Modern Retail+ Research: Marketers express revenue optimism for the 2026 holiday season despite economic pressures

This is an excerpt from our Modern Retail+ Research report The 2026 guide to holiday marketing strategies, including A-Frame Brands, Mastercard and Ritual, which examined which commerce channels are dominating marketers’ holiday strategies. The report is based on a survey of 90 brand and retailer professionals, as well as individual interviews with marketing executives.

In Modern Retail+ Research’s holiday report last year, brands and retailers expressed conservative expectations for their 2025 holiday revenue. This year, however, marketers are more optimistic. The majority of survey respondents (76%) said they expect their 2026 holiday revenue to increase 1%-31% or more in comparison to their 2025 holiday revenue. 

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