Consumers consider reliability, convenience, and speed crucial factors when selecting a brand. Businesses can use these parameters to streamline payment processes by delivering speed and personalization. From the consumer’s point of view, mobile devices are already a reliable and convenient payment tool, all thanks to streamlined eCommerce, peer-to-peer transactions, and mobile wallet features. And now, this online payment trend is moving towards software point-of-sale (SoftPOS) technology to enable secure and contactless payment acceptance without needing additional hardware.

According to the Fortune Business Insights report, the global SoftPOS market is projected to reach $1.4571 billion by 2032. This shows how quickly businesses are shifting from traditional POS mechanisms to SoftPOS.

SoftPOS: A Growing Trend

The electronic POS system emerged between the late 1980s and early 1990s. It integrated sales tracking capabilities with inventory management. Back to today’s tech-driven ecosystem, thousands of advanced solutions are specifically designed to cater to industry-specific requirements. But what’s the key driver for this change? It’s changing consumer behavior and rapid tech innovations. There came a time when businesses started looking for efficient ways to process payments faster without hampering customer security and experience.

The SoftPOS, or software point of sale, is the latest advancement in the form of a smartphone application that enables businesses to accept payments without relying upon traditional payment methods (digital wallets, digital payments, contactless payments, etc.). Businesses can download the POS app on their devices and manage any transaction.

How Does SoftPOS Work?

The primary goal of launching SoftPOS was to facilitate the usage of COTS (commercial off-the-shelf), also known as “consumer devices for payments with a bank card.” These devices can be iPhones, Xiaomi, Samsung, or other recently launched smartphones. After downloading the software point-of-sale application, the smartphone will activate the NFC (Near Field Communication) antenna (an electromagnetic data exchange protocol) to accept transactions. Following are the steps involved throughout the whole process:

1. The seller displays the payment amount directly in the app
2. The consumer will fill in his/her bank card details on the smartphone for contactless payment.
3. The SoftPOS app will request the encrypted bank card details and send them to the server via a payment scheme.
4. The payment will be completed and sent to the seller’s and buyer’s banks. It will get authorized in seconds.

The following are the technologies involved in running the SoftPOS solution:

• PIN on Glass (POG) allows customers to enter PIN directly on the merchant’s smartphone screen, ensuring security via PCI-compliant encryption.
• Near Field Communication (NFC) enables contactless payments by securely reading card details when a customer taps a card or mobile wallet on the merchant’s device.
• Payment Gateway Integration securely authorizes and settles transactions between the merchant, bank, and customer.
• Tokenization replaces sensitive data with tokens, reducing data breach risks while ensuring secure payment processing.
• Cloud-based processing involves processing transactions via a cloud server and eliminates the need to store data in the merchant’s device.

SoftPOS vs Traditional POS System

4 Business Benefits of SoftPOS

Cost-effective Solution

SoftPOS helps reduce the transactional barrier related to card payments. Setting up traditional POS systems involves heavy upfront hardware, software, and maintenance costs. SoftPOS, however, requires only smartphones or tablets to set up payment terminals without additional hardware. This makes software point-of-sale applications an affordable solution for businesses.

Flexibility and Mobility Improvement

SoftPOS facilitates on-the-go payment acceptance, unlike traditional POS systems fixed to a specific location. It is a big-time benefit for mobile vendors, outdoor events, and QSRs, where a fixed payment terminal is not an option. SoftPOS facilitates real-time payment processing, which improves customer engagement as businesses provide more personalized shopping experiences.

Seamless Transactions Improve CX

SoftPOS streamlines payment processing to create a faster and more seamless transaction experience. It works on NFC-enabled mobile wallets and cards to complete transactions quickly, reducing wait time and offering businesses user-friendly interfaces and intuitive designs.

Enhanced Data Protection with Robust Security

Software point-of-sale apps comprise advanced security features to protect customer and business details. The tokenization technique replaces critical information with unique identifiers, also known as tokens and encryption technology protects payment details during transmission. This reduces the risk of data breaches and fraud, enabling customers to gain confidence in the brand.

Why Partner with Tx for POS Testing?

Partnering with Tx for POS testing would enable you to stay ahead in the quickly transforming digital business landscape. We focus on delivering cutting-edge automated POS testing solutions to help you seamlessly set up the SoftPOS application. Our unparalleled expertise in point-of-sale software testing would help you deliver flawless payment experiences with:

Prover Expertise

We successfully automated POS testing for a global retailer and ensured seamless omnichannel transactions.

POS Modernization Success

We assisted a leading QSR brand in modernizing its POS systems, ensuring smooth digital transformation while reducing the software release cycle by 80%.

Comprehensive Testing

Our expertise covers functional, security, compliance, and performance testing across all POS systems, including SoftPOS and traditional POS.

Security and Compliance Management

We ensure your system adheres to PCI-DSS, EMV, and other industry standards to protect payment data and maintain compliance.

AI-driven Insights

Our AI-powered automation enhances accuracy, efficiency, and test coverage to accelerate time-to-market.

Summary

SoftPOS is upscaling payment processing by eliminating the need for traditional hardware-based POS systems. By turning smartphones into secure payment terminals, businesses gain flexibility, reduce costs, and enhance customer experience. Having helped global retailers and QSR brands modernize their POS systems, Tx ensures enterprises stay ahead in the evolving payment landscape. Whether functional, security, or compliance testing, Tx’s expertise helps businesses deliver flawless payment experiences in today’s fast-moving digital world. Contact our experts now to know how we can assist you with SoftPOS testing.

The post SoftPOS Over Traditional POS: Why Businesses Need to Make the Shift first appeared on TestingXperts.

1. Why is Payment Security Necessary for eCommerce Business?
2. Understanding PCI DSS Requirements
3. Risks of Non-Compliance
4. Steps to Ensure Compliance for eCommerce Stores
5. PCI DSS Compliance Testing
6. Conclusion
7. How Can TestingXperts Help with Compliance Testing for eCommerce Stores?

With the exponential growth of online shopping in recent years, ensuring payment security on eCommerce stores and platforms has become crucial. As the eCommerce industry grows, so does the importance of adhering to standards that protect businesses and their customers. PCI DSS is one of the core frameworks to ensure payment card safety in the digital world. But what exactly is it, and why should online retailers care?

PCI DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. Established by major credit card companies like Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, it is a set of requirements designed to ensure that any company that processes, stores, or transmits credit card information does so in a secure environment.

For businesses, being PCI DSS compliant is not just a recommendation; it is often a requirement. Not only does it help protect sensitive customer data, but it also shields businesses from potential financial penalties and legal consequences resulting from data breaches.

In an age where a single breach can devastate a company’s reputation, the importance of PCI DSS cannot be overstated. Knowing a retailer is PCI DSS compliant gives consumers the confidence to shop with peace of mind, knowing their payment information is safe.

Why is Payment Security Necessary for eCommerce Business?

eCommerce businesses deal with abundant sensitive information. Cybercriminals are eager to exploit sensitive data, from home addresses to payment details. Ensuring payment security is not about securing credit card details but creating an overall environment where customers feel their data is respected and protected.

Several layers contribute to this security:

Encryption

Encrypting data ensures that the information remains unintelligible to unauthorised parties even if intercepted.

Secure Socket Layer (SSL)

SSL certificates ensure secure data transfer, especially during transactions. Most shoppers now look for the padlock symbol in their browsers before purchasing.

Tokenisation

Instead of storing sensitive card details, systems can use tokens representing the card data without exposing the actual information.

Regular Security Audits

Ensuring an eCommerce platform is checked for vulnerabilities and keeping software up to date are pivotal to maintaining a secure environment.

Understanding PCI DSS Requirements

The PCI DSS is built around 12 fundamental requirements, broken into six broader categories. These requirements serve as a roadmap for businesses to safeguard customer payment data:

Build and Maintain a Secure Network and Systems

• Install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder data

• Change vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters

Protect Cardholder Data

• Protect stored cardholder data

• Encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks

Maintain a Vulnerability Management Programme

• Use and regularly update anti-virus software or programs

• Develop and maintain secure systems and applications

Implement Strong Access Control Measures

• Assign a unique ID to each person with computer access

•Restrict physical access to cardholder data

Regularly Monitor and Test Networks

• Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data

• Regularly test security systems and processes

Maintain an Information Security Policy

• Maintain a policy that addresses information security for all personnel

It is essential to familiarise oneself with some key definitions to understand PCI DSS:

Cardholder Data (CHD)

This refers to any information printed, processed, transmitted, or stored in any form on a payment card. It encompasses the cardholder’s primary account number (PAN), cardholder name, expiry date, and service code.

Sensitive Authentication Data (SAD)

It is related to the information used to authenticate cardholders and confirm payment card transactions. It includes full magnetic stripe data, CAV2/CVC2/CVV2/CID, and PINs/PIN blocks. It is important to note that SAD should never be stored post-authorization.

Merchant

Any business entity that accepts payment cards bearing the logos of any of the five members of the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) – American Express, Discover, JCB, MasterCard, and Visa – as payment for goods or services.

Service Provider

A business entity, excluding the payment brands, directly involved in processing, storing, or transmitting cardholder data on behalf of another entity.

Risks of Non-Compliance

Safeguarding customer payment data is not just a matter of ethical business practice. It also helps avoid substantial financial and reputational risks. Many eCommerce businesses underestimate the implications of non-compliance with PCI DSS, but doing so can lead to severe consequences.

Not being able to comply with PCI DSS compliance exposes businesses to potential fines and penalties:

Banks impose fines

The banks that process payment card transactions can fine for non-compliance. These fines range from a few thousand pounds and can escalate to tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds for repeated violations or in case of a data breach.

Compensation costs

If a business suffers a data breach due to non-compliance, it must compensate affected customers. These compensations cover fraudulent transactions and credit monitoring services.

Forensic investigations

Post a breach, the business might need to conduct a forensic examination to determine the cause and extent of the breach. Such investigations come at a substantial cost.

Loss of card processing privileges

In extreme cases of non-compliance, the license to process card transactions can be revoked. For an eCommerce business, this spells disaster, significantly hampering sales and operations.

Loss of customer trust

Customers entrust their payment data to eCommerce businesses, expecting it to be kept safe. A breach shatters this trust, making it challenging to rebuild. Many customers might choose never to shop at that eCommerce store again.

Bad publicity

Data breaches, especially payment information-related, attract media attention. Negative press can tarnish a brand image, leading to declining sales and profitability.

Drop in shareholder value

For a publicly traded company, news of non-compliance or a related data breach can negatively impact their stock price, affecting shareholder value.

Steps to Ensure Compliance for eCommerce Stores

Achieving and maintaining PCI DSS compliance requires proactive action. Let us explore the crucial steps eCommerce stores should take:

Securing Cardholder Data: Storage, Transmission, and Encryption

Securing cardholder data remains the key aspect of PCI DSS compliance. Here is how to ensure that cardholder data is secure:

Limit data storage

Only store cardholder data if essential. Regularly audit and delete unnecessary stored data.

Use robust encryption

When transmitting cardholder data across open, public networks, use strong cryptography and security protocols, such as SSL/TLS or IPSEC, to safeguard sensitive cardholder data during transmission.

Protect stored data

Implement encryption, truncation, tokenisation, or masking to protect stored cardholder data. Avoid storing sensitive authentication data after transaction authorisation.

Regularly Testing and Monitoring Security Systems

There needs to be more than a static approach to security. Continuous monitoring is the key:

Conduct vulnerability scans

Regularly scan the systems for vulnerabilities. Many third-party providers offer services that identify potential weak points in your network.

Perform penetration tests

Periodically test to see how well systems can fend off attacks. These tests simulate cyberattacks, helping identify areas of improvement.

Monitor access logs

Keep a keen eye on who accesses the systems. Suspicious activity can hint at potential security threats.

Implementing Strong Access Control Measures

Only some people within the business need access to cardholder data. It is important to restrict and monitor access:

Role-based access

Assign access to cardholder data based on job roles. Only provide access to employees who need it for their job functions.

Use unique IDs

Ensure each person with computer access has a unique ID. It helps in tracking and monitoring individual access.

Two-factor authentication

Implement two-factor authentication for added security, especially for remote access. It requires users to provide two separate forms of identification before gaining access.

Regularly Testing and Monitoring Security Systems

There needs to be more than a static approach to security. Continuous monitoring is the key:

Conduct vulnerability scans

Regularly scan the systems for vulnerabilities. Many third-party providers offer services that identify potential weak points in your network.

Perform penetration tests

Periodically test to see how well systems can fend off attacks. These tests simulate cyberattacks, helping identify areas of improvement.

Monitor access logs

Keep a keen eye on who accesses the systems. Suspicious activity can hint at potential security threats.

Implementing Strong Access Control Measures

Only some people within the business need access to cardholder data. It is important to restrict and monitor access:

Role-based access

Assign access to cardholder data based on job roles. Only provide access to employees who need it for their job functions.

Use unique IDs

Ensure each person with computer access has a unique ID. It helps in tracking and monitoring individual access.

Two-factor authentication

Implement two-factor authentication for added security, especially for remote access. It requires users to provide two separate forms of identification before gaining access.

Maintaining an Information Security Policy

Lastly, but most importantly, instil a culture of security:

Document policies

Have a clear, written policy detailing all security measures. Ensure all employees understand and commit to following this policy.

Ongoing training

Regularly train staff on the importance of cardholder data security and the practices they should follow.

Review and update

The digital landscape evolves, and so do threats. Regularly review and update information security policy to stay ahead of potential risks.

PCI DSS Compliance Testing

Compliance testing evaluates the security measures of an eCommerce platform against the PCI DSS standards. It identifies areas of non-compliance, highlighting vulnerabilities that cybercriminals could exploit.

Consistent testing ensures that your systems remain resilient against evolving cyber threats. It guarantees that any changes or updates to your eCommerce platform do not introduce new vulnerabilities. Furthermore, regular testing helps businesses stay aligned with the evolving PCI DSS standards.

Different Types of Tests

Vulnerability Scans

These automated, non-intrusive scans check a system for known vulnerabilities. They are a good starting point but need to be complemented by more in-depth tests.

Penetration Tests

These involve simulating cyber-attacks on a system to identify vulnerabilities not detected in vulnerability scans. It gives a real-world perspective on potential security threats.

Segmentation Checks

These determine if the segmentation methods effectively isolate cardholder data from other networks.

File Integrity Monitoring

This checks for unauthorised changes to critical system files, configurations, and content files, providing alerts if any discrepancies are detected.

Compliance Testing Tools and Services

Various tools and services facilitate effective PCI DSS compliance testing:

Qualys PCI Compliance

It is an automated tool that finds and seals security gaps. It offers comprehensive vulnerability scanning and helps in generating necessary compliance reports.

Tenable Nessus

It is a widely known vulnerability scanning tool that identifies vulnerabilities, configuration issues, and more.

Trustwave

This tool provides testing services, including vulnerability scans, penetration testing, and risk assessments.

OpenVAS

A free, open-source vulnerability scanning tool that can identify potential weak points in your system.

Interpreting Test Results and Implementing Recommendations

Step-1: Understand the Results

Work with cybersecurity professionals to understand the test results thoroughly. Not all vulnerabilities carry the same priority. Determine which ones require immediate attention.

Step-2: Prioritise Fixes

Address the most critical vulnerabilities, especially those that pose immediate threats to cardholder data.

Step-3: Implement Recommendations

Use the test insights to implement security enhancements. It involves software updates, configuration changes, or even overhauls of specific processes.

Step-4: Document Everything

For compliance purposes and future reference, document all test results, the steps taken to address vulnerabilities, and any changes made to the system.

Step-5: Repeat Testing

After implementing changes, re-test to ensure the vulnerabilities have been effectively addressed. Regularly schedule compliance tests to maintain a robust security posture.

Conclusion

eCommerce presents businesses with unparalleled opportunities for growth and customer engagement. However, as online transactions multiply, so do the responsibilities of ensuring secure exchanges of sensitive information. The significance of PCI DSS compliance is a cornerstone of effective and trustworthy online business operations. From understanding the core requirements to the rigorous compliance testing processes, maintaining a secure environment is an ongoing commitment. As cyber threats evolve and diversify, periodic evaluations and enhancements of security protocols are not optional but a business imperative. Businesses that diligently uphold these standards safeguard their operations and fortify their standing in a competitive digital marketplace.

How Can TestingXperts Help with Compliance Testing for eCommerce Stores?

TestingXperts offers tailored compliance testing services, ensuring your online store stands robust against evolving cyber threats and regulatory mandates. We combine expertise, innovation, and experience to deliver unparalleled results for your eCommerce platform. Here is what sets us apart:

Expertise in PCI DSS Standards

Our team comprises QA professionals with a deep knowledge of the PCI DSS standards. We understand the intricacies of the eCommerce sector and tailor our strategies to align with your specific needs.

Comprehensive Testing Suite

From vulnerability scans and penetration testing to segmentation checks and file integrity monitoring, we offer a wide range of testing services, ensuring no vulnerability goes unnoticed.

Innovative Tools and Technologies

We leverage the latest tools in the industry, combined with custom solutions, to provide precise, effective, and timely results.

Continuous Monitoring

We offer continuous monitoring services, ensuring your platform remains compliant and secure amidst the ever-evolving cyber threats.

Transparent Reporting

Our detailed reports provide actionable insights, helping you understand vulnerabilities and implement effective countermeasures.

Tailored Solutions

Every eCommerce store is unique. We offer bespoke testing strategies tailored to your platform’s architecture, needs, and challenges.

Contact our QA experts now to find out more about TestingXpert’s compliance testing services.

The post Is Your eCommerce Store PCI DSS Compliance Ready? first appeared on TestingXperts.

1. Importance of Performance Testing in eCommerce
2. The Impact of Performance on User Experience
3. Best Practices in eCommerce Performance Testing
4. Measuring the Impact of Performance Testing on Business ROI
5. Conclusion
6. How Can TestingXperts Help with eCommerce Performance Testing?

The e­Commerce industry has see­n considerable expansion in re­cent years, globally transforming retail. This growth spans conve­ntional markets like North America and Asia Pacific as we­ll as diverse geographie­s such as developing economie­s. One notable pattern in this expansion involves the rising significance of classe­s that have traditionally observed little­ eCommerce re­venue. While the­se classes remain at the­ outset of web-based buying, the­y show robust growth potential.

Additionally, social networking platforms have­ become a primary site for product discovery and conversions. Site­s like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are not me­rely traffic generators but also essential participants in sale­s conversion. A considerable segme­nt of eCommerce re­tailers’ promotional and marketing expe­nditures is devoted to the­se platforms. The blending of influe­ncer marketing, particularly in a setting of e­conomic unpredictability, is anticipated to be a substantial investment for brands in the forthcoming years.

Within the e­Commerce sphere­, a diversification of payment options is occurring. Moving beyond conve­ntional credit and debit cards, third-party service­s such as PayPal, Apple Pay, and even cryptocurre­ncies are accumulating approval, supplying shoppers more­ adaptability and potentially diminishing retailer transaction e­xpenses. Another popular trend is utilizing videos and Augmented Reality to e­nhance the online purchasing experience. Brands progre­ssively use these­ technologies to involve clie­nts, showcase products, and facilitate a more imme­rsive and interactive shopping encounter.

The constant transformation of the eCommerce industry highlights the nece­ssity for performance testing. As online­ merchants attempt to cate­r to an expanding and diverse worldwide­ market, confirming ideal website­ performance become­s critical. Performance testing addre­sses not just the technical face­ts of an eCommerce platform but also plays a pivotal function in improving use­r experience­, consequently contributing substantially to business e­xpansion and customer loyalty.

Importance of Performance Testing in eCommerce

Ecomme­rce websites need to function smoothly and e­fficiently for customers. Performance­ testing evaluates how we­ll a site operates unde­r different situations and usage le­vels to make sure it me­ets performance goals. Se­veral important parts make performance­ testing significant for eCommerce­, such as:

Achieving We­bsite Scalability

One of the fundame­ntal aspects involves evaluating an eCommerce site’s scalability capacity. This re­quires experime­ntally examining the website­’s power to manage heighte­ned traffic loads, notably during peak purchasing seasons, for example, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or festive­ vacations. Scalability testing confirms that the website­ continues to be accessible and ste­ady, even under the­ weight of abrupt traffic spikes, which regularly occur in the­ eCommerce are­a.

Enhancing User Expe­rience

The main focus of pe­rformance testing is optimizing how users e­xperience a we­bsite. Factors like loading spee­d, responsiveness, and se­amless transaction processing directly impact customer satisfaction and loyalty. Page­s that load slowly or interfaces that glitch can spike bounce­ rates and reduce sale­s, as modern customers expect quick and hassle­-free online shopping e­xperiences.

Load Testing

Subje­cting a website to typical and peak load conditions through load te­sting is a critical component of evaluating its performance­ under different usage­ scenarios. This process aims to dete­rmine the maximum operating capacity of the­ site and provide insight into how it responds whe­n traffic varies. Load testing also helps uncove­r any bottlenecks that may disrupt user e­xperience by saturating the­ website with increme­ntal loads. The results expose­ weaknesses unable­ to withstand heavier site usage­ and inform where optimization is nee­ded most to ensure smooth functionality e­ven during times of heighte­ned activity.

Stress Te­sting

Stress testing examine­s how a website functions when pushe­d beyond its typical workload. The goal is to observe­ how the site responds unde­r extraordinary circumstances, vital for readying for unfore­seen surges in traffic or utilization. This assists with compre­hending the website­’s limit and failure modes, fundame­ntal for strength and flexibility.

Endurance Te­sting for Ecommerce Website­s

Subjecting an online store to substantial traffic ove­r an extended time­frame is known as endurance or soak te­sting. This process exposes the­ site to prolonged stress, typically 6-72 hours. The­ goal is to assess how well the platform withstands constant usage­ without facing performance issues down the­ line. By maintaining peak operation unde­r sustained load, endurance te­sting confirms the site can delive­r a smooth shopping experience­ for users consistently eve­n with elevated site­ traffic over days.

Performance­ Tracking

Constant performance tracking is another crucial part. It involve­s routinely checking the site­’s functioning to detect and fix issues proactive­ly. This ongoing process helps uphold the e­Commerce platform’s quality and depe­ndability. It also permits real-time unde­rstanding of how changes or updates influence­ site performance, guaranteeing that any alterations improve, rathe­r than detract from, the user e­xperience.

The Impact of Performance on User Experience

How efficie­ntly an online store or application functions directly impacts the consume­r experience­. This relationship betwee­n the technical functionality of an eComme­rce site or mobile app and how customers se­e and use the platform is esse­ntial for business success.

The Re­lationship Between Pe­rformance and Customer Satisfaction

How smoothly and promptly an eComme­rce site functions has a direct conne­ction to user experie­nce. Research has de­monstrated that even a one­-second lag in page load can notably decre­ase customer satisfaction. This dissatisfaction influence­s immediate sales and can damage­ brand allegiance and image ove­r the long term.

Optimizing Site Spe­ed and Conversion Rates

The­ loading speed of an e-comme­rce website significantly impacts conve­rsion rates. Faster sites allow for smoothe­r shopping experience­s that encourage users to browse­ longer and make additional purchases. In contrast, slowly loading page­s are a primary reason many abandon their carts be­fore checking out. Ensuring your website­ loads promptly and efficiently is a technical re­quirement and wise busine­ss practice.

Website­ Performance Across Platforms

As mobile shopping grows, analyzing how we­ll an online store function on varied de­vices and operating systems become­s crucial. A desktop-optimized site lagging on mobile­ or tablets risks losing customers. Responsive­ design and cross-platform testing help provide­ a consistently positive expe­rience regardle­ss of a user’s chosen device­. By adapting content and code for diverse­ screens, businesse­s can satisfy shoppers anywhere, se­eking quick, smooth interactions.

Impact on Search Engine Rankings

Performance also influences an eCommerce site’s visibility on search engines. Search engines like Google consider site speed and user experience as ranking factors. A well-performing website is more likely to rank higher in search results, leading to increased visibility and traffic.

User Trust and Se­curity Perception

Issues with pe­rformance can influence use­rs’ trust in the safety and depe­ndability of an eCommerce platform as we­ll. Regular periods of being unavailable­, slow transaction procedures, or pages that are­ sluggish to respond can stir up worries about the platform’s se­curity, dissuading users from finishing transactions.

Best Practices in eCommerce Performance Testing

It is imperative­ to implement optimal practices in eCommerce pe­rformance testing to guarantee­ an online store can proficiently and de­pendably meet the­ demands of its customers. Let us explore­ the principal strategies and tactics to conte­mplate in the performance­ testing procedure.

Deve­loping a Thorough Testing Plan

Creating a complete­ testing plan involves recognizing the­ exact aims and objectives of pe­rformance testing. For instance, de­ciding whether the focus is on dealing with high traffic during sales promotions, guarantee­ing smooth checkout processes function corre­ctly, or maintaining consistent function across various devices and we­b browsers. These aims should corre­spond with the business goals, such as boosting conversion rate­s, decreasing bounce rate­s, or improving customer satisfaction ratings.

Defining Crucial Me­trics

The strategy must also pinpoint pivotal metrics (KPIs) like­ webpage load time, se­rver response spe­ed, and mistake rates. Compre­hending the customer e­xperience is vital to guarante­e that all user routes, particularly the­ high-traffic and crucial transaction paths, are completely e­valuated. It concerns evaluating the­ homepage and confirming that product pages, se­arch capabilities, and checkout procedure­s are optimized for efficie­ncy.

Choosing the Right Tools and Technologies

The choice of tools and technologies for performance testing can significantly impact the effectiveness of the process. This decision should be based on several factors, including the complexity of the eCommerce site, the technology stack used, and the specific testing needs. For instance, tools like Apache JMeter, LoadRunner, or WebLoad are popular for simulating high traffic levels and analyzing performance under load. Moreover, choosing tools that can simulate real user behavior as closely as possible is essential. This includes testing from different geographical locations, using various devices and browsers, and simulating different types of user interactions. The tools should also provide comprehensive analytics to help identify bottlenecks and understand performance under different conditions.

Integrating Pe­rformance Testing into the Software­ Development Life­cycle

Performance te­sting should be conducted at each phase­ of software developme­nt. This technique, often part of Agile­ and DevOps methodologies, guarante­es that execution is conside­red a constant aspect instead of an afte­rthought. For example, when ne­w capabilities are create­d, execution tests ought to be­ run simultaneously to verify that these­ progressions do not contrarily influence the­ site’s execution. This can be­ accomplished through CI/CD practices, where­ code changes are tested and deployed automatically. This methodology assists with re­cognizing execution issues ahe­ad of schedule and encourage­s brief remedy, diminishing the­ expense and time­ related with exe­cution related enhance­ments and fixes.

Post-Launch Site Monitoring

Once­ the online store is launche­s, consistent monitoring is critical to confirming it functions as planned. This include­s following various performance measure­s in real-time and establishing notice­s for any irregularities or performance­ decreases. This pe­rsistent (24/7) monitoring assists in rapidly recognizing and de­al with problems like serve­r downtimes, slow page loads, or transaction failures. It also offe­rs useful understandings into how genuine­ users connect with the site­, which can be utilized to optimize pe­rformance and client expe­rience additionally.

Maintaining a High-Performing Ecomme­rce Platform

Consistently analyzing and refining the­ online store is crucial to sustaining strong functionality. Performance­ statistics are examined to find are­as for enhancement, the­n adjustments are impleme­nted. The website­ code may be streamline­d, server settings optimize­d, or content delivery re­fined. Updates derive­ from thorough reviews of metrics and use­r commentary. Steady bette­rment helps maintain a swift, responsive­ marketplace mee­ting customer needs and te­chnological shifts. No stagnation allows expectations to surpass capabilities.

A Focus on Users

Taking a use­r-centered approach to pe­rformance testing means conce­ntrating on elements that imme­diately impact how users expe­rience an application. This involves quantifying te­chnical indicators like load durations or response spe­eds and contemplating how these­ variables shape what users think and do. For instance­, recognizing how rapidly pages fill influence­s whether users re­main engaged, complete­ purchases, or depart quickly. This methodology guarante­es that performance te­sting aims to supply users with a seamless, e­fficient, and pleasurable shopping e­xperience.

Measuring the Impact of Performance Testing on Business ROI

Comprehe­nding the effect of functionality trials on the­ comeback on speculation (ROI) is fundamental for all online­ business ventures. This include­s breaking down how enhanceme­nts in execution because­ of exhaustive testing conve­rt into quantifiable business advantages.

Key Performance Indicators for Measuring ROI

To effectively measure the return on investment (ROI) from performance testing in eCommerce, businesses should concentrate on specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). These KPIs include Page Load Time, which is crucial for user experience, where faster load times can enhance user engagement and lower bounce rates. Conversion Rates are also vital, as they are closely linked to site performance. Improvements in site responsiveness can lead to higher conversion rates. Additionally, User Engagement Metrics such as session duration, pages per session, and return visits indicate how performance enhancements impact the user experience.

Evaluating Financial Impact

One of the­ methods for me­asuring the return on investme­nt of performance testing is through re­venue analysis. This involves contrasting re­venue figures before and following improve­ments to performance. Re­venue growth freque­ntly aligns with enhancements to we­bsite speed and usability, signifying a positive­ return on investment.

Achieving Cost Effe­ctiveness Through Optimal Functioning

Testing pe­rformance can result in cost reductions, a pivotal part of re­turn on investment. By finding and fixing performance­ problems, companies can preve­nt expensive shutdowns and le­ssen the nee­d for pricey infrastructure improveme­nts. These cost reductions must be­ considered in the total re­turn on investment computation.

Impact on Customer Satisfaction and Brand Re­putation

Enhancing customer satisfaction and maintaining a positive brand reputation can notably contribute­ to return on investment, though the­se benefits may be­ more abstract to measure dire­ctly. A quick and dependable e­Commerce website­ or mobile app has the power to stre­ngthen consumer loyalty and re­sult in favorable word-of-mouth advertising. This informal promotion through satisfied shoppe­rs is an extremely important re­source that can sustain long-term organizational progress.

Extende­d Gains

The return on investme­nt of performance testing should also conside­r prolonged advantages. This involves the­ scalability of the eCommerce­ platform, its capacity to manage potential traffic surges moving forward, and the le­ssened nece­ssity for regular significant renovations.

Dete­rmining Return on Investment

To de­termine return on inve­stment, companies must contemplate­ direct fiscal increases (for e­xample, amplified sales and re­duced expenditure­s) alongside intangible advantages (such as e­nhanced client satisfaction and a more promine­nt brand image). This assessment re­gularly contrasts the expense­s related to effe­ctiveness testing (including de­vices, assets, and time) with the­ fiscal and non-budgetary increases accomplishe­d.

Conclusion

An effective performance­ evaluation directly affects user experience, transformation rates, and business revenue. eCommerce platforms can substantially improve their performance by executing various techniques, for example­, comprehensive te­sting strategies, selecting rights tools, and coordinating te­sting into the development life­cycle. Regular observation and optimization de­pendent on KPIs are fundame­ntal for maintaining a top-notch user experience. As the eCommerce industry keeps on advancing and deve­loping, prioritizing performance testing is not simply a spe­cialized necessity howe­ver a strategic venture­ that drives client satisfaction and business achie­vement.

The post Role of eCommerce Performance Testing in Driving Business Growth first appeared on TestingXperts.

1. How is Black Friday 2025 going to be different?
2. Major areas where Black Friday 2025 is going to be different
3. Challenges eCommerce Businesses face during Black Friday
4. How can you overcome these Black Friday challenges?
5. Conclusion

How is Black Friday 2025 going to be different?

Black Friday is just around the corner and in these unprecedented pandemic times, this year’s Black Friday is certainly going to be different with more merchants to participate online. You can expect great enchanting deals as businesses are in dire need of increasing their sales amidst the pandemic. It is true to say that challenges always present an opportunity for innovation, and undoubtedly Black Friday has certainly changed a lot over the years, and it is going to be extra different this year.

Major areas where Black Friday 2025 is going to be different

More online competition than ever:

The current pandemic has boosted online sales and made people prefer online shopping; therefore, this year you can expect to see more online competition than ever. Many merchants are expected to come up and sell their products online with some heavier discounts than usual.

Moreover, Black Friday is right after Thanksgiving. It will be one of the biggest deal-shopping events of the year 2025. For most retailers & eCommerce businesses, this Black Friday 2025 is one of the best options for improving their sales with some delightful options to attract more customers.

Black Friday 2025 will not be a one week-end show:

If you are an avid shopper, you might already be aware that Black Friday is now not limited to just a few days. It is likely to extend and become more of a month-long event with almost all merchants, and eCommerce players already displaying their prime day deals.

Evidently, it has become more important for businesses to have a deeper look into their e-commerce platforms, as it should support huge traffic seamlessly during this holiday season. Your system should be fully functional to deliver great shopping to your users.

Innovative slot system may be the trend:

Retailers are planning to avoid overload on their servers and offer a seamless experience to their customers and are planning to go with a slot system. Customers need to register themselves in one of the slots, as per the availability of slots and according to their convenience to get an effective online buying experience.

In this way, both the customer and the businesses will be benefited by reducing the load on the server and the probable chances of server downtime.

Your platform should be well prepared to deliver a great usability experience with slot booking and deliver a great CX with well-tested systems ahead of the sales season.

Sneak peeks and flash sales might dominate:

Typically, some merchants have already started displaying their products with customers getting a sneak peek of the offers in advance of the season. This way, customers can pick up their favorites and add them up to the cart in advance, to get a seamless user experience. Although, the cart can only be processed during the sales period but, still the customers can get the touch of the shopping experience.

Along with this, in order to create a sense of urgency and earn maximum profits in a limited time, brands are planning to run flash sales, where they will launch products for a limited run. Your eCommerce platform should be all ready to handle the high load on the server, support multiple transactions, and also provide a seamless shopping experience along with enabling a smooth User Experience (UX).

Challenges eCommerce Businesses face during Black Friday

Unpredictable performance of server under varying loads:

During the sales period, if your eCommerce platform is unable to handle varying loads of users, then users tend to look for alternatives. Moreover, as the traffic increases during the sales season, if your application or system tends to respond slowly due to poor server response time, this will make you lose potential customers.

Hence, it is very important to validate that your websites, web or mobile applications work seamlessly even under varying load conditions, and servers should respond effectively under heavy loads.

Security and data privacy:

As technology is evolving so are security threats and cybercrimes that have become rampant in the recent times. Most hackers keep an evil watch on these big days such as Black Friday, and cyber Monday to look out for vulnerabilities in the system and hack the platform.

This can lead to serious data theft, and sometimes might lead to monetary loss or even a loss to the brand reputation.

Difficulty in managing customer requests & other offers:

Every customer interacts differently with web applications and sends multiple types of requests such as order placing, order exchange, order refunds or return requests, etc. Especially during this Black Friday sales, it is the quality of software application that decides how efficiently the eCommerce platform deals with multiple customer requests.

If your platform is not efficient enough to handle huge customer load and deal with multiple user requests, it might adversely affect your sales during this holiday season.

Moreover, lucrative discounts and deals are one of the major factors during Thanksgiving season, which drives the customer to your platform. At times, these offers and discounts might create transaction issues during checkout. Hence, it is important for the businesses to manage promotions and offers effectively to ensure the system creates an appropriate combination of discounts with the product to deliver seamless transaction experience during the checkout.

Trouble in handling and managing alerts & notifications:

During the Black Friday sales season, you should keep customers updated well in advance, about the upcoming deals to create an interest among customers with alerts directly sent to their mail boxes. Thus, handling and managing such alerts and notifications becomes important, and your online eCommerce platform should handle them seamlessly to avoid any sort of confusion to the customers.

Usability issues with the app:

Your eCommerce web apps or mobile apps should have a great navigation flow across the app for various features and options. Typically, poor usability can affect your customer loyalty and might have a direct impact on your sales and brand reputation. Hence, it is necessary for your apps to deliver a smooth sailing experience to your customers as they navigate through the app. This sort of simple and easy navigation ensures users to get a great UX.

App accessibility to support differently abled people:

It is essential and a mandate that your eCommerce website, web app or mobile app should necessarily support the shopping needs of differently abled people with abnormalities such as impaired vision, color blindness, deafness, moto impairment, etc. Retailers should ensure their apps are accessible to differently abled people in order to ensure a seamless shopping experience.

How can you overcome these Black Friday challenges?

In order to overcome the above mentioned challenges to ensure your eCommerce business is ready for Black Friday 2025, it is essential to leverage the below software testing services.

Leverage performance testing:

To ensure that your eCommerce platform works as expected even under heavy loads during Black Friday, you should leverage performance or load testing to ensure your system can handle heavy loads. Hence, ensure your eCommerce platform is tested for different types of performance testing such as load test, stress test, spike test, soak test, isolation test, etc.

Thus, leveraging performance testing by testing services provider ensures seamless eCommerce platform that will be capable of handling varying loads and at the same time enabling quick response time.

Conduct security test:

Security testing is a must to validate for vulnerabilities in your website or systems that can be exploited by cyber-attackers. It is necessary that your eCommerce platform should deliver safe and secure transactions in order to keep your brand image intact and deliver a great UX. Therefore, it is essential to adopt vulnerability assessment and penetration testing to ensure your network, apps, and systems are free from threats and vulnerabilities especially to deliver a great CX during this sales period.

Adopt Digital testing:

In order to ensure your digital eCommerce platform delivers a seamless experience, it is essential to perform end-to-end digital testing to ensure the system properly handles alerts, notifications and lucrative offers being displayed. Functional testing should be performed to ensure your system is seamlessly integrated well with offers and able to handle all customer requests without any interruptions while processing.

Leverage automation:

Sending and managing alerts, offers, customer requests should be automated. Automating some of these processes which were earlier done manually can make a huge difference by reducing the chances of errors and making the process efficient and simple. You can also automate the tests to ensure that your website and apps work as expected.

Leverage usability testing:

Smooth running websites and applications attract and retain customers more and helps in delivering seamless UX. It is essential to adopt usability testing to ensure the navigation is simple and smooth to the app users.

Perform website accessibility testing:

In order to ensure your web application or mobile apps accessibility to differently abled people, it is essential that your website is compliant with accessibility regulations like WCAG 1.0/WCAG 2.0, BITV 1.0, Section 508 & Stance Act, etc. A next-gen testing services provider would come handy as they deliver all practices to ensure your accessibility to differently abled people.

Conclusion

Black Friday 2025 is fast approaching and it is essential to check the preparedness of your applications and platforms. Retail and eCommerce businesses should make sure to leverage various types of software testing to deliver a seamless experience to your users and thus get your business ready for upcoming Black Friday 2025.

Testing your system performance, load capacity, security and usability is of utmost importance to reduce the chances of end-time failures, pitfalls and last-minute surprises. Leverage next-gen testing services provider (https://www.testingxperts.com/) for end-to-end digital testing of your systems to deliver a seamless shopping experience to your users.

The post Are your eCommerce and Retail Apps Ready for Black Friday 2025? first appeared on TestingXperts.

1. Some Popular Incidents of Website Crashes During Black Fridays
2. The Real Cost of eCommerce Site Crashes on Black Friday
3. eCommerce Performance Testing for Black Friday
4. Conclusion
5. How can Tx help?

Last year’s Black Friday set new records for eCommerce, and 2023 shows no signs of slowing down. People are already planning for Christmas this year, the holiday shopping-inspired rush of Black Friday and Cyber Monday is approaching fast.

Millions of online shoppers look forward to visiting the eCommerce stores on Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year to shop for the latest sale items. Customers search for the best deals while expecting a fun and frictionless shopping experience. Unprepared eCommerce stores with slow or crashing applications will, however, disappoint the buyers, who will eventually move to their competitor sites.

It’s a no-brainer; customers will choose the sites where the shopping experience is user-friendly and frictionless.

Some Popular Incidents of Website Crashes During Black Fridays

• Walmart and GameStop Corp. experienced website outages, site crashes, slow load time, and other performance issues during Cyber 5.

• Crew, the American multi-brand apparel and accessories retailer, lost $775,000 in sales and disappointed more than 323,000 shoppers in one holiday afternoon.

• GlassesUSA, the online retailer for prescription glasses, encountered 502 Bad Gateway server problems during CyberWeek and lost hefty site traffic.

• Costco faced losses worth $11 million as the website faced performance issues and went down for more than 16 Hrs.

The Real Cost of eCommerce Site Crashes on Black Friday

As seen in many reports and surveys, digital shopping is the future. It’s especially true during the holiday season when deal-hungry consumers rush to the online stores and fill their shopping carts. As the holiday season approaches, eCommerce businesses are concerned about their websites experiencing crashes and other performance issues.

Retailers have realized that Black Friday is no longer a single-day event. Customers seek great deals and discounts days in advance and wish them to last through the holiday season of Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Green Monday, and Christmas.

When eCommerce sites are unprepared to handle the performance and load during peak hours, they look at irreparable damage to their businesses. Apart from the heavy revenue losses businesses face during such crashes, non-performing sites also lead to irreparable loss of brand credibility and customer loyalty.

eCommerce Performance Testing for Black Friday

eCommerce apps are complex platforms with multiple features like payment options, search options, cart, and product details. Each functionality should perform seamlessly to deliver the best user experience. This requires thorough eCommerce performance testing to evaluate whether the app can handle the sudden surge during the holiday season. Performance testing highlights the performance-related problems with the app long before the customers do. Here is how eCommerce apps should be tested for performance and scalability.

Perform speed and load testing:

eCommerce businesses should consider load tests to understand the estimated load handling capacity. A robust and effective load testing strategy should ensure that the website or the mobile application handles the anticipated load without crashing. Leveraging analytics from previous years’ traffic, it is recommended to estimate loads and run eCommerce performance testing accordingly. Critical user paths that should be tested include the login page, registration page, products, checkout, shopping carts, and similar pages.

Ensure the website is running seamlessly:

Mobile apps and web apps should be made to perform seamlessly and handle numerous transactions without any glitches. Retailers should see that their web and mobile apps are tested for both their functional and non-functional app components to ensure they deliver a great customer experience to provide seamless transactions across the value chain from adding to cart till the transaction, along with seamless gateway passage until check out.

Ensure safe and secure online transactions to customers:

With the rampant cyber-attacks continuing, eCommerce businesses should ensure their customers’ critical data is secure and safe and that no personal transaction data is exposed to any security attack. Security testing should be taken up to ensure these web apps and mobile apps are free from cyber threats, especially during the holiday season when online transactions are at an all-time high.

Ensure website accessibility:

eCommerce web apps should be accessible to specially-abled people. When testing for accessibility, the key areas to consider are color blindness, impaired vision, blindness, deafness, hearing impairment, motor impairment, etc. People with disabilities also want to shop online from the comfort of their homes, and accessibility testing ensures they, too, have a seamless shopping experience.

Ensure seamless customer experience (CX):

Identify the weak points in UI/UX and make the necessary updates to provide an intuitive interaction with the eCommerce app. eCommerce organizations should focus on the system’s ease of use and streamline critical features such as easy browsing, user-friendly navigation, handy catalog, and so on.

Ensure usability across website features:

Online retailers should ensure that the application is easy to use and that the users are able to find their products within a few clicks. The interface should be intuitive and not confuse users on finding the products from the list, making payments, etc. If the website’s interface is hard to use, the users might be convinced to look elsewhere.

Ensure mobile-readiness of apps:

Multiple devices or platforms may be involved throughout a customer’s buying journey. Customers may research their products on their smartphones and then place their orders on their iPad or other mobile devices. As a result, multi-device testing on eCommerce apps should be performed across various mobile devices, operating systems, and browsers to ensure a seamless sales transition from platform to platform.

Conclusion

Retailers and eCommerce businesses worldwide will try to make the most out of the upcoming holiday sales. But, to reap significant benefits from the shopping season, effective performance and holiday readiness of apps are important to meet the peak load requirements. Businesses must leverage eCommerce performance testing for high-performing, holiday-ready apps that do not hamper the sales flows while customers continue to buy the products online. Performance testing is crucial for any eCommerce business wishing to keep its credibility during the holiday season, maximize revenues, and keep customers happy. However, this complex process requires high levels of technical expertise and an understanding of performance testing tools, methodologies, and best practices.

TestingXperts (Tx) is a leading performance and load testing service provider for businesses across domains. Leverage next-gen testing services provider for end-to-end digital and performance testing of your systems to deliver a seamless shopping experience to your users this holiday season.

How can Tx help?

Prevent Black Friday Crashes by leveraging our performance testing accelerator Tx-PEARS.

Tx-PEARS:

It is an in-house developed robust framework that helps with all your non-functional testing requirements, including continuous monitoring of your infrastructure in production and lower environments. A consolidated platform to perform security, performance, and accessibility testing to deliver scalable, robust, reliable, and accessible apps to all. This tool can be leveraged to fine-tune your app’s performance effectively as it:

• Ensures to deliver quality products with effective non-functional testing services enabled through a single framework

• Provides actionable tuning recommendations to the development team which need to be implemented to get high app performance

• Provides detailed insights into the performance bottlenecks at the application server, web server, and database server level

• Helps improve the overall lifecycle of the identified performance issues

• Proides detailed reports to the clients and stakeholders to gather actionable insights

The post Boost your Black Friday Sales with eCommerce Performance Testing first appeared on TestingXperts.

Today, the world is facing the decade’s wrath with the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic affecting millions of people across the globe. The world was altogether a different place a few weeks ago, but today, coronavirus continues to grapple the world with its wide ramifications.

1. Surge in eCommerce Industry
2. Need for Retailers to Invest in eCommerce Business and Platforms
3. Surge in eCommerce Business during this Pandemic
4. How to Build your E-commerce Business During COVID-19 Pandemic?
5. Conclusion

With the pandemic invasion, the mandatory concept of social distancing and complete lockdown has come into place in many countries across the world. Today, people have been slowly adjusting to this new way of life (Stay at Home) and it has become significantly difficult to manage life without spending time with friends and relatives, without visiting favorite restaurants even over the weekends, and even without attending any sporting events during these pandemic times.

Surge in eCommerce Industry

Undoubtedly, COVID-19 has been hurting mankind in all ways mentioned above, and even the in-store traffic has come to a halt as people rarely visit stores to buy their products due to the prevailing situation.

It is interesting to note that although the in-stores have been widely affected, there has been surges in the online shopping using all preferred mediums of eCommerce channels using digital transformation, as people are forced to stay at home and place their orders as they experience anxiety over the virus spread.

According to Adobe Analytics, data which monitors the eCommerce transactions of 80 of the top 100 U.S. retailers, it states that there is a mounting concern over the COVID-19 outbreak’s impact in the United States on the online shopping behavior.

Another research by RetailDive suggests that it is a boon to eCommerce business, which allows consumers to find what they require without physically visiting to a store. While COVID-19 is hurting in-store traffic for some retailers, others have seen surges in online shopping, as anxiety over the pandemic increases.

Need for Retailers to Invest in eCommerce Business and Platforms

Basically, an eCommerce platform helps their retailers to minimize the impact of any future disruptions and essentially upholds their sales numbers even in the absence of foot traffic to their physical stores.

Moreover, eCommerce business is said to deliver many benefits for micro, small and medium retailers by providing them access to wider markets, and ensuring greater geographic access to their products. These eCommerce sites also help in making them successfully compete with larger players in the segment.

Thus, the eCommerce business during this pandemic has been facing more demand for essential products such as healthcare products, medicines, hand sanitizers, face masks and other medical products.

Now. Let us look at some of the top reasons for the surge in eCommerce business during the pandemic.

Surge in eCommerce Business during this Pandemic

Surge in online medical item purchases:

It has been observed that with the pandemic, there has been an evident spurt in the purchase of medicines post the COVID-19 outbreak. With the virus fears spreading more, people are generally opting to order and buy more medicines.

Adobe’s analysis of eCommerce transactions found that purchases for cold, cough & flu products have increased 198%, while online purchases for pain relievers increased 152%. eCommerce purchases of the virus protection category of products such as hand sanitizers, gloves, masks and antibacterial sprays have surged by 817%, according to Adobe’s analysis.

Rush for purchase of groceries online increased:

There has been an increased sale of groceries as people are essentially locked down and wish to support themselves from this unprecedented situation by ordering online through eCommerce sites.

Easy access to essential products:

Today, due to the coronavirus contagious disease, people prefer safe purchase and eventually prefer safe shopping experience. They continue to order and purchase essential products through performing online digital transactions to keep themselves safe from any possible virus exposure.

All the above factors state the increasing importance of eCommerce business. Hence, retailers should take all possible steps to ensure great shopping experience to their customers.

How to Build your E-commerce Business During COVID-19 Pandemic?

Hence, eCommerce businesses should take advantage of the situation and ensure their eCommerce platforms, eCommerce websites and eCommerce mobile apps are flawless, secure, and are delivering great user experience with great performance.

1. Ensure to deliver seamless eCommerce platform/web/mobile apps performance:

While users add the products to their cart as they browse for the products of their choice, it is important that the eCommerce websites and eCommerce apps should deliver great user experience. eCommerce apps should be flawless and perform seamlessly even while handling loads of users.

In order to achieve seamless mobile app performance, businesses should avail effective performance and load testing by next-gen performance testing experts. This is more important especially with the present COVID-19 situation, as more users continue to login and place their orders through eCommerce sites.

2. Ensure seamless digital transactions along with Security:

Online customers tend to abandon eCommerce apps and eCommerce websites when they encounter delays at the processing time. It is essential for retail businesses to ensure and deliver seamless digital transactions during order processing.

In addition, along with the seamless payment and order processing, users should be ensured of safe and secure transactions at every level. With the connected devices and connected world in place, there are more cyber-attacks that have become common across eCommerce channels.

Hence, this can be overcome by leveraging effective security testing by next-gen security testing experts. These security testing experts perform end-to-end security testing to deliver eCommerce websites and apps that are safe and secure for performing digital transactions. They even safeguard eCommerce portals from any possible threats and vulnerabilities in these unprecedented times.

3. Adopt AI and ML Models in apps to improve CX:

Businesses can use Artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to really entice their users with great features that delight customers by delivering great user experience (UX). It is essential to deliver an effective AI-enabled eCommerce based model that delivers all latest features the millennials look for today.

4. Use of Latest AR & VR Technology to Ease Customer Preferences:

eCommerce businesses should look out to adopt augmented and virtual reality to try on each product. During the on-going crisis, this might work out better especially for some of the shopping categories like shoes, bags, etc.

5. Establish ways to reassure customers better informed:

During this crisis period, communicate properly with your customers to ensure about their order placement status and answer all their queries quickly. Also inform the people the latest updated news through maintaining a blog or a separate portal that holds handy for the customers.

Conclusion

In these testing times with COVID-19 pandemic, isolating people with social distancing and lockout in many countries, users continue to look out for options to ease their shopping behavior. Undoubtedly, during lockdown and further, people will look for eCommerce options to purchase medicines, groceries and other essential products.

This is a crucial time when retailers need to brace up and build their eCommerce business by enabling effective and seamless secure digital transactions to attract more users. It is essential for businesses to look out for performance and security testing of their eCommerce mobile apps and eCommerce websites to ensure safe and secure transactions along with delivering great customer experience to digital customers.

The post What is the Effect of Current Pandemic on Retail eCommerce? first appeared on TestingXperts.

According to a report by Elara Securities, the sales share from quick commerce platforms for large FMCG compares might double shortly. These platforms’ user experience is also forcing eCommerce businesses to offer greater discounts. This transformation is due to strategic changes in business operations and consumer interactions. However, the eCommerce sector witnessed exponential growth over the past few years, with its sales expected to reach $7.4 trillion by 2025. This growth could also be due to quick commerce attributes. As businesses integrate QCommerce platforms like Amazon Prime Now, DoorDash, etc., they can see significant changes in sales figures and market dynamics.

The FMCG and eCommerce sectors always look for ways to innovate and align with evolving consumer expectations, such as quick response, speed, efficient cost, and better quality. Quick commerce is like a critical transformation in consumer retail, allowing businesses to expand their horizons in new markets and demographics.

A Brief Overview of Quick Commerce

Quick commerce, or QCommerce, is an upgraded form of eCommerce that focuses on delivering products and services in the shortest time possible. It allows businesses to address the demand for instant user satisfaction by utilizing logistics, infrastructure, and local warehouses to deliver products within minutes. The backend operation of the QCommerce app is optimized by mobile technology, gig economy platforms, and routing algorithms. Businesses also use automated technologies like robots and drones for last-minute deliveries.

QCommerce vs. eCommerce Apps

Leveraging Cloud Computing in QCommerce

One critical component in QCommerce app development is cloud computing. It allows businesses to handle high volumes of transactions and data with greater accuracy, reliability, and efficiency. Using cloud infrastructure, QCommerce platforms can improve data management, optimize operations, and enhance CX. Here’s how cloud computing affects QCommerce:

Flexibility and Scalability

It enables QCommerce platforms to scale resource consumption based on demand. This is handy during peak shopping periods when web traffic is very high. Cloud services offer flexibility for handling such fluctuations seamlessly and ensure the infrastructure can function well during peak periods without degrading performance.

Integration and Collaboration

The QCommerce platforms benefit from the seamless integrations enabled by the cloud. These platforms can be connected to payment gateways, dark stores, inventory management systems, logistic providers, etc., to enable real-time data processing and smooth coordination. Teams can easily communicate and collaborate more efficiently using cloud-based tools.

Cost Efficiency

It reduces the requirement for extensive physical hardware and lowers operational costs. Businesses developing QCommerce apps can leverage cloud services to avoid upfront costs for buying and maintaining hardware and software. This level of cost efficiency allows businesses to compete more effectively in the QCommerce space.

Data Management

Like eCommerce, QCommerce apps rely on huge datasets, including logistic data, inventory-level data, customer details, transaction details, etc. Cloud platforms offer scalable and secure storage solutions to manage the huge amounts of data QCommerce generates. They also offer robust data storage and processing capabilities, such as ML and cloud-based analytics solutions. It allows businesses to extract valuable insights from the data to optimize the QCommerce supply chain.

Security Optimization

QCommerce handles sensitive user data, including payment details, personal details, addresses, etc. This is why security is a major concern on the QCommerce platform. Cloud computing offers advanced security protocols to protect data from breaches and cyber threats. Cloud service providers offer regular updates and security patches to maintain a secure environment.

QCommerce Changing FMCG and eCommerce Landscape

Currently, 40% of digital sales are occupied by quick commerce, which is expected to rise to 60% as modern trading and eCommerce become costlier for FMCG brands in the near future. The growing popularity of QCommerce also gives direct competition to eCommerce platforms in categories such as packaged foods, apparel, beauty and personal care, and groceries. As QCommerce platforms focus on fast delivery, the traditional business models that FMCG and eCommerce sectors work on will evolve to remain competitive and responsive to market trends. Here’s a detail on how QCommerce is changing the FMCG and eCommerce landscape:

Delivery Speed

QCommerce is setting a new level of delivery speed by allowing vendors to deliver goods within an hour of accepting the order. This significantly raised consumer expectations, pushing FMCG and eCommerce platforms to optimize their delivery systems to keep up.

Customer Expectations

Today’s customers expect the convenience that QCommerce apps offer from online shopping. They expect faster delivery and more flexibility in ordering and returning products. This shift pushes businesses to improve their CX and change their return policies.

Tech Innovation and Adoption

To keep pace with QCommerce platforms, traditional retailers have started adopting new technologies, which include AI-based inventory management systems, data analytics platforms, etc. This allows them to predict consumer buying patterns and optimize their stock levels.

Urban-focused Growth

QCommerce’s major business area is in urban areas where logistics facilitates quick deliveries. It has been a great success, pushing businesses to focus more on urban markets rather than less densely populated areas.

Supply Chain Management Optimization

The QCommerce speed factor has led to innovation in supply chain management. Businesses should invest in dark stores and micro-fulfillment centers within city limits for quicker dispatch and delivery of goods.

Examples of QCommerce Apps

The quick commerce apps cater to the growing need for immediate delivery in online shopping of everything from groceries to electronics within minutes. Let’s take a close look at some of the QCommerce apps that are the main cause of the rapid shift in consumer behavior and tech innovation:

Amazon Prime Now

One of the famous QCommerce apps, Amazon Prime Now offers within-hours delivery for a wide range of items, including groceries, electronics, makeup products, etc. Its integration with local warehouses and dark stores ensures urban areas with access to Amazon services can enjoy fast delivery.

DoorDash

Originally famous as a food delivery company, DoorDash has also expanded its horizon to the eCommerce sector. Its DashMart is a convenience store that delivers groceries and household items within minutes. Its fast delivery service influences its local partnerships and logistics network.

GoPuff

One of the popular QCommerce platforms, GoPuff specializes in delivering household items at reasonable prices. Its website and mobile app allow consumers to order various products, including drinks, personal care items, groceries, etc.

Why Partner with Tx for Q-commerce App Testing?

Quick commerce apps face various challenges, such as maintaining data security, managing high traffic volumes, ensuring rapid and secure transaction processing, etc. These challenges severely impact CX, business ROI, and waver user trust in the brand. This is why robust testing is necessary to ensure your QCommerce app functions as it should without compromising its quality and reliability. Partnering with Tx for QCommerce app testing ensures your app is well-equipped to tackle these challenges effectively.

We conduct different types of performance testing, such as stress tests, spike tests, load tests, isolation tests, soak tests, etc., to ensure your QCommerce platform works as expected, even under heavy loads.

• Our security testing validates for vulnerabilities in your app that can be exploited by cybercriminals. We ensure your QCommerce platform delivers safe and secure transactions, keeping your brand image intact and delivering a great UX.

• Our E2E digital and functional testing ensures your app properly handles alerts, discount offers, and notifications being displayed.

• Our usability testing services ensure your app’s navigation is simple and smooth for the end users.

• We ensure your app complies with accessibility regulations like WCAG, Section 508 & Stanca Act, etc.

Summary

Quick commerce is transforming the FMCG and eCommerce industries by accelerating delivery times and upscaling CX. Businesses can rapidly deliver daily essentials by using technologies like cloud computing and integrating with local warehouses while supporting scalability, cost efficiency, and real-time data processing. However, you must partner with a reliable digital engineering and QA solutions provider like Tx to ensure your QCommerce app solution adapts to faster, tech-driven models to remain competitive. Contact our experts now to learn how we can help with QCommerce app testing services.

The post How Quick Commerce is Transforming FMCG and eCommerce Sectors? first appeared on TestingXperts.

]]> https://www.testingxperts.com/blog/ecommerce-covid-pandemic?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=blog-ecommerce-covid-pandemic Thu, 25 Jun 2020 15:16:19 +0000 http://18.219.80.225/blog-ecommerce-covid-pandemic/ Businesses worldwide went through a tough phase during covid 19 period. eCommerce companies gained momentum and hence ecommerce app testing became obvious.

The post How to Sustain your E-commerce Business During COVID-19 Pandemic? first appeared on TestingXperts.

]]> COVID-19 pandemic is widely affecting the businesses across the globe. The only way for faster resilience is to follow certain measures as mentioned in the below infographic for sustaining a successful eCommerce Business.

Steps To Sustain your E-commerce Business During COVID-19 Pandemic

The post How to Sustain your E-commerce Business During COVID-19 Pandemic? first appeared on TestingXperts.

]]> https://www.testingxperts.com/blog/Is-your-E-Commerce-Application-Ready-for-the-upcoming-Holiday-Season?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=blog-is-your-e-commerce-application-ready-for-the-upcoming-holiday-season Mon, 14 Aug 2017 14:23:47 +0000 http://18.219.80.225/blog-is-your-e-commerce-application-ready-for-the-upcoming-holiday-season/ Is your website or eCommerce application up and running as planned? Even if it is, it needs to be prepped for the holiday shopping season. Read more!

The post Is your E-Commerce Application Ready for the upcoming Holiday Season? first appeared on TestingXperts.

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Summer seems to be ending very quickly and the holidays are fast approaching. Is your website/application up and running as planned? Even if it is, it needs to be additionally prepped for the fall and winter holiday shopping season. Sometimes, the application is not able to withstand the sudden influx of users and before you know it, either the website servers are down, or the payment gateway crashes. This negligence can end up having an adverse impact on the brand. Executing a great amount of testing can help you cover different conditions under a uniform environment.

Contents
1. E-commerce Testing Techniques
2. Perfecting the Performance
3. Giving Prominence to Usability Testing
4. Getting the Spotlight on Security
5. Conclusion

Let us talk about 3 most effective testing techniques that help your e-commerce company to deal with adverse situations on those big days.

E-commerce Testing Techniques:

1. Perfecting the Performance:

The significance of performance testing cannot be stressed upon enough. It is important that the application is able to handle the website traffic for the holiday season sale and to be able to execute multiple transactions consecutively. This is where most applications, regardless of all the forecasts and calculations, tend to fall short. An experienced testing company would be able to use the most appropriate tool required to deliver the basic metrics of your application.

If we check past few year’s statistics, regardless of continuous checks, leading brands like Macy’s, Target, and Tesco encountered website crash after Black Friday and Cyber Monday traffic spike. Check out the news here:

a) http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/macy-s-website-crashes-after-black-friday-traffic-spike-n688401
b) https://techcrunch.com/2015/11/30/target-com-latest-to-crash-from-increased-online-traffic/
c) http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/black-friday-tesco-deals-website-crash-yet-another-blunder-by-ailing-supermarket-monster-1477090

2. Giving Prominence to Usability Testing:

Considering that e-commerce websites hold plenty of dynamic content, usability testing helps testers detect issues faced by potential users. The testing is performed under given scenarios that represent realistic conditions. A/B testing or split testing comes under this category and is possibly the most effective method to provide a choice of desired user experience to your customers.

3. Getting the Spotlight on Security:

Security is not an option. In fact, it is an important aspect that can either make or break your e-commerce company. Ensuring that your website is secure is possibly the most important advice here. While other issues can be ignored, overlooked, or elapsed time but security issues can have a huge impact on your business. The amount of sensitive information, an e-commerce application has increased the risk of it getting hacked. To deal with such instances, prior security measures should be taken in the form of extensive security testing.

Conclusion

Since your website/application is the gateway to your business, you should embrace the right testing strategy that helps you deliver the right buying experience to your customers and helps you gain more and more customers. Once you are ready with planning an effective testing strategy, all you need to do is to assign the right time and resources.

TestingXperts is the leading provider of e-commerce testing solutions globally. We cater to customers across various industry domains, through effective testing solutions. We have successfully performed usability testing for our numerous clients. Get in touch with us if you are looking to test usability aspects of your business applications.

The post Is your E-Commerce Application Ready for the upcoming Holiday Season? first appeared on TestingXperts.

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