• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, 7 hours ago

Email senders can expect the usual stuffed inboxes in this final quarter of the year. A new Validity study shows 43% of B2C brands are increasing their holiday email investments in 2026.

Moreover, they’re starting early -- 46%, at least four months ahead, and 70% in October or early November, which seems in step with consumer desires. Only 10% wait until after Thanksgiving.  

And there is good reason for this enthusiasm by marketers: 44% say holiday email outearns their other channels.  

But they face hurdles, the biggest being: 

• Standing out among competitors—27%
• Consumer fatigue—19.1%
• Measuring true engagement—19.1%
• Optimizing for AI summaries—10.1%
• Competing with other channels—9%
• Deliverability/inbox placement—4.5%

At the same time, there are differences between what marketers are doing and what consumers actually want. 

For instance, 55% of brands are prioritizing holiday greetings, but only 9% of shoppers value this.  

And, while 28% of marketers emphasize product announcements, a mere 12% of consumers want them.

The two sides are most in lockstep on exclusive discounts; 40% of marketers and 42% of consumers see them as a priority. 

But consumers are more eager for loyalty rewards (31% versus a. 22% enthusiasm rate on the part of marketers) and early access to sales (36% for consumers and 22% on the marketing side).  

That said, marketers are doing some things differently this year. They say they will: 

• Adjust creative or AI strategy—25.8% 
• Start planning earlier—19.11%
• Invest more in segmentation or personalization—15.7%
• Invest more in deliverability—13.6%
• Improve the measurement or debrief process—10.1% 

In addition, 52% are adjusting subject lines or preview text for AI summaries. 

B2B marketers face different challenges, one being that they are competing with B2C email volume at this time of year, which means  higher unsubscribe rates for 28.2%. Thus, 58% reschedule non-holiday-related emails like product updates, newsletters and nurture sequences, and only 33% adhere to their usual sending sequences.  

They also turn to other channels, with 59% shifting some spend to SMS, push, or social. 

At the same time, 40% of B2B senders are tightening up their deliverability safeguards (i.e., send throttling, list hygiene monitoring) even as they ramp up volume. 

B2B brands feel pressure to create campaigns with holiday themes. The reasons: 

• Fear of missing seasonal engagement or revenue opportunities—59.4% 
• Desire to stay visible during the holiday season—55.2% 
• Competitor activity—41.7% 
• Customer expectations—40.6%
• Pressure from leadership or business teams—38.5%

Validity surveyed 250+ B2C and B2B marketers.