased goods is correctly calculated.
• Saving system. The more the user buys, the bigger their discount. The cost of all the user's purchases is gradually summed up, and after reaching a certain amount, they are given a discount of the next level for further orders. With a saving system, you should check whether all purchases are summed up and whether the discount is correctly calculated after reaching a certain level of the value of purchases.
• Bonuses. Every time a customer buys something, they get bonus points that can be used to pay for part or all of the next order. Bonuses can also be given on holidays: Birthday, New Year, International Women's Day, Children's Day, etc. Here you should check whether the points are correctly accrued after fulfilling the promotional condition and whether it is possible to apply the accrued points during the next purchase.

The user's personal account helps to increase loyalty and get a regular customer. After all, if the user is offered favorable conditions during registration in the personal account (for example, a discount or a gift), they are very likely to register. In the future, loyalty becomes even greater, and the user begins to trust the store, becoming a regular customer. A personal account personalizes each client and makes it possible to track conversion more accurately and make additional sales.