--- title: "Ariat vs Merrell: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Ariat or Merrell more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Men's boot 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/compare/ariat-vs-merrell" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Ariat vs Merrell: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Ariat or Merrell more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Men's boot 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**: Ariat and Merrell - **Competitive set**: Men's boot brands - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Ariat Share of Search**: 4.8% - **Merrell Share of Search**: 8.7% ## Is Ariat or Merrell more popular in search? - In September 2026, Merrell had more branded searches than Ariat among men's boot brands in New Zealand. Merrell had about 3,480 branded searches, while Ariat had 1,900. Merrell made up 8.7% of all men's boot brand searches we track, and Ariat accounted for 4.8%. - The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Ariat took it in May 2026, Merrell took it in June 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ariat’s share of searches among men's boot brands in New Zealand moved from 6% to 4.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.4K to 1.9K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Merrell’s share of searches among men's boot brands in New Zealand moved from 7.4% to 8.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 3K to 3.5K. ## Top men's boot brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Ariat was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Merrell was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Ariat was listed before Merrell in two out of three answers 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Blundstone | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Dr. Martens | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Timberland | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Red Wing | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Ariat | 5th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Mongrel | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Merrell | 7th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Caterpillar | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about men's boot brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which men's boot brand should I buy in New Zealand?": 1. Blundstone, 2. Red Wing, 3. Mongrel - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best men's boot brands in New Zealand?": 1. Blundstone, 2. Red Wing, 3. Dr. Martens, 4. Timberland, 5. Merrell, 6. Ariat, 7. Mongrel - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best men's boot brand in New Zealand for everyday wear?": 1. Blundstone, 2. Timberland, 3. Dr. Martens - Searched Google, AI Overview "men's boots nz": 1. Dr. Martens, 2. Timberland, 3. Ariat, 4. Blundstone - Searched Google, AI Overview "men's work boots": 1. Blundstone, 2. Ariat Not named in any answer: Caterpillar. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 20, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand men's boot brands in September 2026? - In September 2026, Merrell gained share of searches among men's boot brands in New Zealand, from 7.1% to 8.7%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Ariat in New Zealand fell 20.8% over 12 measured months, from 2.4K to 1.9K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Ariat estimated searches | Ariat Share of Search | Ariat rank | Merrell estimated searches | Merrell Share of Search | Merrell rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 2.4K | 6% | 5 | 3K | 7.4% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | 2.9K | 6.2% | 5 | 4K | 8.5% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | 2.4K | 5.3% | 5 | 3.4K | 7.5% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | 2.4K | 5.7% | 5 | 3.4K | 8.2% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | 2.4K | 6.6% | 5 | 2.9K | 8.1% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | 2.4K | 5.6% | 5 | 2.9K | 6.6% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | 2.9K | 6.3% | 5 | 3.5K | 7.7% | 4 | | May 2026 | 2.9K | 6.3% | 4 | 2.7K | 6% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 2.4K | 5.5% | 5 | 2.8K | 6.4% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | 2.4K | 5.6% | 5 | 3.5K | 8.2% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | 1.9K | 4.5% | 5 | 3K | 7.1% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | 1.9K | 4.8% | 5 | 3.5K | 8.7% | 4 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Ariat’s and Merrell’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. - **Ariat**: Measured on the search term “ariat”. - **Merrell**: Measured on the search terms “merrell”, “merrell hydro moc”, “merrell moab”, “merrell outlet” and “merrell sandals”, summed into one figure. - [Ariat profile](/demand/nz/brands/ariat) - [Merrell profile](/demand/nz/brands/merrell) - [All men's boot brands in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-boots-men-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 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 Ariat or Merrell more popular in search? In September 2026, Merrell had more branded searches than Ariat among men's boot brands in New Zealand. Merrell had about 3,480 branded searches, while Ariat had 1,900. Merrell made up 8.7% of all men's boot brand searches we track, and Ariat accounted for 4.8%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Ariat vs Merrell: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/ariat-vs-merrell This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/ariat-vs-merrell. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.