What happens when 40 of the world’s leading luxury executives speak candidly about the year ahead?
Our 2026 Luxury Leaders Pulse, recently featured by Luxury Roundtable presents a unique perspective from C-level leaders shaping the future of the industry.
“The real power of this study lies in the collective voice of leaders, not just what is changing, but how the industry’s top decision-makers are responding to this dynamic market”
Women leaders are navigating their organizations and careers in a rapidly changing luxury business. Image credit: Shutterstock
Leaders of luxury brands across several sectors have expressed cautious optimism about the year ahead, indicating a market navigating uncertainty rather than clear growth momentum.
This one of the key findings among five in the 2026 Luxury Leaders Pulse Study interviewing more than 40 C-suite executives from brands such as Rosewood Hotels, Van Cleef & Arpels, Dior, Harrods and Chanel. Singapore-based market researcher and Luxury Roundtable official partner Agility Research and Strategy fielded the survey. The report offered insights into the luxury leaders’ priorities and challenges, and how they view the business in the year ahead.
Five key trends emerged:
The luxury business enters 2026 with cautious optimism
Luxury leaders are divided about the year ahead.
Around 39 percent expect challenges, while 36 percent anticipate stability, suggesting a market navigating uncertainty rather than clear growth momentum.
Only a smaller share sees strong opportunities or major disruptions, highlighting a broadly balanced but cautious outlook for the sector.
Business expectations are stabilizing after a slowdown
Sentiment has rebounded slightly compared with 2025 but remains well below the post-pandemic highs seen earlier in the decade.
About 45 percent of executives expect higher business performance in 2026, while another 47 percent expect results to be similar to 2025, reinforcing a view that the industry is shifting from rapid expansion toward a phase of disciplined growth and normalization.
Geopolitics and cautious consumers are the biggest risks
Luxury executives see macro uncertainty as the primary challenge for 2026.
The top concerns include geopolitical instability, consumer trading-down behavior, and inflationary pressures, reflecting growing sensitivity to economic volatility and shifting spending priorities among affluent consumers.
Experiences are becoming the central growth engine
The luxury business continues to pivot toward experience-driven luxury, with 70 percent of leaders identifying experiential luxury as the leading trend shaping the sector.
Wellness-focused luxury, localized brand positioning and AI-enabled personalization are also gaining momentum, signaling a shift toward holistic lifestyle engagement rather than product-centric luxury alone.
Marketing budgets are shifting toward immersive engagement
Luxury brands are reallocating marketing spend toward experiential and digital channels.
Investments are increasing in consumer events, digital media, collaborations and celebrity ambassadors, while traditional advertising and live-stream KOL marketing are declining, reflecting a strategic pivot toward high-impact brand experiences that drive deeper engagement and conversion.
Link: Luxury Roundtable
“Luxury brands reallocating marketing spend toward experiential, digital channels: report ” courtesy of Luxury Roundtable Intelligence in Luxury Roundtable (March 17, 2026). © 2026 Luxury Roundtable. All rights reserved.