Satisfy customers much?
I just read a fascinating report on online retail customer satisfaction trends. While satisfaction scores are falling across the board, ONE company stands out.
Chewy (yes, the online pet food and supply store) has maintained the HIGHEST customer satisfaction rating among ALL online retailers for the third straight year.
This is neat for two reasons:
First, overall satisfaction with online retailers dropped for two-thirds of companies in the study. The entire industry fell 1% to a score of 79 (out of 100).
Second, Chewy actually improved its already leading score by 1%, reaching an impressive 85.
What’s Chewy’s secret? Not what you might think.
When I talk about the dog brain in I Need That, I’m referring to the limbic system — the emotional, impulsive part of our brain that makes snap judgments and craves dopamine rewards. It’s proven to be responsible for most of our buying decisions.
Chewy understands this part of their customers better than almost any other retailer.
Their approach isn’t flashy tech, constant redesigns, or gimmicks. It’s creating GENUINE emotional connections.
According to Forrest Morgeson, the director of research behind the study, Chewy sends “custom e-cards to wish happy birthday to pets” which “establish a connection with customers.”
Chewy that one. I’ll wait.
They send birthday cards.
To dogs.
This might seem trivial against massive retail technology investments, but it’s precisely these small, emotion-triggering gestures that make customers feel genuinely valued rather than merely processed.
Of course, this only works because Chewy has mastered the rational tank-brain aspects too — reliable delivery, strong technical platform, AND competitive prices. The emotional elements work as a multiplier on that solid foundation.
Product Payoff: Home Depot showed similar insight by partnering with DoorDash, Instacart and Uber Eats for faster home delivery. Rather than building their own logistics capability from scratch, they leveraged existing platforms customers already trust. This simple strategy boosted their satisfaction score by 3% to 79, bucking the downward industry trend and proving that sometimes the best innovation is connecting established services in new ways.
Hammer time? Have it delivered, with a side of fries!
Action for today: Identify one tiny, unexpected, emotional gesture you could incorporate into your customer experience — something that speaks directly to your buyers’ dog brain rather than their rational tank brain. The best options often seem trivial on paper but create lasting emotional connections.
Want to explore how to build dog-brain connections with your customers? Tap that cute little reply arrow and let’s chat about creating customer experiences that truly resonate. Or reach out to my team of top e-commerce strategists at Graphos Product.