Brandwave

How popular isBarnes & Noble in search?

In August 2026, there were an estimated 7.5M branded searches for Barnes & Noble worldwide which is up 22.2% over the last 11 months. Barnes & Noble holds 94.1% estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide and is ranked 1st of 6 competitors for search popularity. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search, August 2026
  1. Barnes & Noble94.1%
  2. WHSmith3.1%
  3. Blackwell's2.5%
  4. Waterstones0.15%
  5. Foyles0.08%
  6. Dymocks0.04%
Barnes & Noble website (opens in a new tab)

Follow Barnes & Noble and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Which bookstores compete with Barnes & Noble?

Barnes & Noble against bookstores worldwide, by month

Share of Search by month for Barnes & Noble, WHSmith, Blackwell's. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of search table
MonthBarnes & NobleWHSmithBlackwell'sWaterstonesFoylesDymocks
Oct 202589.4%6.6%3.6%0.26%0.1%0.04%
Nov 202592%4.5%3%0.27%0.08%0.04%
Dec 202594.1%3.8%1.7%0.23%0.07%0.05%
Jan 202693.4%3.8%2.5%0.18%0.08%0.04%
Feb 202694%3.1%2.5%0.23%0.1%0.04%
Mar 202694.5%3.1%2.1%0.19%0.08%0.04%
Apr 202694.2%3.1%2.5%0.12%0.07%0.03%
May 202694.1%3.1%2.5%0.15%0.07%0.04%
Jun 202694.1%3.1%2.5%0.15%0.08%0.03%
Jul 202694.6%2.5%2.5%0.15%0.08%0.04%
Aug 202694.1%3.1%2.5%0.15%0.08%0.04%
Sep 2026——————

  1. 1.Barnes & Noble

    94.1%

    Held 1st. 7.5M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.

  2. 2.WHSmith

    3.1%

    Moved from 3rd to 2nd. 246K estimated branded searches, +22.4% vs prior month. Share +0.6 points.

  3. 3.Blackwell's

    2.5%

    Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 201K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  4. 4.Waterstones

    0.15%

    Held 4th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  5. 5.Foyles

    0.08%

    Held 5th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  6. 6.Dymocks

    0.04%

    Held 6th. 2.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare search popularity between Barnes & Noble and its closest rivals

How has branded search demand for Barnes & Noble changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Barnes & Noble worldwide rose from 6.1M to 7.5M.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Barnes & Noble’s estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide increased from 89.4% to 94.1%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Barnes & Noble’s estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide peaked at 94.6% in July 2026 and was lowest at 89.4% in October 2025.

How did search popularity change for bookstores worldwide in August 2026?

  1. In August 2026, WHSmith overtook Blackwell's to rank 2nd among bookstores worldwide, at 3.1%.

  2. In August 2026, Barnes & Noble lost estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide, from 94.6% to 94.1%.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for Waterstones worldwide fell 33.1% over 11 measured months, from 18.1K to 12.1K in August 2026.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Blackwell's worldwide fell 18.3% over 11 measured months, from 246K to 201K in August 2026.

How is Barnes & Noble measured?

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Barnes & Noble’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

1 branded search term

  • barnes and noble

Do you work for Barnes & Noble? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Is Barnes & Noble your brand?

Put your own campaigns, spend and outcomes next to this demand line, so you can see which of your marketing lined up with the movements above.

Start free