Ecommerce Performance Testing is a critical process in the development and maintenance of ecommerce websites and applications. It focuses on evaluating and enhancing the performance, speed, and reliability of these digital platforms to ensure they deliver a seamless and satisfying user experience.
By identifying and addressing performance-related issues, development teams can enhance the overall quality and performance of the website or application.
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When Should Performance Testing be Conducted for an Ecommerce Website?
Performance testing should be conducted concurrently with other testing processes as it doesn’t have its own time slot. Usually, performance testing is done during regression at the end of each cycle.
It is better to run dedicated performance testing after functional testing before manually testing the UAT environment.
It should be performed continuously to ensure optimal performance of software applications throughout SDLC (software development life cycle) i.e., from the start of the design phase and throughout the development phase, testing phase, and different stages of deployment.
Process Involved in Performance Testing of an Ecommerce Website
- Analyze the existing environment and define the testing goals.
- Develop the test assets, test plans, test scripts, and test scenarios.
- Confirm user scenarios (From login to checkout).
- Define the performance acceptance criteria.
- Define usage model and load configurations.
- Configure the load generation environment.
- Gather performance characteristics of the current system.
- Monitor web servers, database servers, and application servers for performance counters.
- Execute planned tests.
- Correlate and analyze the results.
- Generate reports.
- Provide performance improvement recommendations.
- Retest as needed.
Basic Definitions to Know in Performance Testing
- Throughput – Throughput is the number of requests that are processed per time (seconds, minutes, hours) by the server. This time is calculated from the start of the first sample to the end of the last sample.
- Response time – How much time is taken by the system to respond to a user’s request. It is also called Latency (wait time).
- Ramp-up period – It is the calculation of the number of the user hitting in a given time ( i.e, Time/user)
- Error % – Percentage of failed requests per label
- Label – It is the URL for specific HTTP(s) request
- No. of Threads – It’s the no. of Users simultaneously accessing the website in a given time.
- Bandwidth – The Volume of data per second between workloads across the network.
Main Objectives to Keep in Mind While Conducting Performance Testing
- To identify and improve the overall functioning of the Application
- To determine the scale of application and system to accommodate increasing user loads
- To ensure software stability and speed for the users i.e., ensuring that software is stable across different platforms.
- To determine process execution, data integrity, and proper synchronization of an application.
- To evaluate the hardware system or software ability in a smooth transition to failover or backup components.
- To verify the stability and performance of a system over an extended period to detect issues related to leakage or degradation i.e., ensuring that there’s no product degradation since the last release.
Goals of Performance Testing of an Ecommerce Website or an Application
- Processing speed.
- Data transfer velocity.
- Evaluating application output.
- Network bandwidth usage.
- Workload efficiency.
- Memory utilization.
- Maximum no. of users.
- Response time.
These goals enhance customer satisfaction. Boost sales and stay ahead of the competition. If an application or website doesn’t meet customer expectations. Customers will move to competitor applications and this will directly impact sales.
Read Also: Ecommerce Automation Testing
Six Major Concepts of Performance Testing
Load Testing
Load testing helps to find the throughput rates, resource utilization, response time, number of transactions, and software behavior when the number of loads and users increases.
Spike Testing
Spike testing is giving abrupt or sudden increases in workload Rapidly and repeatedly. Testing the web application with a Sudden Increase in load to test performance is called Spike Testing.
Stress Testing
Stress testing helps developers to understand how an application works or reacts to excessive traffic and data load in a way how and where an application fails, at which point it fails, and how it can recover from the failure of an application.
Endurance Testing
Endurance testing checks how long an application software can withstand a constant load to provide sustainability.
It looks at how an application can endure the load for an extended time (since users use the site for long durations).
It also helps in analyzing throughput and response time after prolonged use to check whether the metrics are consistent or not.
Scalability Testing
Scalability testing checks whether the web application scales up or down upon increasing the workload, that is how well a software program sustains the user on increasing the load.
Volume Testing
Volume testing checks the performance of an application with Varied Database sizes. It includes data storage, data loss, reliability, system and server response time, and more.
Why Performance Testing?
Analyzing the Impact of Configurations
Performance testing is a crucial step in understanding how various configurations affect the performance of your website or application.
By testing factors such as different operating systems, web browsers, device types (like tablets or smartphones), and more, you can identify potential issues that might negatively impact the user experience.
Ensuring Server Resilience
Evaluating the robustness of your server configuration is essential, particularly during peak traffic periods. Slow-loading pages, website outages, application crashes, and unresponsive features can all result from inadequate server configurations.
Performance testing helps ensure that your server can handle the demands of various devices, browsers, and user configurations.
Optimizing Transaction Flow
A seamless transaction flow is paramount for user satisfaction. Performance testing allows you to determine how efficiently your website or application handles transactions across different devices and browsers. It’s essential to ensure a glitch-free experience, regardless of user preferences.
Evaluating Response Capacity
Determining the capacity to handle concurrent user requests and response times is a key aspect of performance testing. It involves assessing the number of threads, representing concurrent users accessing the website, and measuring the interaction time.
Performance testing ensures your system can cope with a substantial number of interactions without compromising speed.
Testing User Paths and Transactions
Testing different user paths and transaction scenarios is crucial. It becomes even more challenging when assessing third-party payment gateways, as user behaviors and preferences can vary significantly.
Performance testing helps ensure that your website or application functions smoothly, regardless of the diverse user interactions.
Scalability and Resource Management
Performance testing addresses critical scalability concerns, such as CPU usage, disk performance, memory allocation, network capabilities, server limitations, and stock management.
This testing helps you identify potential bottlenecks and resource-related issues that could hamper the performance of your website or application.
Database Efficiency
Evaluating the size of your database and the speed of input and output interactions is vital. Performance testing helps pinpoint weaknesses in your database’s performance, particularly as your product range, user base, and order volume expand.
Geolocation and User Experience
Performance testing ensures that customers worldwide receive a consistent and satisfactory user experience. Whether users are in France, the US, or the UK, response times must remain uniform and favorable across different geographical locations.
Three-Tier Architecture
Implementing a three-tier architecture (Application ↔ Server ↔ Database) contributes to enhanced performance. Performance testing helps validate the effectiveness of this architecture, ensuring seamless communication between application components.
Tips to Ensure the Best Performance of an Application
- Execute performance testing in an environment that replicates the production environment using ecommerce performance testing tools.
- Detecting performance issues late in the SDLC (software development life cycle) is difficult to fix and results in high costs. Therefore, conduct performance testing earlier.
- Optimize all transactions and data transfers since the database is considered the core of any application.
- Monitor all infrastructures, including servers, databases, and load balancers.
- Regularly perform endurance tests with a test strategy to address programming bugs, memory leaks, and an increase in memory usage that can lead to sudden system crashes.
- Analyze and find the users’ most visited pages and keep on improving the site pages and efficiency of the site.
Key Elements to Load Test on an Ecommerce Website
User paths
- Registration page.
- Login page.
- Product page.
- Cart page.
- Checkout page.
- Accounts page.
Payments
- Online payment (own payment systems).
- 3rd Party Payment Gateway.
Token and Cookies
- CSRF Token (Cross-Site Request Forgery).
- Authentication token.
- Chat token.
- Preference cookies.
- Session cookies.
- Location cookies.
- Browse specific cookies.
Inventory Management
- Every item uploaded by the user.
- Every item purchased by the user.
Backend Integrations
- CRM (Customer Relationship Management).
- Invoicing.
- Logistics actions.
Third Party Services
- Chat (email servers, social media accounts).
- Payment.
- Search.
Email and Messaging (SMS)
- Confirmation and Alerts.
- Detecting interruptions and bottlenecks in communication mediums.
Challenges in Testing the Performance of an Ecommerce Website
Selection of the Wrong Performance Testing Tool
The management team should have a deep-dive knowledge of various tools. A performance testing tool selection depends on several factors such as the skill level of the performance tester, application technology stack, application communication protocol, and licensing cost of the tool.
Lack of Proper Test Plan, Test Strategy, and Test Coverage
A strategic approach to analyzing and understanding application architecture. Knowing other performance characteristics like availability requirements, load distribution, geography of usage, usage model, technology stack, resilience requirements, reliability requirements, etc. This strategic optimization is pivotal for elevating a website’s performance.
Time and Budget Constraints
Improper or inadequate planning in software development often leads to a lack of budget allocation and resource management. One of the common challenges faced in real-world scenarios is the pressure to release projects within tight deadlines.
In the rush to launch an upgraded product quickly, the engineering team typically focuses on functional testing while neglecting performance testing. To prevent this, it’s crucial to calculate budget parameters and allocate resources.
Lack of Knowledge about the Need for Performance Tests
Most budget makers and stakeholders do not recognize the value of performance testing during software development. In most instances, performance issues may crop up in post-production release of software which might result in the crashing of software, apps, or websites.
Every application should be performance tested. Subject matter experts should conduct tests on web servers, databases, and third-party apps to ensure effective website and application performance, and they should be the ones to analyze the results.
Improper Analysis of Performance Test Outcomes
Testers should have system and application knowledge and it is essential to analyze the performance test results deeply. Every test result and test report should be manageable, actionable, and insightfully observable reports.
Incorrect analysis and wrong interpretation of test results may lead to performance failures and that will result in an inefficient application for the market.
Difficulty in Conducting Tests on the Production Environment
It is a challenge to conduct performance tests in a fully functioning product environment. It is necessary to closely monitor the trends to spot irregularities in the production environment. It’s best to plan performance testing activities in a replicated production environment rather than the actual production environment.
Securing APIs
Attackers and Hackers could use API vulnerability to access services, data, and infrastructure to gain access to any information. It is an important factor to do performance testing at a high level to secure APIs.
Benefits of Ecommerce Performance Testing
Crucial Holiday Preparation
The holiday season witnesses a surge in online shopping, making performance testing a critical need for ecommerce websites and applications.
Ensuring a Smooth Shopping Experience
Performance testing is essential to guarantee a smooth and successful shopping experience for customers, especially during peak periods like Black Friday and other sales events.
Quality Assurance Emphasis
Ecommerce performance testing is a fundamental part of Quality Assurance (QA) in the industry, becoming increasingly important as online spending records continue to rise.
Front-End and Back-End Assessment
QA teams assess both the front-end and back-end aspects of ecommerce platforms, ensuring site speed and mobile app performance meet high user expectations.
Mitigating Slow Loading Times
One of the primary objectives is to prevent slow loading times that can discourage potential customers and result in high costs for the business.
Traffic Simulation
The performance testing process involves simulating expected traffic patterns and peak periods during the holiday season to ensure seamless shopping experiences for customers.
Scaling for Success
Performance testing enhances the scalability and overall performance of the ecommerce platform.
Safeguarding Revenue
Investing in performance testing safeguards revenue and maintains customer trust.
Avoiding Negative Impact
Performance testing helps avoid the negative impact of slow loading times, ensuring a successful holiday shopping season.
Strategic Business Move
Performance testing during peak holiday seasons is not just good practice but a strategic business move to ensure e-commerce success.
Performance Testing Tools
Its not possible to run performance testing manually because it is a costlier approach and it needs a lot of resources. We cannot maintain accuracy when we track response time manually.
Therefore, the best approach to do performance testing is to use a performance testing tool. Multiple performance tools are available to test the application performance, with specific performance testing tools designed for specific purposes.
- Tools designed for performance testing of websites: Load Ninja, Storm Forge, Loadster, Load View, Applause, Kinsta APM, etc
- Tools designed for performance testing of web applications: Apache JMeter, Locust, Webload, Silk Performer, Storm Runner, etc
- Tools used to Automate Performance testing: RPT (Rational Performance Tester), Eggplant, Gatling, Taurus, Neoload, etc
- Tools to Test Network Performance of web applications: Network Monitor, Dynatrace, Zabbix, Solarwinds, Paessler security, etc
Recommended Read: Ecommerce Testing Tools And Techniques
Ecommerce App Testing
Ecommerce apps have become the primary choice for online shopping. To deliver a top-notch shopping experience, rigorous testing is essential.
- Various types of testing, from functional tests to stress tests, are conducted to ensure that these apps perform flawlessly.
- Retailers, in particular, heavily rely on ecommerce apps to connect with their customers.
- In normal circumstances, an ecommerce app should function seamlessly, but it’s during peak periods like the upcoming holiday season or the biggest shopping event of the year, such as Black Friday, that the performance of these apps is put to the ultimate test.
Enhancing Ecommerce Website Performance
Ecommerce websites are the digital storefronts of many businesses, and their performance directly impacts the bottom line. In the mobile-first age, it’s crucial to focus on optimizing the performance of your ecommerce website.
- It includes conducting various types of testing to ensure that web pages load quickly, especially during high-traffic periods.
- Last year recorded unprecedented online spending, and businesses needs to be prepared for the next peak holiday season.
- Conducting performance testing now can help you avoid slow loading times, maintain customer trust, and maximize revenue.
- Retail software applications also play a significant role in connecting online retailers with their customers, both in-store and online.
- Testing these application’s performance is a key step to ensure a seamless shopping experience, and performance testing is vital for their success.
Conclusion
The blog underscores the important role of performance testing in maintaining a high-quality user experience and preventing system failures.
Continuous monitoring and periodic performance testing provide users with a seamless, guaranteeing smooth, enjoyable, and satisfying shopping experience and enhance the website’s performance as it grows and evolves.
Boost the site performance, Make sure the online store will handle promotional events or holiday seasons, your online store should be top in the market. Nobody likes waiting for the site to load, therefore it is crucial to do performance testing before the product enters the market.
FAQ
What are ecommerce applications, and why is performance testing crucial for them?
Ecommerce applications are online platforms where businesses conduct transactions and sell products or services. Performance testing is essential for these applications because it ensures that they can handle the expected load and provide a seamless shopping experience for users, especially during peak periods like the holiday season.
What are the key areas of focus in ecommerce performance testing?
Ecommerce performance testing involves assessing various aspects, including page speed, website speed, mobile app performance, and the checkout process. It also considers factors like load handling, the performance of third-party integrations, and the overall user experience.
Why is performance testing important for ecommerce businesses, particularly during the holiday season?
Performance testing is crucial during the holiday season because it helps businesses prepare for heavy traffic, ensuring their websites and applications can handle the increased load. This is essential to prevent slow loading times, safeguard revenue, and maintain a positive shopping experience for customers.
How does performance testing contribute to the success of an ecommerce platform?
Performance testing ensures that an ecommerce platform can deliver a seamless shopping experience, maintain customer trust, and avoid negative impacts like slow loading times. It also helps in scaling the platform for better performance and higher scalability.
What are some best practices for ecommerce performance testing?
Best practices for ecommerce performance testing include conducting cloud-based testing, simulating various devices, and paying attention to the home page’s performance. It’s also important to assess how the platform handles traffic patterns and peak periods and to monitor conversion rates for optimization.
Why is ecommerce mobile app testing significant, and what does it involve?
Ecommerce mobile app testing is crucial because many users shop through mobile devices. It involves assessing the performance of mobile apps, including their speed, usability, and overall user experience.
What is the role of performance testing in ensuring the success of an ecommerce business?
Performance testing contributes to an ecommerce business’s success by guaranteeing a smooth shopping experience, safeguarding revenue, and scaling the platform for better performance. It helps prevent slow loading times and ensures a positive user experience even during peak periods like the holiday season.
How can ecommerce performance testing adapt to the rapid technological changes in the industry?
Ecommerce performance testing must stay updated with technological changes, focusing on the most important factors for online businesses. This adaptation may involve assessing the impact of new technologies, devices, and trends on the platform’s performance.
What are the potential consequences of neglecting performance testing in ecommerce?
Neglecting performance testing in ecommerce can lead to problems like slow loading times, a negative impact on end users, and high costs for businesses. It may also result in lost revenue, especially during peak shopping seasons.
How does performance testing contribute to the overall success and growth of ecommerce sales?
Performance testing ensures that ecommerce platforms can handle high traffic and provide a seamless shopping experience, leading to better sales and growth. It helps maintain customer trust, prevent slow loading times, and optimize the conversion rate.
Why is performance testing crucial for retail applications in the ecommerce industry, especially during high-traffic periods like the holiday season?
Ecommerce businesses that aim to thrive must pay close attention to their retail applications’ performance. The number of visitors can fluctuate greatly, especially during the holiday season, and ensuring that your app can handle heavy traffic is crucial. This is where performance testing comes into play.
By simulating a range of different kinds of tests, you can assess how your retail application performs under various conditions. Such testing includes evaluating page speed, website speed, and how well the app handles third-party integrations.
The ultimate goal is to guarantee a smooth and frictionless shopping experience for your clients, regardless of the volume of visitors.
