How I Solved Canadian Tire’s New User Acquisition Challenges?

When I lived in Montreal, I discovered new stores and supermarkets, and for some of them, you had to sign up to earn points. Then I started navigating and diving into Canadian websites. I started with Canadian Tire; the login page was definitely not user-friendly and suffered from several issues.

And since I was bored and didn’t know anyone in the city, I started imagining how I could improve the UX experience of this page to make it more attractive for users by setting a 5-day challenge for myself.

How I Analyzed the User Acquisition Challenges?

Canadian Tire is a major Canadian retailer offering everything from automotive parts to household items, and it uses a unified platform ID called Triangle ID. My role as a designer was to find a solution to increase new customer acquisition and boost loyalty program adoption.

Two major issues were identified using Nielsen’s heuristics: first, users could not go back, and second, the buttons suffered from a discoverability problem. Furthermore, the partner logos of the Triangle loyalty program seemed disconnected from the rest.

5 Days to Improve New User Acquisition

My first step was to grab a pen and paper to sketch ideas, focusing on key elements such as login fields, the support button, and the acquisition button. I split the login page into two areas: one to group essential elements for user login and acquisition, and the other to feature an impactful image that emotionally engages potential users, along with the loyalty program logos. Once this concept was implemented in Figma, I conducted user tests to accelerate the process and gather rapid feedback.

Six users tested the flow by logging in via shortcut, creating an account, and finding support.
The tests revealed that the placement of the passkey login button confused five out of six users, and the registration button also required extra effort to be discovered.

After that, I iterated on the design, dropping the lateral ‘Key sign’ button that was confusing users. I also regrouped the signup button, which was previously set apart from the rest of the form, onto a single panel to streamline the login experience and boost new client acquisition.

Validated Iteration , Canadian Tire Will Benefit from Improved Growth

Then, in the final A/B test, which proved crucial, users were now able to complete critical tasks such as choosing a login method, signing up, and accessing support. If this company changes the login experience on this page, I am sure they can expect an increase in new sign-ups over the next three months, along with stronger engagement in the loyalty program.

The Importance of a Strong Login Experience

This project reinforced how critical onboarding and sign-up pages are for both user experience and business outcomes. Clear visual hierarchy, accessibility, and emotional engagement directly influence conversion and retention.

How I Solved Canadian Tire’s New User Acquisition Challenges? was originally published in Bootcamp on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.