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"Test, learn, refine scale. And you need to be doing that 10% of your time, 10% of your budget. This test and learn is so critical to answer questions because we too often fall in love with maybe our own hypothesis that we've proved on our end and the marketer and the senior leaders inside companies need to prevent that from happening." - Kim Lefko
Retail’s no longer just about what you sell — it’s about how fast, how personal, and how purposeful you can be. As consumer habits shift post-pandemic and digital expectations grow sharper, even legacy brands must pivot like startups. ACE Hardware, with its hyperlocal footprint and heart-of-the-neighborhood brand equity, is proving that big change doesn’t require a reinvention—just a recommitment to what works, plus smarter tech. In this episode, we explore how ACE is redefining relevance while staying deeply human at its core.
Kim Lefko is the Chief Marketing Officer at ACE Hardware, leading brand strategy, loyalty, omnichannel innovation, and customer experience across 5,000+ locally owned stores. With over two decades in marketing leadership roles—including tenures at Weber Grills and Graco Children’s Products—she has driven growth across both product and service categories. At ACE, she’s spearheading digital transformation while reinforcing the brand’s core mission: to serve and help others.
Tune into the latest episode or read the transcript below to learn more. Here are some top takeaways:
Reimagining Convenience in a Post-Amazon World
Lefko explains ACE’s twin north stars: service and convenience. With 80% of U.S. households within 15 minutes of an ACE store, the brand leans into hyperlocal speed, offering 15-minute Buy Online, Pick Up In Store (BOPIS) and experimenting with 30-minute delivery. For brands, proximity plus precision isn’t just a perk—it’s the future of physical retail.
Subscription Retail, But Make It Purposeful
With YardRx, ACE introduces a data-backed lawn care subscription that tailors treatments by region, season, and individual yard needs. It’s more than a product drop—it's a smart, proactive service that relieves homeowners of guesswork and trips to the store. This shift shows how legacy retailers can move into subscription territory while still staying aligned with their core identity. Brands should ask: where can automation genuinely solve customer pain points?
Loyalty With Teeth: How ACE’s App Supercharges Engagement
ACE’s mobile app isn’t just a convenience—it’s an engagement engine. App users spend $200 more annually, shop 50% more often, and report OSAT scores 400 basis points higher. Lefko attributes this to giving customers instant access to rewards, history, and offers in their pocket—plus enabling local store push notifications. Brands building digital experiences should focus not on flash, but on real-life utility that keeps customers coming back.
Consistency Is Our Superpower
While many brands chase the next big campaign, ACE doubles down on what’s already working. Lefko highlights the staying power of their iconic jingle (“Ace is the place…”) and long-standing brand messaging, reminding marketers that just when a brand team feels tired of a message, consumers are finally starting to remember it. In a world full of noise, consistency builds trust — and often delivers more impact than constant reinvention. The takeaway? Resist the urge to pivot too soon.
Elevate: Transforming Store Format to Match Today’s Consumer
ACE is pivoting shelf space from electrical/plumbing to lifestyle-focused categories like grilling and power tools. The result? A 12% lift in POS and 200-point OSAT gain in test markets. It’s a physical manifestation of the brand’s pivot toward lifestyle relevance, not just repair essentials. The takeaway for retailers: your store layout sends a signal—make sure it’s speaking your customer’s language today, not ten years ago.
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