Canadian Tire is launching a subscription program aimed at bringing more value to members and more benefits of the loyalty program to the company.

Triangle Select will cost $89 plus tax per year and is meant to be an “enrichment” to the existing Triangle Rewards program. Triangle Select members can earn CT Money faster on all eligible purchases in-store at Canadian Tire, Mark’s, Sport Chek, Sport Experts, Party City, L’Équipeur and others, thanks to stackable, bonus rewards.

Those include extra CT Money on in-store purchases, as well as purchases of Canadian Tire-owned brands like Helly Hansen, Denver Hayes and Mastercraft; bonus CT Money for a member’s largest purchase of the year; shipping fees reimbursed in CT Money for the first five online Canadian Tire purchases made in a year; and free shipping on Sport Chek, Mark’s and L’Équipeur purchases over $50.

New members will also receive a welcome gift valued at $50 and, for a limited time, a six-month Crave subscription.

Canadian Tire has been running a beta test of Triangle Select and the decision to launch nationally was made in mid-2022 after all key metrics were achieved, according to Jason Blanchette, SVP, loyalty and customer insights, Canadian Tire Corporation.

“In our beta test of Triangle Select, the average member’s annual incremental earnings through select-specific bonuses were more than three times the subscription fee – demonstrating the incredible value this program will bring to our customers this year and beyond,” he says.

Blanchette says a multi-phased marketing plan launched in February focused on re-engaging beta test members, with a four-week long mass marketing campaign including TV, paid digital, and national media and influencer campaign launching this week to introduce the program to the rest of Canada.

Publicis is the agency supporting the work creating the positioning and strategy for the launch.  Veritas is supporting with its media and influencer campaign.

“Moving forward, we are focused on how to tell the full Triangle Rewards story – including how Select works to elevate our base and credit products,” Blanchette says. In beta, almost 70% of select members had one of its Canadian Tire credit cards, so the brand knows it’s a compelling message to highlight how the products can work together to deliver best value.

“While we have targets for acquisition, the primary focus is on the results we get from members we acquire, such as sales growth,” Blanchette says.

“Our bricks and mortar stores are critical to our corporate strategy and our customer strategy,” Blanchette says. “We designed the product to support our commitment to our stores through the in-store only CTM bonuses, but also acknowledged our commitment to an omni-shopping experience through the inclusion of ecomm benefits, such as shipping fee reimbursement and lower free shipping thresholds.”

Roughly one year ago, Canadian Tire unveiled a multi-billion dollar omnichannel investment plan, which included expanding Triangle Rewards and introducing a paid tier. The company has frequently cited its loyalty program as a driver of purchases and bigger basket sizes, and the first-party data collected from this program is also helping to improve its personalized marketing capabilities. Canadian Tire is also currently building out its Triangle Retail Media offering.

The welcome gift and Crave membership were intended to serve as these upfront benefits to help customers to consider Select, Blanchette notes. “While many of our benefits are anchored in our stores, we also believe that in some cases partnerships and cross brand collaboration can unlock opportunities to meet even more of our customers’ needs.”

The main Triangle Rewards program had 11.3 million members as of the end of 2022.