--- title: "Barter Books vs WHSmith: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?" description: "Is Barter Books or WHSmith more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Bookstores 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/barter-books-vs-whsmith" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Barter Books vs WHSmith: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom? Is Barter Books or WHSmith more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Bookstores 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**: Barter Books and WHSmith - **Competitive set**: Bookstores - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Barter Books Share of Search**: 6% - **WHSmith Share of Search**: 44.7% ## Is Barter Books or WHSmith more popular in search? - In September 2026, WHSmith had more branded searches than Barter Books among bookstores in the United Kingdom. WHSmith had about 165,000 branded searches, while Barter Books had 22,200. WHSmith made up 44.7% of all bookstore searches we track, and Barter Books accounted for 6%. - WHSmith was ahead of Barter Books in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Barter Books’ share of searches among bookstores in the United Kingdom moved from 3.1% to 6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 18.1K to 22.2K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, WHSmith’s share of searches among bookstores in the United Kingdom moved from 62.4% to 44.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 368K to 165K. ## Top bookstores in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Barter Books was mentioned in two out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. WHSmith did not appear in any of the four 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Daunt Books | 1st | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Waterstones | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Foyles | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Barter Books | 4th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Blackwell's | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Topping & Company Booksellers | 6th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | WHSmith | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about bookstores - Asked ChatGPT "Which bookstore should I shop at in the UK?": 1. Waterstones, 2. Daunt Books, 3. Blackwell's, 4. Foyles - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best bookstores in the UK?": 1. Daunt Books, 2. Barter Books, 3. Topping & Company Booksellers, 4. Blackwell's, 5. Foyles - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best bookstore in the UK for a good book selection?": 1. Waterstones, 2. Foyles, 3. Daunt Books, 4. Barter Books, 5. Topping & Company Booksellers - Searched Google, AI Overview "bookshop uk": 1. Topping & Company Booksellers Not named in any answer: WHSmith. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 19, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom bookstores in September 2026? - In September 2026, WHSmith gained share of searches among bookstores in the United Kingdom, from 43.4% to 44.7%. - In September 2026, Barter Books lost share of searches among bookstores in the United Kingdom, from 8.7% to 6%. ## Month by month | Month | Barter Books estimated searches | Barter Books Share of Search | Barter Books rank | WHSmith estimated searches | WHSmith Share of Search | WHSmith rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 18.1K | 3.1% | 4 | 368K | 62.4% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | 9.9K | 1.7% | 5 | 368K | 64.9% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | 9.9K | 1.7% | 5 | 368K | 62% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | 12.1K | 2.8% | 4 | 246K | 57.8% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | 12.1K | 3.7% | 4 | 165K | 50.1% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | 14.8K | 3.9% | 4 | 201K | 52.8% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | 22.2K | 6% | 4 | 201K | 54% | 1 | | May 2026 | 22.2K | 5.8% | 4 | 201K | 52.1% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | 18.1K | 5.2% | 4 | 165K | 47.4% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | 22.2K | 6% | 4 | 165K | 44.9% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | 33.1K | 8.7% | 4 | 165K | 43.4% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | 22.2K | 6% | 4 | 165K | 44.7% | 1 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Barter Books’ and WHSmith’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. - **Barter Books**: Measured on the search term “barter books”. - **WHSmith**: Measured on the search term “wh smith”. - [Barter Books profile](/demand/uk/brands/barter-books) - [WHSmith profile](/demand/uk/brands/whsmith) - [All bookstores in the United Kingdom](/demand/uk/categories/uk-bookstores): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 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 Barter Books or WHSmith more popular in search? In September 2026, WHSmith had more branded searches than Barter Books among bookstores in the United Kingdom. WHSmith had about 165,000 branded searches, while Barter Books had 22,200. WHSmith made up 44.7% of all bookstore searches we track, and Barter Books accounted for 6%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Barter Books vs WHSmith: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/barter-books-vs-whsmith This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/barter-books-vs-whsmith. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.