Brandwave

How popular isWhitcoulls?

In September 2026, people searched for Whitcoulls by name about 73,400 times in New Zealand, a 13.3% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 23.3% of all New Zealand office and stationery retailer searches, placing Whitcoulls second out of four retailers. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about office and stationery retailers, Whitcoulls appeared in two of the five answers and was the third most recommended of the four.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Whitcoulls is the second most searched of 4 competitors and the third most recommended in AI answers.

  1. Warehouse StationeryShare of searches 42.9%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. WhitcoullsShare of searches 23.3%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  3. Paper PlusShare of searches 17.7%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  4. OfficeMax NZShare of searches 16.1%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
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Top office and stationery retailers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Whitcoulls was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Whitcoulls is the third most recommended of the four.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Warehouse Stationery1st
  2. OfficeMax NZ2nd
  3. Whitcoulls3rd
  4. Paper Plus4th

Mentioned by AI

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

  • OfficeMax NZ5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Warehouse Stationery3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Whitcoulls2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Paper Plus1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about office and stationery retailers

5 answers

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

Which office and stationery retailers compete with Whitcoulls?

Whitcoulls against office and stationery retailers in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Warehouse Stationery, Whitcoulls, Paper Plus, OfficeMax NZ. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthWarehouse StationeryWhitcoullsPaper PlusOfficeMax NZ
Oct 202541.3%25.9%17%15.9%
Nov 202542.6%26.7%17.5%13.3%
Dec 202535.5%33.6%21.8%9.1%
Jan 202641.4%18.3%17.2%23.2%
Feb 202646.2%20.6%15.8%17.4%
Mar 202643.2%22.9%17.7%16.3%
Apr 202645.8%24.4%15.7%14.1%
May 202644.3%23.9%15.2%16.7%
Jun 202644.6%23.4%15.2%16.8%
Jul 202646%24.1%15.8%14.2%
Aug 202644.3%23.7%15.3%16.7%
Sep 202642.9%23.3%17.7%16.1%

  1. 1.Warehouse Stationery

    42.9%

    Held 1st. 135K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.4 points.

  2. 2.Whitcoulls

    23.3%

    Held 2nd. 73.4K estimated branded searches, +1.5% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  3. 3.Paper Plus

    17.7%

    Moved from 4th to 3rd. 55.6K estimated branded searches, +19.4% vs prior month. Share +2.4 points.

  4. 4.OfficeMax NZ

    16.1%

    Moved from 3rd to 4th. 50.5K estimated branded searches, -0.65% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

Compare popularity between Whitcoulls and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Whitcoulls

11 comparisons

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

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Whitcoulls in New Zealand fell from 84.6K to 73.4K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Whitcoulls’ share of searches among office and stationery retailers in New Zealand decreased from 25.9% to 23.3%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Whitcoulls’ share of searches among office and stationery retailers in New Zealand peaked at 33.6% in December 2025 and was lowest at 18.3% in January 2026.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand office and stationery retailers in September 2026?

4 changes

  1. In September 2026, Paper Plus overtook OfficeMax NZ to rank 3rd among office and stationery retailers in New Zealand, with 17.7% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Warehouse Stationery lost share of searches among office and stationery retailers in New Zealand, from 44.3% to 42.9%.

  3. In September 2026, OfficeMax NZ lost share of searches among office and stationery retailers in New Zealand, from 16.7% to 16.1%.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Whitcoulls in New Zealand fell 13.3% over 12 measured months, from 84.6K to 73.4K in September 2026.

How are Whitcoulls’ branded searches counted?

21 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Whitcoulls’ 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.

  • Whitcoulls
  • whitcoulls books
  • whitcoulls botany
  • whitcoulls centreplace
  • whitcoulls cuba
  • whitcoulls cuba st
  • whitcoulls lambton
  • whitcoulls lambton quay
  • whitcoulls north west
  • whitcoulls northlands
  • whitcoulls office supplies
  • whitcoulls palms
  • whitcoulls queensgate
  • whitcoulls sale
  • whitcoulls shirley
  • whitcoulls south city
  • whitcoulls st lukes
  • whitcoulls stationery
  • whitcoulls sylvia park
  • whitcoulls the base
  • whitcoulls voucher

Do you work for Whitcoulls? 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

Where does Whitcoulls compete?

Whitcoulls is ranked in three competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
office and stationery retailers2nd of 423.3%Shown above
Bookshops2nd of 626%Show ranking
Gift and stationery stores1st of 649%Show ranking
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