--- title: "AO vs Sonic Direct: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?" description: "Is AO or Sonic Direct more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Appliance retailers set in the United Kingdom. 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/uk/compare/ao-vs-sonic-direct" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # AO vs Sonic Direct: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom? Is AO or Sonic Direct more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Appliance retailers set in the United Kingdom. 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**: AO and Sonic Direct - **Competitive set**: Appliance retailers - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **AO Share of Search**: 43.2% - **Sonic Direct Share of Search**: 1.7% ## Is AO or Sonic Direct more popular in search? - In September 2026, AO had more branded searches than Sonic Direct among appliance retailers in the United Kingdom. AO had about 246,000 branded searches, while Sonic Direct had 9,900. AO made up 43.2% of all appliance retailer searches we track, and Sonic Direct accounted for 1.7%. - AO was ahead of Sonic Direct in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, AO’s share of searches among appliance retailers in the United Kingdom moved from 19.4% to 43.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 90.5K to 246K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sonic Direct’s share of searches among appliance retailers in the United Kingdom moved from 2.1% to 1.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 9.9K. ## Top appliance retailers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, AO was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Sonic Direct 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | John Lewis | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | AO | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Currys | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Argos | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Appliances Direct | 5th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Marks Electrical | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Euronics | 6th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Hughes | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Sonic Direct | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Appliance City | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about appliance retailers - Asked ChatGPT "Where's the best place to buy a washing machine in the UK?": 1. AO, 2. John Lewis, 3. Currys, 4. Appliances Direct - Asked ChatGPT "Which UK retailers are best for buying kitchen appliances?": 1. AO, 2. John Lewis, 3. Currys, 4. Argos, 5. Marks Electrical - Asked ChatGPT "Where should I buy a new fridge freezer in the UK?": 1. AO, 2. John Lewis, 3. Currys, 4. Argos, 5. Euronics - Searched Google, AI Overview "washing machines": 1. John Lewis, 2. Currys - Searched Google, AI Overview "fridge freezers": 1. Currys, 2. John Lewis, 3. AO, 4. Argos Not named in any answer: Hughes, Sonic Direct and Appliance City. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 28, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom appliance retailers in September 2026? - In September 2026, AO lost share of searches among appliance retailers in the United Kingdom, from 46.6% to 43.2%. ## Month by month | Month | AO estimated searches | AO Share of Search | AO rank | Sonic Direct estimated searches | Sonic Direct Share of Search | Sonic Direct rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 90.5K | 19.4% | 2 | 9.9K | 2.1% | 10 | | Nov 2025 | 74K | 14.6% | 3 | 18.1K | 3.6% | 8 | | Dec 2025 | 60.5K | 14.4% | 3 | 14.8K | 3.5% | 8 | | Jan 2026 | 60.5K | 13.7% | 3 | 14.8K | 3.4% | 9 | | Feb 2026 | 60.5K | 16.3% | 2 | 9.9K | 2.7% | 9 | | Mar 2026 | 201K | 38.6% | 1 | 8.1K | 1.6% | 10 | | Apr 2026 | 165K | 35% | 1 | 9.9K | 2.1% | 9 | | May 2026 | 74K | 18.5% | 2 | 9.9K | 2.5% | 9 | | Jun 2026 | 74K | 14.4% | 3 | 9.9K | 1.9% | 9 | | Jul 2026 | 110K | 21.4% | 2 | 9.9K | 1.9% | 9 | | Aug 2026 | 301K | 46.6% | 1 | 9.9K | 1.5% | 9 | | Sep 2026 | 246K | 43.2% | 1 | 9.9K | 1.7% | 9 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using AO’s and Sonic Direct’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. - **AO**: Measured on the search term “ao.com”. - **Sonic Direct**: Measured on the search term “sonic direct”. - [AO profile](/demand/uk/brands/ao) - [Sonic Direct profile](/demand/uk/brands/sonic-direct) - [All appliance retailers in the United Kingdom](/demand/uk/categories/uk-appliance-retailers): 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 AO or Sonic Direct more popular in search? In September 2026, AO had more branded searches than Sonic Direct among appliance retailers in the United Kingdom. AO had about 246,000 branded searches, while Sonic Direct had 9,900. AO made up 43.2% of all appliance retailer searches we track, and Sonic Direct accounted for 1.7%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "AO vs Sonic Direct: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/ao-vs-sonic-direct This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/ao-vs-sonic-direct. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.