Ace Hardware grows loyalty club as it expands online shopping
Supported by an expanding array of merchandise available exclusively online, Ace Hardware Corp. expects to continue sharp growth in its loyalty program to 10 million customers this summer, the company says.
“Ace’s Helpful Hardware Club has grown considerably over the course of the past three years, from 6 million to 8.8 million, and we expect to grow to 10 million this summer,” a spokeswoman says.
Ace, which serves as a retail cooperative for more than 4,800 stores, provides Helpful Hardware Club loyalty points for all online orders as well as for in-store purchases at participating stores. The program lets individual stores track the purchasing habits of customers while providing member customers through e-mail and direct mail advanced notification of sales and chances to participate in special sweepstakes. Customers earn one loyalty point for each dollar of purchase.
Coinciding with the loyalty program’s growth, Ace last week launched a new section on its AceHardware.com for decorative plumbing, lighting and home décor products that are not usually available in most Ace Hardware stores. The section includes the brands Kohler, Grohe, Delta and Moen.
In addition, AceHardware.com also offers a selection of Carhartt brand apparel, including jackets, work pants and sweatshirts not typically found in Ace Hardware stores.
Ace displays a Helpful Hardware Club sign-up offer on each product page on its web site. It also engages customers for repeat visits with features such as an “Ask the Expert” service that lets shoppers e-mail questions on home improvement projects directly to Lou Manfredini, a Chicago-area builder who is also an author and TV personality who makes regular appearances on NBC’s Today Show to offer home-improvement tips. Manfredini answers about 200 e-mails a month from visitors to AceHardware.com, the spokeswoman says.
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