A Complete Guide to E-Commerce Website Test Cases

Introduction

In today's digital-first economy, e-commerce websites must deliver flawless user experiences to remain competitive. With complex functionalities spanning product catalogs, shopping carts, payment processing, and user accounts, rigorous testing is essential. This guide provides a complete framework of test cases to ensure your e-commerce platform performs optimally across all critical user journeys.

Why E-Commerce Testing Matters

E-commerce platforms face unique challenges:

• High transaction volumes requiring 24/7 reliability

• Complex user flows across devices and geographies

• Security vulnerabilities handling sensitive payment data

• Performance demands during peak traffic periods

Comprehensive testing helps prevent:

• Shopping cart abandonment due to functional defects

• Revenue loss from checkout failures

• Brand damage from security breaches

• Negative reviews from poor user experiences

Core Test Categories

1. Registration & Login Test Cases

Positive Scenarios

✅ Guest Checkout: Verify unregistered users can purchase products.
✅ User Registration: Validate seamless account creation.
✅ Successful Login: Confirm registered users can log in.
✅ Session Management: Check if user sessions persist for the intended duration.

Negative Scenarios

❌ Invalid Email Format: Ensure error appears for malformed emails.
❌ Mandatory Field Validation: Prevent submission if required fields are empty.
❌ Post-Logout Access: Verify users cannot access accounts after logging out.

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2. Search Feature Test Cases

Functionality Tests

🔍 Filter Validation:

• Price range

• Category/Brand filters

• Sort options (Price: Low → High)

🔍 Search Accuracy:

• Relevant results for single/multiple filters.

• "No results" message for invalid queries.

🔍 Pagination:

• Verify fixed product count per page (e.g., 10/products per page).

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3. Product Details Page Test Cases

📌 Content Validation:

• Product title, description, images.

• Stock availability (e.g., "In Stock" vs. "Out of Stock").

📌 Interaction Tests:

• Select variants (size/color).

• Adjust quantity (min/max limits).

• Apply promotional offers (if available).

📌 Cart Integration:

• Confirm "Add to Cart" updates the cart icon.

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4. Shopping Cart Test Cases

🛒 Price & Calculations:

• Correct subtotal/tax/shipping calculations.

• Dynamic updates on quantity changes.

🛒 Coupon & Discounts:

• Apply valid/invalid coupon codes.

• Verify discount reflects in the total.

🛒 Cart Management:

• Remove items.

• Empty cart state handling.

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5. Checkout & Order Confirmation Test Cases

💳 Checkout Flow:

• Guest vs. Registered user paths.

• Auto-fill saved addresses (if enabled).

💳 Payment Methods:

• Test all options (Credit Card, PayPal, etc.).

• Validate error handling for failed transactions.

💳 Post-Order Verification:

• Order confirmation email/SMS.

• Order tracking link functionality.

Advanced Test Scenarios

1. Performance Testing

Performance testing evaluates how your e-commerce system behaves under various load conditions to ensure optimal speed, stability, and scalability.

Key Focus Areas:

1. Page Load Times Under Peak Traffic

   • Measures homepage, PLP (Product Listing Pages), and PDP (Product Detail Pages) loading during simulated high traffic (e.g., Black Friday)

   • Tools: Lighthouse, WebPageTest, GTmetrix

2. Database Query Optimization

   • Analyzes SQL query efficiency for product searches, cart operations, and checkout processes

   • Identifies slow-running queries needing indexing or refactoring

   • Tools: MySQL EXPLAIN, New Relic, Datadog

3. CDN Effectiveness

   • Validates content delivery network caching for static assets (images, CSS, JS)

   • Tests geographical distribution performance

   • Tools: Cloudflare Analytics, Akamai mPulse

4. Cache Validation

   • Verifies proper caching headers and TTL (Time-To-Live) settings

   • Ensures dynamic content (pricing, inventory) bypasses cache when needed

   • Tools: Browser DevTools, Cache-Control headers

2. Security Testing

Security testing protects sensitive customer data and ensures compliance with industry standards.

Critical Components:

1. PCI-DSS Compliance

   • Validates adherence to Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards

   • Checks encryption of card data in transit and at rest

   • Tools: ASV scans, Qualys PCI

2. SQL Injection Prevention

   • Attempts malicious SQL queries through form inputs and URLs

   • Verifies parameterized queries and ORM protection

   • Tools: OWASP ZAP, SQLMap

3. XSS Vulnerability Checks

   • Tests for Cross-Site Scripting vulnerabilities in:

     • Product reviews

     • Search fields

     • User profile inputs

   • Tools: Burp Suite, Acunetix

4. Brute Force Protection

   • Verifies account lockout mechanisms after failed login attempts

   • Tests CAPTCHA effectiveness during suspicious activity

   • Tools: Kali Linux tools, custom scripts

3. Localization Testing

Localization testing ensures the platform adapts correctly to different regions and cultures.

Essential Verifications:

1. Currency Conversion Accuracy

   • Tests real-time exchange rate calculations

   • Verifies rounding rules and currency formatting (€1.234,56 vs $1,234.56)

   • Tools: Fixer.io API, custom validators

2. Tax Jurisdiction Rules

   • Validates automated tax calculations for:

     • VAT (EU)

     • GST (Canada/Australia)

     • Sales tax (US)

   • Tools: Avalara, TaxJar test environments

3. Language Translations

   • Checks UI translations for accuracy and context

   • Verifies RTL (Right-to-Left) language support (Arabic, Hebrew)

   • Tools: Smartling, Lokalise

4. Regional Payment Methods

   • Tests local payment options:

     • iDEAL (Netherlands)

     • Boleto (Brazil)

     • Alipay (China)

   • Verifies country-specific checkout flows

4. Accessibility Testing

Accessibility testing ensures compliance with disability access standards and inclusive design.

WCAG 2.1 Priority Checks:

1. Screen Reader Compatibility

   • Verifies proper ARIA labels and landmarks

   • Tests logical reading order

   • Tools: NVDA, VoiceOver, JAWS

2. Keyboard Navigation

   • Validates full operability without a mouse

   • Checks focus states and tab order

   • Tools: Keyboard-only testing

3. Color Contrast Ratios

   • Ensures minimum 4.5:1 contrast for normal text

   • Verifies color isn't the sole information carrier

   • Tools: axe DevTools, Color Contrast Analyzer

4. Form Accessibility

• Tests label associations

• Validates error identification

• Verifies timeouts/adjustable timings

Implementation Recommendations

1. Automate Where Possible

   • Performance: Integrate Lighthouse CI

   • Security: Schedule weekly OWASP ZAP scans

   • Accessibility: Add axe-core to your test suite

2. Leverage Real User Monitoring

   • Capture performance metrics from actual traffic

   • Identify accessibility issues through user reports

3. Regional Testing Strategy

   • Use proxy services to test from target countries

   • Employ native speakers for linguistic validation

4. Compliance Documentation

   • Maintain PCI-DSS Attestation of Compliance

   • Publish Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT)

By implementing these advanced testing practices, e-commerce businesses can achieve:

• 30-50% reduction in performance-related bounce rates

• 99.9% security vulnerability detection rate

• 95%+ WCAG compliance scores

• Seamless global customer experiences

Pro Tip: Combine automated checks with quarterly manual audits for comprehensive coverage.

Test Automation Strategy

Recommended Framework:

• Functional Tests: Selenium WebDriver + TestNG

• API Tests: RestAssured

• Performance Tests: JMeter

• Visual Tests: Applitools

Critical Automation Scenarios:

1. End-to-end purchase journey

2. Cart calculation validations

3. Search relevance testing

4. Payment gateway integrations

5. Mobile responsiveness checks

Real-World Testing Insights

Common Pitfalls to Avoid:

• Underestimating mobile test coverage

• Neglecting edge cases in discount logic

• Overlooking timezone handling

• Missing inventory synchronization tests

Proven Best Practices:

• Implement test data management

• Prioritize critical path test cases

• Establish performance baselines

• Conduct regular security audits

Conclusion

A comprehensive e-commerce testing strategy combines:

• Rigorous functional validation

• Robust security measures

• Strict performance standards

• Inclusive accessibility checks

By implementing this test case framework, QA teams can:

• Reduce production defects by 60-80%

• Improve conversion rates by 15-25%

• Decrease cart abandonment by 20-30%

• Enhance customer satisfaction scores

Next Steps:

1. Customize this framework for your platform

2. Establish test automation pipelines

3. Implement continuous monitoring

4. Regularly update test cases for new features