In 2022, leaders from Canadian Tire’s Brand and Merchant teams approached David Green, ACIDO, from CTC’s Product Development Team for help. They were responsible for the Tarps and Cords product line and were looking to grow the category. They felt that more could be done, even though Canadian Tire was already the market leader, and their Owned Brands were heavily represented.
While not the most glamourous product category at first glance, tarps and cords are instrumental in helping people solve problems, carry out the jobs associated with living in Canada, and in finding joy through their hobbies. A job well done, and quickly solved, helps users maintain their Health and Wellbeing.
Green’s process began with a broad review of the overall category, followed by a more granular, line-by-line review of all products, which includes bungee cords, tarps, tie-downs, and straps. The aim was to understand the sales trends, return and defect rates and potential opportunities for improvement. With a high percentage of sales already coming from owned brands (comparative to other national brands available in stores), growing through design, or by suggesting new additions to round out the assortment, was a key part of the team’s Vision.
“Our team uses the North Star of ‘Jobs and Joys of Canadians’, to help identify the challenges they experience, as a way to narrow our area of focus,” says Green. They then moved onto ideation and brainstorming. With bungee cords alone, they discovered a more than a dozen jobs to be done, related to storage, tarps, organization, securing, holding together, toys, and safety, as well as many challenges, including breaking, length identification, tangling, and finding the right one for each job.
Inspired by their own experiences on garbage day, and in strapping gear to a car roof, the team had no shortage of ideas to explore. After reviewing user’s DIY solutions, alternatives on the market, and conducting patent searches with the help of in-house legal counsel, the team could narrow their focus even further.
The process produced 16 solutions that demonstrate a strong attention to detail and focus on Functionality, such as the idea to mark the hook ends of bungee cords with the length, for ease of sorting. Some ideas, such as a solution to connect two ends of a bungee cord together to reduce tangling, got prototyped, tested and brought to market. Other ideas, such as a bungee organizer, were initially developed before the team ultimately found a solution from an existing vendor that they could utilize.
Throughout their product development process, the Canadian Tire team demonstrates a keen understanding of the Environment that their products will be used in. The Canadian Tire Brand is known for understanding the unique needs and challenges of Canadian living, and has built an offering that reflects this at a price that makes sense for the average Canadian.
In early 2024, these solutions started hitting store shelves and finding their way into trunks, garages, basements and storage rooms, ready to help tackle tough jobs, and help people spend more time on their joys.
Built on the foundation of legacy brands such as Mastercraft® and MotoMaster®, Canadian Tire’s Consumer Brands Division is a driving force behind the company’s growth strategy. Their Owned Brands provide the Canadian Tire group of companies with a distinct, home-grown competitive advantage. The company employs over 100 industrial designers, fashion designers and design engineers, all working to “Make Life in Canada Better”.
