Testimonial from Michael ALIMI, Digital Technical Director at INTERSPORT : “Our strength today is that we can run our regression tests before going live in 10 minutes, whereas it used to take more than a day.”
E-commerce sites are already gearing up for the Christmas rush, which is expected to be ten times greater—and even more significant—than in previous years due to COVID-19.
To help e-commerce merchants better prepare, we’re revealing the five bugs that could disrupt French e-commerce sites.
“INTERSPORT is one of our long-standing clients and therefore a very interesting case study to analyze. Our tools have evolved alongside them, and we have also adapted to their needs and market dynamics. We know from experience that the holiday season is crucial for e-commerce businesses. We therefore do everything we can to prevent even the slightest inconvenience during the customer journey. The developments we’ve carried out with INTERSPORT are significant, and they’re a model client for us—one that takes proactive steps to eliminate all possible errors and thus maintain an e-commerce site that’s close to perfection,” commented Fabien Van Herreweghe, CEO of Mr Suricate.
Michael ALIMI, Digital Technical Director at INTERSPORT: “Well before the Christmas season, the rollout of new features on our e-commerce site is put on hold. This is what we call the ‘freeze’ period.” The most important thing is to remain operational for our customers and minimize bugs as much as possible, so there’s no question of creating a backlog of features and developments. We begin this freeze period two weeks before Black Friday (November 27) and continue through the end of the January sales.”
Test management that takes 10 minutes instead of a whole day
“Before we started using Mr Suricate tools, it took us an entire day to retest all the site’s features after a new version was released. We had a mandatory day of non-regression testing. Today, it takes only 10 minutes! In just 10 minutes, with about 40 critical scenarios in pre-production, we know whether everything is OK or not. For us, that’s the best selling point: the time savings!” explained Michael ALIMI, Digital CTO at INTERSPORT.
Faster and more thorough
“In the past, we performed non-regression tests manually, and we couldn’t cover everything. Today, the tests are automated with all the rigor of an automated testing tool like Mr Suricate. As a result, we complete these tests in less time, with greater efficiency, and with more consistency from one session to the next. During the testing phase for a new version, we make 2 to 3 acceptance-testing releases per week on our pre-production environment to thoroughly analyze all features. If we had to wait a whole day each time to run non-regression tests, it simply wouldn’t work. During this busy period, Mr Suricate saves Mr Suricate a lot of time and gives Mr Suricate peace of mind,” continues Michael ALIMI, Digital CTO at INTERSPORT.
The bugs most frequently tested by INTERSPORT:
1. New delivery methods, such as in-store pickup
2- The registration page (which also allows you to join the loyalty program)
3- The Payment Page
4- Updating the shopping cart
The key strength: adaptability
“The process of updating the workflows is carried out in two phases: pre-production and production. This way, Mr Suricate notified in advance of new website features and immediately adapts the workflows. As a result, on D-Day, the workflow is fully automated and operational by the time the site goes live. “In the past, going live was a stressful time as we had to detect any potential bugs. Now, we know that Mr Suricate already seen and handled everything beforehand,” explained Michael ALIMI, Digital Technical Director at INTERSPORT.
The Worst Bugs
Among the issues that can affect a website, those related to purchases are obviously the worst for an e-commerce site.
Further Reading
- E-commerce: What glitches annoy online shoppers the most?
- Generative AI in E-commerce: What’s Changing for Marketing and Sales
- The Future of Shopping: 5 Software Trends That Will Redefine Retail in 2025
To see the solution in action, check out our end-to-end testing.
François-Xavier Le Gal
François-Xavier Le Gal is Deputy CEO of Mr Suricate, a French provider of a no-code SaaS solution for automated testing and monitoring. He helps companies ensure the reliability of their digital experiences and manage software quality, including functional, non-regression, performance, accessibility, and compliance testing. On the Mr Suricate blog, he shares insights, methodologies, and real-world feedback on automated testing, QA, and digital performance.