Pen brands in New Zealand:Which are most popular?
In September 2026, Faber-Castell was the most searched pen brand in New Zealand, accounting for 31.5% of all searches among the six brands we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, uni-ball, Pilot and Pentel were mentioned most often, in four of the five answers. uni-ball was recommended most often, coming first in two out of five responses.
Faber-CastellShare of searches 31.5%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
BICShare of searches 31%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
uni-ballShare of searches 19.3%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
PilotShare of searches 14.2%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
PentelShare of searches 2%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
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Top pen brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, uni-ball, Pilot and Pentel were mentioned most often, in four of the five answers. uni-ball was recommended most often, coming first in two out of five answers. Pilot was second, and BIC was third. Faber-Castell, which ranked first 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.
- uni-ball4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Pilot4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Pentel4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- BIC3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Zebra3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers- Faber-Castell0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about pen brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which pen brand should I buy in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best pen brands in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best pen brand in New Zealand for everyday writing?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“pen brands”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“ballpoint pens nz”
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 pen brands do people search for most?
This chart shows how often people search Google for each pen brand by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all six pen brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.
Share of searches by month for Faber-Castell, BIC, uni-ball, Pilot. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Faber-Castell | BIC | uni-ball | Pilot | Pentel | Zebra |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 29.3% | 34.6% | 14.6% | 14.9% | 3.9% | 2.5% |
| Nov 2025 | 36.9% | 31.1% | 14% | 12.8% | 2.6% | 2.6% |
| Dec 2025 | 44.6% | 29.9% | 11.1% | 10.8% | 2.1% | 1.5% |
| Jan 2026 | 33.8% | 32.3% | 17% | 13.5% | 2.3% | 1.3% |
| Feb 2026 | 29.8% | 26.5% | 25.6% | 14.2% | 2.5% | 1.4% |
| Mar 2026 | 26.1% | 32.9% | 20% | 15.7% | 2.1% | 3.3% |
| Apr 2026 | 31.9% | 36.8% | 15.7% | 11.8% | 2.2% | 1.7% |
| May 2026 | 30.2% | 31.8% | 16.6% | 17.7% | 2% | 1.6% |
| Jun 2026 | 29.8% | 32.2% | 17.5% | 15.2% | 2.9% | 2.4% |
| Jul 2026 | 27.9% | 33.5% | 21.2% | 13.8% | 1.8% | 1.8% |
| Aug 2026 | 28% | 29.3% | 24.3% | 14.2% | 2.3% | 1.9% |
| Sep 2026 | 31.5% | 31% | 19.3% | 14.2% | 2% | 2% |
| Rank | Brand | Share of searches | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, moved from 2nd to 1st | 31.5% | 1.4K | +6% | +3.5 pointsmoved from 2nd to 1st | |
| 2, moved from 1st to 2nd | 31% | 1.4K | 0% | +1.8 pointsmoved from 1st to 2nd | |
| 3, held 3rd | 19.3% | 870 | -25% | -5 points | |
| 4, held 4th | 14.2% | 640 | -5.9% | 0 points | |
| 5, held 5th | 2% | 90 | -18.2% | -0.3 points | |
| 6, held 6th | 2% | 90 | 0% | +0.1 points |
31.5%
Moved from 2nd to 1st. 1.4K estimated branded searches, +6% vs prior month. Share +3.5 points.
2.
BIC31%
Moved from 1st to 2nd. 1.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.8 points.
3.
uni-ball19.3%
Held 3rd. 870 estimated branded searches, -25% vs prior month. Share -5 points.
4.
Pilot14.2%
Held 4th. 640 estimated branded searches, -5.9% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
5.
Pentel2%
Held 5th. 90 estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.
6.
Zebra2%
Held 6th. 90 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.
Which brand is most popular in search among pen brands in New Zealand?
6 brands
Faber-Castell and BIC share the highest share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand, at 31.5% and 31% in September 2026.
| Brand | Share of searches | Peak | Low | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faber-Castell | 29.3% → 31.5% | 44.6%Dec 2025 | 26.1%Mar 2026 | 2nd → 1st |
| BIC | 34.6% → 31% | 36.8%Apr 2026 | 26.5%Feb 2026 | 1st → 2nd |
| uni-ball | 14.6% → 19.3% | 25.6%Feb 2026 | 11.1%Dec 2025 | 4th → 3rd |
| Pilot | 14.9% → 14.2% | 17.7%May 2026 | 10.8%Dec 2025 | 3rd → 4th |
| Pentel | 3.9% → 2% | 3.9%Oct 2025 | 1.8%Jul 2026 | 5th |
| Zebra | 2.5% → 2% | 3.3%Mar 2026 | 1.3%Jan 2026 | 6th |
Each finding as a sentence
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Faber-Castell’s share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand increased from 29.3% to 31.5%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BIC’s share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand decreased from 34.6% to 31%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, uni-ball’s share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand increased from 14.6% to 19.3%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pilot’s share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand decreased from 14.9% to 14.2%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pentel’s share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand decreased from 3.9% to 2%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zebra’s share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand decreased from 2.5% to 2%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Faber-Castell’s share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand peaked at 44.6% in December 2025 and was lowest at 26.1% in March 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BIC’s share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand peaked at 36.8% in April 2026 and was lowest at 26.5% in February 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, uni-ball’s share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand peaked at 25.6% in February 2026 and was lowest at 11.1% in December 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pilot’s share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand peaked at 17.7% in May 2026 and was lowest at 10.8% in December 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pentel’s share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand peaked at 3.9% in October 2025 and was lowest at 1.8% in July 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zebra’s share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand peaked at 3.3% in March 2026 and was lowest at 1.3% in January 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Faber-Castell rose from 2nd to 1st among pen brands in New Zealand.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BIC fell from 1st to 2nd among pen brands in New Zealand.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, uni-ball rose from 4th to 3rd among pen brands in New Zealand.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pilot fell from 3rd to 4th among pen brands in New Zealand.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand pen brands in September 2026?
5 changes
In September 2026, Faber-Castell overtook BIC to become the leader among pen brands in New Zealand, with 31.5% of the searches.
In September 2026, BIC gained share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand, from 29.3% to 31%.
In September 2026, uni-ball lost share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand, from 24.3% to 19.3%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Pilot in New Zealand rose 20.8% over 12 measured months, from 530 to 640 in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Pentel in New Zealand fell 35.7% over 12 measured months, from 140 to 90 in September 2026.
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