In 2026, B2B marketing leaders are turning a corner from belt‑tightening to expansion—prioritizing investment in programs, talent and technology to drive growth and relevance in complex omnichannel environments.
Budget Expansion & Strategic Shifts
After several years of “do more with less,” research from Forrester Research reveals that 83 % of B2B marketing decision‑makers expect budget increases in 2026.
Specifically:
- 40 % anticipate increases of 5 % or more, and 6 % expect hikes above 10 %.
- Of budget allocations: ~42 % will go to marketing programs, ~35 % to personnel, and ~23 % to technology.
- Technology budgets are rising: 33 % forecast tech budget increases of 5 %+, while 6 % project over 10 %.
Hybrid Execution Models & Agency Partnerships
Execution models are evolving:
- In‑house plus agency hybrid models are gaining ground, with 46 % of companies adopting this in 2026 (up from 36 % in 2025).
- Fully in‑house approaches drop from 38 % to 32 %.
- Fully outsourced models decline from 26 % to 22 %.
- The main driver of agency partnerships is “lack of internal resources” (42 % of respondents), surpassing “specialised expertise” from previous years.
SEO & Digital Channel Investment
One of the standout shifts is the investment into SEO and owned channels:
- In 2025, SEO captured about 9 % of total digital marketing budgets, leading the owned/earned media category.
- Brands are urged to lean into SEO to offset rising paid‑media costs: in one study, organic search drove ~26 % of traffic versus ~23 % from paid media.
- With search engine results pages (SERPs) becoming more fragmented—thanks to AI summaries and rich results—the article emphasises “SERP Visibility” frameworks to dominate key moments ("I want to know", "I want to buy") not just standard clicks.
Implications for Omnichannel Brands
For omnichannel retail brands—those operating across DTC, online marketplaces, physical stores and partner networks—the above trends suggest:
- Reallocate budget: Shift toward long‑term owned channels (SEO, content) rather than relying purely on paid.
- Build hybrid teams: Combine internal expertise (brand, channel insight) with agency/specialist support for execution speed.
- Elevate search and discovery: With fewer guaranteed clicks due to AI and rich results, brands must show up in multiple placements and formats across search, mobile, in‑store digital, etc.
- Technology enablement: Investing in tools for analytics, search visibility, cross‑channel attribution and content optimisation will unlock ROI across channels.
- Programmatic flexibility: Budgets should include a core investment and a flexible “growth” pool to test emerging channels or tactics. The article outlines a 12‑step action plan for flexible budgeting.
Final Thoughts
If 2025 was about efficiency and conservation, then 2026 is about smart expansion. Brands that align spending, partnerships and technology around customer‑centric strategies will position themselves for growth in a fragmented, omnichannel retail landscape.
