Unity Books vs Whitcoulls:Which is more popular by branded search in New Zealand?
In August 2026, Whitcoulls had more branded searches than Unity Books among bookshops in New Zealand. Whitcoulls was estimated to have 89.6K branded searches compared to Unity Books’ 18.4K, and held a 27.7% Share of Search versus Unity Books’ 5.7%.
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Which is more popular in search, Unity Books or Whitcoulls?
Compare the bookshops New Zealanders buy new books from, in store and online. 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.
Share of Search by month for Whitcoulls, Unity Books. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | Mighty Ape | Whitcoulls | Paper Plus | Unity Books | Scorpio Books | Time Out Bookstore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 47% | 26.7% | 18.5% | 4.1% | 2.7% | 0.86% |
| Nov 2025 | 52.5% | 24.2% | 16.5% | 3.7% | 2.4% | 0.73% |
| Dec 2025 | 44.8% | 27.7% | 19.5% | 4% | 3.2% | 0.83% |
| Jan 2026 | 40.6% | 26% | 24.8% | 4.3% | 3.5% | 0.87% |
| Feb 2026 | 41.9% | 26.5% | 21.5% | 5.5% | 3.6% | 1% |
| Mar 2026 | 42.5% | 26.3% | 21% | 5.6% | 3.7% | 0.88% |
| Apr 2026 | 43.6% | 27.2% | 18.5% | 5.7% | 3.8% | 1.2% |
| May 2026 | 43.3% | 27.9% | 18.4% | 5.7% | 3.8% | 0.98% |
| Jun 2026 | 44.9% | 27.2% | 18.2% | 4.8% | 3.9% | 0.97% |
| Jul 2026 | 44.2% | 26.9% | 18.4% | 5.8% | 3.8% | 0.96% |
| Aug 2026 | 43.3% | 27.7% | 18.5% | 5.7% | 3.8% | 1.1% |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
How has the Unity Books and Whitcoulls comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Whitcoulls was ahead of Unity Books in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Unity Books’ estimated Share of Search among bookshops in New Zealand moved from 4.1% to 5.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 15.1K to 18.4K.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Whitcoulls’ estimated Share of Search among bookshops in New Zealand moved from 26.7% to 27.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 97.2K to 89.6K.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand bookshops in August 2026?
2 changes

In August 2026, Whitcoulls gained estimated Share of Search among bookshops in New Zealand, from 26.9% to 27.7%.

Estimated monthly branded searches for Unity Books in New Zealand rose 21.8% over 11 measured months, from 15.1K to 18.4K in August 2026.
How each brand is measured
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Unity Books’ and Whitcoulls’ 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.
Unity Books
8 branded search terms
- little unity books
- unity books
- unity books bestseller list
- unity books hours
- unity books near me
- unity books online
- unity books opening hours
- unitybooks
Whitcoulls
26 branded search terms
- Whitcoulls
- whitcoulls books
- whitcoulls botany
- whitcoulls centreplace
- whitcoulls co nz
- whitcoulls cuba
- whitcoulls cuba st
- whitcoulls lambton
- whitcoulls lambton quay
- whitcoulls near me
- whitcoulls north west
- whitcoulls northlands
- whitcoulls nz
- whitcoulls office supplies
- whitcoulls online
- whitcoulls palms
- whitcoulls queensgate
- whitcoulls sale
- whitcoulls shirley
- whitcoulls south city
- whitcoulls st lukes
- whitcoulls stationery
- whitcoulls sylvia park
- whitcoulls sylvia park express
- whitcoulls the base
- whitcoulls voucher

Put your own brand in this comparison
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