Beta testing doesn’t always mean bug reports and crash logs. Sometimes it involves Ziploc bags, Sharpie-drawn labels, and driving door to door with a homemade product.
That’s how Jen Liao and Caleb Wang tested their signature frozen dumpling—a vital step in evolving their street food restaurant into a direct-to-consumer (DTC) business, MìLà. Their process shows that while beta testing is commonly linked with software development, it can apply to any product, even food. Jen and Caleb let patterns in customer orders guide the development of their dumplings.
“If there’s a way to do a beta test or pilot, you can gather data points that inform your plan moving forward,” Jen said on the Shopify Masters podcast.
Getting your product—whatever it is—in the hands of actual users in real-world scenarios to collect feedback is a critical step toward iterating before your final release. This guide walks through the essentials of beta testing: what it is, when to conduct it, and how to do it successfully.
What is beta testing?
Beta testing is an essential phase in the product development process where real users try a beta version of your product—a near-final release—in a real-world setting. Their feedback helps you identify issues and make improvements before the official launch.
Unlike internal testing by your development or design team, beta testing relies on external users to highlight functionality, usability, and overall experience. Typically conducted after alpha testing, this phase occurs when the product is stable enough for external users but still open to refinement.
Beyond catching issues, beta testing serves multiple purposes. It validates product quality, provides insight into real-world usage, and can even generate early buzz among potential customers. At its core, beta testing puts users at the center of development, ensuring the final product meets their needs and expectations.
Types of beta testing
There are several types of beta testing. The one you choose depends on how widely you release your product and how much control you want over feedback:
- Closed beta testing. Involves a selected group of invited participants, often loyal customers or target audience members. This controlled approach helps gather detailed, targeted insights.
- Open or public beta testing. Opens participation to a broader group—sometimes to anyone interested. This generates diverse feedback and tests performance under varied real-world conditions.
- Live beta testing. Continues after a product’s official release, with features labeled as “beta” to signal they’re still being refined. While this can be useful for established businesses, as a beginner, focus on pre-launch beta testing to get your core product right before going to market.
Alpha testing vs. beta testing
Alpha and beta testing serve different purposes in the development process. Alpha testing is internal and controlled, while beta testing is external and real world. Understanding the difference helps teams know when and how to use each.
| Alpha testing | Microphone Option | |
| Conducted by | Internal testing team, internal employees | External users, a select group of real customers |
| Environment | Controlled, lab-like setting | Real-world environment |
| Purpose | Identify major bugs, test core functionality | Validate user experience, gather real-world feedback |
| Timing | Earlier, when the product is feature-complete but still has issues | Later, closer to final release (but can be used strategically when significant changes are made) |
| Focus | Functional testing, technical stability | Usability, user needs, market validation |
| Participants | Developers, quality assurance (QA) staff, internal testers | Early adopters, loyal customers, target market reps |
In short, the goal of alpha testing is to ensure the product works for your team; the goal of beta testing is to ensure it works for your users.
When to do a beta test
Beta testing usually comes after internal testing and before a full launch, but you can also repeat it whenever a product undergoes major changes. Here are the most common scenarios:
- Pre-launch validation. Before bringing the final product to market.
- Major feature releases. When introducing significant new functionality to existing products.
- Product pivots. Involves changes to core features or target markets.
- Market expansion. Before launching existing products in new geographic regions.
- Seasonal products. Testing market response to products designed for specific seasons or events.
- Subscription or service models. Validating new features or updates in ongoing services.
- Physical products. Testing hardware, physical products, or devices in real-world usage scenarios.
- Software updates. Testing new versions before releasing to all users.
- Technical beta testing. When testing is aimed at validating performance, integrations, or stability under different technical conditions.
Beta testing is most valuable whenever you’re introducing something new, making significant changes, or expanding into a different market.
How to conduct a beta test
- Define your goals
- Identify and recruit your participants
- Run the beta test
- Collect and review user feedback
- Improve your product
Running a beta testing process isn’t just about handing your product to users and waiting for feedback—it requires planning and structure to ensure meaningful results. A clear process helps you focus on the right goals, recruit the right participants, and gather insights you can actually use. To conduct beta testing effectively, follow these steps:
1. Define your goals
Before launching your beta program, establish clear objectives for what you want to achieve. Goals should guide every other decision in the process. Common beta testing aims include:
- Identifying technical issues before final release
- Achieving customer validation by confirming product-market fit with real users
- Testing user experience (UX) design
- Gathering beta feedback on features or functionality
- Understanding real-world usage patterns
- Building customer relationships and early adopter communities
- Generating word-of-mouth marketing and early buzz
- Reducing development costs by catching issues early
- Testing scalability and performance in real conditions
For example, at a chocolate company, this step might involve testing a new flavor, focusing on taste, texture, and the overall customer eating experience.
2. Identify and recruit your participants
Selecting the right beta testers is crucial for meaningful feedback. Participants should represent your target market and be engaged enough to provide detailed insights. Ideal beta testers include:
- Loyal and existing customers who understand your brand
- Early adopters, who are typically eager to try new functionality
- Representative users from target audience demographics
- Industry experts who can provide professional insights
The size of your beta group depends on your product and goals. A closed beta for a physical product might involve 20 to 40 beta testers for deep feedback, while a public beta for software could scale into the thousands to stress-test performance.
To recruit testers, reach out to your existing customer base via email campaigns or even grassroots outreach. Use social media to identify engaged community members and consider partnering with influencers, thought leaders, or professional associations to reach the right audience.
Some businesses create an application process to ensure participants are committed. Offering incentives like early access, discounts, or exclusivity can boost participation, but it’s equally important to set clear expectations about time commitment and feedback requirements.
At the chocolate company, this step might involve targeting loyal customers from its private Facebook community page, ensuring testers are motivated and familiar with the brand.
3. Run the beta test
The beta testing period can run for two to eight weeks, depending on product complexity and feedback needs. Beta testing happens in each user’s natural testing environment—their home, office, or wherever they’d typically use your product—as opposed to controlled lab settings.
During this period, users interact with the product in real-world conditions. They may:
- Complete structured feedback surveys at regular intervals
- Participate in focus groups or interviews with product managers
- Report issues through dedicated feedback channels
- Provide feedback on specific features or scenarios
- Share usage data through analytics or tracking tools
- Suggest improvements
Many businesses use beta testing software or simple tools like surveys, feedback forms, and analytics platforms to organize participant responses and track issues systematically.
At the chocolate company, this step might involve distributing the new flavor to loyal customers over a month, letting them enjoy the chocolate at home—a natural setting for a DTC product.
4. Collect and review user feedback
To gather user feedback effectively, use multiple channels and systematic analysis. Create structured ways for beta testers to share their experiences, from quick rating systems to detailed written or verbal feedback.
Use surveys to gather quantitative data on satisfaction, usage, and performance. Conduct interviews or focus groups for deeper qualitative insights. Monitor analytics to understand how people actually use your product versus how you intended for them to use it.
Look for patterns across user types and usage scenarios—recurring issues, unexpected use cases, and suggestions that align with your product vision. The feedback you receive during the beta testing phase, which you can share with participants when possible (building goodwill by closing the feedback loop), becomes the foundation for your product improvements.
Before moving to full release, some teams also conduct user acceptance testing (UAT) internally to verify that they’ve properly addressed beta feedback and the product meets all requirements.
At the chocolate brand, this step might involve pairing surveys (asking people to rate flavor and texture) with short follow-up calls for open-ended feedback, giving the team both quantitative and qualitative insights to work with.
5. Improve your product
The final step in the beta test process involves transforming user feedback into concrete improvements. Prioritize issues by frequency, severity, and alignment with your business goals. First, address major issues or negative feedback that could impact user safety or core functionality, followed by usability refinements and feature requests.
Work with your development team to implement changes systematically. Test improvements internally, and when needed, run another limited beta cycle before full release. The iterative approach ensures fixes solve the right problems without creating new ones.
Evaluate whether you have reduced major issues and improved customer satisfaction. Testers should be actively engaging with the product, and early adoption signals—like repeat orders, referrals, or strong purchase intent—should be emerging. Together, these are signs of a successful beta test.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to implement every suggestion—filter user feedback through your product strategy and target market needs. The goal is a final product that serves your customers effectively, not one that incorporates every idea.
At the chocolate company, this step might involve adjusting the packaging based on customer feedback before deciding whether to run another small beta or move to a full launch.
What is beta testing FAQ
What is beta testing in a product?
Beta testing involves real users trying near-final versions of your products in real-world environments to identify issues and provide feedback before official launch.
What is an example of beta testing?
A kitchen supply retailer might provide select customers with its newest nonstick pan to test at home in exchange for written feedback and a completed survey.
Do beta testers get paid?
Sometimes. Compensation may come as early access, discounts, free products, or monetary payment. Many beta testers, however, participate voluntarily for the opportunity to influence product development.
How do you do beta testing?
Beta testing involves defining goals, selecting appropriate participants from your target market, running structured tests, collecting feedback, and implementing improvements based on user insights.
What are the disadvantages of beta testing?
Beta testing can be time-consuming, may delay a product launch, requires significant coordination and resources, and sometimes generates conflicting feedback that is difficult to prioritize. It helps if you begin the testing process with clear goals in mind and make adjustments based on feedback in order of frequency, severity, and alignment with your goals.
