Aera
Aera is a payment terminal manufacturer developing its terminal software fully in house. Operating in fast moving payment environments, Aera releases new software
Case Study
KWI
Author:
David Frank
Published:
November 2025
KWI automated its payment testing with PaytestRobot, enabling parallel execution, 24/7 coverage, and significantly faster, more reliable regression cycles.
About KWI
Founded in 1985, KWI has spent nearly four decades helping specialty retailers transform their operations through innovative retail cloud technology. Headquartered in New York, KWI delivers a unified commerce platform that integrates point-of-sale, eCommerce, customer engagement, CRM, and loss prevention – all in a single solution. With a deep understanding of the retail vertical and an unwavering focus on the customer experience, KWI powers leading lifestyle and luxury brands by enabling seamless transactions and real-time data access across every sales channel.
KWI’s fully managed SaaS platform simplifies technology needs for retail operations of all sizes. Backed by 24/7 support and continuous innovation, the company has built long-standing relationships with its clients by helping them scale efficiently, personalize interactions, and meet modern consumer expectations.
The Challenge
Despite its strong position in the market and highly capable platform, KWI faced a recurring operational challenge in its quality assurance process – manual card testing. Each time the company needed to validate payment functionality, members of the engineering team were required to physically insert or tap test cards, execute individual scenarios, and document outcomes manually. This process was not only time-consuming, but also difficult to scale, particularly as regression testing demands increased.
Manual testing became a bottleneck in an otherwise modern, fast-moving development pipeline. Testing schedules were constrained by the working hours and availability of the QA team. Inconsistent test conditions and inevitable human error further impacted the ability to maintain full confidence in every deployment. With the growing complexity of card-based transactions and increased frequency of software updates, KWI needed a way to ensure broader, faster, and more reliable test coverage without overburdening their team.
The Solution
To resolve these issues, KWI partnered with PaytestLab to bring automation to its testing environment. The implementation centered on PaytestLab’s PaytestRobot, which executes real-world card transactions with contact, contactless and magstripe interfaces, all in a manner identical to actual customer usage.
By integrating the robots into their regression testing suite, KWI eliminated manual intervention and drastically reduced the time required for full regression testing cycles. Two robots were deployed to execute tests in parallel, continuously running thousands of scenarios with speed and precision.
“Our robots run continuously, day and night. With PaytestLab, we’ve moved from manual testing to an automated, parallel setup that significantly speeds up our regression cycles.”
– Matt Roman, Chief Technology Officer, KWI
This shift to automated, around-the-clock testing created immediate efficiency gains. Testing that once took hours – or even days – could now be completed in significantly less time. In addition, results were more consistent and repeatable, supporting KWI’s ongoing efforts to deliver a frictionless retail experience for its clients.
The transition was further strengthened by the platform’s reliability and responsive support. Over several years of continuous use, KWI’s engineering team reported consistent performance and minimal disruption. The stability of the platform’s API and the fast resolution of any issues helped build long-term trust in the solution.
“The stability of the platform and responsiveness of the support team have made PaytestLab a reliable part of our QA process for years.”
– Matt Roman, Chief Technology Officer, KWI
KWI is now preparing to integrate PaytestLab into its CI/CD pipeline, so that, automated regression tests will be triggered directly by code deployments – bringing even greater speed and consistency to the testing lifecycle.
The Result
Since adopting PaytestLab, KWI has significantly transformed its testing strategy. The ability to run regression tests 24/7 without manual oversight has shortened release cycles, boosted coverage, and improved overall team productivity. With thousands of tests being completed overnight and in parallel, the QA team has more time to focus on strategic work and proactive quality improvements.
Manual bottlenecks have been replaced by reliable automation, and the return on investment is already clear. KWI is planning to expand its test capacity by adding a PaytestRobot T4, continuing to scale the operation alongside its retail technology growth.
“Manual card testing used to slow us down. With PaytestLab, our QA team can focus on strategy and development instead of repetitive tasks.”
– Matt Roman, Chief Technology Officer, KWI
The partnership has proven to be both technically and operationally successful, equipping KWI with the tools needed to maintain high standards of quality across all deployments.
Download Case Study PDF
Related Case Studies
Worldline Belgium
Worldline is a leading global provider of payment and transactional services, operating in the fintech and digital payments sector. Known for offering innovative
Abrantix
Abrantix is a Swiss software innovator in payment solutions, delivering advanced EFTPOS terminal software for secure, efficient global transactions. Known for quality and
KoCo Connector GmbH
KoCo Connector GmbH leads the way in pioneering IT solutions that transform healthcare, elevating both well-being and quality of life.
Ingenico Switzerland
Ingenico Switzerland, a vital subsidiary of the global Ingenico Group, pioneers secure and innovative electronic payment solutions, offering tailored services and cutting-edge payment
Nexi Switzerland
Nexi Switzerland, an integral part of the European PayTech Nexi Group, is composed of a team of approximately 100+ dedicated individuals committed to
Revel Systems
Revel Systems, with nearly 600 employees in multiple locations, offers a leading cloud POS platform. Unlike competitors, they collaborate with various payment providers,