How to place a test order
This article will explain what a test order is, what kinds of test orders you can perform and how they work. Further it will show you what the results of the test order mean.
What is a test order?
A test order is a live (physical) order shipped to a test customer, placed via your integrator or directly on the Zalando website.
Test orders are used to check whether partners comply with the established order quality requirements, and to identify any issues that may have a negative impact on a customer’s experience.
Important
To ensure your orders meet the necessary standards, please refer to our Quality Assurance (QA) Requirements for detailed guidelines.
What are the different kinds of test orders?
There are two distinct types of test order:
Option 1: The test order is placed by your technical integrator and you will ship it to the test order address provided (see details below).
This option is possible only with these third party integrators: Tradebyte, Rithum, Neteven, Anatwine, Lengow.
Option 2: The SKU is put online by the onboarding manager and then you are asked to buy and to ship it to the test order address provided.
This option is available to Direct Integration partners and those using integrators that are not: Tradebyte, Rithum, Neteven, Anatwine, Lengow.
How do these two different kinds of test orders work?
Test order option 1 step-by-step:
(when using specific integrators, i.e. Tradebyte, Rithum, Neteven, Anatwine, Lengow)
If a test order is required, your Onboarding Manager will contact you via email once you are ready to move to this step.
Your Onboarding Manager will provide you and your integrator with the tester’s address.
You will have to provide your Onboarding Manager with the SKU you want to use for the test order.
Your integrator will place the order and provide all needed information to Zalando (e.g. SKU, tracking link, etc.).
You are done! A few days after the test customer has received the test order, Zalando’s Quality Assurance (QA) team will check the parcel and documents included therein, and create a QA report with the outcome of the delivery test, which will be sent directly to you via email.
Once the test customer has received and evaluated the order, it will be returned to you automatically, without any action required on your side.
Test order option 2 step-by-step:
(when using direct integration or another integrator - not Tradebyte, Rithum, Neteven, Anatwine, Lengow)
1. If a test order is needed, your Onboarding Manager will reach out via email typically after at least one of your articles has been approved (status ZABLO_13 in zDirect).
2. Your Onboarding Manager will provide you with the article number (SKU) to be tested and the tester’s address. You will also agree on a specific date and time to perform the test with your Onboarding Manager.
3. On the agreed-upon day and time, the article will be available on the Zalando website.
4. Before placing a test order, create an account on Zalando’s website (unless you already have one and want to use your existing account) depending on the channel where the test order needs to be placed (in this case, since the test order is placed for the DE platform, the website is zalando.de).
Good to know
You can use your account for all channels, without the need to create a new one for each country.
5. Log in with your credentials.
6. The Onboarding Manager will share a link to the product page with you, including the specific size. Alternatively, look for the test order on the search bar using the Article ID (SKU) shared by your Onboarding Manager (e.g., 2LA22O00B-A11).
7. Add the article to the shopping bag. Your Onboarding Manager might ask you to order a specific size for the test order (e.g., XXL, 48).
8. Ensure that the article is sold and shipped by you before proceeding to check out.
9. During the checkout process, add the tester's name and address as the delivery address. (This information is provided by your onboarding manager.)
10. Confirm the correct billing and payment details, if necessary, before finalising the purchase. Please note that for orders less than €25 in certain countries (FR, IT, ES, UK, IE, the Nordics), delivery costs may apply.
11. Make sure to send the order number and the tracking link to your Onboarding Manager, so they can track the status of your order.
12. You are done! Following the receipt of the test order by the test customer, Zalando’s QA team will inspect the parcel and accompanying documents, and generate a QA report detailing the delivery test outcome, which will be emailed to you directly.
13. Once the test customer has received and evaluated the order, it will be returned to you automatically, without any action required on your side.
Test order Quality Check Results (QA Report)
A few days after the test customer has received the test order, Zalando’s Quality Assurance (QA) team will check the parcel and documentation enclosed within, and create a QA report with the outcome of the delivery test, which will then be sent directly to you via email. Please read the complete QA Report carefully (i.e. including all findings, potential corrective measures, and images attached as proof).
Important
Please read the complete QA Report carefully (i.e. including all findings, potential corrective measures, and images attached as proof).
The test order QA results can consist of the following:
Go Live with No Consequences: There were no QA issues with the test order.
Go Live with risk of Low Visibility: Some downsorting QA issues were reported. You can go live with normal visibility. After the due date for corrections has expired the QA team initiates a new test. If the down sorting finding was corrected you stay in normal visibility. If not we implement low visibility.
No Go Live:. You are not allowed to go live and the test order needs to be repeated.
Test customer cannot return due to missing or rejected return label
After the test order has been evaluated, the tester will use the return label provided in the package to send the test order back to you. However, the return will not be possible if the return label is missing or rejected at the carrier drop-off point. This may occur if the barcode is unscannable or due to other reasons specified in the QA Report.
From the date you receive the QA Report, you have two weeks to correct the issue and provide a new, functional return label to your Onboarding Manager. The Onboarding Manager will then forward it to the test customer for the return process.
If you need more time to fix the issue and provide a new label, you must inform your Onboarding Manager within the two-week deadline. If you do so, you will receive an additional two weeks to submit a correct label.
Important
If:
1. You do not provide the new label within the initial two weeks, and no extension was requested within the deadline, or
2. You requested an extension but still failed to provide the new label within the additional two weeks,
the test customer will not return your test order, and Zalando will not reimburse the cost of the test order article.
Please refer to our article on delivery documentation for more information about the documents you need to include in the package:
