Canadian Tire is looking to gain some traction in the burgeoning e-commerce market with a new online tire store.
Visitors to CanadianTire.ca/tires can choose from more than 8,000 products, including more than 4,000 tires.
Carol Deacon, associate vice-president of automotive for Canadian Tire in Toronto, said that a proliferation of new products in the tire sector has made managing inventory at its brick and mortar locations increasingly complex.
“It’s more challenging to manage assortments in store and corporately, and making sure that we have tires available for our customers,” said Deacon. “Having the ability for customers to reserve their inventory online and make sure it’s in-store is a great way of solving that need while providing a better customer experience.”
Visitors to the site can shop for tires based on their vehicle, model year, tire size, type and/or brand and build a custom selected tire and wheel package. The site also offers product comparison, product information and a “help me choose” function that guides consumers through the purchase process. When the purchase is complete, the customer enters the address of the nearest Canadian Tire store and is notified when the tires are ready to be installed.
The site offers the same tire and wheel products available at Canadian Tire stores, including its private label Motomaster brand as well as brands including Michelin, Goodyear and Pirelli.
The new site is being promoted through Canadian Tire’s weekly flyer, its new custom magazine Driver, as well traditional media including TV, radio and PR. A current TV spot from Taxi promoting the new all-weather Hankook Optimo 4S Tire features the site URL, while a winter tire campaign set to debut in mid-October will also drive to the site. Online, the site is being promoted through social media and a series of banner ads.
The tire market in Canada is worth an estimated $2.5 billion a year, with online sales currently accounting for less than 5% according to Deacon. “It’s a small but growing part of the business,” said Deacon. “By launching this site, we do believe there’s growth for us in this area.”
