Brandwave

Billabong vs Salty Crew:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Billabong had more branded searches than Salty Crew among surf brands in New Zealand. Billabong had about 6,480 branded searches, while Salty Crew had 1,250. Billabong made up 35.5% of all surf brand searches we track, and Salty Crew accounted for 6.9%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about surf brands, Billabong appeared in three of the five answers and Salty Crew in none.

Among surf brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Billabong, about 5 searches for every 1 for Salty Crew

Billabong 6.5K searchesSalty Crew 1.3K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Billabong, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Salty Crew in 0

Billabong in 3 of 5Salty Crew in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Billabong, the only one of the two named

Billabong first in 3Salty Crew never named

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Top surf brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Billabong was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Salty Crew did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Rip Curl1st
  2. Billabong2nd
  3. Seventhwave3rd
  4. Roxy4th
  5. JS Industries5th
  6. Gemma Lee6th
  7. Volcom7th
  8. Quiksilver8th
  9. O'Neill9th
  10. Salty Crew–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Rip Curl5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Billabong3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • JS Industries3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Volcom2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • O'Neill2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Quiksilver2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Roxy2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Seventhwave2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Gemma Lee2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Salty Crew0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about surf 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 Billabong or Salty Crew more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Billabong and Salty Crew by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten surf brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Billabong and Salty Crew among surf brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Billabong, Salty Crew. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthBillabongRip CurlVolcomSalty CrewO'NeillQuiksilverRoxySeventhwaveGemma LeeJS Industries
Oct 202530.3%36.7%7.2%9.1%5.9%4.9%3.2%1.6%0.55%0.55%
Nov 202530.9%36.8%5.2%10.7%5.2%4.5%3.8%1.6%0.85%0.46%
Dec 202528.7%38.3%5.6%11.2%5.7%4.1%3.1%2%0.71%0.47%
Jan 202630.3%38.4%6.5%7.5%6.6%4%3.5%2%0.59%0.59%
Feb 202630.7%36%6.8%7.3%7.8%5.1%2.9%1.9%0.82%0.82%
Mar 202629.6%35.7%8.6%7.4%7.6%5.1%2.4%1.9%0.65%1%
Apr 202633.3%33.5%9.1%7%7.1%4.1%2.2%2.1%0.38%1.2%
May 202630.7%30.7%10.3%9.3%7.8%5.2%2.4%1.9%0.83%1%
Jun 202626.6%34.2%11.2%8.4%8.1%6.2%2.2%1.7%0.45%0.89%
Jul 202627%34.2%12.1%8.5%7.9%5%2.5%1.6%0.43%0.68%
Aug 202631.4%32.3%11.2%7.9%7.1%4.3%3.1%1.5%0.65%0.53%
Sep 202635.5%33.6%8.6%6.9%6.5%3.3%3.2%1.2%0.6%0.6%

How has the Billabong and Salty Crew comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Billabong was ahead of Salty Crew in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Billabong’s share of searches among surf brands in New Zealand moved from 30.3% to 35.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 6.1K to 6.5K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Salty Crew’s share of searches among surf brands in New Zealand moved from 9.1% to 6.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.8K to 1.3K.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand surf brands in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Billabong overtook Rip Curl to become the leader among surf brands in New Zealand, with 35.5% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Salty Crew lost share of searches among surf brands in New Zealand, from 7.9% to 6.9%.

How are branded searches counted?

22 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Billabong’s and Salty Crew’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.

Billabong

14 branded search terms

  • billabong
  • billabong backpacks
  • billabong bathers
  • billabong boardshorts
  • billabong clothing
  • billabong hat
  • billabong hoodies
  • billabong jackets
  • billabong one piece
  • billabong shorts
  • billabong sundress
  • billabong t shirt
  • billabong wet suits
  • shirt billabong

Salty Crew

8 branded search terms

  • salty crew
  • salty crew apparel
  • salty crew boardshorts
  • salty crew hat
  • salty crew hoodie
  • salty crew shirts
  • salty crew shorts
  • saltycrew

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among surf brands

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