---
title: "Hiking footwear brands in New Zealand: Which are searched most?"
description: "Compare the hiking boot and trail shoe brands New Zealanders buy. Share of Search among HOKA, Salomon, Merrell, SCARPA, KEEN, La Sportiva, LOWA, Salewa and Meindl, the hiking footwear brands Brandwave compares in New Zealand, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-hiking-footwear-brands"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Hiking footwear brands in New Zealand: Which are searched most?

Compare the hiking boot and trail shoe brands New Zealanders buy. Share of Search among HOKA, Salomon, Merrell, SCARPA, KEEN, La Sportiva, LOWA, Salewa and Meindl, the hiking footwear brands Brandwave compares in New Zealand, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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.

## Key facts

- **Competitive set**: Hiking footwear brands
- **Market**: New Zealand
- **Brands compared**: 9
- **Month measured**: Sep 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: HOKA, 44.1%

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

- 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%.
- 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.

## 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.

Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options.

| Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Salomon | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 |
| Merrell | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 |
| La Sportiva | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 |
| HOKA | 4th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 |
| LOWA | 5th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 |
| KEEN | 6th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 |
| SCARPA | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 |
| Salewa | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 |
| Meindl | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 |

## Every AI answer about hiking footwear brands

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

Not named in any answer: SCARPA, Salewa and Meindl.

Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 21, 2026.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [HOKA vs Salomon: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/hoka-vs-salomon): 44.1% against 19.2% Share of Search.
- [HOKA vs Merrell: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/hoka-vs-merrell): 44.1% against 13.1% Share of Search.
- [HOKA vs SCARPA: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/hoka-vs-scarpa): 44.1% against 8% Share of Search.
- [HOKA vs KEEN: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/hoka-vs-keen-footwear): 44.1% against 6.1% Share of Search.
- [Salomon vs Merrell: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/merrell-vs-salomon): 19.2% against 13.1% Share of Search.
- [Salomon vs SCARPA: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/salomon-vs-scarpa): 19.2% against 8% Share of Search.
- [Salomon vs KEEN: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/keen-footwear-vs-salomon): 19.2% against 6.1% Share of Search.
- [Merrell vs SCARPA: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/merrell-vs-scarpa): 13.1% against 8% Share of Search.
- [Merrell vs KEEN: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/keen-footwear-vs-merrell): 13.1% against 6.1% Share of Search.
- [SCARPA vs KEEN: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/keen-footwear-vs-scarpa): 8% against 6.1% Share of Search.

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

- 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.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | HOKA | 44.1% | 11.7K | -0.8% | HOKA |
| 2 | Salomon | 19.2% | 5.1K | +11.4% | Salomon |
| 3 | Merrell | 13.1% | 3.5K | +16.8% | Merrell |
| 4 | SCARPA | 8% | 2.1K | +0.5% | SCARPA |
| 5 | KEEN | 6.1% | 1.6K | -1.2% | KEEN |
| 6 | La Sportiva | 4.9% | 1.3K | -18.8% | La Sportiva |
| 7 | LOWA | 3.4% | 900 | +7.1% | LOWA |
| 8 | Salewa | 0.9% | 240 | -27.3% | Salewa |
| 9 | Meindl | 0.38% | 100 | 0.0% | Meindl |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | HOKA | 12.2K | 45.7% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Salomon | 5.1K | 19% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Merrell | 3K | 11.1% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | SCARPA | 2.6K | 9.7% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | KEEN | 1.6K | 6.2% | 5 |
| Oct 2025 | La Sportiva | 1K | 3.8% | 6 |
| Oct 2025 | LOWA | 810 | 3% | 7 |
| Oct 2025 | Salewa | 280 | 1.1% | 8 |
| Oct 2025 | Meindl | 120 | 0.45% | 9 |
| Nov 2025 | HOKA | 16.6K | 49.6% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Salomon | 6.1K | 18.2% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Merrell | 4K | 11.8% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | KEEN | 2.5K | 7.4% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | SCARPA | 2.1K | 6.2% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | La Sportiva | 1K | 3% | 6 |
| Nov 2025 | LOWA | 870 | 2.6% | 7 |
| Nov 2025 | Salewa | 280 | 0.84% | 8 |
| Nov 2025 | Meindl | 100 | 0.3% | 9 |
| Dec 2025 | HOKA | 16.5K | 52.2% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Salomon | 5.1K | 16.2% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Merrell | 3.4K | 10.8% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | KEEN | 2.4K | 7.7% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | SCARPA | 1.7K | 5.5% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | La Sportiva | 1.3K | 4.1% | 6 |
| Dec 2025 | LOWA | 700 | 2.2% | 7 |
| Dec 2025 | Salewa | 260 | 0.82% | 8 |
| Dec 2025 | Meindl | 120 | 0.38% | 9 |
| Jan 2026 | HOKA | 14.6K | 47.9% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Salomon | 5.6K | 18.4% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Merrell | 3.4K | 11.3% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | SCARPA | 2.1K | 6.8% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | KEEN | 1.9K | 6.3% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | La Sportiva | 1.3K | 4.3% | 6 |
| Jan 2026 | LOWA | 1.1K | 3.5% | 7 |
| Jan 2026 | Salewa | 350 | 1.1% | 8 |
| Jan 2026 | Meindl | 120 | 0.39% | 9 |
| Feb 2026 | HOKA | 13.8K | 51.3% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Salomon | 4.6K | 17.2% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Merrell | 2.9K | 10.9% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | SCARPA | 2K | 7.6% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | KEEN | 1.3K | 4.9% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | La Sportiva | 1K | 3.7% | 6 |
| Feb 2026 | LOWA | 820 | 3% | 7 |
| Feb 2026 | Salewa | 250 | 0.93% | 8 |
| Feb 2026 | Meindl | 100 | 0.37% | 9 |
| Mar 2026 | HOKA | 12.1K | 47.3% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Salomon | 4.2K | 16.2% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Merrell | 2.9K | 11.1% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | SCARPA | 2.1K | 8.4% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | KEEN | 1.6K | 6.3% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | La Sportiva | 1.3K | 5.1% | 6 |
| Mar 2026 | LOWA | 1K | 3.9% | 7 |
| Mar 2026 | Salewa | 330 | 1.3% | 8 |
| Mar 2026 | Meindl | 120 | 0.47% | 9 |
| Apr 2026 | HOKA | 13.7K | 48.4% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Salomon | 4.6K | 16.4% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Merrell | 3.5K | 12.5% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | SCARPA | 2.1K | 7.6% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | KEEN | 1.6K | 5.8% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | La Sportiva | 1.3K | 4.6% | 6 |
| Apr 2026 | LOWA | 870 | 3.1% | 7 |
| Apr 2026 | Salewa | 330 | 1.2% | 8 |
| Apr 2026 | Meindl | 120 | 0.42% | 9 |
| May 2026 | HOKA | 11.6K | 46.3% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Salomon | 4.6K | 18.3% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Merrell | 2.7K | 11% | 3 |
| May 2026 | SCARPA | 1.9K | 7.4% | 4 |
| May 2026 | KEEN | 1.6K | 6.5% | 5 |
| May 2026 | La Sportiva | 1.3K | 5.2% | 6 |
| May 2026 | LOWA | 870 | 3.5% | 7 |
| May 2026 | Salewa | 330 | 1.3% | 8 |
| May 2026 | Meindl | 120 | 0.48% | 9 |
| Jun 2026 | HOKA | 11.6K | 46.3% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Salomon | 5.1K | 20.2% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Merrell | 2.8K | 11.2% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | KEEN | 1.6K | 6.6% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | SCARPA | 1.5K | 6% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | La Sportiva | 1.3K | 5.2% | 6 |
| Jun 2026 | LOWA | 730 | 2.9% | 7 |
| Jun 2026 | Salewa | 280 | 1.1% | 8 |
| Jun 2026 | Meindl | 120 | 0.48% | 9 |
| Jul 2026 | HOKA | 11.6K | 43.7% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Salomon | 5.1K | 19.1% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Merrell | 3.5K | 13.2% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | KEEN | 1.9K | 7.3% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | SCARPA | 1.9K | 6.9% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | La Sportiva | 1.3K | 4.9% | 6 |
| Jul 2026 | LOWA | 870 | 3.3% | 7 |
| Jul 2026 | Salewa | 300 | 1.1% | 8 |
| Jul 2026 | Meindl | 150 | 0.56% | 9 |
| Aug 2026 | HOKA | 11.8K | 45.4% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Salomon | 4.6K | 17.6% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Merrell | 3K | 11.5% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | SCARPA | 2.1K | 8.1% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | KEEN | 1.6K | 6.3% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | La Sportiva | 1.6K | 6.2% | 6 |
| Aug 2026 | LOWA | 840 | 3.2% | 7 |
| Aug 2026 | Salewa | 330 | 1.3% | 8 |
| Aug 2026 | Meindl | 100 | 0.39% | 9 |
| Sep 2026 | HOKA | 11.7K | 44.1% | 1 |
| Sep 2026 | Salomon | 5.1K | 19.2% | 2 |
| Sep 2026 | Merrell | 3.5K | 13.1% | 3 |
| Sep 2026 | SCARPA | 2.1K | 8% | 4 |
| Sep 2026 | KEEN | 1.6K | 6.1% | 5 |
| Sep 2026 | La Sportiva | 1.3K | 4.9% | 6 |
| Sep 2026 | LOWA | 900 | 3.4% | 7 |
| Sep 2026 | Salewa | 240 | 0.9% | 8 |
| Sep 2026 | Meindl | 100 | 0.38% | 9 |

## What is being compared

- **HOKA**: Measured on the search terms “hoka”, “hoka bondi”, “hoka clifton”, “hoka clifton 9”, “hoka speedgoat” and “hoka speedgoat 6”, summed into one figure.
- **KEEN**: Measured on the search terms “keen hiking boots nz”, “keen nz”, “keen sandals nz” and “keen shoes nz”, summed into one figure.
- **La Sportiva**: Measured on the search term “la sportiva”.
- **LOWA**: Measured on the search terms “lowa”, “lowa hiking footwear” and “lowa renegade”, summed into one figure.
- **Meindl**: Measured on the search terms “meindl” and “meindl hunting boot”, summed into one figure.
- **Merrell**: Measured on the search terms “merrell”, “merrell hydro moc”, “merrell moab”, “merrell outlet” and “merrell sandals”, summed into one figure.
- **Salewa**: Measured on the search terms “salewa” and “salewa hiking footwear”, summed into one figure.
- **Salomon**: Measured on the search terms “salomon hiking boots nz”, “salomon nz”, “salomon shoes nz” and “salomon trail shoes nz”, summed into one figure.
- **SCARPA**: Measured on the search terms “scarpa boots nz”, “scarpa hiking boots nz” and “scarpa nz”, summed into one figure.

- [HOKA](/demand/nz/brands/hoka)
- [KEEN](/demand/nz/brands/keen-footwear)
- [La Sportiva](/demand/nz/brands/la-sportiva)
- [LOWA](/demand/nz/brands/lowa)
- [Meindl](/demand/nz/brands/meindl)
- [Merrell](/demand/nz/brands/merrell)
- [Salewa](/demand/nz/brands/salewa)
- [Salomon](/demand/nz/brands/salomon)
- [SCARPA](/demand/nz/brands/scarpa)

## Methodology

- [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

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

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.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Hiking footwear brands in New Zealand: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-hiking-footwear-brands

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-hiking-footwear-brands. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.