Barnes & Noble vs Waterstones:Which is more popular by branded search?

Name: Barnes & Noble vs Waterstones: Which is more popular by branded search?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In August 2026, Barnes & Noble had more branded searches than Waterstones among bookstores worldwide. Barnes & Noble was estimated to have 7.5M branded searches compared to Waterstones’ 12.1K, and held a 94.1% Share of Search versus Waterstones’ 0.15%. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search among bookstores worldwide in August 2026Which is more popular in search, Barnes & Noble or Waterstones?

Barnes & Noble94.1%7.5M searches

vs

Waterstones0.15%12.1K searches

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Which is more popular in search, Barnes & Noble or Waterstones?

Compare the bookstores shoppers use. 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.

View monthly share of search table

Month	Barnes & Noble	WHSmith	Blackwell's	Waterstones	Foyles	Dymocks
Oct 2025	89.4%	6.6%	3.6%	0.26%	0.1%	0.04%
Nov 2025	92%	4.5%	3%	0.27%	0.08%	0.04%
Dec 2025	94.1%	3.8%	1.7%	0.23%	0.07%	0.05%
Jan 2026	93.4%	3.8%	2.5%	0.18%	0.08%	0.04%
Feb 2026	94%	3.1%	2.5%	0.23%	0.1%	0.04%
Mar 2026	94.5%	3.1%	2.1%	0.19%	0.08%	0.04%
Apr 2026	94.2%	3.1%	2.5%	0.12%	0.07%	0.03%
May 2026	94.1%	3.1%	2.5%	0.15%	0.07%	0.04%
Jun 2026	94.1%	3.1%	2.5%	0.15%	0.08%	0.03%
Jul 2026	94.6%	2.5%	2.5%	0.15%	0.08%	0.04%
Aug 2026	94.1%	3.1%	2.5%	0.15%	0.08%	0.04%
Sep 2026	—	—	—	—	—	—

How has the Barnes & Noble and Waterstones comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

Barnes & Noble was ahead of Waterstones in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Barnes & Noble’s estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide moved from 89.4% to 94.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 6.1M to 7.5M.
Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Waterstones’ estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide moved from 0.26% to 0.15%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 18.1K to 12.1K.

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

2 changes

In August 2026, Barnes & Noble lost estimated Share of Search among bookstores worldwide, from 94.6% to 94.1%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Waterstones worldwide fell 33.1% over 11 measured months, from 18.1K to 12.1K in August 2026.

How each brand is measured

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Barnes & Noble’s and Waterstones’ 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.