--- title: "Merrell vs Steel Blue: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Merrell or Steel Blue more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Boot 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/merrell-vs-steel-blue" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Merrell vs Steel Blue: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Merrell or Steel Blue more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Boot 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**: Merrell and Steel Blue - **Competitive set**: Boot brands - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Merrell Share of Search**: 6.4% - **Steel Blue Share of Search**: 0.57% ## Is Merrell or Steel Blue more popular in search? - In September 2026, Merrell had more branded searches than Steel Blue among boot brands in New Zealand. Merrell had about 6,620 branded searches, while Steel Blue had 590. Merrell made up 6.4% of all boot brand searches we track, and Steel Blue accounted for 0.57%. - Merrell was ahead of Steel Blue in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Merrell’s share of searches among boot brands in New Zealand moved from 5.4% to 6.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 5.4K to 6.6K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Steel Blue’s share of searches among boot brands in New Zealand moved from 0.59% to 0.57%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 590. ## Top boot brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Steel Blue was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Merrell was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Steel Blue was listed before Merrell in two out of three 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Blundstone | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | John Bull | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Steel Blue | 3rd | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Timberland | 4th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Redback | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | R.M.Williams | 6th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Dr. Martens | 7th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Merrell | 8th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | UGG | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | SCARPA | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about boot brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which boot brand should I buy in New Zealand?": 1. Blundstone, 2. Redback, 3. John Bull, 4. Timberland - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best boot brands in New Zealand?": 1. Blundstone, 2. John Bull, 3. Steel Blue, 4. Timberland, 5. Dr. Martens, 6. R.M.Williams - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best boot brand in New Zealand for everyday wear?": 1. Blundstone, 2. Redback, 3. Dr. Martens, 4. Timberland - Searched Google, AI Overview "work boots nz": 1. Steel Blue, 2. Blundstone, 3. John Bull - Searched Google, AI Overview "men's boots nz": 1. R.M.Williams, 2. Blundstone, 3. Timberland, 4. Merrell Not named in any answer: UGG and SCARPA. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 19, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand boot brands in September 2026? - In September 2026, Merrell gained share of searches among boot brands in New Zealand, from 5.2% to 6.4%. ## Month by month | Month | Merrell estimated searches | Merrell Share of Search | Merrell rank | Steel Blue estimated searches | Steel Blue Share of Search | Steel Blue rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 5.4K | 5.4% | 6 | 590 | 0.59% | 8 | | Nov 2025 | 7.5K | 5.8% | 6 | 590 | 0.46% | 8 | | Dec 2025 | 6.3K | 4.6% | 6 | 390 | 0.29% | 8 | | Jan 2026 | 6.5K | 6% | 6 | 590 | 0.55% | 8 | | Feb 2026 | 5.7K | 6.1% | 6 | 480 | 0.52% | 8 | | Mar 2026 | 6.5K | 5.7% | 6 | 590 | 0.52% | 8 | | Apr 2026 | 7.6K | 5.7% | 6 | 590 | 0.44% | 9 | | May 2026 | 6.9K | 4.7% | 6 | 590 | 0.4% | 9 | | Jun 2026 | 5.8K | 4.4% | 6 | 590 | 0.45% | 9 | | Jul 2026 | 7.3K | 5.5% | 6 | 480 | 0.36% | 9 | | Aug 2026 | 6.6K | 5.2% | 6 | 590 | 0.46% | 8 | | Sep 2026 | 6.6K | 6.4% | 6 | 590 | 0.57% | 8 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Merrell’s and Steel Blue’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. - **Merrell**: Measured on the search terms “merrell”, “merrell boots”, “merrell hiking boots”, “merrell hiking shoes”, “merrell hydro moc”, “merrell moab”, “merrell outlet”, “merrell sandals” and “merrell shoes”, summed into one figure. - **Steel Blue**: Measured on the search term “steelblue”. - [Merrell profile](/demand/nz/brands/merrell) - [Steel Blue profile](/demand/nz/brands/steel-blue) - [All boot brands in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-boot-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 Merrell or Steel Blue more popular in search? In September 2026, Merrell had more branded searches than Steel Blue among boot brands in New Zealand. Merrell had about 6,620 branded searches, while Steel Blue had 590. Merrell made up 6.4% of all boot brand searches we track, and Steel Blue accounted for 0.57%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Merrell vs Steel Blue: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/merrell-vs-steel-blue This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/merrell-vs-steel-blue. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.