26 May 2023
Getting Started with Akeneo Testing: A Practical Guide for QA Engineers in E-Commerce
5 August 2025
5:55 MIN Read time BY
Resma John
Akeneo is a Product Information Management (PIM) system used widely by e‑commerce businesses to centralize, enrich, and distribute product data. In multichannel selling environments—websites, apps, marketplaces—Akeneo ensures that product information remains consistent, complete, and localized.
Unlike traditional CMSs, Akeneo focuses solely on product data, making it ideal for businesses managing hundreds or thousands of SKUs. QA testers working on Akeneo-enabled platforms need to ensure seamless syncing, accurate data propagation, localization, media handling, and real-time updates across systems.
1. Efficient Management of Large Product Catalogues:
Akeneo is built to manage thousands of SKUs with ease. It helps eCommerce teams organize and maintain massive product catalogs using structured categories, product families, and attributes. This streamlines product onboarding and ensures scalability as your catalogue grows.
2. Bring New Products to Market Faster:
With Akeneo, product teams can quickly create and enrich product data using templates, workflows, and validation rules. This speeds up approvals and ensures all required information is in place, reducing time-to-market for new launches.
3. Real-Time Updates Across All Sales Channels:
Any updates made in Akeneo—like pricing, descriptions, or images—can be published instantly to connected storefronts, apps, or marketplaces. This ensures consistent and up-to-date information across every customer touchpoint.
Reference:https://www.akeneo.com/video/akeneo-activation-streamline-product-experiences-across-all-channels/
4. Centralised Product Data:
Akeneo acts as a single source of truth where all product information—names, SKUs, images, specifications, and more—is stored and managed. Centralization reduces errors and helps teams maintain data accuracy.
5. Seamless Product Import & Export:
Teams can easily import product data from various sources using CSV or Excel files and export it to eCommerce platforms or external systems. This simplifies bulk updates and speeds up catalog management workflows.
6. Category and Attribute Management:
Akeneo allows users to group products into categories and assign them to families with predefined attribute sets. This ensures consistent structure, simplifies navigation, and improves product filtering on frontends.
7. Multi-Channel Support:
Whether you’re selling through websites, mobile apps, or marketplaces like Amazon, Akeneo supports multi-channel publishing. You can tailor product content for each channel while managing everything from one platform.
8. Localization and Multi-Language Support:
Akeneo makes it easy to manage product information in multiple languages and regions. It helps businesses deliver localized product content that resonates with customers in different markets.
9. User Roles and Permissions:
Akeneo provides fine-grained access control, allowing admins to define who can view, edit, or manage different parts of the catalog. This keeps workflows secure and ensures only authorized users make changes.
10. Robust API Connectivity:
Akeneo integrates seamlessly with ERPs, eCommerce platforms, CRMs, and DAM systems using its powerful APIs. This makes it a flexible and future-ready solution for omnichannel operations.
Commonly Used Test Scenarios for Akeneo-Enabled E-Commerce
|
Test Scenario |
Test Steps |
Expected Result |
| Verify product import from CSV into Akeneo. | 1. Log in to Akeneo.
2. Upload a sample product CSV. 3. Trigger the import job. |
Product data should be imported without errors and visible in the product grid. |
| Ensure product details sync correctly from
Akeneo to the storefront. |
1. Modify product name or price in Akeneo.
2. Trigger the export/sync job. 3. Check the storefront for the product update |
Updated details should appear correctly on the storefront. |
| Verify correct category mapping from Akeneo to the storefront. | 1. Assign product to a category in Akeneo.
2. Export and sync data. 3. Check the product listing under the category on the website. |
The product should appear under the correct category. |
| Ensure Akeneo blocks
saving if required fields are missing. |
1. Create a new product.
2. Leave required fields (e.g., name, SKU) blank. 3. Try to save the product. |
The system should show a validation error and not allow saving. |
| Verify translated content appears correctly on the storefront. | 1. Add translated product name in Akeneo (e.g., French).
2. Sync data to the French storefront. 3. Check the French site version. |
Correct translation should be displayed on the regional site. |
| Ensure product images are correctly synced to the storefront | 1. Upload product image in Akeneo.
2. Export product data. 3. Check the product detail page on the storefront. |
The image should appear correctly without distortion or error. |
| Verify all custom attributes appear as expected on the storefront. | 1. Add attributes like “Material” or “Colour” to a product in Akeneo.
2. Export product data. 3. Check product details on the storefront. |
All attributes should display with correct values. |
| Verify the Product Created in Akeneo is Displayed on Storefront | 1. Log in to Akeneo.
2. Create a new product with required fields 3. Assign the product to a category and product family. 4. Mark the product as Enabled. |
The product should be visible on the storefront with the correct name, price, description, and category. |
| Verify the product Category Mapping | 1. In Akeneo, edit a product and change its assigned category
2. Trigger the product export to the storefront 3. Open the storefront and navigate to the new category page. |
The product should now appear under the new category and should be removed from the old one. |
| Verify the translation sync | 1. In Akeneo, enter product details in two languages
2. Enable both locales for the product 3. Export the product. 4. Open the website and switch between English and French languages. |
Product content should display correctly in the selected language. No missing or untranslated fields. |
| Verify the product Image Appears on the Storefront | 1. In Akeneo, upload a main image to a product.
2. Set it as the main media file. 3. Export the product and image. 4. Visit the product page on the storefront. |
The image should be displayed correctly on the product page.
No broken or missing image links |
| Verify Disabling a Product in Akeneo Hides it from the Storefront | 1. Locate an existing product in Akeneo that is currently visible on the website.
2. Mark the product as “Disabled” 3. Export the product 4. Refresh the product page or search for it in the storefront. |
The product should no longer be accessible or visible to customers.
The product page should return a “Product not found” or similar message. |
Common Bugs Found in Akeneo-Integrated Systems
1. Data Mismatch:
Sometimes the product data in Akeneo and the storefront do not match, leading to inconsistent information.
2. Product Visibility Errors:
There can be issues where products are either not visible or incorrectly displayed on the storefront due to sync issues.
3. Synchronisation Glitches:
Problems in data synchronisation might cause delays or errors, making it important to verify the real-time flow of information.
4. Product Not Appearing on Website:
Even after a successful sync, the product is not visible on the storefront. This can happen if:
- The product is not marked as “enabled” in Akeneo.
- The product is missing a required category.
- The product family is not properly linked.
5. Incorrect Pricing Information:
The price shown on the website does not match the price set in Akeneo. Possible reasons:
- Wrong price attribute selected for sync.
- Currency mismatch or rounding issues.
6. Missing or Broken Product Images:
Some products show “image not available” or wrong images. Common causes:
- Image file missing in Akeneo or incorrect file path.
- Image not linked to the correct product variant.
7. Wrong Category Display:
A product appears under the wrong section/category on the website.
- Category mapping in Akeneo may be incorrect or not synced properly.
- Storefront logic may not handle multi-level categories properly.
8. Duplicate Product Entries:
The Same product appears twice or more in the online store.
- Sync ran multiple times due to a system error.
- SKU duplication caused by faulty import or manual entries.
9. Attribute Display Issues:
Product attributes like size, colour, or material are:
- Missing
- Displayed in the wrong language
- Mapped to the wrong fields in the frontend
10. Translation Bugs:
For multilingual setups
- The product description shows English text on French pages.
- Some languages show “null” or placeholder text.
11. Incomplete Product Data:
Some products are published with missing important information, like:
- No size guide
- No specifications
- Missing warranty details
12. Delayed Syncs or Timeouts:
Product updates are not reflected immediately due to:
- Long queue in sync jobs
- Timeouts during export/import processes
- Background cron jobs are failing silently
Tips and Best Practices for Akeneo Testing
To ensure Akeneo functions smoothly in your eCommerce ecosystem, it’s important to follow structured testing practices. Below are key tips that help testers maintain quality, consistency, and accuracy across product data and sync processes.
1. Maintain a Checklist of Critical Fields:
Always prepare a validation checklist for essential product fields such as SKU, name, image, and price. After each sync, verify these fields carefully to ensure data integrity. Missing or incorrect values in these core fields can lead to broken product pages or customer confusion.
2. Use a Test Setup Mirroring the Live System:
Create a staging environment that closely replicates your production setup, including channel configurations and workflows. This allows you to detect integration issues, sync failures, or formatting mismatches early—before pushing changes to the live platform.
3. Perform Regular Regression Testing
With frequent product updates, enhancements, or PIM configurations, regression testing becomes vital. It ensures that previously working functionalities (like attribute mappings or channel-specific exports) haven’t been unintentionally broken due to recent changes.
4. Validate Product Accuracy, Not Just Presence:
It’s not enough to check if the product appears on the front end; also, verify the accuracy of critical fields such as pricing, categories, attributes, and product relationships (like variants or bundles). This helps in catching silent data errors that could impact conversions.
5. Test Across Multiple Languages and Channels:
Akeneo supports multi-language and multi-channel setups, so testing should verify that product information is consistent across all supported regions and platforms. Check that language-specific translations, formats, and images are displayed correctly for each locale.
6. Collaborate with Developers and Content Managers:
To ensure effective test coverage, work closely with developers to understand the technical implementation and with content managers to track real-world workflows. This collaboration helps uncover edge cases and ensures that testing aligns with business goals and content quality standards.
26 May 2023
12 June 2020
Resma John is a QA Engineer at Testvox, specializing in e-commerce application testing. With 3 years of experience in functional and usability testing, she ensures seamless product data flow across platforms. Her expertise lies in delivering high-quality releases through meticulous validation of PIM systems like Akeneo.
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