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Retailers from Ashmore Paint and B-Town Plumbing and Electrical Supply described using Rundoo’s AI assistant and technology to streamline routine work and improve operations. Their examples came during a webinar hosted by the North American Hardware and Paint Association and Rundoo; the benefits are retailer accounts, not independently measured results.
Ashmore Paint and B-Town Plumbing and Electrical Supply described how artificial intelligence tools are helping them handle routine work and improve day-to-day operations during a webinar hosted by the North American Hardware and Paint Association and technology company Rundoo. The discussion focused on Rundoo’s AI assistant and related retail technology, which the participants said can free staff to spend more time helping customers.
Ashmore Paint president Bradley Strayer and B-Town owners Jason and Tilenna Hill joined Rundoo CEO Nick Hershey to discuss how the retailer-facing tools fit into their businesses. The examples included automating everyday tasks, streamlining operations and supporting business decisions. The report does not provide a measured time saving, productivity figure or financial return for either retailer.
Strayer said Rundoo’s system lets Ashmore Paint serve customers more quickly during checkout than its previous point-of-sale system. He framed that improvement as one way an independent store can compete with larger chains, alongside its ability to buy merchandise at competitive prices through buying groups. The report does not specify how much checkout times changed or identify a measurement period.
The Hills said the technology takes mundane, time-consuming work off their hands and gives them more opportunity to support employees. They linked that additional support to better customer service. These are retailers’ descriptions of their experience, rather than results from a controlled comparison or an independent evaluation of the software.
How AI Could Support Small Retailers
Independent hardware, paint and plumbing retailers often compete with large chains that have substantial resources for technology and operations. The webinar offered practical examples of where AI tools may fit into that competition: routine task automation, checkout systems and time for staff to assist customers. If administrative work takes less employee attention, stores may be able to direct more of their effort toward service, an area Hershey described as a potential advantage for independent retailers.
The accounts also show that adopting AI does not necessarily mean replacing customer-facing staff. The participants described it as a way to reduce repetitive work and improve how employees support customers. Whether those benefits translate into sustained cost savings, higher sales or stronger customer satisfaction is not established by the report.
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Retailers’ Examples From the Webinar
The webinar was hosted by the North American Hardware and Paint Association and Rundoo, whose CEO joined representatives of the two independent businesses. Hardware Retailing published its account on November 2, 2026, under its industry news and events coverage. Its report identifies the discussion as a retailer-focused conversation about ways AI can be incorporated into business workflows.
Hershey urged retailers to try AI across different workflows, arguing that technology can handle some tasks that do not involve direct service. Strayer’s example was faster service at checkout with Rundoo compared with Ashmore Paint’s prior system; the Hills emphasized the removal of time-consuming tasks. The article does not describe the software’s technical features, the retailers’ implementation timelines or whether the businesses 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 Have Not Been Quantified
The report does not give numerical evidence for the productivity gains described by the retailers. It provides no figures for time saved, checkout speed, operating costs, sales, customer satisfaction or employee workload, and it does not explain how those outcomes were measured. The scale of each business’s AI use and the specific tasks handled by the assistant are also not detailed.
It remains unclear whether the retailers’ experiences would be typical of other independent stores, what implementation or subscription costs are involved, or how the tools handle errors and sensitive business information. The webinar accounts establish what the participants said about their experience, but not a broader causal finding that AI improves performance across the independent retail sector.
Further Details Depend on Retailer Data
Hardware Retailing directs readers to the full webinar conversation for more information about the retailers’ uses of AI. The source report does not announce a new product launch, a rollout timetable or a planned follow-up study. More detailed evaluation would require information such as implementation costs, defined productivity measures and results tracked over time.
For now, the next development available in the source is access to the webinar itself. The retailers’ accounts offer examples for other businesses considering AI, while the extent of the benefits remains a question for further reporting and measurable operating data.
Key Questions
Which retailers discussed using AI?
Ashmore Paint president Bradley Strayer and B-Town Plumbing and Electrical Supply owners Jason and Tilenna Hill spoke during a webinar hosted by the North American Hardware and Paint Association and Rundoo.
What tasks did the retailers say AI helps with?
The report says the discussion covered automating everyday tasks, streamlining operations and supporting business decisions. The Hills specifically said the system removes mundane, time-consuming tasks from their workload.
Did Ashmore Paint report faster checkout?
Yes. Strayer said Rundoo lets the store serve customers more instantly during checkout than its previous point-of-sale system. The report gives no specific time comparison or measurement data.
Are the productivity gains independently verified?
No independent measurements are included in the report. The benefits are accounts from the participating retailers; figures for time savings, costs, sales or customer outcomes were not provided.
Where can readers find more about the discussion?
Hardware Retailing’s report points readers to the full webinar conversation for further details about how the retailers are using AI in their operations.
Source: hardwareretailing.com
