Brandwave

H&M vs Uniqlo:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, H&M had more branded searches than Uniqlo among women's fashion retailers worldwide. H&M had about 16.6 million branded searches, while Uniqlo had 13.6 million. H&M made up 17.7% of all women's fashion retailer searches we track, and Uniqlo accounted for 14.5%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about women's fashion retailers, Uniqlo appeared in two of the four answers and H&M in one. Uniqlo was mentioned before H&M in two out of three answers that named either.

Among women's fashion retailers worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

H&M, about 22% more searches than Uniqlo

H&M 16.6M searchesUniqlo 13.6M searches

Who does AI mention more?

Uniqlo, mentioned in 2 of 4 answers, H&M in 1

Uniqlo in 2 of 4H&M in 1 of 4

Who does AI recommend more?

Uniqlo, named ahead of H&M in 2 of 3 answers

Uniqlo first in 2H&M first in 1

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Top women's fashion retailers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Uniqlo was mentioned in two out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. H&M was mentioned in one out of four: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in the Google AI Overview. Uniqlo was listed before H&M in two out of three answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Madewell1st
  2. Nordstrom2nd
  3. Old Navy3rd
  4. Zara4th
  5. Uniqlo5th
  6. Quince5th
  7. Aritzia7th
  8. H&M8th
  9. Anthropologie9th
  10. Cotton On–
  11. +3 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Old Navy3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Madewell3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Zara2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Uniqlo2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Nordstrom2 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Aritzia2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Anthropologie2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Quince2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • H&M1 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Cotton On0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers

+3 more

See every answer about women's fashion retailers

4 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Is H&M or Uniqlo more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for H&M and Uniqlo by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 13 women's fashion retailers we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

H&M and Uniqlo among women's fashion retailers worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for H&M, Uniqlo. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthZaraH&MUniqloOld NavyNordstromAritziaAnthropologieCotton OnMadewellCountry RoadQuinceSeed HeritageMax
Oct 202536.5%20%16.3%10.9%6%4%2.7%1.8%0.81%0.66%0.26%0.16%0.02%
Nov 202536.4%16.3%16.3%10.9%6%6%3.3%2.7%0.98%0.8%0.27%0.16%0.02%
Dec 202538%17%13.9%11.4%7.6%4.2%3.4%2.3%0.84%0.84%0.35%0.17%0.02%
Jan 202639.4%17.6%17.6%7.9%6.5%4.3%2.9%1.9%0.71%0.71%0.34%0.14%0.02%
Feb 202640%17.9%14.6%9.8%6.6%3.6%2.9%2.4%0.72%0.89%0.35%0.18%0.02%
Mar 202639.1%17.5%14.3%11.7%6.4%3.5%2.9%2.4%0.87%0.87%0.34%0.17%0.02%
Apr 202639.9%17.8%14.6%9.8%6.6%3.6%2.9%2.4%0.88%0.88%0.34%0.18%0.02%
May 202637.6%20.6%13.7%11.2%6.2%3.4%2.8%2.3%0.83%0.83%0.39%0.17%0.02%
Jun 202640.1%22%12%9.9%5.4%3.6%3%2%0.73%0.89%0.34%0.18%0.02%
Jul 202639.8%17.8%11.9%11.9%8%3.6%2.9%2%0.72%0.88%0.34%0.14%0.02%
Aug 202639.2%17.5%14.3%11.7%6.4%3.5%2.9%2.4%0.87%0.71%0.41%0.17%0.02%
Sep 202639.7%17.7%14.5%9.7%6.5%4.4%2.9%2.4%0.88%0.72%0.42%0.18%0.02%

How has the H&M and Uniqlo comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • H&M was ahead of Uniqlo in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, H&M’s share of searches among women's fashion retailers worldwide moved from 20% to 17.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 20.4M to 16.6M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Uniqlo’s share of searches among women's fashion retailers worldwide moved from 16.3% to 14.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 16.6M to 13.6M.

How did search popularity change for women's fashion retailers worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes
  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for H&M worldwide fell 18.6% over 12 measured months, from 20.4M to 16.6M in September 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Uniqlo worldwide fell 18.1% over 12 measured months, from 16.6M to 13.6M in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using H&M’s and Uniqlo’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.

H&M

1 branded search term

  • h&m

Uniqlo

1 branded search term

  • uniqlo

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among women's fashion retailers

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