How We Test
Evidence before recommendations.
We want to show where every comparison claim comes from, where limits exist, and what is safe to use for your country and shop type.
01 / The basis for a comparison
Start with shop outcomes
Comparisons start with the shop owner outcome first, then software fit, then features.
Use evidence, not claims
Vendor claims are labelled by source. A ShopsInto observation is clearly marked when we check a workflow ourselves.
Separate research and testing
Official vendor research can support comparison context, but a product only becomes “tested” after we record when and where we used it.
02 / Checks that keep context clear
Explain country limits clearly
Payments, hardware, support, and tax or pricing fit are checked per country. A feature in one market may not be usable in another.
Recheck what changes quickly
Pricing plans, promotions, supported cards, and availability are re-checked with dates because these change often.
03 / Independence and recommendations
Keep paid links visible and separate
Commercial links are marked clearly. Commission status never changes how products are compared or recommended.
No final rankings without evidence
We only label something “best” after criteria are complete, tested, and documented for the target market.
Check My Shop / Scoring method
How Check My Shop works
A clear score, a separate readiness check, and a practical order of first steps.
01 / Your score
Check My Shop calculates a deterministic score from 0–100: fixed rules give the same score for the same answers. There are 10 scored questions. Each answer is worth a fixed 0 / 3 / 7 / 10 points. Two questions contribute to each of five equal areas, with a maximum of 20 points per area.
| Area | Maximum |
|---|---|
| Sales & POS | 20 |
| Stock | 20 |
| Customer messages | 20 |
| Repeated work | 20 |
| Repeat customers | 20 |
| Total | 100 |
| Score | Band |
|---|---|
| 0–24 | Start with basics |
| 25–44 | Build a better foundation |
| 45–64 | Ready to improve |
| 65–84 | Ready to automate |
| 85–100 | Well connected |
02 / Readiness is separate from score
Your numeric score is calculated first. Safeguards may cap the displayed readiness stage when important foundations are missing. They never change your 0–100 score.
- Sales recording or stock tracking at 0 caps readiness at Start with basics.
- Sales recording or stock tracking at 3 or below, or remote-order capture at 3 or below when you accept remote orders, caps readiness at Build a better foundation. A stricter safeguard still takes priority.
- Ready to automate requires 65+, every area at least 10/20, sales recording and stock tracking each at least 7, and reliable remote-order capture where relevant. An area below 10 caps readiness at Ready to improve, unless a stricter safeguard applies.
- Well connected requires 85+, every area at least 14/20, every scored answer at least 7, plus all the automation readiness foundations above.
03 / How we choose your first steps
Recommendations are computed after scoring. Eligibility, hard requirements, prerequisites and tier order apply first: an action must fit your shop, meet its requirements and follow any necessary earlier steps.
The remaining feasible actions are ranked in a deterministic, repeatable way using maturity gap (where your shop has room to improve), your stated problem, practical impact, context fit, ease and catalogue confidence. The planner builds a path of up to 3 first steps.
The same complete assessment answers under the same engine versions produce the same result and recommendation path. This includes context and priority answers, not just the ten scored answers.
Country alone currently cannot change your score, readiness, eligibility, seed (the planner’s repeatable starting point) or path. Other context and priority answers may affect recommendation relevance or order, but never add score points.
04 / What optional AI can do
Optional AI may help pre-fill answers or explain results. AI does not calculate or change the 0–100 score, readiness gates, eligibility or action ordering. The fixed rules above control those decisions.
The assessment runs in your browser. When requested, the AI-assisted report explains the existing Shop Blueprint using a limited summary; it never changes the score, readiness, or action order. Raw assessment answers, contact details, and exact scores are not sent in the optional AI report request. The separate AI pre-fill sends only the description you choose to submit, as explained in our Privacy Notice.
05 / Limits and current versions
This is a practical ShopsInto estimate and model, not a statistically benchmarked or independently validated measure. It is not professional, financial or diagnostic advice. Use it as a starting point for checking your shop’s needs and deciding what to investigate next.
- Score
check-my-shop-score-v1- Planner
aco-improvement-planner-v1- Catalogue
recommendation-catalogue-v1- Context
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