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- RedVest’s rise: scale and strategy behind Ace’s retail media push
- New ad products advertisers can buy now
- Measuring what truly moves sales: incrementality and attribution
- Bringing creators into hardware marketing
- DoorDash partnership expands reach to urgent shoppers
- Contextual ads that react to local weather and conditions
- Platform partnerships to streamline buying and measurement
- What’s next: audience tools and ongoing rollout
Ace Hardware is expanding how it sells ads to brands. In less than a year, its retail media arm, RedVest Media, rolled out tools advertisers crave — from detailed measurement to influencer tie-ins and weather-driven campaigns — all aimed at connecting shoppers to hardware and home-improvement buys at the right moment.
RedVest’s rise: scale and strategy behind Ace’s retail media push
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RedVest Media went live last October. The network leans on Ace’s reach: tens of millions of loyalty members and thousands of stores worldwide.
- Ace’s loyalty program spans roughly 80 million members.
- The retailer operates about 5,300 stores in the U.S. and nearly 9,000 locations globally.
- RedVest prioritizes national brand partnerships over marketplace or private-label plays.
Molly Hjelm, who leads RedVest, says the team moves deliberately. The goal is to build a practical toolbox that vendors actually use. That focus is intended to set Ace apart from rivals juggling marketplaces or big private-label catalogs.
New ad products advertisers can buy now
At an advertiser event this week, RedVest announced a series of capabilities that are already available or rolling out soon. These additions aim to expand how brands reach shoppers on and off Ace channels.
- Off-site incrementality measurement using control groups.
- Social amplification and creator-driven campaigns across major platforms.
- An advertising integration with DoorDash storefronts.
- Programmatic ads that change messaging based on weather and local conditions.
- A new audience library under development for next year.
Measuring what truly moves sales: incrementality and attribution
RedVest added tools to help brands understand what sales a campaign actually produced.
Advertisers can run experiments with control groups to estimate lift. The platform also shows conversions among customers who had no prior purchases for a brand, with lookbacks up to two years. Wholesale purchase data from Ace is included to give a fuller view.
Vendors have been asking for cleaner, closed-loop measurement, Hjelm said, and RedVest is delivering metrics that answer whether an ad caused additional demand.
Bringing creators into hardware marketing
For advertisers seeking social reach, RedVest partnered with Influential, part of Publicis, to match brands with vetted creators.
- Creators can amplify content on Meta, TikTok, and Pinterest.
- Ace’s social channels can boost vendor content for greater awareness.
- Brands can measure social campaign performance within RedVest’s ecosystem.
Hjelm noted that in DIY and home improvement, creator content often sparks projects and purchases. Many vendors are shifting budget toward social, and RedVest now offers a path for them to do that while tracking results.
DoorDash partnership expands reach to urgent shoppers
RedVest’s DoorDash deal lets brands advertise on Ace’s storefront within the delivery app. Ace data shows this channel reaches new audiences.
- About 91% of DoorDash shoppers for Ace hadn’t visited a store, according to the company.
- The audience often needs immediate items like propane, firewood, or other urgent supplies.
- Ads on DoorDash aim to lift e-commerce penetration for brands that otherwise see in-store demand.
By meeting customers where they order quick-need items, brands can capture purchase intent that doesn’t happen on the retailer’s traditional e-commerce site.
Contextual ads that react to local weather and conditions
One standout capability is weather-triggered programmatic advertising. Campaign creative can switch automatically for rain, snow, air-quality alerts, or EV-related conditions.
This lets brands show the right message when demand spikes. For example:
- Snow-blower and salt manufacturers target audiences ahead of storms.
- Power-tool promotions align with dry, warm weekends when people tackle outdoor projects.
- Grass-seed or landscaping brands can reach shoppers after heavy rain.
Weather-sensitive messaging helps advertisers reach customers at a meaningful moment, Hjelm said, replicating Ace’s long-standing in-store instincts in a digital environment.
Platform partnerships to streamline buying and measurement
RedVest has integrated with third-party ad platforms to simplify campaign management. A recent tie-in with Pacvue allows advertisers to plan and buy RedVest placements alongside Amazon and Walmart ad buys.
That kind of direct integration places RedVest in the same workflow many brands already use, cutting friction for teams managing multi-retailer campaigns.
Industry reaction and opportunity
Outside analysts see the moves as a logical next step. Retail media consultants point to the network’s combination of in-store presence and off-site channels as a major advantage.
Ollie Shayer of SMG noted that RedVest’s closed-loop measurement and new activation paths put it on a trajectory similar to more mature retail media networks. He also highlighted the chain’s chance to catch shoppers at high-intent moments inside stores and extend that journey digitally.
What’s next: audience tools and ongoing rollout
RedVest is building an audience library to give brands more precise targeting. The feature will be phased in over the coming year.
- Brands will be able to target segmented customer groups more easily.
- Advertisers will get options that reflect purchase behavior and loyalty data.
- More measurement and social features are expected to expand gradually.
Hjelm stressed a steady approach. Rather than racing to make headlines, the team is prioritizing tools that deliver real value to Ace vendors and their customers.
