I know what you’re thinking: it’s April, and the November-December holiday shopping season is a distant memory, or a long way away, depending on how you look at it. So, why are we talking about holiday shopping at the start of the Spring season?

Because the significance of the holiday season is changing.

Yes, the holidays are an important time for many ecommerce retailers, but not as much as they used to be. In our Ecommerce Holiday Trends Report we found that impact of the holiday season on annual revenue has been on a downward trend for five years, which means that in 2015, it’s the non-holiday months that really count.

Why the Holiday Months Are Less and Less Important to Your Revenue Goals

So, here’s what we found:

November and December have been steadily contributing less and less to annual revenue. In 2014, for the first time, the holiday months accounted for less than 20% of total annual revenue. The holiday months are still important, generating more revenue than the average month of the year, but not nearly at the level they were back in 2010.

How the Declining Impact of the Holiday Season Plays Out Across Different Retail Segments

It’s worth noting how these changes play out across different industry segments. What we found in our research is that some segments are far more “holiday-sensitive,” meaning they have historically derived a much greater percent of their revenue from the holiday season than other segments.

In the segments for which we have reliable data we see that, Apparel/Accessories and Computers/Electronics are far more sensitive to the holiday season than Food/Drug, Health/Beauty, and Housewares/Home Furnishings.

Now, check out how these two groups have been affected differently by the declining impact of the holiday season. Here’s how this downward trend looks for the segments that aren’t sensitive to the holidays:

There’s a slight decline in the holiday season’s percentage over the last five years, but overall the season remained relatively flat. Since 2012, holiday revenue accounted for only 16% of annual revenue, meaning these segments are actually generating less revenue during the holiday months than an average month out of the year.

Now, look only at the holiday-sensitive segments:

Whoa! The holiday-sensitive segments, Apparel/Accessories and Computer/Electronics, saw a significant drop-off in holiday revenue over the last five years. The holidays were extremely important to these segments prior to 2012, accounting for 32% of annual revenue, but by 2014 they had fallen to right around 20%.

What Does This All Mean?

It’s often easier to answer “What happened?” with data than it is to answer “Why?” But here’s our hypothesis: ecommerce retailers are deriving less of their annual revenue from the holiday season because they’re getting better at year-round execution.

The holiday season is known for offering deep discounts, with 92% of shoppers hunting for bargains during these months. Any retailer that is overly-dependent on November and December to hit their revenue goals is doing so at the detriment of their profit margins. It’s also a high-risk, hard-to-execute strategy. We see this trend as a good thing for the ecommerce industry.

Today’s most innovative online retailers are finding new ways to build relationships with their customers throughout the year. In our Ecommerce Growth study, we looked at the growth trends of today’s fastest growing ecommerce comanies. These companies are setting themselves apart, not by deep discounts, but by innovative product and marketing strategies:

• Creating a frictionless buying experience like Casper and Plated
• Building passionate communities like Chubbies and Bark & Co.
• Blending content with commerce like Thrillist and Jackthreads
• Overcoming hesitations about buying online with “try before you buy” experiences like Warby Parker and Birchbox

These are all strategies that aim to create a product and brand experience that customers love and keep coming back for, not just during the holiday, but every day of the year.