--- title: "Columbia vs Merrell: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Columbia or Merrell more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Hiking boots set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/hiking-boots/compare/columbia-vs-merrell" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Columbia vs Merrell: Which is searched more? Is Columbia or Merrell more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Hiking boots set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Columbia and Merrell - **Competitive set**: Hiking boots - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Columbia Share of Search**: 21.9% - **Merrell Share of Search**: 6.6% ## Is Columbia or Merrell more popular in search? - In September 2026, Columbia had more branded searches than Merrell among hiking boots worldwide. Columbia had about 135,000 branded searches, while Merrell had 40,500. Columbia made up 21.9% of all hiking boot searches we track, and Merrell accounted for 6.6%. - Columbia was ahead of Merrell in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Columbia’s share of searches among hiking boots worldwide moved from 29% to 21.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 165K to 135K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Merrell’s share of searches among hiking boots worldwide moved from 4.8% to 6.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 27.1K to 40.5K. ## Top hiking boots in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Merrell was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Columbia was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Merrell was listed before Columbia in every answer that named either. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Salomon | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Merrell | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | LOWA | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | KEEN | 4th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | La Sportiva | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Oboz | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | SCARPA | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Columbia | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about hiking boots - Asked ChatGPT "Which hiking boots brand should I buy?": 1. Merrell, 2. Salomon, 3. KEEN, 4. LOWA, 5. Oboz - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best hiking boots brands?": 1. Merrell, 2. Salomon, 3. La Sportiva, 4. KEEN, 5. Oboz, 6. LOWA - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best hiking boots brand for rough trails?": 1. Salomon, 2. LOWA, 3. La Sportiva, 4. KEEN, 5. SCARPA - Searched Google, AI Overview "best hiking boots": 1. Merrell, 2. Salomon, 3. LOWA - Searched Google, AI Overview "waterproof hiking boots": 1. KEEN, 2. Merrell, 3. Columbia, 4. Salomon Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for hiking boots worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Merrell lost share of searches among hiking boots worldwide, from 7.8% to 6.6%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Columbia worldwide fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 165K to 135K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Columbia estimated searches | Columbia Share of Search | Columbia rank | Merrell estimated searches | Merrell Share of Search | Merrell rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 165K | 29% | 2 | 27.1K | 4.8% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | 301K | 42.7% | 1 | 22.2K | 3.1% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | 246K | 38.2% | 2 | 22.2K | 3.4% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | 165K | 25.4% | 2 | 33.1K | 5.1% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 135K | 25% | 2 | 33.1K | 6.1% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | 110K | 21.1% | 2 | 33.1K | 6.3% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | 110K | 21.1% | 2 | 40.5K | 7.8% | 3 | | May 2026 | 110K | 20.5% | 2 | 49.5K | 9.2% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | 110K | 21% | 2 | 40.5K | 7.7% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | 110K | 20.4% | 2 | 49.5K | 9.2% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | 135K | 21.4% | 2 | 49.5K | 7.8% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | 135K | 21.9% | 2 | 40.5K | 6.6% | 3 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Columbia’s and Merrell’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **Columbia**: Measured on the search term “columbia sportswear”. - **Merrell**: Measured on the search term “hiking boots merrell”. - [Columbia profile](/demand/global-en/brands/columbia) - [Merrell profile](/demand/global-en/brands/merrell) - [All hiking boots worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/hiking-boots): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Columbia or Merrell more popular in search? In September 2026, Columbia had more branded searches than Merrell among hiking boots worldwide. Columbia had about 135,000 branded searches, while Merrell had 40,500. Columbia made up 21.9% of all hiking boot searches we track, and Merrell accounted for 6.6%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Columbia vs Merrell: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/hiking-boots/compare/columbia-vs-merrell This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/hiking-boots/compare/columbia-vs-merrell. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.