Three Effective Ways to Test Product Checkout in Karta

When setting up your Kartra products and your Kartra “store”, one of the most critical aspects is ensuring that the checkout process works seamlessly for customers. Karta, provides multiple ways to test the checkout process for your products. In this article, we'll discuss three methods to test product checkout in Karta: Test Mode, Stripe Test API Key, and using a Coupon.

Test Mode

The Test Mode in Karta allows you to simulate the entire checkout process without actually charging any money. This is an excellent way to verify that the process is working correctly before going live with your store. To enable Test Mode, follow these steps:

Log in to your Karta account, and to the product in question, then navigate to the Checkout settings. Toggle on the "Test Mode" option, which will enable you to simulate transactions without any real charges.

Now, create a test purchase using your own or a test email address. The system will treat this as a real purchase, but no payment will be processed. Once you've completed the test purchase, you can review the order in the "Analytics - Transactions" section of your account to ensure all details are correct.

Remember toggle Test Mode OFF before going live, if you leave your product in test mode people will be able to buy - but you won’t get paid.

Stripe Test API Key

If you're using Stripe as your payment gateway, you can utilize the Stripe Test API Key to simulate transactions. This allows you to test the entire payment process, from adding a product to the cart to receiving payment confirmation. Here's how to use the Stripe Test API Key:

Log in to your Stripe account and navigate to the "Developers" section. Toggle API keys to “View Test Data”

Under Standard Key, find your Publishable Key and a Secret Key. They will say pktest (instead of pk_live). Keep this screen open, and in a new or existing tab head back to Kartra.

In your Karta account, navigate to Integrations the Payment Gateway settings and select Stripe as your gateway. You can have more than one, so if you already have one for your live key, add a second one for your test key.

Copy and paste the Test Publishable Key and Test Secret Key in the respective fields and save your settings.

Add the Test API Key to the product in question. In the Basic Info Step and the Payment Processing area change the payment processing gateway to The Test API Key. Return Stripe to “normal mode”.

Create a test purchase using test credit card details provided by Stripe (e.g., 4242 4242 4242 4242 as the card number, any future expiry date, and any three-digit CVC). Your usual credit card will pull an error if you try to use it with a Stripe Test API Connected.

Review the order in the "Orders" section of your Karta ensure the transaction was successful.

IMPORTANT: These transactions show as part of your sales. Adjust/refund accordingly.

Don't forget to replace the Test API keys with the Live API keys when you're ready to go live.

Coupon

Creating a 100% off coupon in Karta is another way to test the checkout process without incurring charges. This method is useful if you want to simulate the experience of using a discount code during the checkout process. To create a 100% off coupon, follow these steps:

Log in to your Karta account and navigate to the "Coupons" section.

Click "Create Coupon" and enter the required details, such as the coupon code, amount ($ or %) product, and duration.

Set the discount amount to 100% and save the coupon.

Perform a test purchase using the created coupon code at checkout, which will require a credit card and place a $1 pending charge on the credit card but ultimately result in a zero-dollar transaction.

Alternative Coupon Testing

Create a dollar amount for the coupon bringing the price down to $1. Use a real credit card and track the sale all the way from Kartra to Stripe to the bank.

Review the order in the "Orders" section to ensure the coupon was applied successfully and the transaction was completed.