APIs, otherwise known as Application Programming Interfaces, have become the secret messengers of the tech world. Their importance in today’s digital world and their relationship with the retail industry should not be underestimated.
APIs have become crucial to today’s IT systems as they enable different software to communicate with one another. For example, in retail, when a customer orders something online through an app, it uses an API to enable it to retrieve inventory data to indicate whether or not a product is available.
APIs focus on accuracy (through ensuring all data sent and received is correct); performance (ensuring all requests are processed quickly); and reliability. In today’s world, there’s an unprecedented appetite for APIs. As they operate behind the scenes, they are technically faster and more efficient than UI testing. In case you are unaware, UI is another type of software testing that focuses on checking the appearance, functionality and usability of systems. APIs can also be credited with helping uncover issues earlier in the development process.
In the fast-paced retail industry, technology remains the backbone of operations. From online stores to point-of-sale systems, ensuring smooth customer experiences relies on robust testing of software systems. For non-technical stakeholders, understanding API testing and end-to-end (E2E) testing can clarify how they safeguard retail success and prevent costly errors. E2E testing is about simulating real-world user experiences. It ensures the entire software system works as expected from start to finish, involving all the components, from the front end to the backend, alongside APIs.
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Although existing retail systems can be highly dynamic through the provision of frequent updates, seasonal peaks and integration complexity, mistakes in systems can prove costly. Just as you can have bread without butter, microservices apps can operate without API gateways, although this can prove risky in today’s environment. By not using an API, retailers can expect to experience lost revenues, poor customer experiences, reputational damage and more.
Today’s retail environment has made APIs and end-to-end testing critical components of business success. To explain the difference between the two, API testing focuses on verifying the building blocks of retail systems. It’s fast and efficient and can also provide insights into various functions, such as product searches.
E2E testing takes a wider perspective on helping retailers, looking after the entire journey, from online product purchase to checkout; however, it is slower as it involves entire system integration. On the other hand, APIs concentrate on backend communication such as data retrieval and updates whilst being faster.
The ever-changing digital world has made the environment for retailers more challenging than ever before. I believe that in order to achieve the best results, API and E2E testing should be combined. This could result in faster iterations for retailers, early bug detection on retail sites and more.
By leveraging API testing for speed and accuracy and E2E testing for holistic user experience validation, retail businesses can minimize costly errors, optimize system performance and provide seamless customer experiences. In an industry where even minor errors can translate to significant losses, adopting a combined API and E2E testing approach isn’t just smart, believe me – it’s essential. Retail technology evolves rapidly, but with robust testing, businesses can stay ahead of the curve.
By understanding the synergy of API and E2E testing, retailers can confidently invest in robust quality assurance to secure their operations and customer satisfaction.
Guy Arieli is Co-founder and CTO at BlinqIO. His passion and interest in computing began at the age of 10 when he started playing with an old PC in his family home and taught himself about programming. Keen to develop a career in software, he studied Computer Science at Israel Institute of Technology. With his now Co-founder Tal Barmeir sharing Arieli’s interest in test automation and a huge passion for software, the pair set about establishing a joint venture, Experitest in July 2009, later acquired by Digital.ai. In 2023 Arieli decided to establish BlinqIO, the goal being to simplify and accelerate the way organizations are doing end-to-end software testing which can be a drain on resources. Today BlinqIO has three offices, one each in the U.S., Israel and Bangalore.
