DEV Community

Cover image for Test Cases for E-commerce Website
Steve Wortham
Steve Wortham

Posted on

Test Cases for E-commerce Website

E-commerce websites are the backbone of the digital retail industry. A flawless user experience is critical to retaining customers, building trust, and driving conversions. Testing plays a pivotal role in ensuring e-commerce websites perform as intended across various scenarios, from product discovery to checkout.

This blog provides a detailed guide to crafting test cases for online shopping websites, focusing on product listing pages, product detail pages, and various other critical functionalities. These test cases ensure a seamless user experience, prevent revenue losses, and help maintain your website’s reputation.

Types of Testing For E-commerce Websites

E-commerce websites are complex systems requiring various testing types to ensure a seamless and secure user experience. Here are the essential types of testing for e-commerce platforms:

  1. Functional Testing Ensures every feature works as intended. This includes testing user registration, login, product search, filters, cart, and checkout functionalities.
  2. Usability Testing Focuses on the ease of navigation and user experience. It ensures elements like buttons, forms, and menus are intuitive and accessible across devices.
  3. Performance Testing Validates the website’s speed, responsiveness, stability, and scalability under different load conditions. It ensures the site performs well during peak traffic, such as sales events.
  4. Security Testing Testing includes validating encryption mechanisms, safeguarding payment gateways, preventing data breaches, and ensuring compliance with standards like PCI DSS.
  5. Cross-Browser and Cross-Device Testing Ensures the website functions consistently across various browsers (Chrome, Safari, Edge) and devices (desktop, mobile, tablet).
  6. API Testing Verifies that backend services like payment gateways, product data, inventory APIs, and third-party integrations work seamlessly and return accurate responses By conducting these tests, businesses can deliver a reliable, efficient, and secure shopping experience to their users.

Essential Test Cases For Ecommerce Websites

Test Cases for Product Listing Pages

The product listing page is the first point of interaction for users searching for items. Ensuring its functionality and usability is critical.

Functional Test Cases

  • Verify the correct display of product images, titles, prices, and ratings.
  • Ensure filters (e.g., price, category, brand) return accurate results.
  • Validate sorting options (e.g., price: low to high, customer ratings) work correctly.
  • Check pagination functionality for seamless navigation across multiple pages.
  • Confirm that the search results page updates dynamically with query input and reflects accurate results.

Usability Test Cases

  • Test if product cards are visually distinguishable and responsive across devices.
  • Verify hover effects display additional details (e.g., quick view, wishlist).
  • Ensure filter and sort options are easy to locate and operate.

Performance Test Cases

  • Verify the loading speed of product listings, ensuring they meet performance benchmarks.
  • Test responsiveness under heavy loads (e.g., during sales events).

Test Cases for Product Detail Pages

The product detail page is critical in converting a visitor into a customer. It provides comprehensive information about a product.

Functional Test Cases

  • Validate the accurate display of product images with a zoom-in option.
  • Verify that the “Add to Cart” and “Buy Now” buttons trigger correct actions and update the cart or checkout dynamically.
  • Ensure product descriptions, specifications, and reviews are displayed correctly.
  • Test if size, color, or other variants update dynamically upon selection.
  • Confirm stock availability updates in real-time.

Usability Test Cases

  • Ensure high-resolution images load quickly and without distortion.
  • Test that related products are displayed prominently.
  • Verify tooltips or guidance for complex product attributes.

Security Test Cases

  • Test protection against automated scraping of product data.
  • Validate that no sensitive backend information is exposed via API calls.

Test Cases for Search Functionality in E-commerce Website

Search functionality bridges users and their desired products. It should be precise and intuitive.

Functional Test Cases

  • Verify that entering keywords yields relevant results.
  • Test that the autocomplete feature suggests relevant queries.
  • Ensure graceful handling of special characters or incomplete inputs.
  • Validate voice search functionality (if supported).

Performance Test Cases

  • Test search response time under various network conditions.
  • Verify the platform’s capability to handle simultaneous search queries.
  • Test Cases for User Authentication on E-Commerce Platforms

Smooth user authentication builds trust and ensures security for e-commerce websites.

Functional Test Cases

  • Verify user registration using valid email addresses and phone numbers.
  • Test login functionality using valid and invalid credentials.
  • Ensure password reset emails are sent promptly and securely.
  • Confirm session expiration for inactive users and validate the re-login process retains session data where applicable

Security Test Cases

  • Test protection against SQL injection and brute force attacks.
  • Validate data encryption for sensitive user information.

Test Cases for Shopping Cart

The shopping cart is where users review and finalize their purchases.

Functional Test Cases

  • Verify products are correctly added to and removed from the cart.
  • Test if the total price updates dynamically with changes.
  • Confirm that cart items persist across sessions.

Usability Test Cases

  • Ensure the cart displays product images, names, and prices clearly.
  • Test that promotional codes are easy to apply.

Payment Gateway Test Cases for E-Commerce Websites

Payment processing is one of the most critical functions of an e-commerce website. Ensuring its reliability and security is non-negotiable.

Functional Test Cases

  • Verify support for all advertised payment methods (credit cards, wallets, etc.).
  • Test if transaction status updates correctly (success, pending, failed).
  • Confirm that users receive email receipts upon successful payments.

Security Test Cases

  • Ensure compliance with PCI DSS standards.
  • Test for vulnerabilities like man-in-the-middle attacks and ensure secure redirection to third-party payment gateways using HTTPS.

Test Cases for Order Management in E-Commerce Applications

Once an order is placed, seamless order management enhances customer satisfaction.

Functional Test Cases

  • Verify order status updates in real-time (e.g., “Processing,” “Shipped,” “Delivered”).
  • Test functionality for order cancellations and returns, including refunds.
  • Ensure accurate tracking details, such as courier names, estimated delivery dates, and tracking IDs, are displayed.
  • Validate email and SMS notifications are sent for each order update (confirmation, dispatch, delivery).
  • Test the ability to update shipping addresses for pending orders.
  • Verify that duplicate orders are not created during payment retries.
  • Ensure correct calculation of taxes, shipping fees, and discounts in the final invoice.

Test Cases for Responsive Design in E-Commerce Websites

E-commerce websites must perform flawlessly across devices and screen sizes.

Test Cases

  • Verify UI consistency across various devices (desktop, tablet, mobile) and test for accessibility features like keyboard navigation and screen reader compatibility.
  • Test touch-friendly elements (buttons, swipes, sliders) on mobile devices for usability.
  • Ensure that images and text scale properly and remain readable on all screen sizes.
  • Validate that fixed elements (like sticky headers or menus) do not obstruct navigation.
  • Test responsiveness of the checkout process, ensuring forms and buttons remain functional on smaller screens.
  • Verify that page layouts adjust seamlessly for portrait and landscape orientations on mobile devices.
  • Check if pop-ups, modals, and tooltips render correctly and can be easily dismissed on mobile.

Backend and API Test Cases for E-Commerce Websites

Backend operations and APIs ensure smooth data flow and interaction.

Functional Test Cases

  • Verify that product data APIs return accurate and timely information, including pricing, stock, and variants.
  • Test APIs for scalability and performance under varying loads, including peak usage times.
  • Validate backend database interactions for CRUD operations, ensuring no data loss or duplication.
  • Test API error handling for invalid inputs, timeouts, and failed requests.
  • Verify that APIs are secured with proper authentication (e.g., OAuth, API keys).
  • Ensure caching mechanisms work efficiently to reduce API response times.
  • Validate integration with third-party services (e.g., payment gateways, shipping APIs) for smooth operations.

Test Cases for Performance and Load Testing of E-Commerce Website

An e-commerce website must handle high traffic without degradation.

Test Cases

  • Test site performance under simulated peak traffic, such as Black Friday or flash sales, including database response times and load balancer efficiency.
  • Verify loading times for images, videos, and other heavy assets are under acceptable thresholds (e.g., <2 seconds).
  • Perform stress testing to determine the website’s breaking point under extreme conditions.
  • Test the website’s recovery time after a crash or server downtime.
  • Validate the performance of database queries during bulk operations (e.g., handling 10,000+ orders).
  • Test the scalability of server resources (e.g., CPU, memory) during increased loads.
  • Verify the impact of concurrent user actions, such as simultaneous logins, checkouts, or product updates.

Streamline Your E-Commerce Testing with TestGrid

Designing and managing test cases for e-commerce websites can be challenging due to the sheer complexity of features, integrations, and user interactions. TestGrid simplifies this process by providing a powerful, user-friendly platform that helps QA teams create, execute, and manage test cases effortlessly.

Why Choose TestGrid for Your E-Commerce Testing Needs?

  • Comprehensive Test Case Management TestGrid offers a centralized platform to design, organize, and track all your test cases. You can easily create detailed test scenarios for critical areas like order management, product pages, payment gateways, and responsive design.
  • Cross-Platform Testing Made Easy With TestGrid, you can test your e-commerce application across various devices, operating systems, and browsers to ensure a consistent user experience, no matter the platform.
  • Geolocation Testing E-commerce platforms often operate globally, making geolocation testing essential to ensure seamless user experiences across different regions. TestGrid offers tools and capabilities to perform geolocation testing efficiently.
  • Automation Without Coding TestGrid allows teams to automate repetitive test cases using its no-code automation feature, enabling faster execution without requiring advanced programming skills.
  • Performance Testing Performance testing is critical for e-commerce platforms, especially during peak shopping seasons or sales events. TestGrid’s performance testing ensures your platform can handle high traffic and deliver a smooth shopping experience.
  • Seamless Integration TestGrid integrates effortlessly with popular CI/CD pipelines and bug-tracking tools like Jira, helping streamline your development lifecycle.
  • Cost-Effective and Scalable
  • Whether you’re testing a small application or a large-scale e-commerce platform, TestGrid’s scalable pricing model ensures you only pay for what you need.

Conclusion

Testing an e-commerce website is a crucial step in delivering a seamless and secure shopping experience. From functional and performance testing to responsive design and API validations, each test case ensures that the platform operates efficiently and meets customer expectations. Leveraging tools like TestGrid can simplify and enhance your testing process, enabling faster time-to-market and improved quality assurance. A robust testing strategy not only boosts user satisfaction but also builds long-term trust in your e-commerce platform.

Source: This article was originally published at testgrid.io.

Top comments (0)