Brandwave

Culture Kings vs North Beach:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, North Beach had more branded searches than Culture Kings among streetwear and surf retailers in New Zealand. North Beach had about 49,600 branded searches, while Culture Kings had 33,400. North Beach made up 26.9% of all streetwear and surf retailer searches we track, and Culture Kings accounted for 18.1%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about streetwear and surf retailers, North Beach appeared in all three answers and Culture Kings in none.

Among streetwear and surf retailers in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

North Beach, about 49% more searches than Culture Kings

North Beach 49.6K searchesCulture Kings 33.4K searches

Who does AI mention more?

North Beach, mentioned in every answer we collected

North Beach in 3 of 3Culture Kings in 0 of 3

Who does AI recommend more?

North Beach, the only one of the two named

North Beach first in 3Culture Kings never named

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Top streetwear and surf retailers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions, North Beach appeared in all three answers. Culture Kings did not appear in any of the three answers.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. North Beach1st
  2. Backdoor2nd
  3. FallenFront3rd
  4. I Love Ugly4th
  5. Huffer5th
  6. Culture Kings–
  7. Jay Jays–
  8. General Pants Co–
  9. Hype DC–
  10. Area 51–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • North Beach3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Backdoor3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • I Love Ugly2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Huffer2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • FallenFront2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Culture Kings0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Jay Jays0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • General Pants Co0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Hype DC0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Area 510 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers

See every answer about streetwear and surf retailers

3 answers
  • Asked ChatGPT

    “Which streetwear or surf retailer should I shop at in New Zealand?”

    1. 1North Beach
    2. 2Backdoor
  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What are the best streetwear and surf retailers in New Zealand?”

    1. 1North Beach
    2. 2FallenFront
    3. 3Backdoor
    4. 4I Love Ugly
    5. 5Huffer
  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What's the best streetwear or surf retailer in New Zealand for streetwear clothes?”

    1. 1FallenFront
    2. 2Backdoor
    3. 3I Love Ugly
    4. 4Huffer
    5. 5North Beach
  • Searched Google, AI Overview

    “surf shops nz”

    Google showed no AI Overview for this search.

  • Searched Google, AI Overview

    “surf and skate shops”

    Google showed no AI Overview for this search.

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Is Culture Kings or North Beach more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Culture Kings and North Beach by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten streetwear and surf retailers we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Culture Kings and North Beach among streetwear and surf retailers in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for North Beach, Culture Kings. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthNorth BeachCulture KingsJay JaysI Love UglyHufferGeneral Pants CoHype DCArea 51BackdoorFallenFront
Oct 202525.6%21%14.1%11.5%9.2%7.2%3.5%3.4%2.9%1.5%
Nov 202523%23.1%11.5%18.8%7.9%6.5%3.2%2.1%2.8%1.1%
Dec 202529.4%19.8%14.9%10.8%8.3%5.8%3.3%2.1%4.2%1.4%
Jan 202627%22.2%13.5%9.9%8.4%7.9%3.1%3%3.3%1.6%
Feb 202626.2%21.5%13.1%11.7%8.3%7.7%3%3.5%3.2%1.9%
Mar 202621.5%21.6%14.6%14.4%10%6.3%3.6%3.5%2.6%1.9%
Apr 202624.9%20.5%13.9%11.2%11.9%6.2%3.4%3.3%2.9%1.8%
May 202620.1%20.2%13.7%13.4%14%7.2%3.4%3.3%3%1.8%
Jun 202620.9%21.2%11.7%14%15%6.1%3.5%3.4%2.5%1.9%
Jul 202627%18.1%12.3%12.1%14%5.5%3%3.6%2.5%2%
Aug 202620.9%17.1%11.7%20.9%12.5%6.3%3.5%2.8%2.5%1.8%
Sep 202626.9%18.1%15%12.1%9.9%7%3.7%2.9%2.5%2%

How has the Culture Kings and North Beach comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • The lead changed hands 6 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Culture Kings took it in November 2025, North Beach took it in December 2025, Culture Kings took it in March 2026, North Beach took it in April 2026, Culture Kings took it in May 2026, North Beach took it in July 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Culture Kings’ share of searches among streetwear and surf retailers in New Zealand moved from 21% to 18.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 40.9K to 33.4K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, North Beach’s share of searches among streetwear and surf retailers in New Zealand moved from 25.6% to 26.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 49.6K.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand streetwear and surf retailers in September 2026?

2 changes
  1. In September 2026, Culture Kings overtook I Love Ugly to rank 2nd among streetwear and surf retailers in New Zealand, with 18.1% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, North Beach gained share of searches among streetwear and surf retailers in New Zealand, from 20.9% to 26.9%.

How are branded searches counted?

11 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Culture Kings’ and North Beach’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.

Culture Kings

9 branded search terms

  • crocs culture kings
  • culture kings
  • culture kings crocs
  • culture kings sale
  • culture kings sneakers
  • culture kings streetwear
  • culture kings sylvia
  • culture kings timbs
  • culturekings

North Beach

2 branded search terms

  • north beach clothing
  • northbeach

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among streetwear and surf retailers

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