Dive Brief:
- Chewy has signed on more than 600 creators to Chewy Storefronts, which launched last year as an extension of the pet food and supply company’s influencer program, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
- Storefronts enable participating pet owners and influencers to curate collections from across brands and promote products that align with their content, including for factors like pet breed, size and type. A dedicated dashboard allows creators to track performance while consumers can shop via affiliate links.
- Heading into the holiday season, Chewy is focusing on the intersection of creator storytelling and commerce as buying presents for pets has seen steady growth. Under the program, creators will also have access to a unique sales code to give out to followers to encourage shopping.
Dive Insight:
Chewy’s Storefronts program enables the brand to connect with a wide spectrum of consumers who may be fans of pet-centric content creators. Sixty-six percent of U.S. households have a pet, with Americans spending $136.8 billion on the category in 2022, pointing the opporutnity to link pet-related content with commerce.
Storefronts currently wields over 600 creators and continues to accept applications. Notable program participants include Cody Taurus (@cody.tauras), who boasts over 1 million TikTok followers. Taurus’ Shiba Inu makes frequent appearances in his content. Another member is Kat Braden (@girlandadoodle). Her dog Oliver is a key part of Braden’s TikTok account, which has over 2.6 million followers.
Affiliate marketing is expected to account for $215.86 billion in consumer spending in 2025, reaching $287.09 billion in 2028. Pet influencers, or petfluencers, have demonstrated considerable brand value in recent years. For example, Doug the Pug, who has 3.5 million Instagram followers, has appeared in Geico commercials.
Other notable brands have rolled out creator networks driven by affiliate marketing. For example, beauty retailer Sephora rolled out a My Sephora Storefront program in September. Home improvement retailer Lowe’s also recently introduced a creator network with storefronts. Walmart introduced a similar Walmart Creator platform in 2022.
