Walmart Canada opens online grocery market to PayPal

Walmart Canada is adding a new e-commerce payment option as more customers shop online for groceries during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

PayPal is now available for payment on the Walmart Canada e-commerce site. This marks the entry of PayPal, which has 7 million users in Canada, into the Canadian grocery market. Walmart had already been accepting PayPal for online payment in the U.S.

"We are proud to be the first Canadian retailer that sells groceries to offer PayPal, making online shopping more accessible for more Canadians," said Alexis Lanternier, executive VP of e-commerce for Walmart Canada. "PayPal has a long-standing reputation as a safe and trusted payment provider and together, we're helping Canadians shop for the products they need right now."

"In the current climate, we understand that shopping online for groceries and other everyday essentials is the need of the hour," said Paul Parisi, PayPal Canada president. "We are delighted to announce that now more than seven million active PayPal users across the country can use their digital wallet to shop online at Walmart."

A survey commissioned by PayPal in early April 2020 shows that 30% of Canadians are shopping online for groceries. This marks a 58% jump from a comparable survey conducted four weeks earlier, before COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. The April survey also finds that since the outbreak, more Canadians have started to shop online for essential items like household supplies (41% increase) and toiletries (33% increase), as well as other items like entertainment, toys and games (18% increase).

When asked if their online shopping habits would change in the coming months, eight in 10 respondents (81%) said they anticipate shopping online the same amount or more, and 44% said they expect to increase their online shopping.

The most recent survey also found that among Canadian respondents who don't shop online, 39% are worried about putting their financial information on the Internet. Walmart has chosen to include PayPal into its online checkout as the payment platform doesn't share personal financial details with third parties. Customers can link their online PayPal purchase with their bank account, Visa debit card, or credit card linked to their PayPal account 

Walmart Canada operates a chain of 408 stores across Canada.