Brandwave

Bookshops in New Zealand:Which brands are most popular in search?

In August 2026, Mighty Ape was the most searched among bookshops in New Zealand, with an estimated 140K branded searches and 43.3% estimated Share of Search within this set.

Share of Search, August 2026
  1. Mighty Ape43.3%
  2. Whitcoulls27.7%
  3. Paper Plus18.5%
  4. Unity Books5.7%
  5. Scorpio Books3.8%
  6. Time Out Bookstore1.1%

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Share of SearchLeaderboard

Compare the bookshops New Zealanders buy new books from, in store and online. 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.

Share of Search among bookshops in New Zealand, by month

Share of Search by month for Mighty Ape, Whitcoulls, Paper Plus, Unity Books, Scorpio Books. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of search table
MonthMighty ApeWhitcoullsPaper PlusUnity BooksScorpio BooksTime Out Bookstore
Oct 202547%26.7%18.5%4.1%2.7%0.86%
Nov 202552.5%24.2%16.5%3.7%2.4%0.73%
Dec 202544.8%27.7%19.5%4%3.2%0.83%
Jan 202640.6%26%24.8%4.3%3.5%0.87%
Feb 202641.9%26.5%21.5%5.5%3.6%1%
Mar 202642.5%26.3%21%5.6%3.7%0.88%
Apr 202643.6%27.2%18.5%5.7%3.8%1.2%
May 202643.3%27.9%18.4%5.7%3.8%0.98%
Jun 202644.9%27.2%18.2%4.8%3.9%0.97%
Jul 202644.2%26.9%18.4%5.8%3.8%0.96%
Aug 202643.3%27.7%18.5%5.7%3.8%1.1%
Sep 2026——————

This month’s ranking, August 2026

  1. 1.Mighty Ape

    43.3%

    held 1st · 140K estimated branded searches · +0.09% vs prior month · -0.8 points

  2. 2.Whitcoulls

    27.7%

    held 2nd · 89.6K estimated branded searches · +5.2% vs prior month · +0.8 points

  3. 3.Paper Plus

    18.5%

    held 3rd · 59.7K estimated branded searches · +2.5% vs prior month · +0.1 points

  4. 4.Unity Books

    5.7%

    held 4th · 18.4K estimated branded searches · -0.11% vs prior month · -0.1 points

  5. 5.Scorpio Books

    3.8%

    held 5th · 12.2K estimated branded searches · +0.25% vs prior month · -0.1 points

  6. 6.Time Out Bookstore

    1.1%

    held 6th · 3.5K estimated branded searches · +13.9% vs prior month · +0.1 points

Compare search popularity between leading brands

Which brand is most popular in search among bookshops in New Zealand?

In August 2026, Mighty Ape was the most searched among bookshops in New Zealand, with an estimated 140K branded searches and 43.3% estimated Share of Search within this set. Whitcoulls is in 2nd place, 15.6 percentage points behind at 27.7% Share of Search.

New Zealand bookshops, last 12 months ending September 2026
BrandShare of SearchPeakLowRank
Mighty Ape47% → 43.3%52.5%Nov 202540.6%Jan 20261st
Whitcoulls26.7% → 27.7%27.9%May 202624.2%Nov 20252nd
Paper Plus18.5%24.8%Jan 202616.5%Nov 20253rd
Unity Books4.1% → 5.7%5.8%Jul 20263.7%Nov 20254th
Scorpio Books2.7% → 3.8%3.9%Jun 20262.4%Nov 20255th
Time Out Bookstore0.86% → 1.1%1.2%Apr 20260.73%Nov 20256th

Each finding as a sentence

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Mighty Ape’s estimated Share of Search among bookshops in New Zealand decreased from 47% to 43.3%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Whitcoulls’ estimated Share of Search among bookshops in New Zealand increased from 26.7% to 27.7%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Unity Books’ estimated Share of Search among bookshops in New Zealand increased from 4.1% to 5.7%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Scorpio Books’ estimated Share of Search among bookshops in New Zealand increased from 2.7% to 3.8%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Mighty Ape’s estimated Share of Search among bookshops in New Zealand peaked at 52.5% in November 2025 and was lowest at 40.6% in January 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Whitcoulls’ estimated Share of Search among bookshops in New Zealand peaked at 27.9% in May 2026 and was lowest at 24.2% in November 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Paper Plus’ estimated Share of Search among bookshops in New Zealand peaked at 24.8% in January 2026 and was lowest at 16.5% in November 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Unity Books’ estimated Share of Search among bookshops in New Zealand peaked at 5.8% in July 2026 and was lowest at 3.7% in November 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Scorpio Books’ estimated Share of Search among bookshops in New Zealand peaked at 3.9% in June 2026 and was lowest at 2.4% in November 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Paper Plus and Time Out Bookstore held steady: their estimated Share of Search among bookshops in New Zealand each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand bookshops in August 2026?

  1. In August 2026, Whitcoulls gained estimated Share of Search among bookshops in New Zealand, from 26.9% to 27.7%.

  2. In August 2026, Mighty Ape lost estimated Share of Search among bookshops in New Zealand, from 44.2% to 43.3%.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for Scorpio Books in New Zealand rose 22.4% over 11 measured months, from 10K to 12.2K in August 2026.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Unity Books in New Zealand rose 21.8% over 11 measured months, from 15.1K to 18.4K in August 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Paper Plus in New Zealand fell 11.6% over 11 measured months, from 67.5K to 59.7K in August 2026.

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