Chewy || The Leading Pet Retailer

 When thinking about where to get the essentials for your pet, many turn to going in-store to buy the pet food and necessities they need. However, some pet parents,━myself included, have begun ordering pet essentials online. 

 With the pandemic, many pet parents turned to find a way to get their dog's essentials without risking their health, thus leading to the spike in sales on Chewy.com, with a reported Net sales of $7.15 billion, making them grow 47 percent year over year in 2020. (Business Wire, 2021). With this in 2020, Chewy announced that they would be producing and fulfilling medication for pets, which made this a game changer and different than any other pet retailer. Alongside this, they collaborated with Connect With a Vet, making it easier for pet parents to connect with a veterinarian if they needed to—making their website stand out to pet parents, seeing that they prioritize the wellbeing of pets in any way they can. 

There are many options when looking where to shop for your furry friends, and finding the perfect toy, accessory, food, etc., may seem difficult. So Chewy has made it simple to find what you may need by separating the sections by the pet, including dog, cat, small pet, reptile, farm animal, and even horse! Their wide variety of pets also sets them apart from other retailers like PetSmart or Petco, seeing that they cater to dogs, cats, small animals, and birds.

On the consumer side of things, Chewy has a section on your profile where you can list the pets you have, and from there, you get recommended items you might like. For example, it shows both my small pets and recommends to me what they might like, as shown in the image. This feature is helpful for pet parents looking to explore more treats, food, or toy options for their pets.

The site's user-friendliness is a crucial component that sets Chewy apart, but I also want to touch upon its customer service. Chewy prides itself on customer service, showing they care about its customers with the small tokens of appreciation they've done for others in the past. Typically in the past, they've mailed a birthday card for my dog, also holiday cards; but they also go a step further when a pet passes away. Many pet owners who have had Chewy as their primary way to purchase items for their pets deactivate or stop the auto-shipment of their beloved pets' items because they have passed away. 

The customer service of Chewy takes a step and sends flowers with a condolence note, or sometimes even a painted portrait of the beloved pet that passed away. As shown in these examples, this heartfelt sentiment drives consumers to use them as a way to get their pet essentials, which is one of the reasons why I started using this platform instead of any other place. Chewy has this personal touch with its customer base that validates the statement that pets are like family, being there for the celebrations and the mourning of a loved one. When issues arise, Chewy's 24/7 customer service is there for the swiftness to fix any issue that the customer might have; with many people on social media applauding Chewy's customer service and personality, it's no surprise that this is the leading pet retailer.