In a nutshell: We used to shop at brick-and-mortar stores. But that was then. This guide covers: What exactly is an optimal user experience?, Constant updates that need to be secure, How does test automation help e-commerce sites?, What about mobile apps?.
Do you have an e-commerce site and aren't doing automated testing? Seriously, come on! But seriously, automated testing is perfect for e-commerce sites, and Mr Suricate why.
We used to do our shopping at brick-and-mortar stores. But that was then. With the growth of the Internet and digital technology, we now do most of our shopping online, on e-commerce sites. It’s certainly convenient: there’s no need to go anywhere, and we have access to a wide variety of products. 129 billion euros: that’s how much the French spent online in 2021. And in the first quarter of 2022, that figure reached 32.5 billion euros, according to the Fevad report— an 11.5% increase compared to the first quarter of 2021.
In short, it’s safe to say that e-commerce is thriving and has brought significant benefits to businesses. But it has also brought them significant competition, making it increasingly difficult to stand out. Those who succeed are the ones who know how to adapt to consumers’ ever-changing behaviors and needs. And this depends, in particular, on their ability to offer an optimal user experience.
But what exactly is an optimal user experience?
It’s an experience built on simplified navigation, because today’s consumers don’t have time to waste and want to be able to find what they’re looking for quickly, without having to rack their brains. It’s a personalized experience that matches each consumer’s profile and tastes, offers tailored recommendations, and speaks directly to the user. It’s a seamless experience—meaning the customer journey isn’t marred by bugs that slow down, complicate, or prevent a purchase. And this seamless experience relies in particular on conducting tests to detect any bugs that could negatively impact the user experience.
This fluidity also has to do with speed. If a website is slow, users will tend to leave more quickly and head to a competitor’s site. According to a study by Kissmetrics, 40% of users abandon a site that takes more than three seconds to load. And this has a direct impact on conversion rates and revenue. Websites must also be able to handle high traffic volumes. It would be a shame if the site crashed right in the middle of the Christmas season or sales period, resulting in significant financial losses. One notable example is Amazon, which crashed during the first hour of its Prime Day. One way to prevent this, once again, is through testing—specifically, performance testing.
Constant updates that need to be secured
We mentioned earlier the constant change in consumer behavior. Consumers are always on the lookout for something new. E-commerce sites must therefore regularly develop new features that enhance the shopping experience. And this isn’t just about features. It’s also essential to adapt to demand by frequently updating the site’s usability and design—including buttons, colors, fonts, and so on. But it’s important to note that these updates and changes can introduce bugs. It’s therefore crucial to test them to ensure they haven’t caused any regressions, using both regression tests and graphical comparison tests.
Functional tests must also be run regularly to verify that features behave as expected and that there are no bugs on critical user flows—that is, the paths most frequently taken by consumers and those that generate revenue. It’s important to note that something as simple as logging in during checkout can cost hundreds of millions in revenue if it doesn’t work properly.
These tests can be easily automated. It is generally recommended to prioritize recurring and repetitive tests, such as regression tests, as well as functional tests on critical user flows—such as the checkout process—and/or any steps that occur after the order is placed, including payment and confirmation.
How does test automation help e-commerce sites?
To prevent their customers from turning to the competition—and to avoid losing revenue, not to mention damaging the company’s reputation— e-commerce sites must be able to respond very quickly to bugs. This requires constant visibility, which can only be ensured through rigorous testing. This level of rigor cannot be achieved by relying solely on manual testing.
Although manual testing has its advantages over automated testing—and should not be overlooked—automated testing allows for faster verification of features, taking only a few minutes, whereas a manual test can take several hours.
This speed therefore makes it possible to run a larger number of tests, resulting in better coverage of the site. And most importantly, the tests can be rerun multiple times, for even greater efficiency. This not only helps prevent bugs and ensure the security of updates, but also increases the technical teams’ responsiveness in the event of a bug.
But e-commerce sites need to be more than just reactive— they need to be proactive. Payment issues are rarely recoverable. In fact, 86% of users tend to abandon a site when they encounter a bug. That’s why test automation is so crucial for e-commerce sites—it’s essential to find and fix bugs before users even have a chance to see them.
And where there are no bugs (or very few), you have a high-quality product, satisfied users who are ready to return, and a strong brand image. So, while test automation does require a small initial investment, in the long run, the return on investment (ROI) is more than worthwhile. It’s important to note that the conversion rate can be tripled or even quadrupled (and more) thanks to automated testing.
What about mobile apps?
In a world where more and more purchases are made on mobile devices (51% according to a Payplug study), e-commerce sites must keep up with this trend by developing mobile apps or mobile websites to meet consumer needs. However, user behavior differs between computers and mobile devices, so it is important to develop different features.
As a result, tests must also be adapted for mobile devices. But mobile app testing isn’t that simple, given the variety of smartphone models, operating systems, carriers, networks, and so on. The advantage of automated testing is that it can run on a wide variety of devices simultaneously, with various configurations (such as simulated network connections). But we cover this in more detail in our article on “Which Tests to Automate for a Mobile App”!
In Conclusion
In a constantly evolving society where technological innovations continually challenge our consumption habits, automated testing has become a necessity—particularly for e-commerce—as it helps ensure the reliability of updates to the customer journey and optimize the quality assurance process.
FAQ
But what exactly is an optimal user experience?
This experience is based on simplified navigation, because today’s consumers don’t have time to waste and want to be able to find what they’re looking for quickly, without having to rack their brains. It’s a personalized experience that matches each consumer’s profile and preferences, offers tailored recommendations, and speaks directly to the user.
How does test automation help e-commerce sites?
To prevent their customers from turning to competitors—and to avoid losing revenue, not to mention damaging the company’s reputation—e-commerce sites must be able to respond very quickly when bugs occur. This requires constant visibility, which can only be ensured through rigorous testing.
What about mobile apps?
In a world where more and more purchases are made on mobile devices (51% according to a Payplug study), e-commerce sites must keep up with this trend by developing mobile apps or mobile websites to meet consumer needs.
Further Reading
To see the solution in action, check out our end-to-end testing.
See also: Success Story: Mr Suricate Le Coq Sportif.
Take It Further: Automated Testing in Retail and E-Commerce.
