Chewy CEO Turns Customer Care Into $223M Profit Secret

A CEO who once thought customer service was just a cost center just turned it into a $223 million profit engine by doing something radical: actually caring about customers.

When Sumit Singh joined Chewy as COO in 2017, the online pet supply company was growing fast but bleeding money. The former Amazon executive looked at the customer care team and saw dollar signs going out the door.

Then he watched what made Chewy different. Customer service reps weren't just processing returns. They were sending handwritten sympathy cards to grieving pet parents and mailing flowers when beloved animals passed away.

Singh realized he had it backwards. In a business built on love for animals, empathy wasn't a luxury. It was the product.

"When you invest in good care, you end up building relationships," says Singh, who became CEO in 2018. He shifted the company's strategy to double down on what made customers loyal: genuine human connection during both happy moments and heartbreak.

The numbers tell the success story. Chewy went from losing money in 2017 to reporting $223 million in net income on $12.6 billion in sales for fiscal 2025. The company now operates 18 fulfillment centers and five pharmacy hubs, making it America's third largest direct-to-consumer e-commerce network.

The Ripple Effect

Singh's empathy-first approach is now spreading through the entire company culture. Every decision gets filtered through one question: does this help us care better for pet parents?

Now he's using artificial intelligence not to replace the human touch, but to extend it. The goal is "empathy at scale," using technology to help more customers feel that same personal connection as the company grows.

The approach proves what many leaders forget: customers remember how you made them feel. In Chewy's case, that emotional bond during tough times created loyalty no discount could match.

One company showed that treating customer care as an investment rather than an expense can transform both culture and profit margins.