How to test eCommerce website?

Due to the epidemic and persistently high rates of digital penetration, more individuals than ever are making purchases online. This implies that any eCommerce website that wants to succeed in the market will have to compete fiercely and bring its best to the table.

To provide the greatest user experience, a website must be tested once it is constructed. A bad customer experience is the reason 58% of customers leave a business. These days, eCommerce websites take the place of physical storefronts and represent the company that supports them. A website that has been carefully designed and tested is more likely to have high user engagement, improve traffic, and generate income.

This article will discuss how to test eCommerce websites comprehensively so as to cover essential features and ensure that the site does not fail to meet customer expectations.

What to test on eCommerce websites

Home Page:

Verify the text and graphics, whether static or dynamic, are shown correctly. Additionally, there should be functioning and obvious links to the main pages (commerce, account login, and catalog).

Search and Navigation: 

Users must to be able to find the precise page they’re looking for by searching for pertinent terms. Additionally, they should be able to quickly navigate to key areas (cart, account information, product categories, etc.) with only a few clicks. In order to ensure a frictionless experience in this regard, test to find any issues.

Catalog of products and services: 

Every product and service should have a clear listing, complete with descriptive text and illustrative photos. It should be simple to enlarge images, and selecting Add To Cart should be clear and responsive.

Order processing mechanism:

Products and their details must correspond with the user’s selections once orders are placed. Their addresses must to be accurately matched to the order, and they ought to have the option of selecting their favorite shipping option. Before placing an order, return and exchange policies should also be available for perusal.

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Types of tests to run on eCommerce websites

Functional Testing

Functional testing examines if the website functions in line with preset specifications. It provides an answer to the query, “Is everything operating as it should?”

This includes everything, such as whether data fields accept the necessary variables and whether the appropriate pop-ups appear at the appropriate times, as well as basic link functionality. Unit tests, smoke tests, sanity tests, regression tests, integration tests, usability tests, and more are subcategories of functional testing.

Functional testing is necessary to make sure that all of the many functions that eCommerce websites have as part of a customer journey operate as intended. However, conducting functional tests will be laborious, time-consuming, and error-prone due to the sheer volume of links and fields that every modern website contains.

In this case, automation testing is the ideal substitute. Testers can design and run automated functional tests on websites to confirm the effectiveness of the site without using many man-hours or money thanks to tools like Appium and Selenium.

Accessibility Testing

Tests for accessibility make sure that as many people as possible can use a website or app. It aims to enhance software specifically for people with disabilities, such as poor eyesight or hearing, difficulties reading, or physical or mental health concerns.

Accessibility testing helps eCommerce websites comply with laws like the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 508, and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). It also broadens the website’s potential user base. These might only be suggestions and guidelines, or they might be mandated by law, depending on the nation.

Performance Testing

Evaluation of a software’s performance under various circumstances is done through performance testing. Under various traffic and load levels, performance here refers to a range of factors, including speed, responsiveness, scalability, and stability.

To make sure that software always performs at the desired quality standards, performance testing is essential. It examines variables including command response times, memory usage, load-bearing capability, network bandwidth utilization, application output, data transmission speed, and data processing speed, among others.

Cross Browser Compatibility Testing

Be prepared for various browsers, as well as multiple versions of each browser, to be used to visit any eCommerce website. With all of the browsers’ different technical quirks and variations, the website needs to render flawlessly on every browser and every browser version.

Thorough cross-browser testing on actual browsers and devices is the only way to make sure of this. In order to verify how the website functions and renders under actual user circumstances, testers must run tests on a variety of distinct browser, device, and operating system combinations. To do good cross-browser compatibility testing, QA teams require access to a large on-premise device lab that is regularly updated with newer devices, as there are at least 63,000 possible browser-platform-device combinations in common usage.

Website Speed Test

Kissmetrics reports that a 1-second lag in page response might cause a 7% decrease in conversion rate. When it comes to ranking search results, Google also takes into account the speed of the website. Naturally, eCommerce websites must load as fast as possible, on every device-browser combination they are accessed from.

Mobile Website Compatibility Test

Mobile devices accounted for 56.16 percent of total web traffic as of April 2021. eCommerce websites must, of course, be designed and optimized to function flawlessly on mobile devices. As previously stated, one major and persistent challenge for software developers is the fragmentation of devices and browsers. Specifically, the site might not display correctly on some displays due to the thousands of devices that are utilized worldwide that have varying screen sizes and resolutions.

In order to avoid this, web developers use responsive design and make sure it works well across a range of real devices. Testing on actual devices is necessary in order to accomplish this.

Challenges of eCommerce Testing

• eCommerce websites frequently use content management systems, such as Woocommerce and Shopify, to develop the site as quickly as feasible. These platforms do, however, provide connection with third-party services for a number of uses, such as online payment administration, social media capabilities, and gift cards. Too many third-party integrations, however, add to the testing burden because they all need to connect and communicate with the website safely and smoothly.
• Testing eCommerce websites has to keep up with the rapid release of new devices and browser versions. To make the site compatible with the newest kids on the block, it is not a simple operation to discover every new device-browser-OS combination, acquire them, conduct tests, and make optimizations.
• eCommerce websites have a plethora of features that can be utilized. It can be exceedingly challenging, at least in the early testing phases, to isolate each and every function and user scenario for testing.
• eCommerce websites are frequently targeted by hackers because they frequently hold the financial data of large user bases. It takes a lot of work, expertise, and ability to protect valuable data from frequent threats.

Conclusion

In conclusion, ensuring the success of eCommerce websites hinges on comprehensive testing. From functional and accessibility testing to performance and cross-browser compatibility checks, every aspect plays a crucial role. How to test eCommerce websites encompasses various strategies to verify functionality and address potential challenges. By prioritizing thorough testing, businesses can enhance user experience, boost traffic, and ultimately drive revenue. With continuous testing and adaptation to evolving technologies and user behaviors, eCommerce websites can stay competitive in the dynamic digital landscape.

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