Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. and Tim Hortons have joined forces to enhance their customer engagement through their loyalty programs. In this partnership unveiled on Wednesday, customers who connect their Triangle and Tims Rewards accounts can earn two to five percent in Canadian Tire money along with Tims points on specific Tims purchases.
The primary objective of this collaboration is to attract Tim Hortons customers to Canadian Tire and vice versa. Presently, 53 percent of Triangle Rewards customers are dual members of both loyalty programs. Canadian Tire boasts 12 million Triangle Rewards members across 1,600 locations, while Tim Hortons has eight million loyalty program users and operates 4,000 restaurants in Canada.
Darryl Jenkins, Canadian Tire’s executive vice-president and chief development officer, mentioned in an interview that the amalgamation will lead to growth in both Triangle Rewards and Tim Hortons reward members. The amount of Canadian Tire money earned will vary based on the use of a Triangle credit card for payment and the nature of the purchase.
Canadian Tire money can be utilized for discounts on purchases at Canadian Tire and its affiliated brands like SportChek, Mark’s, and Party City. On the other hand, Tims points can be redeemed for food and beverages at Tim Hortons outlets.
The integration of the loyalty programs came about naturally, as executives from both companies frequently interact at various events and share common board memberships. The move was driven by the idea of enhancing the value proposition for their customers collectively.
Although this partnership was teased back in September, some experts like Liza Amlani, principal and co-founder of the Retail Strategy Group, are skeptical. Amlani expressed concerns that the collaboration may be more about gaining market share in a saturated loyalty market rather than enhancing customer satisfaction.
Canadian Tire had announced the partnership almost a year ago but officially launched it this Wednesday after ensuring the technical aspects were in place. Jenkins noted the timing of the launch, coming amidst new tariffs imposed by the U.S. and Canada’s plans for retaliatory levies in September, was coincidental.