Marketing review of 2026 and the 2027 budget: the numbers to collect in December
Which numbers to collect in December for your marketing review (revenue by channel, contribution margin, cost per new customer, returning customers) and how to build the 2027 budget by channel and month.
Vasile Dingă
.comparison-cards { display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 1.5rem; } .comparison-card { background: #fff; border-radius: 16px; padding: 20px; border: 2px solid #efefef; } .comparison-header { display: flex; justify-content: space-between; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 12px; } .comparison-row { display: flex; justify-content: space-between; padding: 8px 0; border-top: 1px solid #efefef; font-size: 14px; color: #1f2937; } .comparison-label { font-size: 14px; width: 30%; } .comparison-value { width: 65%; text-align: right; } @media (max-width: 600px) { .comparison-row { flex-direction: column; align-items: flex-start; } .comparison-value { text-align: left; margin-top: 4px; } } December is the month with the most orders and the least time. That is exactly why it pays to set aside a day in early December for the year's numbers: Black Friday is over, the data is fresh, and January returns haven't muddied everything yet. From these numbers you build the 2027 budget, starting from what you want to sell, not from "what we spent this year, plus 10%". Below are the numbers I collect for my clients, the calculation method and a budget planner at the end. 1. Export now what you could lose GA4. In standard properties, data retention can be set to 2 or 14 months. The setting doesn't affect standard reports, only explorations and funnel reports. If your property is on 2 months, your explorations will lose Black Friday after roughly two months. Check the setting in Admin, under data collection, and export the explorations you need now. Google Ads. Since 1 June 2026, daily and weekly data stays available for 37 months, and monthly and yearly data for 11 years. Monthly data is enough for the review: export a report by month and campaign for 2025 and 2026. Meta Ads. Export a report by month and campaign from Ads Manager, with spend, purchases and value. Note the attribution setting you used, so you compare the same way next year. Your store platform. The order export from…