Key Takeaways
- Validity’s Holiday 2026 Marketer Survey finds 72% of marketers have changed or plan to change their subject-line or preview-text strategies in response to AI-generated inbox summaries.
- Only 29% of marketers say they’re well prepared for AI-powered inboxes, yet 43% are increasing email investment in Q4.
A new report from Validity found that holiday email continues to deliver for marketers but is becoming harder to optimize and measure as AI reshapes how messages reach the inbox.
Holiday 2026 Marketer Survey of over 250 B2B and B2C marketing professionals shows that holiday email strategies are becoming more complex. Marketers are adapting content, shifting volume across channels and investing in new approaches as AI-generated inbox summaries and intent-based search create new considerations for how messages are optimized and surfaced.
For email strategies for AI-powered inboxes, 72% have changed or plan to change their subject-line or preview-text strategies in response to AI-generated summaries, including 17% who have made significant changes and 35% who have made minor adjustments.
Why Can’t B2B Marketers Opt Out of the Holiday Inbox?
Email continues to be one of the most important channels for reaching customers during the holiday season, but the way marketers approach it is changing, said Cynthia Price, SVP of marketing at Validity.
“B2B senders can’t opt out of the holiday inbox. Even without sending single holiday sales email, their messages compete in the same crowded, AI-summarized space,” said Price in a statement. “Marketers in all industries need to look beyond traditional holiday strategies, adapt to how AI-powered inboxes surface content, expand their channel mix and use data to understand performance and ROI.”
How Prepared Are Marketers to Optimize Email for AI-Powered Inboxes?
Twenty nine percent of respondents say their organization is well prepared to optimize email content for intent-based search and AI-powered inboxes, while 56% say they are somewhat prepared or not prepared at all. That concern is particularly pronounced during high-volume periods: 58% of B2B marketers are concerned that AI-generated inbox summaries will deprioritize their non-promotional emails.
At the same time, email remains a key area of investment heading into the holiday season: 43% of organizations are increasing email investment in Q4, while 38% are maintaining current investment levels and only 7% are decreasing investment.
Organizations increasing investment are also more likely to adjust their strategies for AI-generated inbox summaries, with 73% changing their subject-line approach, compared with 44% keeping investment flat.
How Are B2B Marketers Protecting Email Deliverability During the Holiday Season?
Holiday email planning is not limited to consumer brands sending traditional holiday promotions. Among primarily B2B organizations, 58% delay or reschedule non-holiday campaigns, such as newsletters, product updates and nurture sequences, to avoid competing with increased retail email volume.
While marketers are taking steps to protect deliverability ahead of the holiday season, many will continue to build out their holiday safeguards as the sales season unfolds. Nearly three-quarters of primarily B2B organizations ramp up email volume ahead of the holidays, while 41% have added Q4-specific deliverability safeguards such as send throttling, list hygiene or monitoring
Marketers are also expanding beyond email alone during the holiday season. Nearly 60% of organizations have shifted some holiday email volume to other channels, including SMS, push notifications and social media, specifically to reduce inbox competition.
Click here to download the full Validity’s Holiday 2026 Marketer Survey.
