--- title: "Cotton On vs Kathmandu: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Cotton On or Kathmandu more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Cargo shorts 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/cotton-on-vs-kathmandu" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Cotton On vs Kathmandu: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Cotton On or Kathmandu more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Cargo shorts 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**: Cotton On and Kathmandu - **Competitive set**: Cargo shorts brands - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Cotton On Share of Search**: 55.7% - **Kathmandu Share of Search**: 16.6% ## Is Cotton On or Kathmandu more popular in search? - In September 2026, Cotton On had more branded searches than Kathmandu among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand. Cotton On had about 193,000 branded searches, while Kathmandu had 57,600. Cotton On made up 55.7% of all cargo shorts brand searches we track, and Kathmandu accounted for 16.6%. - Cotton On was ahead of Kathmandu in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Cotton On’s share of searches among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand moved from 54.6% to 55.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 192K to 193K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kathmandu’s share of searches among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand moved from 16.4% to 16.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 57.4K to 57.6K. ## 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. Kathmandu 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 and Kathmandu 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Mountain Warehouse | 1st | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Hard Yakka | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Kathmandu | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Stoney Creek | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Cotton On | 5th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | AS Colour | 6th | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Helly Hansen | 7th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Lee | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Wrangler | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Dickies | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about cargo shorts brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which cargo shorts brand should I buy in New Zealand?": 1. Hard Yakka, 2. Mountain Warehouse, 3. Helly Hansen, 4. Cotton On - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best cargo shorts brands in New Zealand?": 1. Hard Yakka, 2. Stoney Creek, 3. Kathmandu, 4. Cotton On, 5. Helly Hansen - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best cargo shorts brand in New Zealand for hot weather wear?": 1. Kathmandu, 2. Stoney Creek, 3. Mountain Warehouse - Searched Google, AI Overview "cargo shorts nz": 1. Mountain Warehouse, 2. Cotton On, 3. AS Colour, 4. Hard Yakka - Searched Google, AI Overview "mens cargo shorts": 1. Mountain Warehouse, 2. AS Colour Not named in any answer: Lee, Wrangler and Dickies. 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 cargo shorts brands in September 2026? - In September 2026, Cotton On gained share of searches among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand, from 48.9% to 55.7%. - In September 2026, Kathmandu lost share of searches among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand, from 17.7% to 16.6%. ## Month by month | Month | Cotton On estimated searches | Cotton On Share of Search | Cotton On rank | Kathmandu estimated searches | Kathmandu Share of Search | Kathmandu rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 192K | 54.6% | 1 | 57.4K | 16.4% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | 284K | 56.1% | 1 | 84.7K | 16.8% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | 280K | 55.2% | 1 | 89.6K | 17.7% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | 192K | 51.6% | 1 | 74.2K | 19.9% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | 190K | 55.3% | 1 | 59K | 17.2% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | 230K | 55.1% | 1 | 70.3K | 16.9% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | 229K | 52.7% | 1 | 84.9K | 19.6% | 2 | | May 2026 | 229K | 54.3% | 1 | 72.2K | 17.1% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 188K | 47.1% | 1 | 86.5K | 21.7% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 188K | 44.9% | 1 | 87.7K | 21% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | 193K | 48.9% | 1 | 69.9K | 17.7% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | 193K | 55.7% | 1 | 57.6K | 16.6% | 2 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Cotton On’s and Kathmandu’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**: Measured on the 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” and “cottonon”, summed into one figure. - **Kathmandu**: Measured on the search terms “Kathmandu”, “kathmandu bayfair”, “kathmandu beach shelter”, “kathmandu beach trolley”, “kathmandu botany”, “kathmandu gloves”, “kathmandu lyall bay”, “kathmandu northland”, “kathmandu outlet”, “kathmandu retreat 280”, “kathmandu retreat 80”, “kathmandu socks”, “kathmandu st lukes”, “kathmandu sylvia park”, “kathmandu tower junction”, “kathmandu trolley”, “kathmandu vest”, “kathmandu waitakere” and “kathmandu westgate”, summed into one figure. - [Cotton On profile](/demand/nz/brands/cotton-on) - [Kathmandu profile](/demand/nz/brands/kathmandu) - [All cargo shorts brands in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-cargo-shorts-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 Cotton On or Kathmandu more popular in search? In September 2026, Cotton On had more branded searches than Kathmandu among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand. Cotton On had about 193,000 branded searches, while Kathmandu had 57,600. Cotton On made up 55.7% of all cargo shorts brand searches we track, and Kathmandu accounted for 16.6%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Cotton On vs Kathmandu: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/cotton-on-vs-kathmandu This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/cotton-on-vs-kathmandu. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.