Brandwave

How popular isRoyal Canin?

In September 2026, people searched for Royal Canin by name about 3,150 times in New Zealand, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 22% of all New Zealand pet food brand searches, placing Royal Canin first out of eight brands. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about pet food brands, Royal Canin appeared in all answers and was the most recommended of the eight.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Royal Canin is the most searched of 8 competitors and the most recommended in AI answers.

  1. Royal CaninShare of searches 22%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. Hill'sShare of searches 20.7%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  3. WhiskasShare of searches 17.9%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  4. PurinaShare of searches 14.4%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
  5. ZIWI PeakShare of searches 9.4%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd

+3 more

Royal Canin website (opens in a new tab)

Follow Royal Canin 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

Top pet food brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Royal Canin appeared in all five answers. Royal Canin is the most recommended of the eight.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Royal Canin1st
  2. ZIWI Peak2nd
  3. Black Hawk3rd
  4. Hill's4th
  5. K9 Natural5th
  6. Purina6th
  7. Whiskas–
  8. Pedigree–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Royal Canin5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • ZIWI Peak5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Hill's4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Purina3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Black Hawk3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • K9 Natural3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Whiskas0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Pedigree0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about pet food brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 21, 2026.

Which pet food brands compete with Royal Canin?

Royal Canin against pet food brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Royal Canin, Hill's, Whiskas, Purina, ZIWI Peak, Black Hawk, Pedigree, K9 Natural. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthRoyal CaninHill'sWhiskasPurinaZIWI PeakBlack HawkPedigreeK9 Natural
Oct 202523.7%20.4%16.7%13.9%12%6.7%4.7%2%
Nov 202521.5%22.8%15.3%13.9%12.5%7.5%4.3%2.2%
Dec 202523.8%17.7%17.3%14.9%11.7%7.8%4.4%2.3%
Jan 202621.5%16%18.9%18.7%11.5%6.8%4.2%2.5%
Feb 202622.1%18.4%18.9%15.8%12.2%6.9%3.3%2.5%
Mar 202623.1%20.7%16.9%16.8%10.2%6.6%3.5%2.1%
Apr 202623.6%18%18%17.8%9.8%6.9%3.7%2.2%
May 202621.8%19.9%18%17.8%9.8%6.5%3.8%2.4%
Jun 202621.5%20.2%18.3%16.8%10.6%6.5%3.8%2.4%
Jul 202621.3%16.9%20.7%16.5%10.8%7.1%4.9%1.8%
Aug 202621.4%18.7%19.8%15.5%11.3%6.9%4.4%1.8%
Sep 202622%20.7%17.9%14.4%9.4%9.1%4.3%2.2%

  1. 1.Royal Canin

    22%

    Held 1st. 3.1K estimated branded searches, +1.9% vs prior month. Share +0.5 points.

  2. 2.Hill's

    20.7%

    Moved from 3rd to 2nd. 3K estimated branded searches, +10% vs prior month. Share +2 points.

  3. 3.Whiskas

    17.9%

    Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 2.6K estimated branded searches, -10.5% vs prior month. Share -2 points.

  4. 4.Purina

    14.4%

    Held 4th. 2.1K estimated branded searches, -7.2% vs prior month. Share -1 points.

  5. 5.ZIWI Peak

    9.4%

    Held 5th. 1.4K estimated branded searches, -17.2% vs prior month. Share -1.9 points.

  6. 6.Black Hawk

    9.1%

    Held 6th. 1.3K estimated branded searches, +30% vs prior month. Share +2.1 points.

  7. 7.Pedigree

    4.3%

    Held 7th. 620 estimated branded searches, -3.1% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  8. 8.K9 Natural

    2.2%

    Held 8th. 320 estimated branded searches, +23.1% vs prior month. Share +0.4 points.

Compare popularity between Royal Canin and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Royal Canin

8 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Royal Canin changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Royal Canin in New Zealand held steady at 3.1K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Royal Canin’s share of searches among pet food brands in New Zealand decreased from 23.7% to 22%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Royal Canin’s share of searches among pet food brands in New Zealand peaked at 23.8% in December 2025 and was lowest at 21.3% in July 2026.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand pet food brands in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Hill's overtook Whiskas to rank 2nd among pet food brands in New Zealand, with 20.7% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Black Hawk gained share of searches among pet food brands in New Zealand, from 6.9% to 9.1%.

  3. In September 2026, Royal Canin gained share of searches among pet food brands in New Zealand, from 21.4% to 22%.

  4. In September 2026, Whiskas lost share of searches among pet food brands in New Zealand, from 19.8% to 17.9%.

  5. In September 2026, ZIWI Peak lost share of searches among pet food brands in New Zealand, from 11.3% to 9.4%.

  6. In September 2026, Purina lost share of searches among pet food brands in New Zealand, from 15.5% to 14.4%.

How are Royal Canin’s branded searches counted?

5 search terms

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

  • royal canin
  • royal canin gi
  • royal canin hypo
  • royal canin kitten
  • royalcanin

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Who owns Royal Canin?

Royal Canin is owned by Mars. Brandwave also tracks Airwaves, Dolmio, Eclipse, Extra, Juicy Fruit, Pedigree and Whiskas, owned by the same company, in New Zealand.

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

Where does Royal Canin compete?

Royal Canin is ranked in four competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Pet food brands1st of 822%Shown above
Kitten food brands1st of 434.7%Show ranking
Dog biscuits brands1st of 360.7%Show ranking
Skin and coat brands1st of 373.6%Show ranking
Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Is Royal Canin 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