Research

We run automated public-signal checks on 10,502 independent online stores. These studies report what that corpus shows — including where it contradicts the usual advice, and where our own measurements are too weak to support a claim.

Figures across all studies reflect the corpus as of 2026-08-10.

• What 10,502 online stores reveal about trust signals

  Domain age is a weaker predictor than the standard advice assumes, and stores under six months old publish more policy pages than older ones — platform defaults, not diligence.

• Shopify vs WooCommerce: trust signals compared

  Shopify stores publish policies far more often; WooCommerce stores list contact details more often. Platform predicts what you can verify, not whether a merchant is trustworthy.

Using these figures

Every study states its methodology and its limitations, including signals we exclude because our detection is not good enough to report them honestly. If you are citing a number, read that section first — several of the figures measure what an automated checker can discover, which is a floor on what exists rather than a count of it.

Questions or corrections: hello@checkiflegit.com.