How to Do a Shopify Test Order: A Step-by-Step Guide to Perfect Your E-commerce Checkout Process

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Why Test Orders Are Crucial for Your Shopify Store
3. How to Place a Shopify Test Order
4. Common Pitfalls When Testing Orders
5. The Impact of Effective Testing on E-commerce Success
6. Conclusion

Introduction

Did you know that around 80% of online shoppers abandon their carts due to complexities during the checkout process? As Shopify merchants, we know how essential a seamless transaction flow is for converting visitors into paying customers. If we want to optimize our stores, integrating a robust testing strategy is not an option; it's a necessity. In this blog post, we’ll dive deep into the importance of placing a test order on Shopify, guiding you through the process, and highlighting best practices to ensure you’re capturing all potential sales.

As e-commerce continues to evolve rapidly, ensuring our checkout process is flawless not only enhances user experience but also builds trust and encourages repeat customers. Today, we’ll explore how to do a Shopify test order, discuss its significance, and introduce how Tevello can help enhance our overall e-commerce strategy by enabling us to create impactful online courses, sell digital products, and foster community engagement directly within our Shopify stores.

So, how can we make certain our Shopify store is ready to serve customers well? Let’s explore that!

Why Test Orders Are Crucial for Your Shopify Store

Testing is the foundation of any successful online business. By completing a test order, we can simulate real-world conditions and learn how our store settings—like payment processing, shipping calculations, and inventory management—operate under various circumstances. A well-tested Shopify store can:

• Identify issues before they impact real customers.
• Validates integrations with shipping and fulfillment services.
• Assure that tax calculations and shipping notifications are accurate.
• Verify the responsiveness and functionality across various devices and platforms.

Understanding Key Scenarios for Testing

Before diving into the actual process of placing a test order, we should be aware of the common scenarios we need to test. This includes:

• Successful Transactions: Ensure payment processing is smooth.
• Failed Transactions: Simulate errors to see how they are communicated to the user.
• Discount Codes: Verify that promo codes apply correctly.
• Shipping Calculations: Confirm that shipping rates are calculated accurately based on different locations.
• Inventory Management: Ensure stock levels update appropriately after test orders.

By evaluating these factors, we can fine-tune our store's operations to minimize friction for our customers.

How to Place a Shopify Test Order

We’re now ready to walk through the specific steps involved in placing a test order on Shopify. There are two main approaches to conducting test orders, which we’ll discuss here.

Method 1: Using Shopify's Bogus Gateway or Test Mode

This method allows us to simulate transactions without actually processing real payments.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Access Your Shopify Admin: Navigate to your Shopify admin panel and select Settings followed by Payments.
2. Deactivate Your Current Payment Provider: If any payment providers are currently activated, you will need to deactivate them. For instance, if you are using Shopify Payments:
   • Click Manage.
   • Choose Deactivate.
3. Activate Bogus Gateway:
   • In the payment settings, you’ll look for Bogus Gateway as a payment provider.
   • Choose it and click Activate.
4. Save Your Changes: Ensure you hit Save to apply the changes.
5. Create a Test Order: Now, go to your store and begin the checkout process as if you were a customer. Here are the test details you can use:
   • Name on Card: Bogus Gateway
   • Credit Card Number:
     • Enter 1 for a successful transaction.
     • Enter 2 for a failed transaction.
     • Enter 3 for generating an exception message.
   • CVV: Any three-digit number.
   • Expiry Date: Any future date.
6. Review the Order: After completing the checkout, review the order in your Shopify admin. Check that all notifications, inventory levels, and shipping options are displayed correctly.
7. Deactivate Bogus Gateway: Once finished, go back to your payment settings to deactivate Bogus Gateway to allow real transactions.

Method 2: Real Payment Order & Immediate Refund

If we wish to test real transactions and payment providers, this method is useful though it may incur fees.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Ensure Payment Provider Activation: Activate your payment provider that you wish to test.
2. Process Real Order: Make a purchase from your store using your actual credit card details like any customer would.
3. Refund Immediately: Visit your orders section and cancel the order right away, initiating a refund to yourself. Be mindful that you may not receive refunds for any associated fees.

Best Practices for Conducting Test Orders

To maximize the effectiveness of our testing, we should keep these best practices in mind:

• Use an email address that ends in @example.com for test orders to avoid receiving unnecessary emails in your inbox.
• Perform tests for different payment methods to see how each functions in real-time.
• Test orders on multiple devices—desktop and mobile—to ensure a responsive design.
• Verify email notifications and fulfillment notifications.

Integration with Tevello Features

As we strive for excellence in our Shopify operations, consider integrating Tevello into our workflow. By using Tevello, we can create and manage online courses, sell digital products, and build vibrant communities—all from within our Shopify stores.

Explore our powerful, all-in-one feature set for course creation, communities, and digital products. Learn more about our features here.

Common Pitfalls When Testing Orders

While testing is critical, there are common pitfalls we should actively avoid:

1. Not Deactivating Payment Providers: Leaving live payment providers active while in test mode can lead to transaction errors.
2. Insufficient Testing Scenarios: Focusing solely on successful transactions can leave gaps in our checks against other issues.
3. Ignoring Customer Experience: It’s essential to view the transaction process through the customer’s lens to uncover any friction points.
4. Forgetting to Monitor Notifications: Confirm that order notifications and emails are correctly configured to maintain communication with customers.

The Impact of Effective Testing on E-commerce Success

By investing our time in placing well-thought-out test orders, we not only verify that everything flows seamlessly but we also enhance the credibility of our businesses. A well-tested checkout leads to higher conversion rates, improved customer satisfaction, and ultimately stronger customer loyalty.

Are you ready to elevate your e-commerce game? Start your 14-day free trial of Tevello today and empower your Shopify store to create, manage, and sell online courses! Get started with Tevello.

Conclusion

Placing test orders on Shopify is an indispensable practice that ensures our online store operates smoothly, much like a finely tuned machine. By simulating transactions, we can uncover areas for improvement before they impact our real customers. We’ve explored how these test orders can be executed using both test gateways and real payments, along with potential pitfalls we need to avoid.

To take the first step in optimizing our Shopify store, we invite you to start your 14-day free trial of Tevello—allowing us to integrate community building and digital product sales seamlessly. Let's ensure we’re delivering the best shopping experience possible to our customers.

FAQ

Why do I need to place a test order?

Placing a test order allows you to verify that your checkout process, payment processing, inventory management, shipping calculations, and notifications are all functioning as expected.

How often should I perform a test order?

It is recommended to conduct a test order at least once after setting up your store and whenever you implement changes to your payment settings or store processes.

What is the Bogus Gateway?

The Bogus Gateway is a testing feature in Shopify that allows merchants to simulate transactions without incurring actual charges, making it easier to test the checkout process.

Can I use a real credit card for testing?

Yes, you can use a real credit card for a test order, but keep in mind you may incur processing fees. It is better to perform test orders through the Bogus Gateway when possible.

What should I pay attention to after placing a test order?

After placing a test order, check notifications for accuracy, verify that inventory counts update appropriately, and ensure that your customer's experience aligns with expected standards.