Ace Hardware has rolled out an AI assistant called Hey ARMA to its store associates. The tool sits inside the retailer’s existing handheld platform and gives frontline staff quick answers on products, projects, inventory and promotions.
The cooperative operates more than 5,200 U.S. stores and over 8,800 worldwide. Most locations are independently owned. That structure shaped how the company approached the project from the start. Executives wanted a tool that local owners would choose to adopt rather than one forced from headquarters.
Hey ARMA launched in February 2026. By late April it had handled more than 55,000 queries across more than 2,300 stores. Usage has continued to climb since then. Associates activate it by voice with the phrase “Hey ARMA” or by typing or uploading an image. The system pulls from product data, pricing, promotions and inventory across the store and distribution centers.
Typical store inventories run 20,000 to 25,000 unique items, with another 100,000-plus in the supply chain. Associates no longer need to leave a customer to hunt through catalogs or call a colleague in another department. They stay in the aisle and keep the conversation going.
Andy Enright, senior vice president of retail strategy and operations, led the effort. He told Digital Commerce 360 that the assistant strengthens associate knowledge, confidence and helpfulness. It supports product comparisons, project guidance, recommendations and help with items customers may have bought elsewhere.
Enright described the build process in detail to Modern Retail. The company assembled a small internal team of about seven people. They considered outside vendors but decided to develop the tool in-house. That choice let them move at their own pace, retain control and build internal AI skills for future projects. They tested early versions directly in stores and gathered feedback from associates on the floor.
One early change came from that testing. The original version lacked promotion data. Store teams quickly pointed out that customers ask about sales all the time. The feature was added so associates can now ask which grills are on sale or what else is discounted in a category.
The name itself helped adoption. ARMA has stood for Ace Retailer Mobile Assistant for years. Associates already knew the device. Adding the voice layer called “Hey ARMA” felt familiar rather than like a new system to learn. Training focused on when and how to use it during customer interactions, not on mastering new software. Ace invested more than 860 hours in that training, according to Retail Customer Experience.
Early feedback from owners has been positive. Bill Wygal, owner of Bill’s Ace Hardware in California, called it one of the most impactful changes in 78 years of business. He noted that associates can now locate products, understand their function and recommend solutions with a button press.
John Venhuizen, president and CEO, has emphasized the human element. He told Forbes that customers love Ace for its people, not its technology. The goal is to make associates more confident so they seek out shoppers instead of avoiding questions they fear they cannot answer. Venhuizen added that the risk is not losing a job to AI but losing one to someone who knows how to use AI effectively.
Retail Dive reported similar comments from Enright. Hey ARMA gives associates the information they need in the moment so they spend less time searching and more time engaging customers in a meaningful way. The tool stays in the background. The associate remains the face of the interaction.
Analysts see alignment with Ace’s service-focused positioning. Michael Salvaggio of SEO Brand told Digital Commerce 360 that Ace competes on service and proximity rather than price and scale like Home Depot or Lowe’s. An AI layer that makes generalist associates faster and more accurate reinforces that advantage. It can help new hires perform closer to the level of long-tenured staff on day one.
David Mayer of Lippincott raised a caution in the same article. If associates spend too much time looking down at a screen, the natural back-and-forth of conversation could suffer. He pointed to past examples where automation reduced employee pride in their craft. The key, he said, is thoughtful use that supports rather than disrupts personal authority.
Greg Carlucci of Gartner told Modern Retail that employee-facing AI tools may face less customer resistance than customer-facing chatbots. Many shoppers still prefer a human in the loop for nuanced questions. Bryan Gildenberg of Confluencer Commerce noted that Ace stores often run with small teams covering multiple departments. AI can give those generalists deeper category knowledge that rivals the specialists found in big-box stores.
The cooperative model adds another layer. Because stores are independently owned, Ace cannot mandate adoption. It must demonstrate value. The phased rollout and store-level testing reflect that reality. Continued expansion is planned as part of a long-term strategy to enhance the in-store experience.
Broader AI work is already underway. Enright mentioned ongoing projects in inventory management and plans to embed AI into a new retail analytics platform launching this summer. The architecture was built to be flexible so language models or image tools can be swapped as better options emerge.
Recent coverage shows steady progress. Retail Dive noted in May that the tool aids product comparisons, project advice, recommendations and finding items customers purchased elsewhere. Forbes highlighted dominant query patterns: product search, availability, location and how-to guidance. Associates also photograph items for instant identification or diagnosis.
The home improvement sector continues to grow. North America holds a large share of that market. Homeowners are tackling more projects, from painting and flooring to outdoor living spaces and home offices. Associates need reliable answers across many categories. Hey ARMA helps close that gap without replacing judgment or personal service.
Adoption metrics tell part of the story. More than 2,600 stores were active by late spring, per Retail Customer Experience. The number has grown further since the April announcement. Queries keep rising. The tool is proving practical on the sales floor.
Ace’s approach stands out for its restraint. The company did not chase flashy customer-facing AI. It focused on a narrow, high-impact use case that supports the people already delivering service. That choice matches the brand promise of helpful hardware folks who solve problems in real time.
Executives have stressed that technology should make the customer experience better by helping associates do what they do best. Early results suggest it is working. Associates gain speed and accuracy. Customers receive faster, more informed help. The neighborly interaction stays intact.
Other retailers have launched similar employee tools. Walmart, Target and Lowe’s have introduced their own versions. Ace’s version benefits from tight integration with an existing platform and a cooperative structure that rewards tools owners actually want to use. The internal build also creates reusable skills for inventory and analytics projects ahead.
Challenges remain. Maintaining balance between screen time and eye contact matters. Ensuring accuracy across a vast and changing catalog requires ongoing attention. Local owners will continue to decide whether the value justifies the change in daily routines.
So far the signals are encouraging. Training hours invested, query volume and owner quotes all point in the same direction. Hey ARMA is helping associates answer questions faster and feel more confident doing it. That confidence shows up in how they approach customers and how those customers experience the store.
The rollout continues. More stores come online each month. Additional features are planned. The foundation is an internal tool built with store feedback, embedded in familiar hardware and designed to keep the associate at the center of every interaction. For a cooperative built on local service, that combination fits the model.
WebProNews is an iEntry Publication