Avoiding App-ocalypse: Why Mobile App Testing is a Must in Retail
Mobile devices are used to shop online and in-store every day. While increasing revenue opportunities for retailers, there is a trade-off. Consumers expect a smooth, consistent, and user-friendly experience regardless of their device, application, or browser.
Automated software testing is the only way to meet these demands and deliver a flawless user experience time and again.
How is Mobile Technology Changing Retail?
Mobile technology has completely revolutionized our shopping habits, from price comparisons and checking product reviews to digital wallet purchases and personalized push notifications. These interactions are now just part of the overall retail experience and have become expected.
However, if updates and new features aren't tested before release, the retailer and the customer lose. Software quality assurance (QA) has never been more critical, as it directly impacts the success of a mobile app and, ultimately, customer lifetime value (CLV).
As mobile transactions are expected to reach a ridiculous $728 billion (44%) of retail eCommerce sales in the US by 2025, retailers must have a solid testing approach and a range of test cases to maintain a great mobile shopping experience.
Important Test Cases for Mobile App Testing
When mobile app testing, it's essential to include a variety of test cases:
- Verify that the app can be installed and launched on different devices and operating systems.
- Test the app's compatibility with different screen sizes and resolutions.
- Verify that the app's user interface (UI) is consistent across other devices and operating systems.
- Test the app's functionality under various network conditions (e.g., weak signal, offline).
- Verify that the app can handle large volumes of data and transactions without crashing.
- Test the app's performance and responsiveness.
- Test the app's integration with other systems (e.g., inventory management, CRM, payment).
- Verify that the app's search and filtering functionality works as expected.
Mobile App Testing Challenges
However, creating the test cases is the easy part. Executing mobile app testing, especially if done manually, can pose several challenges:
- Maintaining physical device farms can be expensive and time-consuming if trying to keep up-to-date on the latest mobile handsets and operating systems.
- Device fragmentation makes testing functionality tricky when every device has its own hardware and software specifications.
- Screen sizes and resolutions will impact your mobile retail app performance. An app that looks awesome on a high-res screen might look crappy on a low-resolution screen, affecting the customer experience.
- Different operating systems (OS), such as iOS and Android, can also create problems because it's hard to predict how well an app works on a different OS without testing loads of devices.
- Integrating with various retail systems, such as payment APIs, inventory, and CRMs, introduces many different technologies that require multiple tools that can complicate mobile app testing.
Mobile App Testing Made Easy with Test Automation
Manual mobile app testing on multiple devices can be a pain. It's slow, costly, and holds up release cycles. But what if we told you there's a way to accelerate mobile app testing, regardless of the device, and increase the chances of finding defects before they hit the market? Introducing Keysight's Eggplant test automation solution.
Eggplant lets you quickly test every user journey in your app across multiple mobile devices. Plus, its flexibility supports easy integration with cloud-based device farms, so your team can access numerous devices and execute test cases tailored to your end-user's needs.
Keysight's Eggplant testing an iPhone 14 Pro remotely utilizing Sauce Labs Real Device Cloud
But it's not just about testing; it's about finding defects too. Eggplant's intelligent automated exploratory testing uses artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to proactively explore areas close to defects, increasing the chances of finding other bugs. And we all know missed defects can be costly to fix, especially if discovered after release.
In a nutshell, Keysight's Eggplant's test automation software helps reduce the risk of buggy user experiences, protecting your brand and bottom line and increasing your CLV. Say goodbye to manual testing and hello to faster, more efficient testing with Keysight.
To continue your learning, watch our in-depth panel discussion, where retail industry analysts and technology experts discuss how retailers can "Unlock the Power of Mobile with Test Automation."
You can also read the IDC Marketscape report, "Worldwide Mobile Testing and Digital Quality 2022 Vendor Assessment," to discover why Keysight's Eggplant is named a leader in mobile app testing.