Short answer: a day or two before a sale, put your payment provider in test mode (or activate Shopify's test gateway), place a full test order through your storefront with Shopify's test card details, and check the result: the discount applied, the shipping rate, the tax, the confirmation email and the order in admin. Then turn test mode off, because customers cannot place real orders while it is on, and repeat the path on your phone with the real sale settings active.
Step 1: choose how to test payment
Shopify's Help Center describes two ways:
- If you use Shopify Payments, turn on its test mode and use the test card numbers Shopify lists.
- Otherwise, activate Shopify's test payment gateway and use its test details. Shopify notes you can only test a gateway after choosing a paid plan.
Test orders are not charged and do not show in payouts or reports. If you need to test a real provider, Shopify suggests placing a real order and refunding it straight away, which may cost processing fees.
Step 2: place the order like a buyer
Use the storefront, not admin. A Shopify staff answer in the community notes that draft orders created in admin do not test the checkout.
- Open the store in a private window, so you are not signed in as the owner.
- Arrive the way buyers will, for example from the link in your sale email or ad.
- Add the products in the sale, with the variants people pick most.
- Apply the discount code, or check that the automatic discount shows.
- Enter a shipping address in each zone you sell to and check the rate.
- Pay with the test details and finish.
Step 3: check what happened after payment
- The order appears in admin with the right total, discount, shipping and tax.
- The confirmation email arrives, looks right on a phone, and the links work.
- The thank you page loads and any tracking pixels fire.
- Stock went down for the right variant.
Then cancel the test order so it does not confuse your fulfillment.
Step 4: turn test mode off
Shopify's Help Center says customers cannot place live orders while payment providers are in test mode. Switch it off, then open checkout once more to confirm the real payment methods show. Community threads include stores that found this out from customers.
Step 5: test on a phone, with the sale switched on
Most sale traffic comes from phones and from links in emails and ads. Schedule or activate the sale prices, then on a phone:
- Open the sale link and check that the sale price shows on the product page and in the cart.
- Check that express payment buttons appear where you expect.
- Watch for pop-ups that cover the add to cart button.
- Check that shipping costs are clear before the last step. Surprise costs at checkout are a common reason people leave, as our checkout friction audit explains.
What else breaks during a sale?
Apps that change prices, bundles or upsells sometimes stop working with a new discount. Inventory can run out on one variant while the page still says in stock. Check the products you promote most, and read why carts are abandoned for the rest of the list.
Where Persqo helps
You can run every test above yourself. Persqo repeats the buyer side for you:
- Persqo shoppers start from your ad or your home page, find the product, add it to the cart, go through checkout and read the total. They stop before payment and never pay.
- You get screenshots of each step, a replay, and findings such as a hidden shipping cost or a discount that did not apply. On Shopify, fixes come as clear steps or a prompt for your developer.
Read more on Persqo for shops, or run the free check on your store now.
Sources
- Placing a test order, Shopify Help Center, checked November 6, 2026
- Testing Shopify Payments, Shopify Help Center, checked November 6, 2026
- Why isn't my Bogus Gateway working for my development store?, Shopify Community, checked November 6, 2026
- Why are customers unable to complete orders with test mode enabled?, Shopify Community, checked November 6, 2026
Last updated: November 6, 2026.
Questions people ask
How do I place a test order on Shopify?
Per Shopify's Help Center, turn on test mode for your payment provider or activate the test gateway, then go through checkout with the test card details Shopify lists. Test orders are not charged and do not appear in payouts or reports.
Can customers buy while my store is in test mode?
No. Shopify's Help Center says customers cannot place live orders while your payment providers are in test mode. Turn test mode off as soon as you finish, and before a sale starts.
Can I test with a draft order instead?
A Shopify staff reply in the community says draft orders you create in admin do not test the checkout. Place the test order through the storefront checkout, the way a buyer does.
What should I check besides payment?
Discount codes and automatic discounts, shipping rates for each zone, taxes, the order confirmation email, the thank you page, and the checkout on a phone. A sale changes prices and traffic at once, so test with the sale settings switched on.