Before the buyer tries... — testing webshops before sharpening

Few people know that we celebrated not only the Hungarian freedom struggle a few weeks ago, but also the rights of buyers. The 15th of March was World Consumer Protection Day, in connection with which we studied how e-commerce, that is, the testing of e-commerce sites — commonly known as webshops — works.

E-commerce has undergone a huge change in the last decade, and the pace of development has only been accelerated by the acceleration of digitalization due to the coronavirus pandemic and the restriction of physical shopping alternatives. According to Statista data, today 14.1% of total trade turnover comes from e-commerce, and according to forecasts, by 2023 this figure will reach 23%. All this also means that e-commerce platforms are under increasing pressure to provide a seamless experience for their users.

In order for online stores to provide the right quality — the right service — to their customers and those interested in visiting the site, appropriate testing procedures and methods are necessary. All e-commerce platforms require testing of individual websites, payment gateways, inventory, and shipments, but regular operational checks ideally also cover coupon usage and entire supply chain management.

Why do you need to get tested?

Of course, doing all this on a professional level is an extremely serious and time-consuming process. The question rightly arises: why is it necessary to carefully test these e-commerce systems? First of all, because it protects the business from expensive failures. Data theft and malicious attacks can cost companies a lot. Testing also ensures that all pages and modules of webshops and applications work properly and in a user-friendly manner.

Testing is essential before sharpening the system, as it reduces the risks associated with transactions, for example, and ensures that trading processes are secure. Of course, it also plays a role in the stability of the webshop, as it reduces the need for critical repairs.

What is worth testing?

If the testing is done by specialists, on the one hand, they carry out a general examination and, on the other hand, they also do system and product-specific checks. They test individual website functions for different user scenarios; review daily workflows (workflows), check browser compatibility, mobile responsiveness; also test performance, and take extra care of security risks and system vulnerabilities. Nowadays, the integration of a webshop or application under different social media platforms is an increasingly important aspect, so this is also checked by testers, as well as aspects related to SEO, i.e. search engine optimization.

The challenges of automation

Testing plays a huge role in ensuring that the customer achieves the desired results. In the process, the focus should be on the quality and performance of the sites/applications, while reducing the time spent on testing as much as possible. This is the purpose of automated testing, which begins with the selection of the appropriate framework. The first decisions directly affect the outcome of the test automation project.

Based on the framework, testers can easily perform tests and get relevant results by generating reports. However, the choice of the right device for its automation depends on a number of key parameters. It is always important to compare the available tools based on key factors and characteristics such as features, performance, expandability, license cost, maintenance cost, and training and support, with an increased focus on the structure of the particular e-commerce software and the coding language.

All in all, we can say that testing webshops and mobile apps is an essential part of e-commerce development. It helps you achieve a better user experience, user data security, security, fast load times and many other factors that are the foundations of increasing business efficiency.

Literature used:
https://scandiweb.com/blog/usability-testing-examples-5-methods-for-ecommerce-website-optimization/
https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/ecommerce-testing/
https://www.guru99.com/testing-e-commerce-applications.html
https://www.browserstack.com/guide/how-to-test-ecommerce-website https://www.softwaretestingmaterial.com/ecommerce-testing/
https://www.askui.com/best-practices-in-testing-e-commerce/

Author:
János Szenfner