TL;DR
Get business pricing on tools and workshop supplies
- Business-only prices and quantity discounts
- Tax-exempt purchasing
- Multiple users, one account, clear invoices
At a webinar hosted by the North American Hardware and Paint Association and Rundoo, independent retailers described using Rundoo’s AI assistant to automate routine work and streamline operations. The retailers said faster checkout and less time spent on mundane tasks can help them compete with big-box stores, but the report provides no quantified results or independent evaluation.
Independent home-improvement retailers said Rundoo’s AI assistant is helping automate routine work, streamline operations and make checkout faster, according to a webinar hosted by the North American Hardware and Paint Association and Rundoo. The examples show how smaller retailers are applying AI to daily operations as they seek to compete with large chains, though the report does not provide measured productivity or sales results.
Ashmore Paint president Bradley Strayer and B-Town Plumbing and Electrical Supply owners Jason and Tilenna Hill joined Rundoo CEO Nick Hershey for the discussion. They described using the company’s AI assistant to take on everyday operational tasks, with the aim of reducing time spent on work that does not directly serve customers.
Strayer said Rundoo lets Ashmore Paint serve customers more quickly at checkout than its previous point-of-sale system. He framed the improvement as a modest operational advantage that matters when an independent store is competing with big-box retailers that have access to newer technology.
The Hills said automating mundane, time-consuming tasks gives them more time to support employees. Their stated expectation is that better-supported employees can, in turn, provide better customer service. The report does not identify specific tasks automated at B-Town or quantify how much staff time the tools save.
How AI Could Help Small Retailers Compete
The retailers’ examples point to a practical role for AI in independent stores: reducing friction in routine operations so owners and staff can spend more time with customers. In a sector where smaller businesses compete with chains that may have greater resources for technology, even an incremental improvement in checkout speed or staff availability can matter to the customer experience.
Strayer connected the technology to a wider competitive strategy. He said buying groups help independents obtain merchandise at competitive prices, while Rundoo helps them sell more competitively. That is his assessment of the system’s value, not a reported price comparison or finding that the software has increased sales.
For retailers considering AI, the discussion also highlights that the claimed benefits depend on how tools fit into existing workflows. The source describes retailer experiences and opinions, not a controlled comparison of costs, productivity, customer satisfaction or financial returns. The reported use cases therefore offer examples, rather than proof of results across the independent retail sector.
Products Worth Considering
DEWALT 20V MAX Brushless Drill/Driver and Circular Saw Combo Kit (DCK252D2)
DEWALT 7-1/4-Inch Corded Circular Saw (DWE575SB)
EGO POWER+ Cordless Electric Leaf Blower 530 CFM with Battery (LB5302)
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Retailers Put Routine Work in Focus
The report, published by Hardware Retailing on November 2, 2026, covered a webinar organized by the North American Hardware and Paint Association and Rundoo. The discussion focused on independent home-improvement businesses and the use of AI to assist with operational work. Rundoo CEO Nick Hershey urged retailers to try AI across business workflows, arguing that the technology can handle tasks that do not require direct customer service.
Hershey said retailers may find more potential applications than they expect. He described a goal in which technology handles nonservice tasks and retailers concentrate on helping customers. That is a proposed approach from the company’s chief executive, rather than a finding that AI can currently take over all such work or that every retailer will benefit in the same way.
The speakers’ comments cover two types of operational benefit: faster service at checkout, cited by Strayer, and less time spent on routine work, cited by the Hills. The source does not say when either business adopted the tools, what the systems cost, or whether the retailers use other AI products.
“We encourage retailers to ‘Try AI first’ because AI is a revolutionary foundational technology that can help in many, many workflows in the business.”
— Nick Hershey, Rundoo CEO
Results and Costs Remain Unreported
The report does not provide quantitative measures of checkout times, labor savings, productivity, sales or customer satisfaction. It also does not disclose the software’s price, implementation requirements, the length of time the businesses have used it, or whether the retailers encountered limitations.
The account is based on comments from retailers using Rundoo and the company’s CEO during a webinar hosted with an industry association. It does not include an independent assessment or comparisons with other systems. The extent to which the reported benefits would apply to other stores, workflows or AI products remains unclear.
More Detail Depends on Retailer Evidence
The source points readers to the full webinar for more detail about how the retailers use Rundoo, but it does not announce a product launch, rollout schedule or new industry study. Further reporting would be needed to establish which tasks are automated, how the tools are integrated into store operations and what measurable changes follow.
Retailers and technology providers could clarify the systems’ costs and performance by sharing before-and-after figures on checkout speed, staff time, service levels and operating results. Until such data is available, the current account documents how three participants describe the technology, not a verified sector-wide productivity gain.
Key Questions
What did retailers say Rundoo’s AI assistant does?
The retailers said it helps automate everyday tasks and streamline operations. The report does not list all the specific tasks handled by the assistant.
How does Ashmore Paint use the system?
President Bradley Strayer said Rundoo lets the store serve customers more quickly at checkout than its previous point-of-sale system. No checkout-time figures were provided.
What benefit did B-Town Plumbing and Electrical Supply describe?
Owners Jason and Tilenna Hill said the tools take mundane, time-consuming work off their plates, giving them more time to support employees and, in turn, customers.
Does the report prove AI increased productivity or sales?
No. It presents retailer accounts and opinions from a webinar, but includes no quantified productivity or sales results and no independent evaluation.
Who hosted the webinar?
The webinar was hosted by the North American Hardware and Paint Association and Rundoo, with Rundoo CEO Nick Hershey and representatives of Ashmore Paint and B-Town Plumbing and Electrical Supply.
Source: hardwareretailing.com
