As marketing organizations plan for the year ahead, new research from Stensul suggests 2026 will mark a decisive shift in how companies invest in technology, talent, and execution. The Stensul 2026 MarTech Outlook highlights rising budgets and a clear move toward treating artificial intelligence as a foundational component of the modern marketing stack, rather than an experimental add on.
The Stensul 2026 MarTech Outlook finds that nearly eight in ten organizations expect their marketing technology budgets to increase in 2026, pointing to renewed confidence after several years of cautious spending. At the center of this growth is AI, which now ranks as the top planned MarTech investment. Rather than testing isolated use cases, companies are embedding AI into everyday workflows to improve speed, consistency, and scale across campaign execution.
“AI has moved beyond experimentation and into the center of the MarTech roadmap,” said Rachel Meranus, Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer of Stensul. “What stands out in this research is that companies aren’t just investing in tools. They are investing in the training and workflows required to make AI work day to day.”
Alongside higher budgets, the report points to a structural shift in how marketing teams operate. Organizations are increasingly focused on building internal capability rather than relying on external agencies for execution. More than half of respondents plan to invest in AI reskilling for their teams, signaling a recognition that technology alone is not enough without the skills and processes to support it.
This shift reflects broader changes in marketing operations. As campaign cycles accelerate and personalization expectations rise, teams are under pressure to execute faster while maintaining brand and compliance standards. The research shows that many organizations view in house execution, supported by AI powered tools, as a way to regain control over timelines and reduce dependency on outside partners.
The Stensul 2026 MarTech Outlook also notes that nearly one third of respondents plan to reduce spending on external agencies for campaign execution. Instead, marketers are prioritizing enablement, workflow modernization, and repeatable processes that allow internal teams to move more efficiently. AI plays a central role in this transition by automating manual tasks and reducing friction between strategy and execution.
For the broader MarTech ecosystem, these findings suggest a maturation phase for AI adoption. Rather than chasing novelty, organizations are aligning AI investments with measurable outcomes such as faster time to market, improved quality, and better use of internal resources. This marks a shift from tool accumulation to operational transformation.
As the Stensul 2026 MarTech Outlook makes clear, 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year. With budgets rising, AI becoming a core investment, and teams bringing more work in house, marketing leaders are redefining how technology supports growth, efficiency, and long term competitiveness.
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