Brandwave

How popular isHershey's?

In September 2026, people searched for Hershey's by name about 201,000 times in the United States, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 20.1% of all United States chocolate brand searches, placing Hershey's first out of 11 brands. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about chocolate brands, Hershey's appeared in two of the five answers and was the joint fourth most recommended of the 11.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Hershey's is the most searched of 11 competitors and the joint fourth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. Hershey'sShare of searches 20.1%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  2. M&M'sShare of searches 16.5%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  3. Reese'sShare of searches 13.5%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  4. GhirardelliShare of searches 11%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  5. KitKatShare of searches 11%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –

+6 more

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Top chocolate brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Hershey's was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Hershey's is the joint fourth most recommended of the 11.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Lindt1st
  2. Ghirardelli2nd
  3. Valrhona3rd
  4. Hershey's4th
  5. Hu4th
  6. Tony's Chocolonely6th
  7. Snickers7th
  8. Twix8th
  9. M&M's–
  10. Reese's–
  11. +1 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Ghirardelli3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Lindt3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Valrhona3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Hershey's2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Snickers2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Twix2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Tony's Chocolonely2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Reese's1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Hu1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • M&M's0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+1 more

See every answer about chocolate brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 27, 2026.

Which chocolate brands compete with Hershey's?

Hershey's against chocolate brands in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Hershey's, M&M's, Reese's, Ghirardelli, KitKat, Snickers, Twix, Tony's Chocolonely, Hu, Lindt. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthHershey'sM&M'sReese'sGhirardelliKitKatSnickersTwixTony's ChocolonelyHuLindtValrhona
Oct 202513.4%16.4%16.4%9%13.4%13.4%9%3.3%1.8%3.3%0.44%
Nov 202513.9%13.9%13.9%13.9%11.4%11.4%9.3%4.2%2.3%5.1%0.68%
Dec 202514%11.4%14%20.8%9.3%9.3%6.3%5.1%2.8%6.3%0.84%
Jan 202616%13.1%13.1%16%10.6%10.6%7.2%4.8%3.2%4.8%0.78%
Feb 202615.1%15.1%15.1%15.1%10.1%10.1%6.8%4.5%3%4.5%0.6%
Mar 202614.1%14.1%11.6%9.4%25.8%9.4%6.3%2.8%2.3%3.5%0.57%
Apr 202614.9%14.9%14.9%10%18.2%10%6.7%3.7%3%3%0.73%
May 202616.3%16.3%13.3%10.9%10.9%10.9%7.3%4.9%2.7%6%0.65%
Jun 202613.3%36.2%8.9%8.9%10.8%8.9%4.9%3.3%2.2%2.2%0.43%
Jul 202617.6%14.4%11.8%14.4%14.4%9.7%6.5%4.3%2.9%3.5%0.57%
Aug 202618.4%15%15%12.2%10.1%12.2%6.7%3.7%3%3%0.6%
Sep 202620.1%16.5%13.5%11%11%11%7.4%3.3%2.7%2.7%0.54%

  1. 1.Hershey's

    20.1%

    Held 1st. 201K estimated branded searches, +21.8% vs prior month. Share +1.8 points.

  2. 2.M&M's

    16.5%

    Held 2nd. 165K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +1.5 points.

  3. 3.Reese's

    13.5%

    Held 3rd. 135K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.5 points.

  4. 4.Ghirardelli

    11%

    Held 4th. 110K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.2 points.

  5. 5.KitKat

    11%

    Moved from 6th to 5th. 110K estimated branded searches, +21.5% vs prior month. Share +1 points.

  6. 6.Snickers

    11%

    Moved from 5th to 6th. 110K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.2 points.

  7. 7.Twix

    7.4%

    Held 7th. 74K estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.

  8. 8.Tony's Chocolonely

    3.3%

    Held 8th. 33.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  9. 9.Hu

    2.7%

    Held 9th. 27.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  10. 10.Lindt

    2.7%

    Held 10th. 27.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  11. 11.Valrhona

    0.54%

    Held 11th. 5.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Compare popularity between Hershey's and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Hershey's

10 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Hershey's changed in the United States over the last 12 months?

4 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Hershey's in the United States held steady at 201K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hershey's’ share of searches among chocolate brands in the United States increased from 13.4% to 20.1%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hershey's’ share of searches among chocolate brands in the United States peaked at 20.1% in September 2026 and was lowest at 13.3% in June 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hershey's rose from 3rd to 1st among chocolate brands in the United States.

How did search popularity change for United States chocolate brands in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, KitKat overtook Snickers to rank 5th among chocolate brands in the United States, with 11% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Hershey's gained share of searches among chocolate brands in the United States, from 18.4% to 20.1%.

  3. In September 2026, M&M's gained share of searches among chocolate brands in the United States, from 15% to 16.5%.

  4. In September 2026, Twix gained share of searches among chocolate brands in the United States, from 6.7% to 7.4%.

  5. In September 2026, Reese's lost share of searches among chocolate brands in the United States, from 15% to 13.5%.

  6. In September 2026, Ghirardelli lost share of searches among chocolate brands in the United States, from 12.2% to 11%.

How are Hershey's’ branded searches counted?

1 search term

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Hershey's’ name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • hershey's

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Who owns Hershey's?

Hershey's is owned by The Hershey Company. Brandwave also tracks KitKat, LesserEvil, Reese's and Twizzlers, owned by the same company, in the United States.

Do you work for Hershey's? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

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