Here's How Chewy's Autoship Is Powering a New Phase of Growth

Core Insights - Chewy, Inc.'s Autoship program has become a crucial component of its business model, generating $2.58 billion in sales, which is a 15% year-over-year increase and represents 83% of total net sales [1][9]. Sales Performance - The Autoship program demonstrated strong performance in high-value categories like consumables and health, indicating a solid commitment from core customers [2]. - Autoship's sales growth of 15% outpaced the overall net sales growth of 8.6%, highlighting its effectiveness in driving revenue [2]. Customer Engagement - Chewy+ members exhibit higher participation in Autoship and greater mobile app engagement compared to non-members, contributing to a 4.6% year-over-year increase in Net Sales Per Active Customer (NSPAC) to $591 [4][9]. - The number of active customers rose by 4.5% to 20.9 million during the quarter [9]. Financial Metrics - Chewy's gross margin improved to 30.4%, reflecting an increase of nearly 80 basis points sequentially and 90 basis points year over year, driven by more predictable volume and higher frequency from the Autoship program [3][9]. Future Outlook - The company plans to continue investing in expanding its Autoship and Chewy Plus programs to capture a larger market share [5]. Valuation - Chewy's shares have increased by 2.1% year to date, while the industry has risen by 6.1%, with a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 48.3, significantly higher than the industry average of 23.3 [6][8]. Earnings Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Chewy's fiscal 2026 and 2027 earnings suggests a year-over-year increase of 22.1% and 20.7%, respectively, with a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5.8% on average [11].