--- title: "BIC vs IRO: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is BIC or IRO more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Pen and stationery 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/bic-vs-iro" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # BIC vs IRO: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is BIC or IRO more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Pen and stationery 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**: BIC and IRO - **Competitive set**: Pen and stationery brands - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **BIC Share of Search**: 18.9% - **IRO Share of Search**: 4.4% ## Is BIC or IRO more popular in search? - In September 2026, BIC had more branded searches than IRO among pen and stationery brands in New Zealand. BIC had about 1,670 branded searches, while IRO had 390. BIC made up 18.9% of all pen and stationery brand searches we track, and IRO accounted for 4.4%. - BIC was ahead of IRO in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, BIC’s share of searches among pen and stationery brands in New Zealand moved from 18.8% to 18.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.5K to 1.7K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, IRO’s share of searches among pen and stationery brands in New Zealand moved from 4.9% to 4.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 390. ## Top pen and stationery brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, IRO was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. BIC did not appear in any of the five answers. 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Pilot | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | uni-ball | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Lamy | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Parker | 4th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Zebra | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | IRO | 6th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Sharpie | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | BIC | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Staedtler | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Moleskine | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about pen and stationery brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which pen or stationery brand should I buy in New Zealand?": 1. Pilot, 2. uni-ball, 3. Zebra, 4. Lamy, 5. IRO - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best pen and stationery brands in New Zealand?": 1. Pilot, 2. uni-ball, 3. Lamy, 4. Parker, 5. IRO - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best pen or stationery brand in New Zealand for everyday writing?": 1. uni-ball, 2. Pilot, 3. Zebra, 4. Lamy, 5. IRO - Searched Google, AI Overview "best pen brand": 1. Parker, 2. Lamy, 3. Pilot, 4. uni-ball - Searched Google, AI Overview "stationery brands nz": 1. Pilot, 2. uni-ball Not named in any answer: Sharpie, BIC, Staedtler and Moleskine. 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 pen and stationery brands in September 2026? - Estimated monthly branded searches for BIC in New Zealand rose 12.8% over 12 measured months, from 1.5K to 1.7K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | BIC estimated searches | BIC Share of Search | BIC rank | IRO estimated searches | IRO Share of Search | IRO rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 1.5K | 18.8% | 2 | 390 | 4.9% | 8 | | Nov 2025 | 1.3K | 17.2% | 2 | 480 | 6.5% | 8 | | Dec 2025 | 1.1K | 15.8% | 3 | 480 | 6.6% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | 1.6K | 17.1% | 3 | 480 | 5.2% | 8 | | Feb 2026 | 1.2K | 16% | 2 | 390 | 5.3% | 8 | | Mar 2026 | 1.7K | 18.9% | 2 | 390 | 4.4% | 8 | | Apr 2026 | 1.8K | 24.5% | 1 | 320 | 4.4% | 8 | | May 2026 | 1.7K | 20.5% | 2 | 390 | 4.7% | 8 | | Jun 2026 | 1.5K | 18.8% | 2 | 390 | 4.9% | 8 | | Jul 2026 | 1.6K | 19.5% | 2 | 390 | 4.8% | 8 | | Aug 2026 | 1.8K | 19.2% | 2 | 390 | 4.2% | 8 | | Sep 2026 | 1.7K | 18.9% | 2 | 390 | 4.4% | 8 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using BIC’s and IRO’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. - **BIC**: Measured on the search terms “bic ballpoint pens”, “bic cristal pens”, “bic gelocity pens”, “bic highlighters”, “bic lighter”, “bic markers”, “bic pen”, “bic pen clic”, “bic pencils” and “bic whiteboard pens”, summed into one figure. - **IRO**: Measured on the search term “iro”. - [BIC profile](/demand/nz/brands/bic) - [IRO profile](/demand/nz/brands/iro) - [All pen and stationery brands in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-pen-and-stationery-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 10 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 BIC or IRO more popular in search? In September 2026, BIC had more branded searches than IRO among pen and stationery brands in New Zealand. BIC had about 1,670 branded searches, while IRO had 390. BIC made up 18.9% of all pen and stationery brand searches we track, and IRO accounted for 4.4%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "BIC vs IRO: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/bic-vs-iro This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/bic-vs-iro. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.