Hiking footwear brands in New Zealand:Which are most popular?

Name: Hiking footwear brands in New Zealand: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In September 2026, HOKA was the most searched hiking footwear brand in New Zealand, accounting for 44.1% of all searches among the nine brands we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Salomon and La Sportiva showed up in every answer. Salomon was recommended most often, coming first in two out of five responses.

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Top hiking footwear brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Salomon and La Sportiva appeared every time. Salomon was recommended most often, coming first in two out of five answers. Merrell was second, and La Sportiva was third. SCARPA, which ranked fourth in searches, was not mentioned at all.

Most recommended by AI

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

Mentioned by AI

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

How many AI answers named each brand
Brand	ChatGPT	Google	Answers that named it
Salomon	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	5 of 5
La Sportiva	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	5 of 5
Merrell	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	4 of 5
LOWA	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	4 of 5
HOKA	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	3 of 5
KEEN	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
SCARPA	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Salewa	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Meindl	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5

Salomon5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
La Sportiva5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Merrell4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
LOWA4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
HOKA3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
KEEN2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
SCARPA0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Salewa0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Meindl0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about hiking footwear brands

5 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“Which hiking footwear brand should I buy in New Zealand?”
1. 1Merrell
2. 2Salomon
3. 3HOKA
4. 4La Sportiva
5. 5LOWA
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best hiking footwear brands in New Zealand?”
1. 1Salomon
2. 2Merrell
3. 3LOWA
4. 4La Sportiva
5. 5KEEN
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best hiking footwear brand in New Zealand for rough trails?”
1. 1Salomon
2. 2La Sportiva
3. 3LOWA
Searched Google, AI Overview
“hiking footwear brands”
1. 1Merrell
2. 2Salomon
3. 3HOKA
4. 4La Sportiva
5. 5KEEN
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best hiking boots”
1. 1La Sportiva
2. 2Salomon
3. 3HOKA
4. 4LOWA
5. 5Merrell

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 hiking footwear brands do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each hiking footwear brand by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine hiking footwear brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Share of searches among hiking footwear brands in New Zealand, by month

Month	HOKA	Salomon	Merrell	SCARPA	KEEN	La Sportiva	LOWA	Salewa	Meindl
Oct 2025	45.7%	19%	11.1%	9.7%	6.2%	3.8%	3%	1.1%	0.45%
Nov 2025	49.6%	18.2%	11.8%	6.2%	7.4%	3%	2.6%	0.84%	0.3%
Dec 2025	52.2%	16.2%	10.8%	5.5%	7.7%	4.1%	2.2%	0.82%	0.38%
Jan 2026	47.9%	18.4%	11.3%	6.8%	6.3%	4.3%	3.5%	1.1%	0.39%
Feb 2026	51.3%	17.2%	10.9%	7.6%	4.9%	3.7%	3%	0.93%	0.37%
Mar 2026	47.3%	16.2%	11.1%	8.4%	6.3%	5.1%	3.9%	1.3%	0.47%
Apr 2026	48.4%	16.4%	12.5%	7.6%	5.8%	4.6%	3.1%	1.2%	0.42%
May 2026	46.3%	18.3%	11%	7.4%	6.5%	5.2%	3.5%	1.3%	0.48%
Jun 2026	46.3%	20.2%	11.2%	6%	6.6%	5.2%	2.9%	1.1%	0.48%
Jul 2026	43.7%	19.1%	13.2%	6.9%	7.3%	4.9%	3.3%	1.1%	0.56%
Aug 2026	45.4%	17.6%	11.5%	8.1%	6.3%	6.2%	3.2%	1.3%	0.39%
Sep 2026	44.1%	19.2%	13.1%	8%	6.1%	4.9%	3.4%	0.9%	0.38%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	HOKA	44.1%	11.7K	-0.76%	-1.4 points
2, held 2nd	Salomon	19.2%	5.1K	+11.4%	+1.6 points
3, held 3rd	Merrell	13.1%	3.5K	+16.8%	+1.6 points
4, held 4th	SCARPA	8%	2.1K	+0.48%	-0.1 points
5, held 5th	KEEN	6.1%	1.6K	-1.2%	-0.2 points
6, held 6th	La Sportiva	4.9%	1.3K	-18.8%	-1.3 points
7, held 7th	LOWA	3.4%	900	+7.1%	+0.2 points
8, held 8th	Salewa	0.9%	240	-27.3%	-0.4 points
9, held 9th	Meindl	0.38%	100	0%	0 points

1.HOKA
44.1%
Held 1st. 11.7K estimated branded searches, -0.76% vs prior month. Share -1.4 points.
2.Salomon
19.2%
Held 2nd. 5.1K estimated branded searches, +11.4% vs prior month. Share +1.6 points.
3.Merrell
13.1%
Held 3rd. 3.5K estimated branded searches, +16.8% vs prior month. Share +1.6 points.
4.SCARPA
8%
Held 4th. 2.1K estimated branded searches, +0.48% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.
5.KEEN
6.1%
Held 5th. 1.6K estimated branded searches, -1.2% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.
6.La Sportiva
4.9%
Held 6th. 1.3K estimated branded searches, -18.8% vs prior month. Share -1.3 points.
7.LOWA
3.4%
Held 7th. 900 estimated branded searches, +7.1% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.
8.Salewa
0.9%
Held 8th. 240 estimated branded searches, -27.3% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.
9.Meindl
0.38%
Held 9th. 100 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Which brand is most popular in search among hiking footwear brands in New Zealand?

9 brands

In September 2026, HOKA was the most searched among hiking footwear brands in New Zealand, with an estimated 11.7K branded searches, 44.1% of all searches for the nine we track. Salomon is in 2nd place, 24.9 percentage points behind at 19.2%.

New Zealand hiking footwear brands, last 12 months ending September 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
HOKA	45.7% → 44.1%	52.2%Dec 2025	43.7%Jul 2026	1st
Salomon	19% → 19.2%	20.2%Jun 2026	16.2%Mar 2026	2nd
Merrell	11.1% → 13.1%	13.2%Jul 2026	10.8%Dec 2025	3rd
SCARPA	9.7% → 8%	9.7%Oct 2025	5.5%Dec 2025	4th
KEEN	6.2% → 6.1%	7.7%Dec 2025	4.9%Feb 2026	5th
La Sportiva	3.8% → 4.9%	6.2%Aug 2026	3%Nov 2025	6th
LOWA	3% → 3.4%	3.9%Mar 2026	2.2%Dec 2025	7th
Salewa	1.1% → 0.9%	1.3%May 2026	0.82%Dec 2025	8th
Meindl	0.45% → 0.38%	0.56%Jul 2026	0.3%Nov 2025	9th

Each finding as a sentence

Across the 12 months ending September 2026, HOKA’s share of searches among hiking footwear brands in New Zealand decreased from 45.7% to 44.1%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Merrell’s share of searches among hiking footwear brands in New Zealand increased from 11.1% to 13.1%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, SCARPA’s share of searches among hiking footwear brands in New Zealand decreased from 9.7% to 8%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, La Sportiva’s share of searches among hiking footwear brands in New Zealand increased from 3.8% to 4.9%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, HOKA’s share of searches among hiking footwear brands in New Zealand peaked at 52.2% in December 2025 and was lowest at 43.7% in July 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Salomon’s share of searches among hiking footwear brands in New Zealand peaked at 20.2% in June 2026 and was lowest at 16.2% in March 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Merrell’s share of searches among hiking footwear brands in New Zealand peaked at 13.2% in July 2026 and was lowest at 10.8% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, SCARPA’s share of searches among hiking footwear brands in New Zealand peaked at 9.7% in October 2025 and was lowest at 5.5% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, KEEN’s share of searches among hiking footwear brands in New Zealand peaked at 7.7% in December 2025 and was lowest at 4.9% in February 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, La Sportiva’s share of searches among hiking footwear brands in New Zealand peaked at 6.2% in August 2026 and was lowest at 3% in November 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, LOWA’s share of searches among hiking footwear brands in New Zealand peaked at 3.9% in March 2026 and was lowest at 2.2% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Salomon, KEEN, LOWA, Salewa and Meindl held steady: their share of searches among hiking footwear brands in New Zealand each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand hiking footwear brands in September 2026?

8 changes

In September 2026, Merrell gained share of searches among hiking footwear brands in New Zealand, from 11.5% to 13.1%.
In September 2026, Salomon gained share of searches among hiking footwear brands in New Zealand, from 17.6% to 19.2%.
In September 2026, HOKA lost share of searches among hiking footwear brands in New Zealand, from 45.4% to 44.1%.
In September 2026, La Sportiva lost share of searches among hiking footwear brands in New Zealand, from 6.2% to 4.9%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for LOWA in New Zealand rose 11.1% over 12 measured months, from 810 to 900 in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for SCARPA in New Zealand fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 2.6K to 2.1K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Meindl in New Zealand fell 16.7% over 12 measured months, from 120 to 100 in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Salewa in New Zealand fell 14.3% over 12 measured months, from 280 to 240 in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted for hiking footwear brands?

30 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among hiking footwear brands comes from the terms listed under its name. When people mostly search for a brand because of something else it sells, only the searches that name this product count here.