Brandwave

Cotton On vs Helly Hansen:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Cotton On had more branded searches than Helly Hansen among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand. Cotton On had about 193,000 branded searches, while Helly Hansen had 1,300. Cotton On made up 55.7% of all cargo shorts brand searches we track, and Helly Hansen accounted for 0.37%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about cargo shorts brands, Cotton On appeared in three of the five answers and Helly Hansen in two. Cotton On was mentioned before Helly Hansen in two out of three answers that named either.

Among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Cotton On, about 149 searches for every 1 for Helly Hansen

Cotton On 193K searchesHelly Hansen 1.3K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Cotton On, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Helly Hansen in 2

Cotton On in 3 of 5Helly Hansen in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Cotton On, named ahead of Helly Hansen in 2 of 3 answers

Cotton On first in 2Helly Hansen first in 1

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Top cargo shorts brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Cotton On was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Helly Hansen was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Cotton On was listed before Helly Hansen in two out of three answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Mountain Warehouse1st
  2. Hard Yakka2nd
  3. Kathmandu3rd
  4. Stoney Creek4th
  5. Cotton On5th
  6. AS Colour6th
  7. Helly Hansen7th
  8. Lee–
  9. Wrangler–
  10. Dickies–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Mountain Warehouse4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Cotton On3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Hard Yakka3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Kathmandu2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • AS Colour2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Stoney Creek2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Helly Hansen2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Lee0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Wrangler0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Dickies0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about cargo shorts 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 20, 2026.

Is Cotton On or Helly Hansen more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Cotton On and Helly Hansen by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten cargo shorts brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Cotton On and Helly Hansen among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Cotton On, Helly Hansen. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthCotton OnKathmanduMountain WarehouseAS ColourStoney CreekHard YakkaHelly HansenLeeWranglerDickies
Oct 202554.6%16.4%14.1%11.5%2.3%0.61%0.37%0.11%0.02%0.01%
Nov 202556.1%16.8%12%12%2.4%0.4%0.32%0.08%0.01%<0.01%
Dec 202555.2%17.7%14.6%9.8%2%0.31%0.47%0.05%0.01%<0.01%
Jan 202651.6%19.9%16.2%8.9%2.2%0.56%0.51%0.09%<0.01%<0.01%
Feb 202655.3%17.2%14.4%9.6%2.4%0.6%0.38%0.11%0.01%<0.01%
Mar 202655.1%16.9%14.5%9.7%2.9%0.52%0.31%0.09%0.01%<0.01%
Apr 202652.7%19.6%13.9%9.3%3.4%0.54%0.37%0.09%0.02%<0.01%
May 202654.3%17.1%14.3%9.6%3.5%0.61%0.38%0.11%0.02%<0.01%
Jun 202647.1%21.7%15.2%10.2%4.5%0.72%0.4%0.12%0.02%<0.01%
Jul 202644.9%21%21.6%7.9%3.5%0.62%0.38%0.11%0.02%<0.01%
Aug 202648.9%17.7%18.8%10.3%3.1%0.58%0.48%0.12%0.02%<0.01%
Sep 202655.7%16.6%14.3%9.5%2.9%0.6%0.37%0.09%0.02%0.01%

How has the Cotton On and Helly Hansen comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

1 change

  1. In September 2026, Cotton On gained share of searches among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand, from 48.9% to 55.7%.

How are branded searches counted?

11 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Cotton On’s and Helly Hansen’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.

Cotton On

10 branded search terms

  • cotton on
  • cotton on activewear
  • cotton on body
  • cotton on jeans
  • cotton on mega
  • cotton on outlets
  • cotton on shoes
  • cotton on shorts
  • cotton on tops
  • cottonon

Helly Hansen

1 branded search term

  • helly hansen

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among cargo shorts brands

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

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