Walmart says it is taking a stand against the high fees charged by Visa. ) Walmart is using its size and scale to win an unfair advantage over competitors, local retailers and even charities, claims credit-card company Visa, which has purchased full-page newspaper ads to air its grievances with one of the world’s largest retailers. Walmart Canada announced on Saturday that it would stop accepting Visa cards at stores beginning in July, saying that the rates the company wanted to charge for the service in this country are too high. In an open letter from Visa to cardholders and merchants in Canada scheduled to run on Wednesday, the credit card company says it has been negotiating with Walmart for months to reach an agreement. “Recently, we offered Walmart one of the lowest rates of any merchant in Canada. But Walmart is still demanding more. They believe that their cost to accept Visa cards should be much lower than all other merchants — lower than local grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores — and yes, charities and schools too,” according to Visa.

The paid ad goes on to say that Visa entered into a voluntary agreement with the federal government in 2014 to lower the cost of electronic payments. “We did this with the understanding that it would help all businesses, but in particular, small businesses and charities would benefit significantly,” according to Visa. “Now Walmart has initiated a public fight — something we never wanted — and they are using their own customers as negotiating leverage by stating that they will no longer accept Visa cards at Walmart stores.” “We believe Visa's fees should be lower for everyone, whether they are a large retailer, small retailer or a charity,” said Walmart Canada spokesperson Alex Roberton. “Canadians deserve better than paying a hidden fee that is four times higher than consumers pay in other countries. We are taking a stand for our customers because Visa's high fees can result in increased prices.” Gary Sands, chair of Canada's Small Business Matters coalition, said Visa is in the right.

Small businesses don't have the heft to force credit card companies to accept lower fees, and giving Walmart a break means putting other retailers at a disadvantage. “If Visa is saying to us, and they have, that it is important they maintain a commitment to continue to reduce credit card fees for small business and not strike one off deals with entities like Wal-Mart, which would be at our expense, then I support that approach,” said Sands. Jackie Rosen, an editor at personal-finance web site RateSupermarket.ca, which tracks credit card rates in Canada, said that the companies should keep in mind what is best for consumers. “Other than Costco, we haven’t really seen a retailer of this scale in Canada clash with one of the major credit card companies,” said Rosen, referring to the fact that Costco only takes MasterCard. She said it could start a trend. “Visa’s merchant fees could potentially become a deterrent for more and more retailers. There are already some stores that won’t accept Discover or American Express because their fees are higher than MasterCard,” according to Rosen.

“On the other hand, the Visa brand is everywhere and recognized pretty much all over the world. It’s important for retailers to consider what consumers want, too.” , each property of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5E 1E6. chaise lounge chair indoorYou can unsubscribe at any time. white rocking chair toddlerPlease contact us or see our privacy policy for more information.buy folding chair in india Find a Store Near You The Store Locator is designed to help you find the closest store near you. 15 Miles 30 Miles 100 Miles 300 Miles ALL USAAlabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Armed Forces Africa Armed Forces America (exc. Canada) Armed Forces

Canada Armed Forces Europe Armed Forces Middle East Armed Forces Pacific Non-US/Other 100 lbs to 150 lbs 150 lbs to 200 lbs 200 lbs to 250 lbs 250 lbs to 300 lbs 300 lbs to 400 lbs 400 lbs to 500 lbs 500 lbs to 750 lbs 10 in to 15 in 15 in to 20 in 20 in to 24 in 24 in to 30 in 30 in to 36 in 36 in to 42 in 42 in to 48 in 4 ft to 5 ft Best Selling Home Decor strong 2 3 4 … Swivel or stationary, with arms or without arms, wood or metal, whatever type of bar stools you’re looking for, you’ll find it in Lowe’s incredible selection.Interactive and Inspiring Online Retail Content Drives Increase in Traffic and Sales for Walmart.ca Walmart’s Outdoor Living Centre, created by Mediative, won Silver at the Shopper Innovation Awards for Out-of-the-Box Retail. Walmart partnered with Mediative to generate an interactive online experience that would engage, educate and drive sales for Walmart Canada both online and in stores.

The challenge was to use lifestyle and shopping content to strengthen the relationship between shoppers and Walmart’s core outdoor living brands, positioning Walmart as a destination for trusted content specifically around the outdoor living theme. The ultimate challenge was to inspire visitors to embrace the outdoor living lifestyle and increase their intent to buy. Mediative designed and created an online environment featuring relevant editorial content that would engage consumers, facilitate their online shopping experience, and create a meaningful connection with Walmart’s core outdoor living brands. The result was Walmart’s Outdoor Living Centre – a content-rich microsite featuring everything from interactive buying tools, to tips and advice, inspirational lifestyle content and top product recommendations, all specific to outdoor living brands. By developing a custom content management system, Mediative was able to update content regularly, allowing for a seasonal progression of content, topics and tools.

The site reflected what was top of mind for consumers visiting the Outdoor Living Centre throughout the season. Early Spring – the focus was on “Planning your vegetable garden” when visitors were preparing their gardens for the upcoming season. Peak Summer – the content was updated with a “Yard Work to-do list: 5 pillars of backyard upkeep” as consumers were wondering how to keep their yards lush all summer long. Fall – the focus switched to “Preparing your yard for winter” when people were starting to put their gardens to bed. Early Spring – a Patio Inspiration Gallery was launched in April suggesting the top 10 patio sets. Peak Summer – the Outdoor Living Centre provided “10 outdoor entertaining tips for the perfect summer party”. Fall – in the fall, “Backyard storage tips and essentials” were suggested. During the peak season of outdoor living (Spring/Summer), the Outdoor Living Centre outperformed the outdoor living retail department on Walmart.ca.

Shoppers who viewed Outdoor Living Centre content were 73% more likely to check out vs. those who were not exposed to the Outdoor Living Centre content. By creating content based on need and inspiration, the Outdoor Living Centre went beyond simple product pages to give shoppers a more compelling reason to visit the site and consider outdoor living products at Walmart. This resulted in more than 90% of impressions coming from outside the department, generating potential shoppers that assumingly would otherwise not have visited the department. This is evidence that content relevant to shoppers’ interests will have a positive impact on their intent to purchase, providing additional cross-selling merchandising opportunities for retailers. Branded content presents more reasons for visitors to consider additional products, acting as a traffic driver to different departments, ultimately increasing visitor basket size and encouraging purchases that were not necessarily intended when the visitor initially entered the site.

Brick and mortar location traffic: Customer feedback indicated that the Outdoor Living Centre on Walmart.ca provided valuable content and information that enhanced customers’ understanding of products, simplifying and assisting in the decision making process, and increasing the likelihood of visiting a Walmart store location. These results highlight the importance of developing compelling and contextual content with recommended products, rather than promoting products alone. By providing a content-rich online environment, like the Outdoor Living Centre, retailers can inspire and motivate online shoppers to act, not only increasing online traffic and sales, but also in-store traffic. Consumers who viewed products after being exposed to branded content were 73% more likely to check out. Content relevant to shoppers’ interests had a positive impact on their intent to purchase, providing additional cross-selling merchandising opportunities for Walmart. Customer feedback indicated that the Outdoor Living Centre increased the likelihood of visiting a Walmart store location.