How the Shimm Score Works: A Technical Overview

When you research a product in Shimm, it gets a Shimm Score from 0 to 100. This post explains exactly what goes into that number — no black box.

7 Dimensions, Confidence-Weighted

Every product is scored across 7 independent dimensions. Each dimension produces its own 0–100 score and a confidence level. The final Shimm Score is a confidence-weighted average — dimensions with more data have more influence.

The dimensions, in order of weight:

1. Price Quality (25%): Is the current price a genuine deal? We compare against 90-day and 180-day history, check cross-retailer pricing (Google Shopping, eBay), and detect inflated markdowns.
2. Demand Velocity (20%): How fast is this product selling? BSR trend, estimated monthly units, stock-out frequency, review velocity, and deal community buzz.
3. Conversion Confidence (15%): Will buyers actually convert? Star rating, review depth (category-adjusted), review recency, and brand trust.
4. Earning Potential (15%): How much can you earn promoting this? Commission per sale, price sweet spot, volume estimates, and arbitrage opportunities.
5. Market Position (10%): How crowded is the field? Seller count, seller trend, Amazon 1P presence, and category opportunity.
6. Risk Profile (10%): What could go wrong? Price volatility, return risk, category safety (supplements = risky, home & kitchen = safe), demand sustainability.
7. Timing Signal (5%): Is now the right moment? Price position vs. all-time range, flash sale detection, momentum alignment, seasonal peaks.

Category-Aware Thresholds

A BSR of 5,000 means very different things in Electronics vs. Books. 500 reviews is mediocre for phones but exceptional for niche gardening tools. Shimm adjusts scoring thresholds per category so products are compared against their actual peers, not a universal standard.

Personalized Over Time

After 10+ triage decisions, the engine learns your preferences — preferred categories, price ranges, and performance patterns. If you upload sales data, categories where you actually perform well get weighted higher. The score becomes yours.

Data Sources

Shimm never scrapes Amazon. All data comes through licensed APIs: Keepa for price and BSR history, Amazon PA-API for product data, Google Shopping for cross-retailer pricing, and community signals from Reddit and Google Trends.

Every research result shows which sources contributed and when data was last refreshed.

What the Score Is Not

It's not a guarantee of earnings. A score of 80 means the signals are strong — but your actual results depend on content quality, audience size, and timing. The score is a research tool, not financial advice.

Read the full methodology →