Our Promotional Strategy

We are pleased to present promotional opportunities for our Fiscal 21/22 year. These programs feature products that best connect with the consumer mindset, are seasonally relevant, and amplify our ongoing commitment to support the province’s social and environmental needs, ensuring the decisions we make have positive impacts across Ontario’s diverse communities.


We have made some enhancements to our promotional strategy to better serve our customers’ needs as the landscape and consumer behaviour continues to evolve. This document gives you, our Trade Partners, a high-level overview of the complete year, to enable collaborative planning. We have incorporated our strategic thinking to date for next year, and we want to share key changes in our approach based on customer needs.

These changes include:

  • - Simplifying the in-store experience;
  • - Combining Promotional Periods into Seasons;
  • - Establishing evergreen displays and stories that include sustainability, gifting, customer favourites, value, and new product;
  • - A concentrated display of the seasonal stories for a powerful impact; and
  • - Updated allocation between key display points and end aisles to better reflect customer demand.


These changes strategically align with our new brand promise: Perfect choices made easy. Moments made great. Watch for exciting updates about our new brand promise in the coming months.

 

SPIRIT OF SUSTAINABILITY:
Spirit of Sustainability is our ongoing commitment to support the province’s social and environmental needs and ensure the decisions we make have positive impacts across Ontario’s diverse communities. We are always looking to Recognize Good Partners who are championing diversity in the industry, making strides in sustainability, creating impact in communities, and encouraging informed choices. We encourage our Trade partners to share products or campaigns that align with our ongoing commitment.

 

EVERGREEN DISPLAYS:
Customer shopping behaviours are evolving. Some behaviours resulting from the pandemic are likely to continue. To better connect customers with what they are looking for, we have created ‘evergreen’ displays in-store to more easily connect customers with what they are looking for.
The Feature Fixture, Mini Thematics A, B and C, End Aisles and Blockpiles A, B and C have all been allocated to display evergreen stories. These displays are evergreen and not meant to necessarily tie back into the Seasonal Promotion.

 

GIFTING AT THE LCBO:
Our customers know that LCBO is a place to find great gifts year-round. We want to provide gifting options for customers online and in stores through new evergreen product displays, including Mini Thematics A and B, as well as partnered value ad opportunities of either: GWP (gift with purchase) LCBO gift packaging or LCBO Gift Cards. You will see these opportunities in more detail in the coming pages.

 

PROMOTION DURATION:
The key themes and displays will live for a longer duration in stores (see specific duration per display in the coming pages) allowing customers to discover them easily and consistently.
With the consistency we have created with our displays, themes and promotional opportunities, the LCBO will be better able to meet the customer needs and increase promotional return on investment.

 

PROMOTIONS IN THE RIGHT STORES WITH THE RIGHT PRODUCT:
Our objective is to grow big brand opportunities while also creating opportunities for smaller brands and new products. LCBO conducted analysis of customer behaviour and grouped stores into two clusters: Premium and Standard – based on customer product preference.
This means that we can flight promotions by premium and standard stores, delivering the right product to the right customers and stores, and hold promotions for longer than 4 week turns in flights. See specific display and flighting option information in the coming pages.

 

OMNICOMMERCE:
In current times, customers more and more are choosing to spend time and shop in both our channels. We want to leverage eCommerce as a tool to grow the overall business while providing new promotional opportunities to the Trade as this channel becomes an increasingly larger component of doing business.


Since the Covid-19 pandemic began there has been a huge customer shift to eCommerce that has opened up opportunities for both delivery and omnicommerce success. We will be sharing new and exciting programming that Trade partners will be able to leverage in the coming weeks.