Research
Research: what a first search finds for Shopify brands
Our first study ran a first search on 30 public Shopify brands on 22 October 2026. It showed a median of 92 people per brand. 64% of the people shown had a review, roundup or comparison page as their best evidence.
What is the study?
We took 30 public Shopify brands, six in each of five categories. Those were fashion and supplements, skincare and fitness, plus home goods. We added each one to RecruitAffiliates.ai with two rivals and three topics. Then we ran the product's normal first search and counted who it showed.
- Sample: 30 brands, 3 UK and 3 US in each category. Estimated sales of $25k to $250k a month.
- Date: run on 22 October 2026.
- Method: the people the product showed after its own filter. 2,924 were shown and 2,613 were hidden. An AI model read the title and address of 30 random rows, and 9 were not promoters.
- Email: the scan stopped at finding addresses and ran no email checks. The product runs them when a campaign starts (what each result means).
What did it find?
| Figure | Result |
|---|---|
| People shown per brand | Median 92, from 35 to 188 |
| With a review, roundup or comparison page | 1,877 of 2,924 (64%) |
| With an email address on record | 916 of 2,924 (31%) |
| Blog-style pages / podcasts | 573 (20%) / 399 (14%) |
Where is the full study?
Read Who promotes Shopify brands: what 30 scans found, October 2026 for the method, the table by category, the screenshots and the limits. The per-brand counts are open: download the CSV. It has no brand names.
How do we write these?
Every figure states its sample and its date. We name the brands we scan by kind, never by name. A model reads a random set of rows from their title and address, and we print the result, even when it is unflattering. Our editorial policy has the full rules.
Questions people ask
Can I use these numbers?
Yes. Please link to the study page and name RecruitAffiliates.ai as the source, with the date.
Can I run the same scan on my store?
Yes. A free trial of RecruitAffiliates.ai runs the same first search. It is 7 days with no card.