Brandwave

Kikkoman vs Wattie's:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Wattie's had more branded searches than Kikkoman among sauce and condiment brands in New Zealand. Wattie's had about 4,770 branded searches, while Kikkoman had 1,220. Wattie's made up 26.9% of all sauce and condiment brand searches we track, and Kikkoman accounted for 6.9%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about sauce and condiment brands, Wattie's appeared in four of the five answers and Kikkoman in two. Wattie's was mentioned before Kikkoman in every answer.

Among sauce and condiment brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Wattie's, about 4 searches for every 1 for Kikkoman

Wattie's 4.8K searchesKikkoman 1.2K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Wattie's, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Kikkoman in 2

Wattie's in 4 of 5Kikkoman in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Wattie's, named ahead of Kikkoman in every answer

Wattie's first in 4Kikkoman never first

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Top sauce and condiment brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Wattie's was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Kikkoman was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Wattie's was listed before Kikkoman in every answer.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Wattie's1st
  2. Kaitaia Fire2nd
  3. Barker's of Geraldine3rd
  4. Tuimato4th
  5. Anathoth Farm5th
  6. Kikkoman6th
  7. Kewpie–
  8. Heinz–
  9. Masterfoods–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Wattie's4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Barker's of Geraldine2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Kikkoman2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Kaitaia Fire2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Anathoth Farm2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Tuimato2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Kewpie0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Heinz0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Masterfoods0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about sauce and condiment brands

5 answers

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.

Is Kikkoman or Wattie's more popular in search?

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

Kikkoman and Wattie's among sauce and condiment brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Wattie's, Kikkoman. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthKewpieWattie'sBarker's of GeraldineHeinzKikkomanKaitaia FireMasterfoodsAnathoth FarmTuimato
Oct 202521.9%30.6%23.9%12.3%5.2%3%2%0.54%0.54%
Nov 202522.2%26.7%28.9%11.1%4.6%3.2%2%0.86%0.55%
Dec 202518.6%21.7%36.8%11.5%4.3%3.2%2.4%1.1%0.44%
Jan 202622.2%27.5%23.9%12.8%6.2%3.7%2.4%0.67%0.55%
Feb 202623.8%28.1%20.6%13.6%7%3.4%2.3%0.72%0.46%
Mar 20268.9%68.4%7.7%9.2%2.9%1.5%0.93%0.34%0.12%
Apr 202625.1%30.3%17.9%11.4%9.1%2.8%2.4%0.51%0.4%
May 202622.6%31.2%16.3%10.9%13.6%2.5%2%0.46%0.35%
Jun 202625.1%23.2%15%13.5%17.4%2.8%2.3%0.51%0.28%
Jul 202626.6%26.7%16.3%13.2%10.5%2.9%2.8%0.54%0.42%
Aug 202623.7%30.5%17.2%12.6%9.1%3.4%2.5%0.59%0.37%
Sep 202630.7%26.9%18.1%11.4%6.9%2.9%2.3%0.51%0.28%

How has the Kikkoman and Wattie's comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for New Zealand sauce and condiment brands in September 2026?

3 changes

  1. In September 2026, Kewpie overtook Wattie's to become the leader among sauce and condiment brands in New Zealand, with 30.7% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Wattie's lost share of searches among sauce and condiment brands in New Zealand, from 30.5% to 26.9%.

  3. In September 2026, Kikkoman lost share of searches among sauce and condiment brands in New Zealand, from 9.1% to 6.9%.

How are branded searches counted?

29 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Kikkoman’s and Wattie'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.

Kikkoman

8 branded search terms

  • kikkoman
  • kikkoman cooking sake
  • kikkoman katsu sauce
  • kikkoman mayo
  • kikkoman sauce
  • kikkoman sauce soy
  • kikkoman sauce teriyaki
  • kikkoman stirfry sauce

Wattie's

21 branded search terms

  • chilli beans watties
  • tomato sauce watties
  • wattie s
  • wattie's
  • watties
  • watties bbq sauce
  • watties beans
  • watties beetroot
  • watties big eat
  • watties burger sauce
  • watties chilli beans
  • watties ketchup
  • watties mexican beans
  • watties satay sauce
  • watties sauce
  • watties spaghetti
  • watties steak sauce
  • watties tomato
  • watties tomato paste
  • watties tomato puree
  • watties tomato sauce

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among sauce and condiment brands

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