Blog title with desk + computer

 

As digital continues to rise as a powerhouse commerce channel, the need for optimized and effective online functionality and user experiences becomes more critical. Testing is the means by which you will identify flaws, frustrations, and failures (all of which are not necessarily in plain sight).

I’ve outlined some key factors to help build an effective testing system for your website, applications, software, infrastructure, database, and technology.

Create a Test Plan
  • Generate Use Cases and Test Scenarios
  • Establish a Stable Test Environment
  • Assemble Capable and Proficient Testers
  • Prepare a Schedule for Testing
  • Design Scoring for each Test Case
  • Verify a Clear Understanding on Reporting of Test Results
  • Create a Test Results Report
  • Define the Administration for Post-Test Actions and Retesting
  • Set Up a Retesting Resolution Report
Prepare Documentation
  • QA Processes
  • Testing Protocols
  • Test Flows
  • Pass / Fail Outcomes
  • Prioritized Action Plan
Testing Requirements
  • Modules and Functions
  • Triggers
  • Inputs / Outputs
  • Database Transactions
  • Files & Reports
  • Documented Flows and Use Cases
  • Utilities & Scripts
  • Automated Functions
  • Invalid Data Alert and Error Messages
  • Security, Access Controls
Application Testing
  • Mobile Responsive: Simulate All Screen Sizes and Device-Browser Combinations
  • User Interface including GUI Validation and User Acceptance
  • Page Rendering | Element Alignments | Content Placement
  • On-Site Search | Navigation | Keyword Analysis
  • On-Page Content | Internal & External Links | International Conversion, if applicable
  • Shopping Cart: End-to-End including Account Set Up, Tax, and Shipping
  • SEO: Tags, Schema, URLs, Structured Data, HTTPS, Crawl & Indexing
  • Favicon | Breadcrumbs | Information Architecture | Visual Cues
  • HTML, CSS, JavaScript | Style Sheets| Robots.txt | Sitemap | XML Sitemap
  • Pop Ups | User Messages | Error Notices | Auto-Generated Emails
  • Add-Ons | Plug-Ins | 3rd Party Software | Integrated Applications
  • Media: Optimization, Minification, Formatting, Placement, Accessibility
  • Data: Accuracy, Integrity, Structure, Feeds, Real Time Delivery
  • Call to Actions | Buttons | Rick Text Links | Interactive Elements + Icons
  • Caching | Minimize HTTP Requests | Bottom of Page Scripts | Lazy Loading
  • Inspect the CSS Grid, Container Queries and DOM Properties
  • Forms: Minimum Fields | Auto Fill | Auto Correct | Progressive Format
  • Technical: Functional | Database | Data Feeds | Load Balance | Recovery
  • Inputs + Outputs | APIs | Interface Between Servers | Query Response Time
  • Inspect Network Activity and Server Access Logs
  • Performance | Compatibility | Security | ADA Accessibility Compliance
  • Core Web Vitals | Analyze Runtime Performance
  • Timeline Event Properties: Loading, Scripting, Rendering, Painting
  • Platform: Reliability, Availability, Stability, Scalability, Maintainability
  • Site Administration: Manual for Capabilities, Functions, and Reports

Continue reading “Quality Assurance (QA) Methods & Standards for Digital, Data, and Infrastructure”

drop-of-water-ripple

In the digital commerce space, impact is critical and relentlessly pursued. Attracting your target audience and converting visitors to consumers require far more than a hook and a pitch.

Impact is achieved through exceptional efforts that blend strategy, creativity, agility, and innovation. Whether problem-based, exploration-based, need-based, or interest-based, capturing ‘intent’ and motivating people are forms of marketing dexterity – weaving touch points and experiences that trigger actions and engagement.

Impact comes from tapping emotional, mental, spiritual, intellectual, societal, physical, and environmental factors.

Always start with specific objectives and a well-defined project plan.  Any endeavor worth doing begins with concept, scope, definitions, timelines, tasks, and measurable goals.

Leverage your organization’s expertise and acumen. Intellect drives trust and confidence, and should serve as the foundation of impact.

Share a wide spectrum of content, and assess where it most resonates with your audience.  Be mindful of the tone, voice, and style – each of these should have unique brand characteristics and a consistency across platforms.

Tell stories. Not about the brand, nor your products and services. Instead, create organic media about people – their journey, experiences, challenges, passion, pursuits, and insights.  Be purposeful in demonstrating a correlation between the story and the brand.

Tailor campaigns to narrowed segments of your customer-base to ensure the experiences offer value and provide benefit beyond a purchase.  When you penetrate the mind and motivators, impact is lingering… and lasting.

Continually fine-tune your approach until impact is evident. This will build your competitive edge.

Establish a pipeline of progress, continually fostering new ideas, driving the quality and ‘wow’ factor, and digging for hidden opportunities.

Be open and receptive to instances of  poor performance. Embrace when outcomes do not align with objectives- these are essential moments to learn and improve. Test, iterate, and be excited when incremental advancements are realized!

Impact isn’t always obvious, nor readily validated.  And yet, it is incredibly powerful. When achieved, compelling brand experiences are highly persuasive and will help you dominate in brand positioning and profitability.

b2b order portal banner for digital commerce

 

Many B2B operators, dealers, and sellers utilize an ordering portal to achieve their business objective. The demand by customers has risen sharply for an easy-to-use, highly intuitive platform with the means to search their product catalog, place and track orders, and manage invoices, payments and account information.

There are a wide range of ordering portal solutions on the market today, claiming to offer an all-in-one user friendly, seamless solution.  Truth is, each B2B entity has unique requirements based on their business model, customer interactions, catalog and pricing structure, and back-end system.

The features of the portal, the size and condition of the data sets, specific customer needs, as well as its technical design, must be the drivers for platform selection. That means starting with the scope of capabilities and catalogs, and complexity of the technology ecosystem.

Continue reading “Profile of an Ordering Portal – Key Features & Capabilities”

digital-marketing-touch points

 

 

Critical for digital commerce are a defined strategy and well-structured plan. Every component of the plan should have a clear objective. That gives all initiatives a North Star and the means to measure results.

Objectives & Key Results (known as OKRs) must be precise and individualized to a particular channel or campaign. Additionally, being quantifiable gives a basis for benchmarks, forecasting and validating performance.

Examples of measurable goals are:

  • New customer acquisition
  • Existing customer retention
  • Conversions
  • Revenue, profit margins or incremental sales
  • Search engine ranking and quality score
  • SEO performance and organic traffic volume
  • Market share, market penetration or new market entry
  • Brand awareness, equity or advocacy
  • Competitive advantage and positioning
  • Audience targeting and personalization
  • Customer journey and UX performance

Gaining attention and visibility online is just the start.  Lead activation, user engagement and triggered activations require an emphasis on brand image, tailored messaging, tactical design, intrinsic interface, and imperative solutions, all with the aim to improve the bottom line.

Continue reading “Cultivating Digital Relationships and Revenue”