Chewy, a leading e-commerce site for pet toys, food and medicine, announced this week it is rolling out an additional offering: virtual veterinary visits.
Right now, “Connect With a Vet” is mainly meant to connect pet parents with licensed practitioners who can answer questions related to an animal’s health and wellness, as well as offer referrals to other local vets or emergency clinics for additional needs. These vets will not diagnose medical conditions, provide treatment or prescribe medication. The service is exclusive and free to subscribers of Chewy’s Autoship program.
This new service is coming at a time when telehealth overall is experiencing a surge in demand due to the pandemic. Stay-at-home orders and a general unease about venturing too far from home has led more people than ever to turn to companies like Teladoc and Amwell for their health-related needs. Now, Chewy is taking a bite out of the emerging industry too.
“Visiting a local vet continues to be a challenge for many pet parents during this time. Similarly, the vet community has also been impacted via clinic shutdowns or reduced clinic hours. So, we thought, why not come up with a solution that can help both communities, our customers and veterinarians, in this time of greatest need,” Chewy CEO Sumit Singh said in a statement. “These are early days and there is a lot to learn. We’re glad we are innovating fast at a time when it matters most.”
All told, business has been booming for Chewy amid the pandemic. The company announced early on in the crisis that it was donating more than $1.5 million worth of supplies to struggling shelters, and has since seen a nearly 50 percent sales increase in the second quarter, amounting to $1.7 billion. Its stock price has also nearly doubled since the pandemic hit.
This new push into telehealth seems to have been successful so far as well. The pilot phase of the program was launched in the company’s two home states of Florida and Massachusetts in May and received a high rating from a majority of its users, according to Chewy. Now, the service is available in 35 states and is expected to be expanded nationwide soon.
