One of the many long contended ideas about Amazon’s elusive ranking algorithm is that the size of your store may have an impact on ranking. On the face of it, we can come up with just as many logical reasons why that is ridiculous as we can why it makes sense. The only real way of drawing meaningful correlations is to look at ranking listings and their owners’ store sizes.

So that is what we did. We looked at the top ten listings for random, major keywords and then looked at the number of items in each seller’s storefront. The concept is simple; if the number of larger storefronts outnumber smaller storefronts by a significant amount, we may consider a strong correlation. Likewise, if the disparity is significant enough, we may be able to spot a threshold of importance.

We searched the following 63 keywords:

  • ratchet straps
  • smoothie blender
  • mattress cover
  • crib sheets
  • facial wash
  • soap dispenser
  • towel rack
  • kitchen knife
  • iPhone case
  • VR headset
  • qi charger
  • shaving mirror
  • potty training seat
  • vitamin c serum
  • garcinia cambogia
  • turmeric curcumin
  • grill cover
  • car cover
  • milk frother
  • french press
  • exercise ball
  • weightlifting gloves
  • power bank
  • bluetooth headset
  • wireless mouse
  • jar opener
  • teething necklace
  • shower curtains
  • throw pillows
  • popcorn maker
  • space heater
  • ring sling
  • refrigerator water filter
  • buck knife
  • hunting tent
  • sleeping bag
  • led lantern
  • tactical flashlight
  • pepper spray
  • coffee grinder
  • oven mitts
  • elbow sleeve
  • door stopper
  • matcha green tea
  • omega 3 fish oil
  • travel pillow
  • portable hammock
  • gel pens
  • travel adapter
  • yoga mat
  • essential oil diffuser
  • coccyx seat cushion
  • citrus juicer
  • tea infuser
  • mosquito repellent bracelet
  • deshedding brush
  • liquid stevia
  • infuser water bottle
  • makeup brushes
  • bike pump
  • head lamp
  • flameless candles
  • essential oil

By looking at the top ten listings on each search page we investigated 630 storefronts. At first, looking at an excel spreadsheet, it is easy to come to the snap conclusion that there is no way storefront size means anything. You see storefronts with only three items ranking above those with over two thousand. You see some with only fifteen items and some with fifteen hundred scattered about. However, a deeper look brings up some interesting conclusions.

Larger Storefronts, Larger Ranks

The baselines we used were 20 items or less is a “small” store. We also looked at benchmark over 40 items as a number of significance (based on an “expert” claiming that the magic number was 44…..but I honestly don’t remember who it was). And we gauged “large” stores at over 100 items.

First, we looked at all stores that had more than 40 items for sale and less than 20. We calculated 43.6% of the 630 storefronts in our sample had more 40 items and 42.5% had 20 items or less. That means that just as many 40+ SKU stores rank within the top ten on page one as 20- SKU stores do.

Although almost half the list was a small store by our standards, 59% of all position one listings on page one had over 20 items in their store (but only three of the 63 had over 40 but less than 100, kind of debunking the 44 SKU myth while supporting the idea that large stores of 100+ may hold more significance). Also, 59% of all top three results had at least one store with over 100 items. This would appear to indicate that larger stores tend to gravitate to the top.

30% of the entire list had over 100 items for sale. That may only be a third of the list, but considering also that almost 60% of top three positions have these stores in them, this is significant.

So while it appears storefronts of all sizes get a chance to rank (small stores made it to the list just as easily as mid-sized stores or even large stores) it is interesting to note that larger stores tend to hold more top three spots.

Could this be because they are just that good? That experienced?

Or could Amazon be showing love to larger stores because of their size? I mean, how much money must these stores be making if almost all of their items are ranking above the fold?

While there may not be a specific magic number of SKUs that will suddenly result in higher rankings storewide, the more SKUs you have that are actually selling even a moderate amount, the more money you’ll make. With that in mind, it may be time to start expanding the product line.