--- title: "Macpac vs Smartwool: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Macpac or Smartwool more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Merino clothing 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/macpac-vs-smartwool" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Macpac vs Smartwool: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Macpac or Smartwool more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Merino clothing 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**: Macpac and Smartwool - **Competitive set**: Merino clothing brands - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Macpac Share of Search**: 1.1% - **Smartwool Share of Search**: 2.2% ## Is Macpac or Smartwool more popular in search? - In September 2026, Smartwool had more branded searches than Macpac among merino clothing brands in New Zealand. Smartwool had about 520 branded searches, while Macpac had 260. Smartwool made up 2.2% of all merino clothing brand searches we track, and Macpac accounted for 1.1%. - Smartwool was ahead of Macpac in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Macpac’s share of searches among merino clothing brands in New Zealand moved from 1.2% to 1.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 210 to 260. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Smartwool’s share of searches among merino clothing brands in New Zealand moved from 2.4% to 2.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 430 to 520. ## Top merino clothing brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Macpac was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Smartwool 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Icebreaker | 1st | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Mons Royale | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Untouched World | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Norsewear | 4th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Macpac | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Smartwool | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Noble Wilde | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Merino Country | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about merino clothing brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which merino clothing brand should I buy in New Zealand?": 1. Icebreaker, 2. Mons Royale, 3. Untouched World, 4. Norsewear - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best merino clothing brands in New Zealand?": 1. Icebreaker, 2. Mons Royale, 3. Untouched World, 4. Norsewear, 5. Macpac - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best merino clothing brand in New Zealand for warm layers?": 1. Icebreaker, 2. Mons Royale, 3. Macpac, 4. Untouched World, 5. Norsewear - Searched Google, AI Overview "merino base layer nz": named none of the brands we track - Searched Google, AI Overview "merino wool clothing nz": named none of the brands we track Not named in any answer: Smartwool, Noble Wilde and Merino Country. 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 merino clothing brands in September 2026? - In September 2026, Smartwool lost share of searches among merino clothing brands in New Zealand, from 3% to 2.2%. - Macpac’s share of searches among merino clothing brands in New Zealand has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 1.7% to 1.1% in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Macpac estimated searches | Macpac Share of Search | Macpac rank | Smartwool estimated searches | Smartwool Share of Search | Smartwool rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 210 | 1.2% | 7 | 430 | 2.4% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 260 | 0.96% | 7 | 520 | 1.9% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 210 | 0.98% | 7 | 520 | 2.4% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | 210 | 1% | 7 | 520 | 2.6% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | 210 | 0.99% | 7 | 530 | 2.5% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | 390 | 1.5% | 7 | 690 | 2.6% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | 480 | 1.7% | 7 | 1K | 3.8% | 4 | | May 2026 | 590 | 1.9% | 7 | 1.1K | 3.6% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 480 | 1.7% | 7 | 770 | 2.8% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 480 | 1.6% | 7 | 670 | 2.2% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | 390 | 1.3% | 7 | 900 | 3% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | 260 | 1.1% | 7 | 520 | 2.2% | 5 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Macpac’s and Smartwool’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. - **Macpac**: Measured on the search term “macpac merino”. - **Smartwool**: Measured on the search terms “smartwool”, “smartwool base layer”, “smartwool merino”, “smartwool merino socks” and “smartwool thermals”, summed into one figure. - [Macpac profile](/demand/nz/brands/macpac) - [Smartwool profile](/demand/nz/brands/smartwool) - [All merino clothing brands in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-merino-clothing-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 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 Macpac or Smartwool more popular in search? In September 2026, Smartwool had more branded searches than Macpac among merino clothing brands in New Zealand. Smartwool had about 520 branded searches, while Macpac had 260. Smartwool made up 2.2% of all merino clothing brand searches we track, and Macpac accounted for 1.1%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Macpac vs Smartwool: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/macpac-vs-smartwool This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/macpac-vs-smartwool. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.