Brandwave

Cotton On vs Mountain Warehouse:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Cotton On had more branded searches than Mountain Warehouse among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand. Cotton On had about 193,000 branded searches, while Mountain Warehouse had 49,500. Cotton On made up 55.7% of all cargo shorts brand searches we track, and Mountain Warehouse accounted for 14.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about cargo shorts brands, Mountain Warehouse appeared in four of the five answers and Cotton On in three. Mountain Warehouse was mentioned before Cotton On in four out of five answers.

Among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Cotton On, about 4 searches for every 1 for Mountain Warehouse

Cotton On 193K searchesMountain Warehouse 49.5K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Mountain Warehouse, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Cotton On in 3

Mountain Warehouse in 4 of 5Cotton On in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Mountain Warehouse, named ahead of Cotton On in 4 of 5 answers

Mountain Warehouse first in 4Cotton On 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, Mountain Warehouse was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both 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. Mountain Warehouse was listed before Cotton On in four out of five answers.

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 Mountain Warehouse more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Cotton On and Mountain Warehouse 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 Mountain Warehouse among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Cotton On, Mountain Warehouse. 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 Mountain Warehouse comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

2 changes

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

  2. In September 2026, Mountain Warehouse lost share of searches among cargo shorts brands in New Zealand, from 18.8% to 14.3%.

How are branded searches counted?

11 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Cotton On’s and Mountain Warehouse’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

Mountain Warehouse

1 branded search term

  • mountain warehouse

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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