Survey: Advertisers plan to increase holiday budgets on these channels...
Retail marketers are getting a jump start – and spending more – on holiday ads this year.
That’s according to Yahoo DSP’s 2026 Holiday Shopping Study, which found that pre-Labor Day holiday advertising campaign launches nearly doubled year over year, from 4% to 8%, while more than three-quarters (77%) of advertisers plan to launch their holiday campaigns by November. October remains the biggest kickoff month, according to the study, with a third (34%) of advertisers planning to launch then.
More than half (55%) of advertisers plan to increase their 2026 holiday budgets, up from 44% in 2025, while 57% of agencies and 54% of marketers are planning to do so.
Social media (59%) leads the channels where advertisers plan to increase holiday spending, followed closely by connected TV (CTV) (58%) and video (53%). Yahoo DSP noted that CTV investment is up significantly from 45% in 2025, with 68% of agencies planning to increase CTV spend compared with 42% of marketers.
A majority (83%) of advertisers plan to update holiday messaging to compete for discretionary dollars, with 94% saying they will place greater emphasis on measuring online and offline sales impact. High-impact CTV is also a priority, with 90% planning to use formats such as pause, first-position and interactive ads, up from 83% in 2025.
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When it comes to how shoppers receive ads, a majority (79%) of consumers say their holiday purchases are influenced by special deals and promotions. Consumers noted that "great deals and discounts" are also the top reason they click “buy now” on digital ads (54%), followed by free shipping or bonus gifts (42%).
Nearly two-thirds (62%) of consumers say TV or streaming ads influence their holiday purchases, followed by social media ads (60%), shoppable ads (60%), short-form digital video (59%) and display or banner ads (57%).
The Yahoo DSP 2026 Holiday Shopping Study includes a survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted June 22–26, 2026. The advertiser findings are based on a separate U.S. study of advertising decision-makers involved in media brand selection at organizations with at least $1 million in advertising spend over the next 12 months.
