A working draft, prepared for Do it Best
One loyalty card. Two banners — Connected.Coordinated.
Do it Best moves hardware, lumber, and home goods through ~3,800 member stores. With the True Value acquisition, the co-op's footprint reaches roughly 8,000+ doors. This is a first draft of what a unified loyalty foundation could look like — and where it goes from there.
Do it Best member stores across the U.S. and 50+ countries
True Value stores joining the family through the 2024 acquisition
From the local hardware aisle to the contractor desk
The Opportunity Ahead
Do it Best runs the largest fully member-owned hardware co-op in the United States. Member stores span all 50 states and 50+ countries, each independently owned, each with their own community and customer relationships. The 2024 acquisition of True Value adds thousands more doors and a customer base that already overlaps with Do it Best's in many markets.
The opportunity is a unified loyalty card foundation across both banners — one identity layer that respects each store's autonomy, but lets HQ, marketing, and member owners read the same shopper signal at the same time.
Loyalty is the entry point. The same identity backbone is what the rest of the org builds on next: pro accounts, contractor billing, vendor co-op funding, store-level analytics. Build it once, defensibly, and every future initiative runs on top of it.
One card. Two banners. A foundation that goes anywhere.
What a Unified Loyalty Foundation Unlocks
Two Banners, One Customer
Do it Best and True Value serve overlapping shoppers in many markets, but their loyalty data, POS systems, and marketing programs grew up apart. The opportunity is one customer record that follows a member from a Do it Best aisle to a True Value checkout — without forcing either banner to give up what already works.
Member Stores, Acting Like a Network
Independently owned hardware stores have always done loyalty their own way — punch cards, paper lists, store-specific apps. A unified loyalty platform turns thousands of local relationships into one national signal, while leaving each store owner in charge of their own community.
A Foundation That Goes Anywhere
Loyalty is the entry point — the same identity layer powers contractor pricing, pro-account billing, drop-ship visibility, vendor co-op funding, and the next twenty initiatives the co-op might choose. Build it once, defensibly, and the rest of the org can build on top.
Your Systems, Connected
Every member store, banner, and back-office system holds shopper signal. The opportunity is connecting them through one loyalty identity — so every insight flows to the people who need it, without disturbing what each member-store owner has already built.
The Connected Data Ecosystem
Click any participant to explore their role in the ecosystem
Sources
Destinations
↻ Co-op Insights
Patterns that only become visible when loyalty, basket, and member-store adoption signals connect — where lift is rising, where adoption is lagging, what's working.
What's distinct about Do it Best
Member-owned, two-banner, ready to compound
Most hardware retailers run one banner, one customer database, one set of incentives. Do it Best is now sitting on a different shape — and that shape is the unique advantage in the market.
True member-ownership
~3,800 member stores across the U.S. and 50+ countries — independently owned, governed by the membership. A loyalty platform built on that DNA can't be top-down; it has to be opt-in, share-the-wins, member-first.
Two banners, one co-op
The 2024 True Value acquisition added thousands more doors. A unified loyalty card is the cleanest way to make the customer feel like one family — without forcing either banner to give up its identity.
Industry relationships, ready to plug in
Direct vendor relationships, co-op funding, drop-ship programs, and a national distribution footprint. A loyalty foundation gives those programs cleaner demand signal and tighter measurement.
Member autonomy preserved
Each member-store owner stays in control of their pricing, mix, and community. Loyalty is a shared layer, not a shared mandate — the rewards engine works for the small-town store and the metro flagship alike.
Loyalty and Identity, Moving Together
Two flows of work share the same identity backbone: the daily shopper experience at the register, and the multi-year programs that the rest of the org wants to plug into the same ID.
Loyalty
The Shopper Picture
One card across Do it Best and True Value. Basket-level visibility, targeted offers, and store-level analytics — with each member-store owner in charge of their own community and mix.
Foundation
Identity for the Whole Org
The same ID layer powers pro accounts, jobsite billing, vendor co-op programs, and whatever the co-op decides to ship next — with a clean chain of evidence from source data to KPI.
The insight that connects both: when the loyalty card feeds the broader programs, and those programs sharpen the offers at the register — the co-op moves together.
The Integration Advantage
Connected data amplifies every aspect of the mission.
Investment
- Connecting POS, loyalty, and CRM, respectfully
- A live shopper picture for HQ and members
- An identity backbone every future program plugs into
amplifies
Return
- Decisions made in hours, not quarters
- Confidence built on basket data, not gut feel
- Stronger member-store and vendor partnerships
The question that drives everything:
“How do we make every shopper feel like one Do it Best family — without taking anything away from our member stores?”
A unified loyalty foundation doesn't replace the work each member-store owner already does well — it gives that work a clearer customer signal, so every offer, every program, and every future initiative compounds across the co-op.
The People Behind the Program
Seven perspectives across a member-owned hardware co-op. Each brings real authority over how a unified loyalty foundation gets designed, rolled out, and extended — from the register to the boardroom.
President & CEO
Leading a member-owned co-op through the True Value integration, rising competitive pressure from big-box and online players, and a member base that wants modern customer programs without losing the feel of an independent hardware store. Loyalty is the most visible step — and the foundation everything else will sit on.
An executive picture that brings together loyalty enrollment, basket lift, vendor co-op programs, and pro-account performance — live, in one view. Strategic visibility without chasing reports across two banners and thousands of stores.
Realtime co-op visibility. Board-ready answers in seconds. The ability to tell the Do it Best + True Value story with data that matches the depth of the network.
Chief Marketing Officer
Running a unified loyalty program across two banners with overlapping markets, while keeping each member store's local voice intact. Offer targeting, attribution, and creative all need to work for the small-town hardware store and the metro flagship at the same time.
A connected loyalty engine: one shopper identity across banners, basket-level offer attribution, and member-store-aware targeting. Marketing decisions made on shared data, with each store's autonomy preserved.
Offers that lift basket size store-by-store. Attribution from impression to register. A marketing program that works equally well across Do it Best, True Value, and whatever banner comes next.
VP Member Services
Coordinating with thousands of independently owned member stores across all 50 states and 50+ countries — each with their own context, capacity, and community. The opportunity is making loyalty a real benefit to the member, not another mandate from HQ.
A member-store-first rollout: opt-in onboarding, store-branded experiences inside one shared rewards engine, and dashboards that show each owner what's lifting their own basket. Forecasting tied to local signals so members can act before competitors do.
Every member store with line-of-sight to their own shopper data. Every adoption gap surfaced as it forms. Resources directed where local owners need them most — in days, not quarters.
Chief Technology Officer
Stewarding the technology backbone for two banners with different POS footprints, different e-commerce stacks, and overlapping vendor programs. Loyalty is the natural identity layer — but it has to be built so the rest of the org can plug into it without a rewrite every time.
A unified identity and loyalty backbone with clean APIs: phone, email, card, pro-account, and household reconciled into one record. Every future program — drop-ship, pro pricing, vendor co-op — reuses the same ID layer.
One identity layer across two banners. Clean integration points for every team that wants to build on top. A technology foundation that compounds with every program shipped.
Chief Financial Officer
Stewarding co-op economics through a major acquisition: rebate flows, vendor co-op funding, member dividends, and the cost-to-serve of running two banners. The opportunity is connecting POS, loyalty, and finance into one defensible measurement layer.
Live financial dashboards covering basket lift, program ROI, vendor co-op funding flows, and cost-to-serve per banner. Scenario modelling so loyalty investment decisions rest on numbers, not narrative.
Live financial visibility across the co-op. Audit-ready compliance generated from source data. Strategic decisions derisked by analytics, not slowed by them.
Board of Directors
Governing a member-owned co-op through an integration of historic scale. Loyalty is the most visible early investment — and a leading indicator for whether the True Value integration is creating compounding value for members or not.
Board-ready dashboards with realtime KPIs: enrollment, basket lift, member-store adoption, and the early indicators of vendor co-op program impact. Governance reporting that's always current, always accurate.
Governance with confidence. Every meeting informed by live data. The ability to ask questions and get answers without waiting for the next quarter's pack.
Vendor Partners & Co-op Programs
Vendor partners run co-op funded programs across both banners and want clean demand signal back. The opportunity is generating program reporting directly from connected loyalty and POS data — accurate, timely, and audit-ready.
Automated co-op program reporting that pulls from live loyalty and POS data. Lift measurement aligned to each vendor's program. Audit-ready documentation generated on demand, with a chain of evidence back to source.
Faster, more accurate vendor reporting. Stronger relationships with industry partners through data transparency. More co-op funding flowing to programs that actually move basket size.
The Journey
Four phases, each building on the last. From a unified loyalty foundation to an enterprise intelligence platform — at the co-op's pace.
Loyalty Foundation
Months 1-3
A unified customer identity layer behind Do it Best and True Value POS — one card, one phone number, one email. Member stores opt in to a shared program with their own branding intact. Goal: a customer record that survives a banner switch in the same parking lot.
Multi-Banner Rollout
Months 3-6
Phased onboarding across both banners with a shared rewards engine, offer targeting, and SKU-level basket analysis. Member-store dashboards show what's lifting basket size locally and across the network.
Pro & Contractor Layer
Months 6-9
The same identity backbone extends to pro accounts, jobsite billing, and contractor pricing tiers. Member stores see homeowner and pro behaviour in one view — and vendors see clean demand signal across the entire co-op.
Enterprise Intelligence Platform
Months 9-12
Loyalty becomes the gateway to one connected operating picture: store performance, vendor co-op programs, distribution centre throughput, and a chat surface that lets HQ and member-store owners ask questions in plain language. Built once, defensibly — ready to power whatever the co-op decides to launch next.
Loyalty Foundation
A unified customer identity layer behind Do it Best and True Value POS — one card, one phone number, one email. Member stores opt in to a shared program with their own branding intact. Goal: a customer record that survives a banner switch in the same parking lot.
Multi-Banner Rollout
Phased onboarding across both banners with a shared rewards engine, offer targeting, and SKU-level basket analysis. Member-store dashboards show what's lifting basket size locally and across the network.
Pro & Contractor Layer
The same identity backbone extends to pro accounts, jobsite billing, and contractor pricing tiers. Member stores see homeowner and pro behaviour in one view — and vendors see clean demand signal across the entire co-op.
Enterprise Intelligence Platform
Loyalty becomes the gateway to one connected operating picture: store performance, vendor co-op programs, distribution centre throughput, and a chat surface that lets HQ and member-store owners ask questions in plain language. Built once, defensibly — ready to power whatever the co-op decides to launch next.
Organizations Like Yours
What connected loyalty foundations look like across modern hardware co-ops and the broader specialty-retail sector — patterns, not promises.
Identity & Loyalty
UnifiedBest-in-class hardware and home-improvement retailers run on one customer identity across stores, channels, and acquisitions. Phone, email, and card converge to a single ID that follows the shopper everywhere.
Member-Store Coordination
SharedModern co-ops give independent store owners a shared rewards engine and basket-level analytics — without overriding each store's local pricing, staffing, or community decisions.
Pro & Contractor Programs
ConnectedLeading hardware networks tie pro pricing, jobsite billing, and homeowner loyalty to the same identity. The pro who runs a $400K account and the homeowner who buys a $40 drill bit are the same data shape.
Co-op Sector
CompoundingCo-ops that unify their data report stronger vendor co-op funding, better in-store conversion, and faster rollouts of new programs. The networks that move first compound first.
The hardware co-op sector is moving toward unified loyalty.
Co-ops that unify their shopper identity report sharper basket lift, faster program rollouts, and more confident vendor and board conversations.
Doors served by a unified loyalty foundation, post True Value integration
Integration Architecture
We don't replace what works. We connect it. Your systems stay in place — ALDC adds the intelligence layer that makes them talk to each other.
Your Systems
- Do it Best POS
- True Value POS
- E-commerce & Pro Accounts
- Marketing Automation
- Vendor Co-op & Finance
These systems work. They power the register every day across both banners. They stay.
ALDC Platform
- Unified loyalty identity layer
- Cross-banner basket analytics
- Member-store dashboards
- Automated vendor co-op reporting
- Conversational AI (Zeus)
An identity backbone that flows from the systems you already use.
What Changes
Loyalty
Before: Banner-specific punch cards
After: One card across Do it Best & True Value
Vendor Reporting
Before: Hand-assembled co-op reports
After: Defensible KPIs with chain of evidence
Member Stores
Before: Spreadsheet roll-ups
After: Live store-level dashboards, lift alerts
Same members. Same banners. Same systems. Just connected.
Compounding the Co-op's Advantage
A unified loyalty foundation doesn't just improve marketing — it amplifies the outcomes that matter most to member-store owners, vendors, and the customers they all serve.
Sharper Member-Store Performance
What's lifting average ticket store-by-store and across the co-op
Member-store-aware promotions that respect each owner's mix and margins
Foundation for the Whole Org
Same backbone powers pro accounts, vendor co-op, contractor billing, and what comes next
Ask a question, get an answer grounded in your loyalty and POS data
A working draft for Do it Best
Loyalty as the foundation, anywhere it needs to go
A Starting Point, Not a Pitch
This site is a working draft — a sketch of what a unified loyalty foundation could look like across Do it Best and True Value, and where it goes from there. The real value comes from listening: what would actually help member stores, HQ, and vendors win together?