Final Testing, Going Live, and Summary (Nerd Streetwear Online Store) Part IV

From ideation to examples to step-by-step setup, the side hustle nerd t-shirt store built with Astro, Crystallize, and Stripe for payment by ChatGPT and proofread for accuracy.

This is a four-piece article:
1️⃣ Bringing Idea to Life and Setting Up the Backend
2️⃣ Building the Frontend with Astro and Integration with Stripe
3️⃣ Advance Features and Deploying the Project
4️⃣ Final Testing, Going Live, and Summary

Almost done. Final testing and going live plan.

7. Final Testing

Before going live, it’s critical to thoroughly test your site to ensure that everything works as expected. Even on such a small project, i.e., just a few products. Here’s a checklist to help you through this process with purpose and tooling explained.

1. Cross-Browser Testing:
   • Purpose: Ensure your site looks and functions correctly across browsers (e.g., Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge).
   • Tools: Use tools like BrowserStack or LambdaTest to automate cross-browser testing.
2. Mobile Responsiveness:
   • Purpose: Verify that your site is fully responsive and provides a good user experience on mobile devices.
   • Tools: Use your browser's developer tools to simulate different device viewports or test on actual mobile devices.
3. Functionality Testing:
   • Checkout Process: Test the entire checkout flow, from adding items to the cart to completing a purchase with Stripe.
   • Product Filtering and Wishlist: Ensure product filtering works as expected and the wishlist feature correctly adds/removes products.
   • Dynamic Routing: Verify that dynamic product pages load correctly for different products.
4. Performance Testing:
   • Purpose: Check your site’s performance, focusing on load times, interactivity, and overall user experience. You can find more information on performance KPIs and measuring here.
   • Tools: Use Lighthouse (integrated into Chrome DevTools) or WebPageTest to analyze your site’s performance. Monitor metrics like First Contentful Paint (FCP) and Time to Interactive (TTI).
5. SEO Testing:
   • Purpose: Ensure that your site is optimized for search engines.
   • Tools: Use the Lighthouse SEO audit to check for best practices, including meta tags, structured data, and mobile-friendliness. Track your progress with this eCommerce SEO checklist.
6. Security Testing:
   • Purpose: Verify that your site is secure, particularly with regard to payment processing and user data.
   • Tools: Conduct a security audit using tools like OWASP ZAP to identify vulnerabilities.
7. Accessibility Testing:
   • Purpose: Ensure your site is accessible to users with disabilities.
   • Tools: Use accessibility testing tools like Axe or Lighthouse to identify issues and ensure compliance with WCAG standards.
8. Final Content Check:
   • Purpose: Review all content on your site for accuracy, consistency, and clarity.
   • Steps: Ensure product descriptions, pricing, images, and other content are properly displayed.

8. Going Live

Once your site has passed all the necessary tests, it’s time to go live:

1. Final Deployment:
   • Ensure that your final build is deployed using your CI/CD pipeline. Verify that all environment variables and configurations are set correctly.
2. Domain Configuration:
   • If you are using a custom domain, configure DNS settings to point to your hosting platform (e.g., Vercel or Netlify).
   • Ensure that SSL is enabled for secure HTTPS access.
3. Monitoring and Analytics:
   • Set up monitoring tools like Google Analytics or Mixpanel to track user behavior and site performance after launch.
   • Configure error-tracking tools like Sentry to catch and report any user issues.
4. Launch Announcement:
   • Announce the launch of DisBar store through your marketing channels, including social media, newsletters, and any relevant online communities.
5. Post-Launch Monitoring:
   • After the site goes live, monitor performance, user feedback, and any issues. Be prepared to iterate and improve based on real-world usage.

9. Next Steps

While the DisBar store is now fully functional, there are always opportunities for further enhancements and additional features. Here are some suggestions for the next steps:

1. User Authentication:
   • Implement user authentication using services like Auth0 or Firebase to allow customers to create accounts, track orders, and manage wishlists.
2. Advanced Search Functionality:
   • Integrate an advanced search feature using Algolia or Elasticsearch to improve product discoverability and user navigation.
3. Personalization:
   • Implement personalized product recommendations based on user behavior, previous purchases, and browsing history.
4. Content Management with CMS:
   • The best thing about Crystallize is that you can use it for product management and as a CMS to manage additional content such as blogs, news updates, or promotional banners. Back to content modeling for those types.
5. Marketing Automation:
   • Set up marketing automation tools to engage customers with personalized emails, abandoned cart notifications, and targeted promotions.
6. Enhanced Analytics and Reporting:
   • Integrate more robust analytics and reporting tools to gain deeper insights into customer behavior, sales trends, and site performance.
7. Expand Payment Options:
   • To cater to a broader audience, offer additional payment methods, such as PayPal, Apple Pay, or regional payment providers.
8. Mobile App Development:
   • Consider developing a mobile app for the DisBar store to provide a more seamless shopping experience on smartphones and tablets.

Summary: Instead of Conclusion

The last time I did one of these, I was still using WordPress and moving to the Gatsby + DatoCMS stack on a side hustle🤪

It has been four years since then, and a lot has changed. For a marketing guy like me, building the nerd streetwear Online Store DisBar has been a challenging journey.

But it was not impossible. Thanks to the amazing tools in the space and, quite frankly, ChatGPT. I did all of this for $20$ per month and invested some time in training the assistant😎

Sure, I need feedback and code checking (whatever you do with AI needs to be vetted); sure, I could/should have done a better job at writing more precise prompts; sure, the name is terrible😁 (I hope to compensate for that with the hype), but you can't say you are not impressed with what is possible today.

I know I am.

Here’s a recap of the significant steps throughout this process:

• Introduction and Project Overview: We started by defining the project’s scope, targeting the niche market of nerd streetwear. The project leveraged 🚀Astro for the front end, 🛒Crystallize for the back end, and 💰Stripe for payment processing.
• Setting Up the Backend with Crystallize: We created a tenant in Crystallize, defined roles and permissions, and set up content models tailored to the nerd streetwear products. We populated the catalog with products and configured the home page, laying the groundwork for a structured and scalable e-commerce platform.
• Building the Frontend with Astro: The front end was built using Astro, which allowed for the creation of a fast, optimized, and SEO-friendly static site. We connected the Astro frontend to the Crystallize backend using GraphQL, enabling dynamic routing and content fetching for product pages.
• Designing the UI/UX: The design phase included creating logos, app icons, and t-shirt mockups using tools like DALL-E, ensuring the brand identity was consistent and visually striking. We also wireframed the site's main pages, focusing on usability and user experience, before translating those designs into actual code.
• Integrating with Stripe: Stripe was integrated to handle secure payment processing, providing customers with a smooth and reliable checkout experience.
• Advanced Features: We implemented product filtering, wishlist functionality, and internationalization (i18n) to enhance the user experience. SEO and performance optimizations were applied, ensuring the site was fast, accessible, and easily discoverable by search engines.
• Deploying the Project on Netlify: The project was deployed on Netlify, leveraging its features for continuous deployment, global CDN, and custom domain management.

What now? Well, now that you’ve seen how to build a fully functional, modern e-commerce site using Astro, Crystallize, and Stripe, it’s time to apply these skills to your projects.

Whether you’re a marketer, developer, designer, or entrepreneur, the tools and techniques covered can help you create a unique online store that stands out in any niche market.

¯(ツ)/¯

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