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Ace Hardware says its RedVest Media network has influenced more than $100 million in retail sales in its first year, and more than 100 vendors have joined. The vendor-funded program has added social, influencer, weather-triggered and DoorDash advertising, while using Ace Rewards data to measure sales linked to campaigns.
Ace Hardware says its RedVest Media network has influenced more than $100 million in retail sales during its first year, as the company expands the vendor-funded advertising program across its digital channels and adds new ways to measure campaign results. More than 100 vendors have joined since the network launched in 2025, according to Molly Hjelm, Ace’s corporate vice president and head of RedVest Media.
RedVest gives manufacturers a centralized way to advertise products sold through Ace and reach customers across the cooperative. Its placements include Acehardware.com, email and push messages, as well as offsite display, video, connected TV and mobile advertising. The program is funded by participating vendors; Ace retailers do not need to build campaigns or manage advertising purchases themselves.
Ace says the network’s store-level value comes when vendor marketing raises awareness of products and leads customers to buy them through local stores. RedVest can also support different vendor aims, such as introducing a new product, improving visibility for an established line or encouraging purchases from Ace’s online product selection.
In additions announced at RedVest’s inaugural Upfront event in August, Ace added social and influencer marketing, weather-triggered ads and advertising in Ace’s DoorDash storefront. Weather-based placements can respond to local conditions such as rain or snow. DoorDash gives vendors access to customers ordering Ace products through the delivery platform, including shoppers with immediate needs for items such as propane or firewood.
A New Route Across Ace Stores
RedVest offers vendors a way to reach customers across Ace’s network without coordinating advertising separately with thousands of independently owned stores. Hjelm described the cooperative’s scale as a challenge for brands seeking broad visibility. The network adds a centralized option that can connect vendor campaigns with Ace shoppers while leaving individual retailers out of the campaign-planning process.
For retailers, the reported sales figure signals the scale of business Ace associates with the first year of the network. It does not, by itself, show how much sales growth RedVest caused or how that activity was distributed among stores. Ace’s expanded measurement tools, including incrementality analysis for offsite advertising, are intended to help distinguish purchases linked to exposure from additional sales that may not otherwise have happened.
The new advertising formats also widen the moments when vendors can reach customers. A weather-triggered message can correspond to a timely household need, while DoorDash can place Ace products in front of people shopping through a delivery app. Whether those channels produce sustained additional sales will depend on campaign results that Ace has not detailed in the source report.
How RedVest Reached Its First Year
Ace introduced RedVest to vendors at its 2025 Fall Convention in Chicago and formally launched the network days later. The latest account followed the 2026 Fall Convention in Orlando and a recent expansion of the program. Ace framed RedVest as a way to coordinate marketing across its cooperative, which the company describes as a 5,300-store network.
Participating vendors can also use RetailerReach, a capability that delivers retailer-facing banners, emails and educational content to eligible Ace and Emery Jensen retailers. That channel is aimed at building awareness of products among retailers and may help manufacturers pursue wider store-level distribution.
Ace Rewards data underpins RedVest’s closed-loop measurement. The network connects ad exposure with later purchases by customers whose activity can be measured through the loyalty program. Ace says vendors can review return on advertising spend and total sales impact, and compare results across products, placements and creative approaches.
“With RedVest, all of our retailers benefit from an influx of marketing, driving awareness and foot traffic to their stores as a result of vendors investing to message their products.”
— Molly Hjelm, Ace corporate vice president and head of RedVest Media
What the Sales Figure Shows
Ace’s reported figure is that RedVest has influenced more than $100 million in retail sales. The source report does not specify the calculation method, the period used for the sales total, or what share represents incremental purchases caused by advertising. It also does not break the figure down by store, vendor, advertising channel or product.
The report does not state how many customers were exposed to campaigns, how much vendors spent, or what average return they received. Ace says it has added incrementality measurement for offsite advertising, but the report provides no campaign-level findings from that analysis. The details of the company’s stated three-year goal are also incomplete in the available source material.
Vendor Feedback Will Shape Growth
Hjelm said Ace plans to keep expanding RedVest based on vendor feedback and on where customers spend their time. She also described a goal for the next three years, but the available report ends before giving the goal’s full details. Ace has not provided a timetable for further additions or published a breakdown of the network’s results by advertising channel.
Further reporting on vendor participation, campaign spending and incrementality results would clarify whether the network’s reach is translating into additional sales for Ace stores and its suppliers.
Key Questions
What is Ace Hardware’s RedVest Media?
RedVest Media is a vendor-funded advertising network that lets participating brands promote products sold through Ace across the company’s digital ecosystem and selected offsite channels.
How much retail sales has RedVest influenced?
Ace says the network has influenced more than $100 million in retail sales during its first year. The source report does not provide the calculation method or a breakdown of that figure.
Do Ace retailers manage RedVest campaigns?
No. The report says individual retailers do not have to build RedVest campaigns or manage advertising buys. Participating vendors fund the campaigns, which are intended to raise awareness and support purchases through local stores.
What new advertising options has Ace added?
Ace added social and influencer marketing, weather-triggered programmatic advertising and placements in Ace’s DoorDash storefront, according to the report.
How does RedVest measure campaign results?
Ace uses Ace Rewards data to connect ad exposure with later purchases. The company says its reporting includes sales from exposed customers and that it has added incrementality measurement for offsite advertising.
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