Paper Plus vs Whitcoulls:Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand?
In August 2026, Whitcoulls had more branded searches than Paper Plus among bookshops in New Zealand. Whitcoulls was estimated to have 89.6K branded searches compared to Paper Plus’ 59.7K, and held a 27.7% Share of Search versus Paper Plus’ 18.5%.
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Which is more popular in search, Paper Plus or Whitcoulls?
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 by month for Whitcoulls, Paper Plus. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | Mighty Ape | Whitcoulls | Paper Plus | Unity Books | Scorpio Books | Time Out Bookstore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 47% | 26.7% | 18.5% | 4.1% | 2.7% | 0.86% |
| Nov 2025 | 52.5% | 24.2% | 16.5% | 3.7% | 2.4% | 0.73% |
| Dec 2025 | 44.8% | 27.7% | 19.5% | 4% | 3.2% | 0.83% |
| Jan 2026 | 40.6% | 26% | 24.8% | 4.3% | 3.5% | 0.87% |
| Feb 2026 | 41.9% | 26.5% | 21.5% | 5.5% | 3.6% | 1% |
| Mar 2026 | 42.5% | 26.3% | 21% | 5.6% | 3.7% | 0.88% |
| Apr 2026 | 43.6% | 27.2% | 18.5% | 5.7% | 3.8% | 1.2% |
| May 2026 | 43.3% | 27.9% | 18.4% | 5.7% | 3.8% | 0.98% |
| Jun 2026 | 44.9% | 27.2% | 18.2% | 4.8% | 3.9% | 0.97% |
| Jul 2026 | 44.2% | 26.9% | 18.4% | 5.8% | 3.8% | 0.96% |
| Aug 2026 | 43.3% | 27.7% | 18.5% | 5.7% | 3.8% | 1.1% |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
How has the Paper Plus and Whitcoulls comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Whitcoulls was ahead of Paper Plus in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Paper Plus’ estimated Share of Search among bookshops in New Zealand held steady at 18.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 67.5K to 59.7K.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Whitcoulls’ estimated Share of Search among bookshops in New Zealand moved from 26.7% to 27.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 97.2K to 89.6K.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand bookshops in August 2026?
2 changes

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

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.
How each brand is measured
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Paper Plus’ and Whitcoulls’ 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.
Paper Plus
33 branded search terms
- barrington paper plus
- Paper Plus
- paper plus books
- paper plus coastlands
- paper plus eastridge
- paper plus gifts
- paper plus havelock
- paper plus henderson
- paper plus highland park
- paper plus lego
- paper plus meadowbank
- paper plus near me
- paper plus north city
- paper plus northlands
- paper plus notebooks
- paper plus nz
- paper plus office supplies
- paper plus online
- paper plus online shopping
- paper plus pencil case
- paper plus remuera road
- paper plus sale
- paper plus stationery
- paper plus store
- paper plus sylvia park
- paper plus tower junction
- paper plus westcity
- paperplus cambridge
- paperplus co nz
- paperplus gifts
- paperplus gore
- paperplus notebooks
- paperplus nz
Whitcoulls
26 branded search terms
- Whitcoulls
- whitcoulls books
- whitcoulls botany
- whitcoulls centreplace
- whitcoulls co nz
- whitcoulls cuba
- whitcoulls cuba st
- whitcoulls lambton
- whitcoulls lambton quay
- whitcoulls near me
- whitcoulls north west
- whitcoulls northlands
- whitcoulls nz
- whitcoulls office supplies
- whitcoulls online
- whitcoulls palms
- whitcoulls queensgate
- whitcoulls sale
- whitcoulls shirley
- whitcoulls south city
- whitcoulls st lukes
- whitcoulls stationery
- whitcoulls sylvia park
- whitcoulls sylvia park express
- whitcoulls the base
- whitcoulls voucher

Put your own brand in this comparison
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