- Testing Point of sales(POS) Systems
- Areas to Test in a Mobile POS System
- Types of Testing Needed for POS(Point of Sale)
- Conclusion
Testing Point of sales(POS) Systems
A point of sales (POS) system is at the hub of every retail business and is a large technology investment. An efficient POS software package increases productivity by reducing unnecessary work and managing the entire business. However, as technology is improvising day by day, POS systems are also evolving with technology.
As omnichannel initiatives are grabbing the attention, retailers are deploying shopping initiatives mobile POS, such as click-n-collect across mobile and other digital channels.
These are innovative ways to provide mobility and freedom to the customers and keep the cash register ticking. However, along with these demand creation opportunities with digital technologies, companies need to be wary of various application pitfalls like unpleasant customer experience, functional issues, payment fraud, security breaches, and server crashes, etc. This necessitates the need for continuous testing through quality assurance, performance management, and security.
Areas to Test in a Mobile POS System
Here are some focus areas that need focus in testing for a mobile POS system.
– Teller Activity:
This includes transactions such as the entry of items, tender, Store Value Cards, discounts etc.
– Transactions:
Return, exchange, regular sale, sale with credit/ debit/ gift card, loyalty member purchase, items, quantities, and prices.
– Store Server and Integration:
Verification of POS interaction with store servers and back-office systems.
– Data of Loyalty Members:
The system keeps track of what your customers are buying and who they are. It keeps track of what’s selling, at what times of day or week, to which types of customers and by which salespeople.
– Ability to Read all Cards:
There are various types of cards in the industry today such as Magnetic Stripe, CAV, etc.
– Performance:
Speed or the time taken to send a request (read) and receive a response and applying the transaction based rules like Rebates/Discounts/Tax etc.
– Negative Scenarios:
Several transaction declined scenarios such as invalid card/PIN/expired Card etc.
Types of Testing Needed for POS(Point of Sale)
Here are some major types of software testing that must be implemented for effective omnichannel retailing initiatives:
1. Functional testing:
Validates whether each component of the mobile POS functions in coordination with the requirements and specifications.
2. Mobile Testing:
Helps in ensuring ensures proper functional and usability of the mobile POS
3. Compatibility testing:
Identifies whether the application is functioning as intended across different browsers, hardware, database, operating systems, mobile devices, and networks.
4. Load & Performance Testing:
Assesses the end-user experience under varying amounts of load and traffic on the system.
5. Security testing:
Identifies whether the mobile POS system is able to protect the data as intended.
6. Big Data/ Analytics Testing:
End-to-end testing from data acquisition to data analytics helping retailers take right business decisions and thoroughly understand the customer buying behavior. Test Data management strategy is also needed to reduce time-to-market and improve efficiency.
7. Test Automation:
Supports in achieving accelerated time-to-market and better quality
In the age of digitally connected customers, superior customer experience is critical to the success of the retail industry. TestingXperts has wide industry experience and has been testing the Omnichannel initiatives of global clients from retail industry. Connect with us and identify how we can help you improve the performance and functionality of your mobile POS systems.
