…canadiantire.ca is finding new ways to serve you better.
Over the past year, we’ve made many improvements to our site. We’ve added more of the robust product information you find so useful when you are making a purchase decision. And, as always, we’re dedicated to ensuring that our site is the best in its class.

You’ve told us that canadiantire.ca is a great resource.
Many of you use our website to research and compare products before buying them in your local Canadian Tire store. We’re proud of our strength as a research tool and will continue to build on this in the future. Because our site is primarily used for research and product comparison, canadiantire.ca has decided to discontinue selling products online for home delivery.

We will make this change on January 29, 2009.
All orders placed before this time will be processed and delivered. And, our Gift Cards will continue to be available online for home delivery.

More exciting changes to come.
The great news is that, coming soon, we’ll be making many refinements to our site navigation to make browsing and product search faster and easier. The site will also look a little different, with bigger, more descriptive pictures and even better product information. In addition, we’ll introduce in-store pick up capability in selected test markets in Spring, 2009.

Keep visiting canadiantire.ca.
In the weeks to come, we’ll reveal these enhancements. As a valued online Canadian Tire shopper, we want you to be there with us as we turn in this exciting, new direction.

One can only assume that CanadianTire.ca has not seen significant growth,  and as a business with substancial investment in retail stores, it must have been an area where it didn’t want to invest further.  Canadian Tire is not the only Canadian retailer to forego online sales, Shoppers Drug market has continued to ignore the online sales market.

Canadian Tire seems intent on maintaining its online presence with product information but will leave the actual sales fulfillment to the retail store locations.  Its not clear  if this is part of a bigger trend for Canadian retails and how the lack of online sales will impact the Canadian Tire forecast.

Canadian online sales are estimated at $62. 7 billion CDN ( source Highbeam Research ) and not having an online sales presence opens Canadian Tire to competition from an online only retailer.   This is exactly the situation with Shoppers Drug mart and Canada’s Online Drugstore – Well.ca.   While Canadian Tire and Shoppers Drug represent different segments it seems odd that both have ignored the online sales potential.  While ignoring the online sales market today might make sense at some point it will become a necessary component of sustained growth and market share.   Lack of investment today will likely mean a more expensive investment or purchase in the future to re-capture the online market.

Update:  Canadian Tire issued the following message to affiliates:

Dear Affiliates,

Over the past few years, canadiantire.ca has experienced exceptional growth in traffic, making it one of the busiest e-commerce sites in the country.  Our research indicates that the overwhelming majority of the traffic to the site is focused on products that are heavily researched, but not necessarily suitable for home delivery (patio sets, tires, etc).  This, coupled with the fact that we have an extensive store network with 473 stores located within a 10-15 minute drive of 90% of the Canadian population, led us to the decision to discontinue direct home delivery and to deploy our resources to development of capabilities and features that will significantly enhance the online experience for the millions of customers that visit canadiantire.ca every month.

To continue to deliver on our commitment to provide customers with the best retail site experience, we will continue to invest resources to dramatically enhance the site.  In addition to re-launching the site with a brand new look, new navigational functionality and even more ‘how-to’ information for our customers, we will also be introducing in-store pick-up of online orders in a couple of markets later this spring.

Effective January 29, 2009 online sales of product (excluding gift cards) from Canadian Tire’s website, www.canadiantire.ca, will be suspended.  The eFlyer program will continue without interruption.

You are welcome to leave Canadian Tire creative banners up on your sites but need to be aware that as of January 30, 2009, commissions can be earned on gift card sales ONLY.  Any Canadian Tire creative banners that speak to free shipping codes or purchasing products (other than gift cards) will be deleted from the Linkshare Image Inventory on January 29, 2009.  A reminder will be sent to you on January 30, 2009 asking you to review your site to ensure that the Canadian Tire creative banners reflect this change.

We appreciate your understanding in this matter and look forward to working with you in 2009.

Regards,

The Canadian Tire Online Team
1-866-746-7287