Costco vs Woolworths:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Woolworths had more branded searches than Costco among supermarkets in New Zealand. Woolworths had about 653,000 branded searches, while Costco had 68,600. Woolworths made up 40.1% of all supermarket searches we track, and Costco accounted for 4.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about supermarkets, Woolworths appeared in all five answers and Costco in none.
Who do people search for more?
Woolworths, about 10 searches for every 1 for Costco
Who does AI mention more?
Woolworths, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Woolworths, the only one of the two named
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Top supermarkets in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Woolworths appeared in all five answers. Costco 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.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Woolworths5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
PAK’nSAVE5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
New World5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Four Square5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
FreshChoice2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Costco0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Night 'n Day0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
SuperValue0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about supermarkets
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which supermarket should I shop at in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best supermarkets in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best supermarket in New Zealand for weekly groceries?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“supermarkets nz”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“grocery stores nz”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.
Is Costco or Woolworths more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Costco and Woolworths by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight supermarkets we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.
Share of searches by month for Woolworths, Costco. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Woolworths | PAK’nSAVE | New World | Costco | FreshChoice | Four Square | Night 'n Day | SuperValue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 33.9% | 36% | 20.2% | 3.9% | 3.3% | 1.8% | 0.82% | 0.11% |
| Nov 2025 | 36.1% | 34% | 19.1% | 4.3% | 3.1% | 2.4% | 0.89% | 0.09% |
| Dec 2025 | 34.8% | 32.8% | 22.5% | 3.6% | 3% | 2.3% | 0.87% | 0.1% |
| Jan 2026 | 35.9% | 33.9% | 19.1% | 3.6% | 3.8% | 2.4% | 1.1% | 0.1% |
| Feb 2026 | 37.4% | 30.9% | 21.2% | 3.3% | 3.5% | 2.6% | 1.1% | 0.08% |
| Mar 2026 | 34.9% | 33% | 22.7% | 3.4% | 3% | 2% | 0.89% | 0.08% |
| Apr 2026 | 35.7% | 33.7% | 19% | 4.3% | 3.8% | 2.5% | 0.95% | 0.1% |
| May 2026 | 35.8% | 32.5% | 21.5% | 4% | 3.5% | 1.6% | 0.93% | 0.1% |
| Jun 2026 | 35.8% | 35.1% | 19% | 3.6% | 3.8% | 1.7% | 0.9% | 0.09% |
| Jul 2026 | 34.1% | 33.5% | 22.2% | 4.1% | 3.6% | 1.6% | 0.78% | 0.06% |
| Aug 2026 | 36.8% | 33% | 20.9% | 3.8% | 3.4% | 1.3% | 0.71% | 0.08% |
| Sep 2026 | 40.1% | 30.9% | 18.6% | 4.2% | 3.7% | 1.6% | 0.77% | 0.08% |
How has the Costco and Woolworths comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Woolworths was ahead of Costco in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Costco’s share of searches among supermarkets in New Zealand moved from 3.9% to 4.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 71K to 68.6K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Woolworths’ share of searches among supermarkets in New Zealand moved from 33.9% to 40.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 622K to 653K.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand supermarkets in September 2026?
1 change
In September 2026, Woolworths gained share of searches among supermarkets in New Zealand, from 36.8% to 40.1%.
How are branded searches counted?
18 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Costco’s and Woolworths’ 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.
Costco
14 branded search terms
- costco
- costco chocolate
- costco delivery
- costco groceries
- costco hot dogs
- costco hours
- costco hours today
- costco next
- costco pizza
- costco tires
- costco tv
- costco tyres
- costco warehouse
- costco westgate
Woolworths
4 branded search terms
- countdown
- woolworths
- woolworths groceries
- woolworths supermarket
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