Point-of-sale (PoS) is a fundamental part of retail. The ability to take payments is of obvious importance; an effective user journey to meet the needs of both the consumers and the retailer is also crucial. Point-of-sale testing can be long-winded and mechanical, manually repeating the same regression tests in a laborious and error-prone manner, creating a bottleneck that slows down the complete delivery cycle. So, why does manual testing fall short, what can be done to improve the situation, and what benefits will be gained from addressing the challenge?
The Complexity of Testing Point-of-Sale Solutions
Testing PoS solutions is inherently more complex than testing regular software applications. This complexity arises from the level of integration between the PoS system and the interconnected systems, such as inventory and supply-chain systems and payments networks. PoS systems are typically performed in dedicated test labs isolated from all but essential connectivity. The utilitarian labs are used with manual testers performing repetitive tests. Automating these tests reduces test execution cycle times by weeks and liberates human resources to focus on other aspects, such as the system's usability.
Technical Challenges
Testing PoS solutions presents technical challenges as well. Traditional test automation tools often cannot be installed on components like registers and secure devices like Pin pads. Retailers must test payment scenarios to meet criteria for payment networks such as Visa and Mastercard. Historically, the inclusion of physical devices, such as Pin pads and software installation constraints, inhibited automated testing in this domain.
Key Limitations of Manual Testing for PoS
Manual testing of PoS systems is labour-intensive and slow, especially for retailers who need to repeat hundreds of tests for each release. Finding individuals willing to perform repetitive manual tests is challenging, and maintaining accuracy over numerous iterations is difficult.
Delayed Time-to-Market: Manual testing often leads to delayed time-to-market as issues detected during the testing process necessitate retesting, causing bottlenecks in the software development and delivery pipeline.
Lack of Environment Replication: Slow and cumbersome test activities fail to draw interest and become neglected. Test environment challenges may be tolerated, tests are repeated, and the failure is attributed to an environmental issue. Deviations between the test environment and the production environment can lead to missed problems during testing and the defect being inadvertently promoted to production. Introducing automation has the impact of raising the quality bar; intermittent issues, environmental or otherwise, are taken seriously and appropriately investigated. The outcome is a more robust process, with readily repeatable automated tests at the core.
Limited Coverage: Manual testing is time-consuming and may not cover the essential permutations and paths a user could take through the PoS system, leading to inadequate test coverage.
How IntelliQA Addresses These Limitations
IntelliQA excels in automating end-to-end integration tests, a domain often encompassing hardware elements beyond the scope of software simulations. Examples include Pin pads and Outdoor Payment terminals. Our approach seamlessly incorporates hardware within the testing framework, using robotics and specialised payment test automation tools. This distinctive methodology positions us as industry leaders.
Acknowledging that our primary interaction is with IT delivery teams, many of whom may not possess extensive hardware expertise, we proactively tackle potential challenges linked to hardware integration. Furthermore, we are fully committed to ensuring a seamless and trouble-free experience for our clients, encompassing the shipment and installation of hardware, culminating in its seamless integration with their systems.
IntelliQA's holistic automated testing solution is meticulously crafted to adapt to evolving environments and provide support for a diverse array of systems. This approach harmoniously combines software and hardware, facilitating comprehensive end-to-end testing.
Key Benefits of Automated Testing with IntelliQA
Reduced Execution Time: The automated solution drastically reduces the time required for testing. Test cycles that used to take weeks can be completed in a matter of hours, allowing for daily testing.
Enhanced Quality: By replicating real user interactions and focusing on end-to-end workflows, automated testing helps improve the quality of the PoS system, leading to better customer experiences.
Improved Coverage: The solution's intelligence techniques help identify all possible user paths and scenarios, enhancing test coverage and enabling a risk-based approach to testing.
Cost Reduction: The ability to cover multiple environments with a single test suite and adapt to changing scenarios leads to cost savings and efficient resource utilisations.
Conclusion
Manual testing for PoS systems falls short in today's fast-paced retail environment. The challenges of labour intensiveness, delayed time-to-market, limited coverage, and inaccuracies can hinder retailers' ability to promptly deliver the desired functionality to customers. Automated testing solutions, like IntelliQA in collaboration with Keysight Eggplant, offer a compelling alternative. By reducing execution time, enhancing quality, improving coverage, and reducing costs, automated testing is becoming a vital component in the arsenal of retailers seeking to stay competitive in the dynamic world of point-of-sale solutions.
Contact us
Please get in touch if you need support with automated payment testing solutions, and our sales team would be happy to discuss this with you. Contact us on:
+44 1707 906177 or sales@intelliqa.com