E-Commerce Website Testing Process with Cases

How to Test an Online Store or Application

I bet you won’t find someone in today’s world who hasn’t done any online shopping. A business that relies on its online clients is e-commerce or retail. There are several benefits to buying in person as opposed to online. Convenience, time savings, simple access to goods around the world, etc.

The success of an e-commerce or retail site depends on it. It must be a deserving match for the storefront. Because when you shop at a physical store, you’ve already committed to going there and could even give the brand a shot.

Online options are plenty. Therefore, if interaction isn’t present right away, the user can decide to quit. The business will grow the better the website is.

It is crucial that the application undergoes careful testing because so much depends on it.

Types of Ecommerce Testing

You must test every element of your overall e-commerce system. Typical test formats include:

E-Commerce test cases

Below, we have listed important segments and test cases for eCommerce website testing.

1. Hero section – Homepage case

Retail websites’ homepages are busy. There is a lot going on there. However, nearly all of them have a Hero Image:

This type of clickable image (which functions as a sort of slideshow) takes up the majority of the page.

In e-commerce, a homepage is more than just a well decorated cover. It also shows promise as a marketing strategy. This page typically has auto-scrolling slideshows or clickable banners that direct readers to particular pages. QA engineers examine the logo, top navigation for logged-in and unlogged-in visitors, and the keyword search when testing a homepage. A QA team’s job is to evaluate the features, page layout, and content visibility. The latter include advertisements such as banners, links to newsletters and social media platforms, and so forth. Here are some examples of test cases for an online store:

• The speed of page loading is sufficient.
• The time it takes for a user to log in with the proper credentials is reasonable.
• The homepage’s typefaces and color scheme are typical.
• Numerous browsers support controls.
• The scrolling interval and the carousel automatically scroll.
• A CTA button or banner click directs a user to the desired page.
• The links direct visitors to the appropriate pages.
• The shopping cart, Log In button, and Sign Up button are all clearly marked.

Therefore, homepage test cases essentially include some of the logging, navigation, and UI test cases that we will discuss in more detail later in the text.

2. Search case

Because we can’t always put what customers want to see directly in front of their eyes, search algorithms are crucial to a retail site’s success.

• Search based on the name of the product, the brand, or, more broadly, the category.
• Relevant search results are required.
• There must be a variety of sort choices, including those based on Brand, Price, Reviews, and Ratings, etc.
• How many results per page should be shown?
• Are there methods to browse to multi-page results?
• Additionally, search occurs everywhere. When validating this functionality, kindly take the search drilling down into various levels into account.

3. Sorting and filtering case

These two marginally different but closely connected characteristics significantly improve the use of an e-commerce website. The importance of search filters increases with the size of the item selection, especially for mobile versions. Users prefer to leave a website rather than browse a list of useless suggestions because they find constant scrolling to be annoying. Users can move between categories and sub-options using the filtering feature, and the precise results are then shown in front of them. Users can arrange products in the desired order by sorting them according to criteria such product name, brand, price, etc. QA engineers should be aware of the following in order to provide a flawless experience:

• A user’s application of a new filter does not disable an existing filter.
• There is no restriction on how many filters a person may employ.
• The application of filters is immediately and clearly verified.
• At the top of the list is a summary of all applied filters.
• Users can easily get rid of the selected options.
• All things show in the desired order once a user uses the sorting tool.

4. Shopping cart case

One of the important areas that must be thoroughly tested is the shopping cart. Visitors to a website won’t stay if they can’t add products to their carts. As a result, testing scenarios should include a variety of procedures with a selected item. In other words, the functionality of the shopping cart occasionally needs to handle computations that are fairly complicated. Promotional periods are fixed, there are rules for coupons, vouchers, and discount codes, and everything must work with the logic of the shopping cart.

5. Test cases for the checkout flow case

Because of the wide range of payment methods available nowadays, this step in the purchasing process might be challenging. Making sure the merchant allows the usage of several choices, such as Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc., is the responsibility of QA engineers. In the meantime, the website should also automatically determine the overall cost by applying any applicable fees that the selected payment option entails (if any).

• Before finishing the transaction, you are prompted to log in or register.
• Customers can check out and make payments as unregistered guests.
• Logged-in users who log in again can use previously saved shipping and billing information.
• Every supported payment method operates as intended.
• The prices are accurate, even if a particular payment option carries additional fees.
• After the payment, sensitive data, including payment information, is not kept on file.
• A successful checkout results in the appearance of an order confirmation page.
• An email or text message is used to deliver an order confirmation message to the user.
• Users with an account can view their order status.
• A user can continue exploring the website after completing the payment.

One of the important areas that must be thoroughly tested is the shopping cart. Visitors to a website won’t stay if they can’t add products to their carts. As a result, testing scenarios should include a variety of procedures with a selected item. In other words, the functionality of the shopping cart occasionally needs to handle computations that are fairly complicated. Promotional periods are fixed, there are rules for coupons, vouchers, and discount codes, and everything must work with the logic of the shopping cart.

6. The account user test case

For a variety of reasons, users might need to update their personal information. It can be due to a credit card’s expiration, a change in the shipping address, an error during registration, etc. Below are a few of test case examples:

• The My Account section and associated settings are accessible to logged-in users.
• A user’s account information, such as contacts, a shipping address, a password, and other details, can be updated and modified.
• In the My Orders section, a user can view and/or manage order status
• . Previous orders can be viewed and repeated by users.
• By pressing the matching button, a user can log off.

7. User Interface  case

UX and UI testing frequently go hand in hand, but we’ll talk about them individually. So all the visual components that enable user interaction with the programmed functionalities are covered by UI test cases. UI components that you could encounter on many websites include:

• buttons;
• links;
• checkboxes;
• radio buttons;
• dropdown lists;
• toggles;
• text fields;
• date pickers;
• search fields;
• tags;
• sliders;
• pagination;
• tooltips;
• accordions;
• input fields, etc.

It is crucial to evaluate layout, icons, and images for visual coherence in addition to the functioning of UI elements. This category also includes output elements like pop-up windows, alerts, badges, and notifications. Here are some sample test cases you ought to be aware of in relation to:

• The signing and logging sections both allow users to submit their credentials.
• Text can be entered by users in the text areas, including reviews and comments.
• Each button can be clicked to carry out the pre-programmed functions.
• The correct pages can be reached by clicking on the navigational elements such as breadcrumbs, tags, and others.
• After a click or slide, the position of the toggles changes, and each position can be seen.
• The performance and appearance of UI elements are not device-dependent.

This list is lengthy and contains many different items based on the conditions and pages. A user might only be permitted to check a certain amount of checkboxes, for instance. Therefore, before writing test cases, be sure to carefully review the requirements.

8. User Experience Case

Businesses and online business owners have recently tried to concentrate more on usability and user experience. While an e-commerce website’s visual design contributes to a brand’s overall image, it is important to ensure that it is simple and easy to use. The tests cases listed below assist with this task:

• The sorting function takes into account all the important factors.
• It is simple to navigate between pages if search results span more than one.
• Information may be read easily thanks to the font’s size and color.
• Product descriptions are accurate and pertinent.
• Relevant products can be found on all category pages.
• The page is easy to navigate for the user without having pop-ups obscure much of the content.
• The branding overall, as well as the design, are consistent across a variety of platforms and screens.

The basic UX test scenarios don’t stop with these. This kind of testing necessitates in-depth user research and perhaps business analysis for productivity gains.

Summary

A website must function on mobile devices in addition to computers. It must be secure and responsive. A data warehouse that supports OLAP and BI should be maintained with the use of ETL operations and an efficient database. Testing for e-commerce should concentrate on all of that. However, whether or not visitors convert to paying consumers is what matters most in e-commerce testing. The conversion rate is the proportion of visits that result in a sale.