The Secret to Chewy’s Brand Loyalty? Radical Empathy and Thoughtful Service

In today’s market, where convenience and speed often eclipse substance, it’s easy to forget that emotional intelligence is still one of the most powerful tools in a brand’s arsenal. While data, segmentation, and personalization drive performance, what truly drives loyalty—the unshakable, tell-all-your-friends kind—is empathy.

Few brands embody this better than Chewy.

Let me share a personal example. My mother has two dogs—Bruno and Sophie—who are, let’s say, refined in their culinary tastes. Translation: they’re picky little divas (but we still love them!). She once tried out a new type of dog food for them, and true to form, they gave it a sniff and walked away as if she’d insulted them.

Let me share a personal example. My mother has two dogs—Bruno and Sophie—who are, let’s say, refined in their culinary tastes. Translation: they’re picky little divas (but we still love them!). She once tried out a new type of dog food for them, and true to form, they gave it a sniff and walked away as if she’d insulted them.

Naturally, she reached out to Chewy to return the product. That’s where the story gets interesting.

Instead of simply processing the refund or requesting a return, Chewy told her to donate the unused food to a local animal shelter. Just like that. No hoops. No return labels. No hassle.

Now, from a logistics perspective, this is brilliant. It reduces return costs and avoids unnecessary shipping. But that’s not what left an impression. What stood out was how Chewy remained true to its mission: caring for pets and the people who love them.

That small gesture transformed an unsatisfactory purchase into a meaningful experience. It fed a homeless pet, simplified my mother’s life, and left her with a warm sense that Chewy gets it. That’s not just customer service—that’s brand equity in action. Having worked as a marketing manager at an animal shelter myself, I’ve seen firsthand how deep the emotional bond between people and their pets runs—and how powerful it can be when a brand chooses to honor that.

And Chewy’s commitment doesn’t end with transactions.

Photo Credit: @SterlingWitzke

I’ve heard countless stories of Chewy sending flowers or handwritten condolence cards to customers who’ve lost a pet. In those quiet, difficult moments, Chewy shows up—not as a company trying to retain a customer, but as a brand that sees its customers as people, and their pets as family.

Think about that. How many companies even acknowledge grief in the customer journey, let alone show compassion for it?

That’s what builds loyalty. That’s what builds advocacy. Not points programs or clever taglines—but moments of authenticity.

As marketing leaders, we often talk about building emotional connections. We spend millions crafting campaigns around brand purpose. But Chewy reminds us that the most powerful brand-building doesn’t always come from a Super Bowl ad or a six-figure activation. Sometimes, it comes from a refund email that ends with: “No need to return it—please donate it to homeless shelter animals instead.”

In a competitive, commoditized world, this is what differentiation looks like. Not just what a brand says, but how it behaves when no one’s watching.

As I continue to explore what it means to build brands that matter, Chewy stands out as a reminder that mission-driven marketing isn’t a positioning statement—it’s a daily practice.

One that earns trust. And in return, earns something even harder to come by: a customer for life.