--- title: "Icebreaker vs Smartwool: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Icebreaker or Smartwool more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Sock 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-sock-brands/compare/icebreaker-vs-smartwool" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Icebreaker vs Smartwool: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Icebreaker or Smartwool more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Sock 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**: Icebreaker and Smartwool - **Competitive set**: Sock brands - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Icebreaker Share of Search**: 3% - **Smartwool Share of Search**: 8.4% ## Is Icebreaker or Smartwool more popular in search? - In September 2026, Smartwool had more branded searches than Icebreaker among sock brands in New Zealand. Smartwool had about 730 branded searches, while Icebreaker had 260. Smartwool made up 8.4% of all sock brand searches we track, and Icebreaker accounted for 3%. - Smartwool was ahead of Icebreaker in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Icebreaker’s share of searches among sock brands in New Zealand moved from 3.5% to 3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 260. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Smartwool’s share of searches among sock brands in New Zealand moved from 8.5% to 8.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 620 to 730. ## Top sock brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Icebreaker was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Smartwool was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Icebreaker was listed before Smartwool in every answer 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Norsewear | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Icebreaker | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | NZ Sock Company | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | The Wool Company | 4th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Darn Tough | 5th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Norsewood | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Smartwool | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Stance | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Happy Socks | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Thorlo | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Lorpen | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about sock brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which sock brand should I buy in New Zealand?": 1. NZ Sock Company, 2. Norsewear, 3. Icebreaker, 4. Norsewood - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best sock brands in New Zealand?": 1. NZ Sock Company, 2. Norsewear, 3. Icebreaker, 4. The Wool Company, 5. Darn Tough, 6. Smartwool - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best sock brand in New Zealand for everyday wear?": 1. Icebreaker, 2. Norsewear - Searched Google, AI Overview "comfortable socks": 1. Norsewear - Searched Google, AI Overview "merino socks nz": 1. Norsewear, 2. The Wool Company Not named in any answer: Stance, Happy Socks, Thorlo and Lorpen. 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 sock brands in September 2026? - In September 2026, Stance overtook Icebreaker to rank 7th among sock brands in New Zealand, with 4.5% of the searches. - In September 2026, Smartwool lost share of searches among sock brands in New Zealand, from 10.2% to 8.4%. - In September 2026, Icebreaker lost share of searches among sock brands in New Zealand, from 4.2% to 3%. ## Month by month | Month | Icebreaker estimated searches | Icebreaker Share of Search | Icebreaker rank | Smartwool estimated searches | Smartwool Share of Search | Smartwool rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 260 | 3.5% | 9 | 620 | 8.5% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 260 | 1.7% | 10 | 820 | 5.3% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 260 | 3.1% | 9 | 810 | 9.5% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | 320 | 3.8% | 7 | 770 | 9.1% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | 260 | 3.2% | 8 | 660 | 8.2% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | 390 | 4.2% | 7 | 740 | 8% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | 480 | 4.2% | 7 | 780 | 6.9% | 5 | | May 2026 | 480 | 3.3% | 7 | 1K | 7.1% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 480 | 3.6% | 8 | 1.1K | 8% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 480 | 3.6% | 7 | 1.1K | 8.3% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | 480 | 4.2% | 7 | 1.2K | 10.2% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | 260 | 3% | 8 | 730 | 8.4% | 5 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Icebreaker’s and Smartwool’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. - **Icebreaker**: Measured on the search term “icebreaker merino”. - **Smartwool**: Measured on the search terms “smartwool”, “smartwool hiking socks”, “smartwool running socks” and “smartwool socks”, summed into one figure. - [Icebreaker profile](/demand/nz/brands/icebreaker) - [Smartwool profile](/demand/nz/brands/smartwool) - [All sock brands in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-sock-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 11 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 Icebreaker or Smartwool more popular in search? In September 2026, Smartwool had more branded searches than Icebreaker among sock brands in New Zealand. Smartwool had about 730 branded searches, while Icebreaker had 260. Smartwool made up 8.4% of all sock brand searches we track, and Icebreaker accounted for 3%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Icebreaker vs Smartwool: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-sock-brands/compare/icebreaker-vs-smartwool This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-sock-brands/compare/icebreaker-vs-smartwool. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.