Do You Know? The advantages of Cloud-based Mobile Testing

The launch of Tesco Homeplus’s first virtual store in 2011 was a perfect example of a successful localization effort. In a subway station located in Seoul, South Korea, Tesco teamed up with Samsung, to provide the feeling of a virtual store. Customers could download the associated application into their Smartphone and scan the Quick Response (QR) codes. QR cores are a type of matrix barcodes, which the customers scanned for products they wished to purchase, which were on virtual display in a public place, like the subway station. The products would then be delivered on the same day, at a time chosen by the customer, to the address mentioned in the application. The app took off instantly and saw tremendous popularity. With nearly a million app downloads in less than one year, online sales shooting up by 130 per cent, and an increase in registered users by 76%, the concept of a virtual store by Tesco Homeplus was a remarkable accomplishment. Its success bolstered the company to a number one position among online retailers in South Korea.

Tesco Homeplus’s virtual store is also a key case in point when it comes to understanding how smart phones are transforming businesses every day.

Smart phones provide one chief element of importance: reach to a wide range of customers. That does not, however, negate the sort of challenges that the business should be prepared to face. The whole concept of a virtual store would have bombed out had there been no signal reach for the mobile phones from the subway stations. The service providers would have been needed to be contacted, to ensure that there would be sufficient signal reach. The volume of the app downloads (close to a million, over less than a year) also would have negatively impacted business, had preparations not been made to handle the load. All the various tasks, from scanning to choosing the time for delivery, would need to function without hiccoughs, and simultaneously, for all the application users. Various other factors would also come under consideration for the smooth functioning of the mobile phone applications.

Enterprises have acknowledged that their capital expenditure and operational expenditure are kept optimum by leveraging on smart phones. By responding to product queries and complaints immediately, smart phones enable most customers’ pain points to be addressed instantaneously. They help estimate demand for products, thereby leading to smarter inventory decisions.

Testing tools used in mobile testing labs help improve the return on investment (ROI) for businesses that utilize smart phones to connect with, and serve, their customers.  Mobile cloud laboratories enable testing in a remote fashion. The mobile devices are held in reserve at secure data centers, throughout the world. Remote testing helps efficiently virtualize performance of the application from the end-user’s point of view. This specifically comes in handy when establishing scenarios where users would try to detect signals from remote areas. Tools such as LoadRunner help get a complete picture of the user experience, through monitoring elements such as response time, CPU and memory.

There are several advantages to a cloud-based mobile-device testing laboratory. One of the biggest advantages is that this setup helps ensure that business is kept up-to-date with customer needs and updated technology. Setting up a cloud-based mobile-device testing laboratory falls in line with agile methodology. It authorizes most team members to utilize all the company’s tools and work in cross-functional teams. Cloud testing can be done throughout the day, either manually or by using automation tools.

Experitest is the primary supplier of Quality Assurance tools for mobile DevOps. It provides tools that cover the following testing services:

• Load testing
• Manual testing
• Test automation
• Performance testing and
• Monitoring for mobile applications

Cigniti’s Mobile Testing approach covers the entire software testing life cycle by leveraging its Mobile Test Center of Excellence. This helps ensure quality deliverables. The mobile cloud laboratory helps accelerate particularly the time to market and also the return-on-investment (ROI). Here at Cigniti, frameworks for mobile automation suit various devices and support an entire host of operating systems.

For more information, please visit https://www.cigniti.com/mobile-testing