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Ace Hardware says RedVest Media, its vendor-funded advertising network, has influenced more than $100 million in Ace retail sales in its first year. More than 100 vendors have joined, and recent additions include social and influencer marketing, weather-triggered ads and advertising on DoorDash.
Ace Hardware says its year-old RedVest Media network has influenced more than $100 million in Ace retail sales, as the vendor-funded program adds ways to reach customers and measure purchases. 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 participating vendors a centralized way to advertise products across Ace’s digital ecosystem. The network includes placements on Acehardware.com, email and push messages, plus offsite display, video, connected television and mobile advertising. Ace Rewards data helps connect exposure to later purchases, the company says.
The program is funded by vendors promoting products sold through Ace. Individual retailers do not build RedVest campaigns or manage media buys. Ace says the store-level benefit comes when vendor marketing raises awareness and contributes to purchases through local stores. The reported figure of more than $100 million in influenced sales is not accompanied in the source report by a time window beyond the network’s first year or a detailed methodology.
Ace expanded RedVest’s capabilities this summer after receiving feedback from participating vendors. Additions announced at its August Upfront event included social and influencer marketing, weather-triggered programmatic ads and advertising in Ace’s DoorDash storefront. The weather feature can align ads with local conditions such as rain or snow; DoorDash placements give vendors access to customers ordering Ace products through the delivery platform.
A New Route Across Ace Stores
RedVest gives brands a centralized option for reaching customers across Ace’s cooperative, which the source report describes as having 5,300 stores. Previously, vendors seeking broad visibility could work through buying shows, corporate promotions and separate retailer relationships. The network adds another route to reach Ace shoppers while allowing campaigns to be measured against sales, according to Hjelm.
For retailers, the model places campaign planning and spending with participating vendors. Ace says vendor-funded advertising can bring attention to products sold through local stores, though the source does not provide a breakdown of how the reported sales influence is distributed among stores or vendors. For advertisers, the appeal is a chance to compare products, placements and creative approaches using purchase data, rather than relying only on views or clicks.
From 2025 Launch to Expansion
Ace introduced RedVest to its vendor community at the 2025 Ace Fall Convention in Chicago and formally launched the network days later. A year later, following the 2026 Fall Convention in Orlando, Hardware Retailing spoke with Hjelm about the network’s growth and recent additions.
RedVest also includes RetailerReach, a capability that lets eligible vendors contact Ace and Emery Jensen retailers through banners, emails and educational content. This retailer-facing channel is intended to build awareness of products among retailers and may support broader store-level distribution, according to the report.
Ace says the network’s measurement tools are developing beyond tracking purchases by customers exposed to ads. Vendors can review return on advertising spend, total sales impact, the share of converted customers who are new to a brand, and comparisons across products and placements. The company has also added incrementality measurement for offsite ads, designed to estimate whether advertising generated sales that might not otherwise have occurred.
“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
How Sales Influence Is Measured
The source report does not detail the method used to calculate the more than $100 million in influenced sales, including the exact reporting period, attribution rules or how much of the total represents incremental sales. Ace says its newer incrementality measurement is designed to estimate additional sales from offsite advertising, but the report does not give results from that analysis.
It is also unclear how many vendors use each of the new advertising channels, how much vendors are spending through RedVest, or what share of campaigns lead to purchases at locally owned stores. Hjelm said the network’s development would continue to be shaped by vendor feedback and customer media habits. The source report’s account of her three-year goal ends mid-sentence, so it does not specify the target.
Further Growth and Measurement
Hjelm said Ace plans to keep expanding RedVest in response to vendor feedback and to reach customers where they spend time. The newly added social, influencer, weather-triggered and DoorDash options give vendors more formats to use, while purchase and incrementality reporting may help them decide where to direct future advertising.
Ace has not provided a detailed timeline for future additions or a complete three-year target in the available report. The next indicators of the network’s progress will include vendor participation, the use of its newer channels and further information on how Ace measures sales attributed to campaigns.
Key Questions
What is Ace Hardware’s RedVest Media?
RedVest Media is Ace Hardware’s vendor-funded advertising network. It lets participating brands promote products across Ace’s digital channels and measure whether exposed customers later make purchases, using Ace Rewards data.
How much sales has RedVest Media influenced?
Ace says RedVest has influenced more than $100 million in Ace retail sales in its first year. The source report does not provide detailed attribution methods or a more precise reporting period.
Who pays for RedVest campaigns?
Participating vendors fund the program to advertise products sold through Ace. Individual Ace retailers do not have to build the campaigns or manage the media purchases.
What new advertising options has Ace added?
Recent additions include social and influencer marketing, ads triggered by local weather conditions and placements in Ace’s DoorDash storefront. The source report does not give participation figures for those channels.
What does RedVest’s measurement show?
Ace says vendors can see sales from customers exposed to advertising and review measures such as return on ad spend, total sales impact and the share of converted customers new to a brand. Its incrementality measurement for offsite ads is designed to estimate whether a campaign produced additional sales.
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