Stensul 2026 MarTech Outlook Finds AI Becomes Core Investment as Budgets Rise and Teams Shift Work In-House

Stensul released the 2026 MarTech Outlook, a new proprietary research report indicating that 2026 will be a growth year for marketing technology budgets and a turning point for AI adoption. The findings show organizations increasingly treating AI as a core MarTech investment, alongside efforts to modernize workflows and build internal capability to execute faster.

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The research also points to an operating-model shift as marketing teams prioritize enablement and reskilling over outsourced campaign support, signaling a move toward AI-enabled in-house 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’re investing in the training and workflows required to make AI work day-to-day.”

Report highlights

• 79% of organizations expect an increase in marketing technology budgets in 2026.
• AI-powered tools rank as the top planned MarTech investment for 2026.
• Organizations are prioritizing in-house enablement, with 57% planning to invest in AI reskilling for teams.
• 31% of respondents plan to reduce spending on external agencies for campaign execution, reflecting a shift toward internal capacity.