# Enhancing ShopLC's basket and checkout performance

Client: ShopLC
Industry: E-commerce retail

Published: 2024-07-10
Author: RetailPace
Canonical page: https://retailpace.com/blog/case-studies/shoplc-basket-checkout-performance/

> Automated performance tests, a real-time dashboard and Microsoft Teams alerts helped ShopLC reduce basket and checkout load times.

## Results

- +45k in revenue
- +20% increased reach

## Challenge

ShopLC faced a significant challenge in executing performance tests on their Basket and Checkout pages. Conventional performance testing tools lacked the capability to complete the preliminary steps required to populate the Basket and initiate the checkout process, hindering their ability to gauge real-world performance accurately.

## Solution

RetailPace provided a bespoke solution by integrating Cypress automated tests with Lighthouse page speed performance tests. This powerful combination addressed ShopLC's unique requirements effectively.


## Key takeaways

- **Tailored solutions.** Custom solutions that combine automated testing tools can address specific client needs effectively.
- **Comprehensive testing.** Performance variability testing provides valuable insights into how different factors impact page load times.
- **Continuous monitoring.** Real-time dashboards and automated alerts enable proactive performance management and optimization.

## Automated testing with Cypress

We developed an automated test using **Cypress** that adds a list of products to the cart from the Product Detail Page, loads the Basket page, and executes a **Lighthouse** page speed test.

This approach offered a comprehensive view of the Basket page's performance over time.

## Performance variability testing

To understand how the Basket page behaves with varying numbers of products, we created several tests to compare page load times with different quantities of product lines.

The tests conducted were:

- Adding 5 products and displaying the Basket
- Adding 10 products and displaying the Basket
- Adding 15 products and displaying the Basket

These tests aimed to understand the impact of complex promotions and variation attributes on the Basket page load times.

## Results

- The tests revealed significant discrepancies in load times between having <mark>5, 10, and 15 products</mark> in the basket. The primary factor for the variations was the complex calculations required for promotions and product variations.
- Armed with this data, ShopLC's performance optimization team employed profiling and other techniques to enhance load times significantly.
- Subsequent releases saw continuous improvements in Basket page load times, monitored through the integrated performance tests.

## Ongoing monitoring and alerts

RetailPace's solution included a dashboard for real-time performance monitoring of the Basket and Checkout processes. Additionally, automated alerts were set up to notify the ShopLC team if performance metrics, such as the **Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)**, exceeded predefined thresholds (e.g., <mark>above 5 seconds</mark>). These alerts, integrated into **Microsoft Teams**, provided peace of mind, ensuring the team stayed informed about the daily status of their checkout performance without constantly monitoring the dashboard.

## Conclusion

By implementing RetailPace's custom solution, ShopLC significantly improved their Basket and Checkout page performance, leading to:

- Reduced load times
- Fewer abandoned carts
- Increased customer satisfaction

ShopLC continues to benefit from ongoing performance tests and alerts, ensuring optimal performance and a seamless shopping experience for their customers.

RetailPace remains committed to helping ShopLC maintain superior performance standards and deliver exceptional user experiences.