--- title: "BIC vs uni-ball: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is BIC or uni-ball more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Pen 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-pen-brands/compare/bic-vs-uni-ball" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # BIC vs uni-ball: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is BIC or uni-ball more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Pen 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**: BIC and uni-ball - **Competitive set**: Pen brands - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **BIC Share of Search**: 31% - **uni-ball Share of Search**: 19.3% ## Is BIC or uni-ball more popular in search? - In September 2026, BIC had more branded searches than uni-ball among pen brands in New Zealand. BIC had about 1,400 branded searches, while uni-ball had 870. BIC made up 31% of all pen brand searches we track, and uni-ball accounted for 19.3%. - BIC was ahead of uni-ball in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BIC’s share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand moved from 34.6% to 31%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.2K to 1.4K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, uni-ball’s share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand moved from 14.6% to 19.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 520 to 870. ## Top pen brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, uni-ball was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. BIC was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. uni-ball was listed before BIC in four out of five answers. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | uni-ball | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Pilot | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | BIC | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Pentel | 4th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Zebra | 5th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Faber-Castell | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about pen brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which pen brand should I buy in New Zealand?": 1. uni-ball, 2. Zebra, 3. Pilot - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best pen brands in New Zealand?": 1. Pilot, 2. uni-ball, 3. Pentel, 4. Zebra, 5. BIC - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best pen brand in New Zealand for everyday writing?": 1. Pilot, 2. uni-ball, 3. BIC, 4. Zebra, 5. Pentel - Searched Google, AI Overview "pen brands": 1. uni-ball, 2. Pilot, 3. Pentel - Searched Google, AI Overview "ballpoint pens nz": 1. BIC, 2. Pentel Not named in any answer: Faber-Castell. 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 pen brands in September 2026? - 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%. ## Month by month | Month | BIC estimated searches | BIC Share of Search | BIC rank | uni-ball estimated searches | uni-ball Share of Search | uni-ball rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 1.2K | 34.6% | 1 | 520 | 14.6% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | 1.1K | 31.1% | 2 | 480 | 14% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | 1K | 29.9% | 2 | 370 | 11.1% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | 1.3K | 32.3% | 2 | 680 | 17% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 950 | 26.5% | 2 | 920 | 25.6% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | 1.4K | 32.9% | 1 | 850 | 20% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | 1.5K | 36.8% | 1 | 640 | 15.7% | 3 | | May 2026 | 1.4K | 31.8% | 1 | 730 | 16.6% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | 1.2K | 32.2% | 1 | 670 | 17.5% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | 1.3K | 33.5% | 1 | 830 | 21.2% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | 1.4K | 29.3% | 1 | 1.2K | 24.3% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | 1.4K | 31% | 2 | 870 | 19.3% | 3 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using BIC’s and uni-ball’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. - **BIC**: Measured on the search terms “bic lighter”, “bic pen” and “bic pen clic”, summed into one figure. - **uni-ball**: Measured on the search terms “uni ball”, “uni ball jetstream”, “uni ball signo”, “uniball”, “uniball 207”, “uniball ball pen” and “uniball jetstream”, summed into one figure. - [BIC profile](/demand/nz/brands/bic) - [uni-ball profile](/demand/nz/brands/uni-ball) - [All pen brands in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-pen-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 6 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 BIC or uni-ball more popular in search? In September 2026, BIC had more branded searches than uni-ball among pen brands in New Zealand. BIC had about 1,400 branded searches, while uni-ball had 870. BIC made up 31% of all pen brand searches we track, and uni-ball accounted for 19.3%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "BIC vs uni-ball: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-pen-brands/compare/bic-vs-uni-ball This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-pen-brands/compare/bic-vs-uni-ball. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.