Success Story Retail

Leading Retailer Elevates Digital Service Levels for Customers

This leading retailer offers customers a broad assortment of national, private and exclusive brands to fit all budgets. In order to better engage with customers, the company leverages a wide range of digital solutions for web, mobile, tablet and kiosk.

The company observed that the performance of its different channels was inconsistent, threatening customer satisfaction and increasing operational costs for management and upkeep.

  • An iconic US retailer

    An iconic US retailer in business for more than 100 years

  • multiple stores in the U.S

    Hundreds of stores in the U.S.

  • $11B in annual revenue

    Over $11B in annual revenue

test automation in retail

It enlisted Apexon in 2015 to analyze its existing systems, architecture and testing strategy to improve its quality engineering (QE) processes to ensure an enhanced user experience across all channels of engagement. Eventually extending the engagement to include Microservices, DevOps, cart and checkout automation and digital analytics automation lasting for over four years.

the Customer Journey
2015

2016

2017

2018

2015
  • Automation for web and mobile
  • Quality engineering engagement

2016
  • Microservices – API automation
  • Automation – data analytics

2017
  • DevOps
  • Cart and checkout automation
  • Digital analytics automation
  • Delphi automation

2016
  • Digital analytics automation
  • API gateway

the Results

Key Outcomes

Higher Service Levels
Higher
Service Levels

Reduced defects and improved test case execution leading to greater customer engagement and satisfaction

50% Faster Time-to-Market
50% Faster
Time-to-Market

For new digital apps and services due to increased use of automation and greater agility

Improved Resource Efficiency
Improved
Resource Efficiency

Increased automation coverage reduced testing resource requirements by 60% and implementation time by 68%

Our methodology

how
we did it

Apexon works with companies across the digital lifecycle.

Go Digital
Go Digital

Accelerating the delivery of new digital initiatives with confidence

Be digital
Be digital

Creating the infrastructure and foundation to scale digital initiatives

Evolve Digital
Evolve Digital

Leveraging data and analytics to continuously improve digital delivery processes

Launch & Experiment

Automate & Accelerate

Be Intelligent & Autonomous

Launch & Experiment

Enable digital adoption in a quick, and agile mannertransform the patient experience

After analyzing the existing application architecture and testing environment, Apexon proposed a phased QA approach.

Automate & Accelerate

Build digital infrastructure and foundation for enterprises to scaledigitization on patient Experience

Apexon deployed automated testing for all digital channels including web, mobile web and all related APIs.

To keep up with frequent build releases, Apexon installed Continuous Integration using Jenkins and QMetry Automation Studio.

Be Intelligent & Autonomous

Leverage data engineering to make strategic decisions and get digital right every time

Apexon’s QE engagement delivered reduced defects and improved test case execution leading to improved customer engagement and satisfaction.

Enhanced reporting with actionable intelligence to measure overall product quality, automation progress, trends, and more.

The challenge

To identify and overcome several critical barriers

Recognizing their digital channels needed to deliver higher service levels to customers, the company engaged Apexon to assess its existing systems, architecture and testing strategy.

This uncovered several critical challenges including:

frequent build releases

Multiple stakeholders involved in frequent build releases causing confusion and inefficiencies

test environments

Unstable test environments creating unreliable test data and unnecessary rework

re-use code and regression testing

An inability to re-use code and a lack of regression testing in its existing strategy

functionality behavior and performance in test validation

No consideration of functionality behavior and performance in test validation

robust test data management and actionable quality metrics

A lack of robust test data management and actionable quality metrics

test automation frameworks

Different test automation  frameworks being used by different teams and channels

Software defects

Software defects leaking into production releases

omni-channel test strategy

Ongoing struggles with its omni-channel test strategy

No CI/CD process

No CI/CD process in place

The Solution

Phased QE approach enhancing qe processes and UX

After analyzing the existing application architecture and testing environment, Apexon proposed a phased QE approach focused on enhancing the effectiveness of the company’s QE processes to ensure a quality user experience regardless of channel. It also wanted to reduce unnecessary operational costs and resources.

The engagement included several key initiatives:

automated testing for all digital channels

95% automated testing for all digital channels including web, mobile web, point-of-sale, tablet, and all related APIs

Full test coverage of multiple platforms

Full test coverage of multiple platforms, browsers, devices, and OS

Agile test methodologies to facilitate faste

Use of Agile test methodologies to facilitate faster, more immediate feedback to development teams and eliminate defect leakage

Continuous Integration using Jenkins with QMetry Automation Studio

Continuous Integration using Jenkins with QMetry Automation Studio to keep up with frequent build releases

enhanced report execution and requirement tracking

Metadata definition for enhanced report execution and requirement tracking

Deployment of integration

Deployment of integration with partners’ tools: QMetry Automation Studio and HP-ALM

Modularized test cases

Modularized test cases providing granular functional and performance details

re-usable components to test APIs, mobile web, native app, and desktop

The development of common re-usable components to test APIs, mobile web, native app, and desktop

By collaborating with the company from the beginning to define test case priorities and metadata, Apexon was able to implement a single unified framework to automate, web, mobile and API testing.

This approach also delivered enhanced reporting with actionable intelligence to help measure overall product quality, automation progress and QE trends.