Marketers Express Optimism For 2026 Holiday Season Revenue
Most marketers expect revenue to increase, despite economic pressures. They plan to use alternative promotional strategies, such as bundling products or adding gifts with purchases.
Original reporting · digiday.com
Original: “D+ Research: Marketers express revenue optimism for 2026 holiday season despite economic pressures”
Read “D+ Research: Marketers express revenue optimism for 2026 holiday season despite economic…” at Digiday →
How this was written. GMS Agency Desk wrote this article with a language model from Digiday’s reporting (model: @cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast); it describes that reporting rather than adding to it. The original, linked above, is the full story.
Key points from Digiday’s report
- Most marketers expect their 2026 holiday revenue to increase by 1% to 31% or more compared to their 2025 holiday revenue.
- Economic pressures, including inflation, are a concern for marketing executives, but many remain optimistic about consumer spending.
- Brands are planning to use alternative promotional strategies, such as bundling products or adding gifts with purchases, instead of offering deeper discounts.
- Partnerships between brands can help build loyalty and reduce the cost of new customer acquisition.
- Marketers expect consumers to spend more on experiences this holiday season, such as personal or mission-driven gifts.
Marketers are expressing optimism about their revenue expectations for the 2026 holiday season, according to Digiday. Despite economic pressures, the majority of survey respondents, 76%, said they expect their 2026 holiday revenue to increase by 1% to 31% or more compared to their 2025 holiday revenue.
This optimism is a shift from last year, when brands and retailers expressed conservative expectations for their 2025 holiday revenue. Digiday+ Research's holiday report found that no respondents expected their 2026 holiday revenue to decrease by more than 11% compared to last year.
However, some marketing executives are concerned about the impact of inflation on consumer spending. Ari Bloom, founder and CEO of A-Frame Brands, said that costs are getting high and the economy is soft, which may affect smaller companies' ability to absorb heavy discounting.
Bloom also noted that the political calendar may play a role in holiday spending, particularly in an election year when there is a lot of discussion around inflation. This may affect consumer confidence and spending habits.
Laura Brodie, chief growth officer at Ritual, is concerned about consumer confidence but remains optimistic overall. She expects consumers to spend more on experiences this holiday season, such as gifts that feel personal or are mission-driven.
Instead of offering deeper discounts, many brands and retailers plan to use alternative promotional strategies, such as bundling products or adding gifts with purchases. This approach aims to encourage customers to buy more and become repeat buyers.
Some brands, like Ritual, are also partnering with other companies to cross-promote products and offer exclusive gifts with purchases. This strategy can help build brand loyalty and reduce the cost of new customer acquisition.
Questions and answers
What are marketers' revenue expectations for the 2026 holiday season?
Most marketers expect their 2026 holiday revenue to increase by 1% to 31% or more compared to their 2025 holiday revenue, according to Digiday.
How are brands planning to promote their products during the holiday season?
Many brands plan to use alternative promotional strategies, such as bundling products or adding gifts with purchases, instead of offering deeper discounts.
What trends do marketers expect to see in consumer spending this holiday season?
Marketers expect consumers to spend more on experiences, such as personal or mission-driven gifts, and to prioritize brands that offer unique and compelling products.
