AI Brings Efficiencies, Productivity to Independent Channel

In the independent home improvement channel, technology not only allows retailers to increase productivity and do operational tasks quicker and more efficiently, technology is also a way independents can differentiate themselves from their competitors and compete with the big-box retailers.

During a recent webinar hosted by the North American Hardware and Paint Association and Rundoo, two retailers shared the ways that AI is helping them automate everyday tasks, streamline operations and make smarter business decisions. Ashmore Paint president Bradley Strayer and B-Town Plumbing and Electrical Supply owners Jason and Tilenna Hill joined Rundoo CEO Nick Hershey to outline how Rundoo’s AI assistant is making their operations run more efficiently.

“We encourage retailers to ‘Try AI first’ because AI is a revolutionary foundational technology that can help in many, many workflows in the business,” Hershey says. “For every workflow in your business, most retailers would probably be surprised at the ways that they can start to incorporate AI into their business. If we can get to a point where AI and technology can handle all of the nonservice tasks, retailers can do what gives them a competitive advantage, which is helping customers.” 

Bradley sees the competitive advantage in that Rundoo allows the operation serve customers more instantly during checkout than the previous POS system the store operated. Even small advantages make a big difference when competing against big boxes that do have the latest and greatest technology options.

“These sound like small things, but when you put us up against all the big-box stores, this is what allows us to compete against them,” Bradley says. “Buying groups allow us to buy merchandise at a competitive price. Rundoo allows us to sell them more competitively.”

The Hills appreciate how AI and Rundoo take mundane and time-consuming tasks off their plates, giving them more time to support employees, who in turn, better support customers.

“This is probably the best decision that we’ve made in terms of our business because it makes everything run so seamless,” Jason says.

To learn more about how these retailers are using AI in their operations, watch the full conversation here.