Ace Hardware Is Using AI To Make Store Associates Smarter: Here’s How

BusinessRetailHow Ace Hardware Employees Are Using AI To Serve ShoppersByShelley E. Kohan,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Shelley E. Kohan covers the retail industry and is based in New York.Follow AuthorApr 28, 2026, 08:00am EDTApr 28, 2026, 10:12am EDTWith over 5,200 locations and a brand promise built on helpfulness, Ace Hardware is betting Hey ARMA can deliver the on-demand expertise today's shoppers expect.Courtesy of Ace HardwareAce Hardware has quietly deployed one of brick-and-mortar retail’s most ambitious frontline AI tools. In February 2026, the company rolled out a new AI feature which was added to a long-standing handheld device used by store associates named ARMA (ACE Retailer Mobile Assistant). The new tool, Hey ARMA with added AI features, has fielded more than 55,000 associate queries across more than 2,300 stores. “We make a promise that we're going to be the most helpful store on the planet. And to do that, you can't just be friendly. You've got to really be able to answer these questions that consumers come in with in a dizzying array of numbers. You've got to fulfill the promise, or you're a promise breaker, and promise breakers kill brands," states John Venhuizen, president and CEO of Ace Hardware Corporation in an exclusive interview. Hey ARMA gives Ace's red-vested associates instant access to product recommendations, project guidance, and aisle-level inventory data while interacting with a customers.Courtesy of Ace HardwareLocal Expertise At Scale With Hey ARMAThe rollout reflects a broader strategy that the future of independent hardware retail is not choosing between neighborhood warmth and enterprise capability but delivering on both simultaneously. As AI reshapes customer expectations across every retail channel, Ace is positioning Hey ARMA as the connective tissue between its 5,200-location footprint and the kind of on-demand expertise shoppers increasingly expect. Today’s informed shopper comes into retail stores armed with a plethora of information they have already searched up, but with Hey ARMA, the associates are elevated to a level playing field and are more confident to actively seek out shoppers in the stores. Investing In The Workforce With AI, Not Replacing Them"We'll never have customers who love us because of great technology. Never. It's got to be people. If associates don't feel engaged and valued, that's how they'll treat customers. But when they feel like, 'Wow, they're investing in me, this is actually kind of cool,' that feeling passes right on to the customer." said Venhuizen. A central theme throughout Ace's 100,000 store associates, known as the ‘red vested heroes’, is that they may avoid customers because they fear being asked something they don't know. Hey ARMA provides associates instant, accurate answers, which makes them more confident approaching customers. Store associates took quickly to Hey ARMA, aided by company training and the fact that the AI layer was built into a device they already knew and trusted. Most of today’s workforce is using AI in their personal lives to look up information or search items, so the application of Hey ARMA is a natural fit in the work environment.MORE FOR YOUThe role of Hey ARMA, or other AI technology rolled out at Ace Hardware stores, is not to replace workers but give employees the opportunity to use AI to create better shopping experiences. When asked about the future of AI in the…

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