The development process of a web application can be primarily divided into four major steps. It begins with the development phase and is followed by the testing, quality assessment, and finally, the production phase. During the testing phase, the developers ensure that all the web application components are functioning as expected.
Using this process, the company can provide stable and optimal performance to all its customers. It also ensures that none of the physical specifications like the operating system, screen size, and display resolution adversely affect the website’s functioning. In this modern competitive industry, the web developing company cannot afford to alienate a segment of the user base due to incompatibility.
The testing process is generally different depending on the website that the developers are testing. This means that the procedure for testing an E-Commerce website is different from that of a record storage website. However, many web development companies fail to understand these differences.
So, with this article, we will try to analyze some of the browser-specific test cases that are compulsory for all E-Commerce websites. But, before that, let us understand the true meaning of an E-Commerce website.
Definition of an E-Commerce Website
The term commerce is usually used to refer to a business that involves the sale of any product(s) or service(s). In the term E-Commerce, ‘E” stands for electronic. This means it revolves around all the businesses that are conducted online. It is quite an old technology and has been in existence for a decade now.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic gave a massive boost to this technology. This is because of all the lockdowns and social distancing norms. As the world continues to battle this pandemic, E-commerce websites are entrusted with providing the best business experiences to the customers on their smart devices. As a result, the competition in this segment has massively risen. So, the companies must continue to provide high-quality services to maintain their stand.
Use of Automation Testing and Test Automation Tools in E-Commerce Site Testing
It is safe to assume that millions of users will access an E-Commerce Website worldwide. It is also understandable that different devices and browsers will be used to access the same browser. So, you must ensure that all these factors do not affect the functioning of your website.
The simplest approach to solve this problem is to check every browser and OS Combination’s functioning one by one. This was logical until there weren’t so many options available in the market. However, it is impossible to run individual compatibility test cases considering the current market.
Automated Browser Compatibility Testing can quickly solve this problem. The developers can utilize automated test cases to run all the compatibility testing processes using this process.
Using automated browser testing, the developers can verify the compatibility of the web application on thousands of different browsers, devices, and operating systems simultaneously. The developers can also integrate this process with cloud-based services to eliminate the hassle of maintaining a physical device testing lab. It’s also a good idea to use various tools and platforms to help the developers perform automated cross-browser testing.
However, web development companies should consider some critical factors during the tool selection process. These factors will need all the project requirements and the base preferences of the developers as a whole. We can use the example of LambdaTest to understand more about this concept:
LambdaTest is a platform to verify the cross-browser compatibility of web applications. Using this platform, the developers can ensure that the web application retains its performance irrespective of the device, operating system, or browser version.
Currently, LambdaTest allows the developers to verify the functioning of the web application on an online browser farm of 3000+ different browsers and browser versions. It uses automated test cases to run all the compatibility testing processes on a cloud-based Selenium grid. Using this platform, the developers can verify the functioning of the web application on virtual machines, emulators, and even real devices. Therefore, it produces highly accurate results that can be used for future references.
Major Browser-Specific Tests for All E-Commerce Sites
To provide optimal performance, there are specific test cases you must perform depending on the browser. These test cases are highly essential to ensure the stability of an E-commerce website. Let us quickly look at some of the major ones:
1. Traffic
The traffic on an E-Commerce website is the most critical and essential factor. Higher traffic will mean that your website has a higher chance of business. First, however, you must ensure that the web application can handle the surge of users.
You must also consider that the total amount of traffic will increase during the sale or promotional period during this process. So, it is good to expand the server size for baseline testing. During this process, you should also provide excessive traffic flow on the web application to verify how it holds up.
2. Updates
The updates to a website are common factors that ensure stable performance. The developers can also add various new features to the website using these updates. For example, the developers can use updates for an E-Commerce website to add new promotional events and other attractive offers.
So, you must ensure that your web application can smoothly handle these updates. In addition, updates aim to attract customer attention. So, you must test them on all websites to ensure proper functioning.
3. Discounts and Promotional Codes
There is massive competition in the E-commerce industry. Maintaining a high-quality experience and a wide range of services isn’t enough. You have to cut the chase and offer cutting-edge deals to your users. These offers must be available frequently to maintain user engagement.
For promotional codes, you must test these codes properly. This will ensure that your web application administers these codes correctly. All these factors are essential to maintain optimal user satisfaction.
4. The Shopping Journey
You must provide an enjoyable shopping journey to your customers. As a developer, you must ensure that there isn’t any obstacle in this process. For this purpose, you must test this process from start to finish. You have to begin from the product selection phase and go to the checkout and transaction. It is also good to test all the customer support options during this process. It will help your users in case they are stuck at any phase.
5. Responsive Testing of Websites
Responsive websites are those that can retain their functionality irrespective of the device. The developers created separate web apps for every platform during the earlier years. However, companies started realizing that it was an expensive process. So, they began to develop responsive websites. Moreover, modern Google Analytics shows that the search engine prioritizes responsive websites.
This means that your responsive web application will get better search rankings than other websites. However, the developers must remember that responsive web application development is complex. The developing companies must properly test this website depending on all the physical specifications of the devices.
6. Recommended Products
As a business outlet, you must try to retain your customers. The best way to complete this process is through product recommendations. It also helps to create a personalized shopping experience for your customers. For the recommendation process, you have to analyze all the users’ shopping habits and create a possible taste list.
This will help the web application shortlist the products that might suit their mindset. For this mechanism to work properly, you must conduct all the relevant testing processes. During this process, you must also remember to respect the privacy of every customer. So, you must filter the data you will collect for analysis.
7. Search testing
The search bar is probably the most important tool of an E-Commerce Website. Using this tool, the users can filter through millions of offerings. It helps them to find the product they are looking for quickly. You must verify the proper functioning of this tool to maintain ease of access. The proper placement of this bar is also very crucial. So, you must test this on all the devices where your web app will be accessible.
8. Shopping Cart
The shopping cart is the area that will store all your customer’s choices. It will remain there until they complete the transaction. So, the algorithm for this section must be perfect. Any form of bug can lead to the loss of items. This is the last thing you want while aiming for complete user satisfaction. You must also ensure that the physical specifications of a device do not impact this segment.
9. The Payment Process
The payment process on E-Commerce Websites is very crucial as it can backfire at any moment. It will handle all the sensitive details of the transaction Process. It will also store all the credentials and card details of your customer. So, you must be very careful during this process.
You should also have a functional encryption process to store all the details if the customer wants to save them for future purchases. Any form of a data leak can destroy the reputation of the website and your brand as a whole.
10. Home Page
The home page of your website is the busiest. It is where all the new customers will first land. This means that it is crucial for user retention and expanding the audience base. As a developer, you must test the functioning of this page thoroughly. The proper arrangement of all the UI elements is also crucial on this page.
The Conclusion
So, we can easily conclude that the testing phase is essential to ensure an E-Commerce website’s proper functioning. These websites are highly dependent on user interaction and data entry processes. So, you must ensure that your web application usually reacts according to various sets of data entered by the user.
The developers should also properly understand all the modern technologies that will influence the testing process. This process will also help them improve their portfolio in the coming years.
Experts believe that companies will continue to integrate advanced Technologies like artificial intelligence in their test cases. This is another factor that requires proper training of the developing teams. An experienced team can utilize the full potential of a test bench.
