how to test ecommerce website Archives

Developing an e-commerce website is a complex process. From defining the purpose, design to identifying the ways in which its user will make the payment, developing a website requires a lot of efforts. But, all those efforts might go in vain if the website is solely developed and no step is taken to ensure its proper functionality.

Testing an e-commerce website is a crucial step that helps ensure that it continues to deliver the required performance and keeps its users happy. It is also important to be sure about software’s reliable performance, optimum quality and capacity utilization. Similar to its development, testing an e-commerce website demands the tester’s proper attention. Some of the common techniques that can be used for testing an e-commerce website are as mentioned below:
1. Compatibility With Different Browsers

This form of testing is conducted to ensure that the product being developed offers provide proper support for early browsers and has browser specific extensions. While conducting this testing, it is also important to verify that it is able to cover main platforms like Linux, Windows, Mac etc.
2. Page Display
Testing the product for this feature helps in verifying any incorrect display of pages, runtime error messages, poor download time of a page, dead hyperlink or font sizing error. Identifying this form of error helps in ensuring that all such errors are rectified on time.
3. Session Expiry
This includes testing the website on parameters like the duration for which a session lasts, its storage, etc. Testing this feature is important to ensure the maximum safety and security of the user’s confidential data like bank account details, passwords, etc.

Also Read : 7 Features That Have To Be Tested In An E-Commerce Website

4. Usability
When you own an e-commerce website, it is important to ensure that it proves useful to its users. Test to ensure that it does not have poor site navigation, performs when someone navigates through the catalogue and is also available with complete support, in case the need arises.
5. Analysis of Content
One must ensure that the content available/visible to the end user is authentic and not at all misleading. This implies that the website should be thoroughly checked for the presence of any offensive or deceptive content, copyright of the images present on the website, possibility of personalizing the content, etc.

6. Data Backup and Recovery
Any e-commerce business runs on the basis of data availability. Therefore, it is important to ensure that there is no risk of data loss. In case of any data loss, there should always be a possibility of recovering the same. The risk of backup failure should not exist in case of e-commerce website.
7. Performance of Shopping Cart Features
The functionality of shopping cart is the utmost important part of an e-commerce website. When testing an e-commerce website, one must check the performance of its shopping cart in terms of adding or removing the items, processing of order and payment, tracking order, etc.
8. Performance for Global Audience
The website should never be limited to serve a particular set of audience. Making it viable to use for a mass audience by offering features like language support and display, its sensitivity to different cultures and regional accounting can make the website a path towards gaining a large customer base.
9. System Integration
The extent to which a website integrates with the system is an important factor to consider when developing an e-commerce website. To verify this, the testing team needs to check and confirm the data interface format, interface frequency and volume capacity, updates and performance.
10. Login and Security
Testing an e-commerce website requires one to test it on several grounds like login capability, access control, ability to handle web attacks, transmission of information and viruses. It is also important to ensure that there is no breach of data or threat to the user’s data when he/she is using the website.

Conclusion
It is important to remember that performance testing is the key to success for any e-commerce website. Conducting this form of testing ensures that there is no delay in its response time or handling any requests raised by the user. Remember, launching an e-commerce website is not an end; it is rather a beginning to delivering the best-in-class experience to the user that can be ensured only by conducting regular testing and maintenance.

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In this highly competitive era when every small to major business is focused on strengthening its presence online, e-commerce has undoubtedly become an inseparable part of a common man’s life. With everything available online, from daily needs, groceries to other luxury products, it is no doubt that the risk and threat to the available data is pretty high. Therefore, it is important to make sure that every ecommerce website is tried and tested on a regular basis before it is actually made available to the end user.

While there is no rocket-science involved in testing an e-commerce website, it definitely requires one to keep certain important things in mind. Read on to know some of these common factors that one must always focus on when testing an e-commerce website.
1. Hero Image
Hero image or hero banner is an oversized banner image available at the top of an ecommerce website. Since this image serves a number of purposes like displaying popular offers and discounts, new offers and collection, ensuring its optimum performance is extremely important. Some of the important things to test in this image are auto scroll feature, hovering, clickability, view on different browsers and screen resolutions, and image refreshing feature.
2. Search Bar
It is important to understand that you cannot always be 100 percent sure about what the end user might search in the search bar. Therefore, it is necessary to make sure that this feature is able to deliver the performance as required. Before launching your ecommerce website or mobile application, make sure that the search bar is able to search data on the basis of product name, features, navigation, etc.
3. Product Details Page
This page plays an important role in determining the success of any ecommerce business. Before making a purchase from an ecommerce website, every individual visits the product details page to ensure that the product he/she is planning to order is at par to his/her requirements. Therefore, in order to ensure that his/her actions turn into sale, maintaining the optimum quality of the product details page is extremely important. Check whether the page correctly displays the information such as product images, price, reviews, delivery options, etc.
4. Shopping Cart
There are situations when a user spends a lot of time in selecting and adding the items to his/her cart. But, due to some circumstance, he/she is unable to make a purchase, hence, postponing the same to the next day. In such and similar other situations, a person expects that the cart would contain the items shortlisted by him/her whenever he/she visits the particular site again.

Also Read : Software Testing: Meeting The Customer Expectation

Therefore, an ecommerce website admin needs to ensure that such requirements are fulfilled. Testing for this feature should be done for features like cart total, tax to be paid, items in the cart and many other steps that are completed before the final check-out.
5. Check-Out and Payments Option
For a successful e-commerce website and mobile application, it is important to ensure that its check-out and payments option is functioning properly. Double-check its functionality by testing the product on various grounds such as user sign up page, check out as a guest user, registration after the completion of payment, email/text messages sent as a confirmation for the order placed, etc.
6. Products And Categories
The products that are displayed to a returning and new user are different on an ecommerce website. While a returning customer is shown products based on his/her last purchase, a new user is made to browse through the entire website.
Since, products and categories are dynamic elements and may vary every day, it is not recommended to test every product individually. The best way to ensure an optimum performance of the website is by testing the algorithm for these sections. Testing the data mining/BI systems and the queries at the backend that populate these sections is important.
7. Order-Related Features

An e-commerce website does not only involve the placement of orders but can also involve its cancellation, change or return. Therefore, testing the website for its functioning on these features and grounds is important to ensure a hassle-free experience to the end user.
Conclusion
Apart from these, e-commerce website is also tested for other features like login, FAQs, contact us page, customer service page, etc. It is also important to remember that automated testing is not possible for an e-commerce website as a number of its features are dynamic. Ensuring an optimum performance of an e-commerce website is extremely crucial as this can actually make or break the trust of the end user.

Also Read : 15 Top Selenium WebDriver Commands For Test Automation

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