--- title: "Columbia vs KEEN: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Columbia or KEEN more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Hiking shoe brands set in New Zealand. 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-shoe-brands/compare/columbia-vs-keen-footwear" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Columbia vs KEEN: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Columbia or KEEN more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Hiking shoe brands set in New Zealand. 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 - **Compared**: Columbia and KEEN - **Competitive set**: Hiking shoe brands - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Columbia Share of Search**: 1.9% - **KEEN Share of Search**: 0.11% ## Is Columbia or KEEN more popular in search? - In September 2026, Columbia had more branded searches than KEEN among hiking shoe brands in New Zealand. Columbia had about 350 branded searches, while KEEN had 20. Columbia made up 1.9% of all hiking shoe brand searches we track, and KEEN accounted for 0.11%. - Columbia was ahead of KEEN in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Columbia’s share of searches among hiking shoe brands in New Zealand moved from 1.8% to 1.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 320 to 350. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, KEEN’s share of searches among hiking shoe brands in New Zealand moved from 0.23% to 0.11%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 40 to 20. ## Top hiking shoe brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Columbia was mentioned in two out of four: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in the Google AI Overview. KEEN was mentioned in two out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. KEEN was listed before Columbia in two out of three answers that named either. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Merrell | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Salomon | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | HOKA | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | La Sportiva | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | KEEN | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Columbia | 6th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Altra | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about hiking shoe brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which hiking shoe brand should I buy in New Zealand?": 1. Merrell, 2. Salomon, 3. HOKA, 4. La Sportiva - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best hiking shoe brands in New Zealand?": 1. Salomon, 2. Merrell, 3. La Sportiva, 4. HOKA, 5. KEEN, 6. Columbia - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best hiking shoe brand in New Zealand for day walks?": 1. Merrell, 2. Salomon, 3. KEEN, 4. HOKA - Searched Google, AI Overview "best walking shoes": 1. HOKA, 2. Merrell, 3. Columbia Not named in any answer: Altra. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand hiking shoe brands in September 2026? - In September 2026, Columbia lost share of searches among hiking shoe brands in New Zealand, from 2.9% to 1.9%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for KEEN in New Zealand fell 50% over 12 measured months, from 40 to 20 in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Columbia estimated searches | Columbia Share of Search | Columbia rank | KEEN estimated searches | KEEN Share of Search | KEEN rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 320 | 1.8% | 5 | 40 | 0.23% | 7 | | Nov 2025 | 280 | 1.2% | 6 | 70 | 0.3% | 7 | | Dec 2025 | 430 | 1.9% | 5 | 40 | 0.18% | 7 | | Jan 2026 | 430 | 2% | 5 | 30 | 0.14% | 7 | | Feb 2026 | 370 | 1.9% | 5 | 30 | 0.16% | 7 | | Mar 2026 | 370 | 2.1% | 5 | 30 | 0.17% | 7 | | Apr 2026 | 500 | 2.5% | 5 | 50 | 0.25% | 7 | | May 2026 | 530 | 3.1% | 5 | 30 | 0.17% | 7 | | Jun 2026 | 530 | 3% | 5 | 40 | 0.23% | 7 | | Jul 2026 | 490 | 2.7% | 5 | 50 | 0.28% | 7 | | Aug 2026 | 530 | 2.9% | 5 | 40 | 0.22% | 7 | | Sep 2026 | 350 | 1.9% | 5 | 20 | 0.11% | 7 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Columbia’s and KEEN’s 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. - **Columbia**: Measured on the search terms “columbia sportswear” and “columbia sportswear fleece”, summed into one figure. - **KEEN**: Measured on the search term “keen hiking boots nz”. - [Columbia profile](/demand/nz/brands/columbia) - [KEEN profile](/demand/nz/brands/keen-footwear) - [All hiking shoe brands in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-hiking-shoe-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 brands. ## 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 ### Is Columbia or KEEN more popular in search? In September 2026, Columbia had more branded searches than KEEN among hiking shoe brands in New Zealand. Columbia had about 350 branded searches, while KEEN had 20. Columbia made up 1.9% of all hiking shoe brand searches we track, and KEEN accounted for 0.11%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Columbia vs KEEN: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-hiking-shoe-brands/compare/columbia-vs-keen-footwear This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-hiking-shoe-brands/compare/columbia-vs-keen-footwear. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.