--- title: "BIC vs Pentel: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is BIC or Pentel more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Pen 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-pentel" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # BIC vs Pentel: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is BIC or Pentel more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Pen 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 Pentel - **Competitive set**: Pen brands - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **BIC Share of Search**: 31% - **Pentel Share of Search**: 2% ## Is BIC or Pentel more popular in search? - In September 2026, BIC had more branded searches than Pentel among pen brands in New Zealand. BIC had about 1,400 branded searches, while Pentel had 90. BIC made up 31% of all pen brand searches we track, and Pentel accounted for 2%. - BIC was ahead of Pentel 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 brands in New Zealand moved from 34.6% to 31%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.2K to 1.4K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Pentel’s share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand moved from 3.9% to 2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 140 to 90. ## Top pen brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Pentel was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. BIC was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. BIC and Pentel were each listed first in two of the four 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | uni-ball | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Pilot | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | BIC | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Pentel | 4th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Zebra | 5th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Faber-Castell | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about pen brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which pen brand should I buy in New Zealand?": 1. uni-ball, 2. Zebra, 3. Pilot - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best pen brands in New Zealand?": 1. Pilot, 2. uni-ball, 3. Pentel, 4. Zebra, 5. BIC - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best pen brand in New Zealand for everyday writing?": 1. Pilot, 2. uni-ball, 3. BIC, 4. Zebra, 5. Pentel - Searched Google, AI Overview "pen brands": 1. uni-ball, 2. Pilot, 3. Pentel - Searched Google, AI Overview "ballpoint pens nz": 1. BIC, 2. Pentel Not named in any answer: Faber-Castell. 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 brands in September 2026? - In September 2026, Faber-Castell overtook BIC to become the leader among pen brands in New Zealand, with 31.5% of the searches. - In September 2026, BIC gained share of searches among pen brands in New Zealand, from 29.3% to 31%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Pentel in New Zealand fell 35.7% over 12 measured months, from 140 to 90 in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | BIC estimated searches | BIC Share of Search | BIC rank | Pentel estimated searches | Pentel Share of Search | Pentel rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 1.2K | 34.6% | 1 | 140 | 3.9% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 1.1K | 31.1% | 2 | 90 | 2.6% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 1K | 29.9% | 2 | 70 | 2.1% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | 1.3K | 32.3% | 2 | 90 | 2.3% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | 950 | 26.5% | 2 | 90 | 2.5% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | 1.4K | 32.9% | 1 | 90 | 2.1% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | 1.5K | 36.8% | 1 | 90 | 2.2% | 5 | | May 2026 | 1.4K | 31.8% | 1 | 90 | 2% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 1.2K | 32.2% | 1 | 110 | 2.9% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 1.3K | 33.5% | 1 | 70 | 1.8% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | 1.4K | 29.3% | 1 | 110 | 2.3% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | 1.4K | 31% | 2 | 90 | 2% | 5 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using BIC’s and Pentel’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 lighter”, “bic pen” and “bic pen clic”, summed into one figure. - **Pentel**: Measured on the search term “pentel”. - [BIC profile](/demand/nz/brands/bic) - [Pentel profile](/demand/nz/brands/pentel) - [All pen brands in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-pen-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 6 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 Pentel more popular in search? In September 2026, BIC had more branded searches than Pentel among pen brands in New Zealand. BIC had about 1,400 branded searches, while Pentel had 90. BIC made up 31% of all pen brand searches we track, and Pentel accounted for 2%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "BIC vs Pentel: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/bic-vs-pentel This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/bic-vs-pentel. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.