Ace Hardware retail media network: RedVest Media formats, data and how to buy

Ace does not own most of its stores. It is a cooperative that supplies almost 5,300 independently owned US stores, and each owner runs a local business (Ace, 27 August 2026). That shapes the retail media network in a way no corporate chain faces.

When RedVest launched, Molly Hjelm, who leads it, said many stores had their own screens and audio, run by their owners. Ace was "actively exploring" how to pool that inventory for brands (P2PI, 19 August 2025). A year later its site lists in-store signage in 4,050+ participating stores, not in every store (RedVest Media, accessed 9 November 2026).

The cooperative model also creates a product most networks cannot sell. RetailerReach lets vendors advertise to the store owners themselves, through retailer-facing banners, emails and training content. Those owners influence what each store stocks. A tool brand that wants wider distribution can therefore buy media aimed at the buyer, not only at the shopper.

Second, RedVest leans on local signals. In August 2026 it added weather-triggered programmatic ads and pooled "Category Driver" packages, where several brands share one seasonal campaign (Ace, 27 August 2026). A lawn brand could fund ads that switch on only where rain has stopped and grass is growing.

Third, Ace built on rented technology and grew fast. The network runs on Epsilon Retail Media, not on an in-house stack. Within a year its Rewards membership figure rose from nearly 73 million (Ace, 18 August 2025) to more than 80 million, and it added Pacvue, DoorDash and influencer partners. Buyers get familiar tools quickly. The trade-off is that core features depend on partners' roadmaps.

Onsite. Premium placements on the acehardware.com home page and app, brand hero banners on product listing pages, boosted search results and onsite display. These are sponsored products and display in the usual sense, sold on Ace's own traffic.

Owned channels. Email and push messages reach Ace Rewards members and app users directly.

In-store. Point-of-decision signage in participating stores. The in-store retail media guide explains why store media is harder to measure than onsite ads.

Offsite and partner surfaces. Programmatic display, mobile, online video, audio and CTV on services such as Hulu, Disney+ and Paramount+ (RedVest Media). Since August 2026 vendors can also buy Sponsored Ads and Sponsored Brands inside the Ace storefront on DoorDash, the delivery app covered in our DoorDash Ads profile.

Targeting starts from Ace Rewards purchases, online behaviour and the location of each local store. RedVest says it does not model or extrapolate its audiences, so matches are deterministic (company claim, RedVest Media). An audience library of DIYers and homeowners is being built through calendar 2027.

Brands receive audiences, dashboards and sales reports, not member records. Ace has not published how offsite matching works or whether a clean room is used.

RedVest reports impressions, clicks, sales and return on ad spend in a dashboard available around the clock. Attribution is closed-loop across e-commerce and stores, and counts both the advertised SKU and other products from the same brand. In August 2026 it added incrementality tests for offsite media and new-to-brand reporting.

Read the published case studies with care. One hardware brand spent $15,000 on search and banners and reported 50X ROAS, defined as omnichannel influenced sales divided by spend (company claim, RedVest Media). Influenced sales are broader than incremental sales. Ace has published no accreditation or independent audit; the retail media measurement standards page explains what to ask for.

1. Contact the RedVest team. The site lists redvestmedia@acehardware.com as the entry point. Raise media in your Ace merchandising plan as well.
2. Start with search and onsite banners. They suit a first test and tie directly to product pages.
3. Choose your tool. Run campaigns in the Epsilon platform, through the managed team, or inside Pacvue, Flywheel or Skai if you already use them.
4. Add local and offsite reach. Ask which stores carry signage, and whether weather triggers or DoorDash placements fit your season.
5. Agree measurement first. Separate influenced sales from incremental sales, and confirm any spend threshold for the newer capabilities.

It suits:

• tool, paint, grill, lawn and garden brands already sold through Ace stores;
• brands that want local timing, such as weather or seasonal triggers;
• vendors seeking wider distribution among independent store owners.

It suits less:

• brands that need in-store media in every store, since signage covers participating stores only;
• advertisers who require accredited or audited metrics;
• products Ace does not carry, because results are measured on Ace sales.

• RedVest Media revenue, rate cards or a minimum spend.
• How offsite audiences are matched, and whether a clean room is used.
• Whether owner-run store screens have been pooled into one network.
• The difference between "70 million lifetime members" quoted in July 2026 (P2PI) and "more than 80 million" in Ace's August 2026 release.

1. Ace Hardware, "Ace Hardware Launches 'RedVest Media, The Helpful Network,' Offering Brand Partners a Powerful New Retail Media Platform" (18 August 2025). https://newsroom.acehardware.com/2025-08-18-Ace-Hardware-Launches-RedVest-Media,-The-Helpful-Network,-Offering-Brand-Partners-a-Powerful-New-Retail-Media-Platform
2. Ace Hardware, "Ace Hardware's RedVest Media Unveils New Measurement, Audience and Social Capabilities at Inaugural Upfront" (27 August 2026). https://newsroom.acehardware.com/2026-08-27-Ace-Hardwares-RedVest-Media-Unveils-New-Measurement,-Audience-and-Social-Capabilities-at-Inaugural-Upfront
3. RedVest Media, home page with formats, measurement and case studies (accessed 9 November 2026). https://www.redvestmedia.com/
4. Path to Purchase Institute, "Ace Hardware Debuts RedVest Media as Elevate3 Format Gains Momentum" (19 August 2025). https://p2pi.com/ace-hardware-debuts-redvest-media-elevate3-format-gains-momentum
5. Path to Purchase Institute, "Ace Hardware Partnership Allows Brands to Better Manage Campaigns" (7 July 2026). https://p2pi.com/ace-hardware-partnership-allows-brands-better-manage-campaigns
6. Retail Dive, "Ace Hardware launches retail media network" (20 August 2025). https://www.retaildive.com/news/ace-hardware-launches-retail-media-network-redvest-media/758125/