During the early years of the pandemic, when food supply chains and deliveries were uncertain, I was most worried about one thing for my household: dog food.
“I am willing to go hungry, but our dog will not,” I told my husband, who agreed.
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Thankfully no one went hungry, but thus began the frantic checking of our dog food subscription order. It had easily been a set-it-and-forget-it option before deliveries were uncertain, but now I bumped up each delivery to ensure I always had extra on hand.
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There’s no doubt that hitting the “subscribe” button on a regular order makes sense for consumers. It automates the task, plus it usually saves some money.
It's even better for online retailers that can count on a regular infusion of money from pet parents. But there is a catch.
Subscriptions pose major drawback for Chewy
Subscriber convenience can come at a cost for the retailer. Purchases made on autopilot can keep customers away from retail websites completely, which means they won't add more to their carts.
Unless I get a text or email that there’s a sale, I don’t really go to the Chewy (CHWY) site to browse or buy anything else. My Lab mix (who incidentally doesn’t like to retrieve or even play with toys) doesn’t need much outside of his regular food, treats, and poop bags, all of which arrive like clockwork every six weeks or so.
Loyalty programs, including the Autoship subscription, have made me a happy customer for years. These subscriptions, plus the paid Chewy+ program that offers free shipping, rewards, and other perks, have been driving the retailer’s sales, Customer Experience Dive reports.
But that didn’t necessarily lead to great news for the company’s stock last quarter, when analysts downgraded its shares to neutral from outperform.
One way to drive bigger sales would be to get customers to think outside the subscription box. And a newly announced collaboration could be just the thing to lure even loyal customers like me out of complacency.
Chewy collaborates with Life is Good to attract customers
Chewy’s recently unveiled partnership with positive lifestyle brand Life Is Good caught my attention.
I’ve long been a fan of Life is Good apparel. I love the cheery messages, the colorful apparel and, most importantly, the stick figure mascot named Jake, who coincidentally shares the same name as my beloved pup. (Life is Good's Jake has his own dog named Rocket, who is also emblazoned on many products.)
“Animals are naturally optimistic, which is one of the things we love most about them. Bringing our pet-themed products to Chewy enthusiasts nationwide feels like a natural fit as we look to continue our mission of spreading the power of optimism,” says Life is Good Vice President of Wholesale Yasmina Mokraoui in a company statement.
“We are equally excited for Chewy's customers to experience Life is Good's positive energy through products designed specifically for the pets they love.”
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These days, we can use all the optimism and positive energy we can get. This new collab has spurred me to do something I haven’t done in quite some time, which is to browse the Chewy website.
I went straight for the Life is Good section and added a few things to my cart — a new leash, an extra water bowl, and a couple of T-shirts for me and my husband. (And yes, I checked on my subscription order while I was there, too. All good.)
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The pet products on Chewy’s website are from Life is Good’s 2025 line of products, and the human products and apparel can also be found on Life is Good’s site. The Life is Good partnership team is currently at work on the pet line for 2026.
The collab seems to be a good fit for pet parents. And it’s a positive move for Chewy’s bottom line to attract new customers as well as get current subscribers to spend more.
But only time — and Q3 results — will tell if this collaboration is truly successful for Chewy.
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