Chewy and Amazon have become two of the biggest online retailers in the country, and both companies continue to experience growth.
Chewy and Amazon are very similar, including how they both carry pet supplies and are primarily online. But, they also have significant differences. I’ve compared Chewy and Amazon, so read on to see what I found!
Chewy Vs. Amazon In [currentyear]
Chewy and Amazon are separate companies with no ties beyond direct competitors as large e-commerce retailers as of [currentyear]. Overall, Amazon is significantly bigger than Chewy, but Chewy is a close second in terms of market share within the pet retail segment. Chewy provides a 365-day return window, while Amazon only offers 30 days.
Find everything you need to know about the similarities and differences between Chewy and Amazon, including prices, shipping, return policies, and more below!
Is Chewy A Better Company Than Amazon?
Whether Chewy is a better company than Amazon depends on what aspects of the companies you’re looking at (see below).
Chewy Vs. Amazon Return Policy
Both Chewy and Amazon have return policies in place, but Amazon’s is more restricted because it has to deal with third-party sellers.
Further, Amazon lets you return some items after 30 days, but Chewy will let you return an item up to 365 days after buying it.
Also, Amazon’s return policy is limited in that you can’t return items from third-party sellers directly to the company; the seller determines how to handle these returns.
Chewy Vs. Amazon Shipping
Chewy takes between one and three days to ship any item you buy on its website unless it requires a prescription.
In these cases, Chewy needs between 24 and 48 hours to verify the prescription with your vet. After that, it typically takes between five and seven days to ship.
Chewy only ships within the contiguous United States, meaning you can’t get an item delivered in Alaska or Hawaii. On the other hand, Amazon can ship pretty much anywhere in the world.
Moreover, Amazon deliveries take different amounts of time depending on where you’re based, which subscriptions you’re on, and the seller.
But, standard shipping within the contiguous US takes about four to five days. Additionally, Chewy does not have different delivery options aside from free shipping with all orders over $49.
At Amazon, there are next-day, two-day, standard, Prime, and other shipping options that you can choose from.
What’s better, Amazon has free shipping on some items, but you can expand it if you have Amazon Prime.
In contrast, free shipping on Chewy is available on all things, including medicine, if your order is more than $49.
Further, both Amazon and Chewy have automatic delivery services called “Subscribe & Save” and “Autoship,” respectively.
With these services, you can get items you use frequently delivered regularly.
For example, Chewy Autoship gives you 35% off up to $20 on your first shipment and 5% off subsequent deliveries.
In comparison, Subscribe & Save on Amazon gives you up to 15% off on shipments with more than five items.
Does Chewy Use Amazon To Ship?
No, Chewy does not use Amazon to ship. As per its website, Chewy uses FedEx to send packages through FedEx Home Delivery.
On the other hand, Amazon lets its sellers choose the delivery service, including FedEx, UPS, USPS, Amazon Logistics, or shipping services.
With that, Amazon Logistics is the company’s delivery service, something Chewy doesn’t have.
Amazon is one of the biggest retailers in the world, while Chewy doesn’t even crack the top 50 in the US.
If you look at it through this lens, Amazon has a significantly larger market share than Chewy.
However, the two companies are closer if we narrow it down to Chewy’s area of focus, i.e., online pet supply retailers.
Looking at it this way, Amazon has a slightly larger market share of 59% compared to Chewy’s 41%.
In fact, Amazon and Chewy are the industry leaders in this regard, followed by Walmart, then Petco and PetSmart’s websites.
Moreover, Amazon has a larger market share than Chewy because it is a global company with a stronger brand and more customers.
Also, Amazon boosted its market share when it launched Wag, a private label brand that makes pet food and other pet supplies.
Chewy Vs. Amazon Prices
I looked through Amazon and Chewy to compare the tags on similar items but found that they have more or less the same prices.
However, you can save more money on Chewy than Amazon through Autoship discounts and free shipping methods.
Chewy Vs. Amazon Customer Satisfaction
Both Chewy and Amazon have similar customer service and support systems, including 24/7 support on phone and email.
But, it’s a little difficult to compare them fairly because Amazon is so much larger and has more customer reviews by default.
Still, Chewy stands out by having a 100% unconditional customer satisfaction guarantee.
This, paired with its incredibly generous 365-day return policy, makes Chewy the likely candidate for better customer satisfaction when compared to Amazon.
Chewy Vs. Amazon Loyalty Programs
Neither Chewy nor Amazon have traditional loyalty or rewards programs. That said, Chewy outright doesn’t have a loyalty program, and Amazon’s loyalty program is Amazon Prime.
Still, Amazon Prime is different from the usual loyalty programs in that you have to pay to be a part of it, but it offers better perks than most of the company’s competitors.
For starters, Amazon Prime customers get access to free and faster delivery, including two-day, same-day, and ultrafast shipping.
Additionally, Prime members also get access to media perks, including the following:
- Amazon Prime Video
- Amazon Prime Video Channels (STARZ, NBA League Pass, EPIX, and Paramount+)
- Amazon Music
- Discounted access to Amazon Music Unlimited, with 20% off for Prime members
- Prime Games
- Twitch
- Amazon Photos
- Amazon Kids+
Does Amazon Own Chewy?
Amazon does not own Chewy, as both are publicly traded companies that their shareholders own.
Rather, Chewy was acquired in 2017 by PetSmart for $3.35 billion and has had ownership transfer a few times, whereas Amazon has never been bought at any point in its history.
Interestingly, both Chewy and Amazon share some of their major shareholders, including:
- BlackRock
- JPMorgan Chase
- Vanguard Group
- FMR LLC
To learn more, you can also read our posts on who owns Chewy, does Amazon own Chewy, and what is Chewy.
Conclusion
Amazon and Chewy are the biggest retailers in the online pet supplies segment, but they have no ties to one another.
Also, Chewy and Amazon have more or less the same prices, but Chewy makes it easier to save money on its platform with options like Autoship and free shipping.
Additionally, both Chewy and Amazon have automatic shipping schedules in Autoship and Subscribe & Save.
Finally, Amazon’s return policy lasts for 30 days, while Chewy’s lasts up to 365 days and an unconditional 100% satisfaction guarantee.
