In the October issue of Hardware Retailer, four retailers shared their strategies for gaining and retaining business-to-business (B2B) customers, including offering convenience, going the extra mile and providing a unique value proposition. Another way to build loyalty among B2B customers is to make them feel valued. Learn more how these retailers reward B2B customers through pro-only loyalty programs and appreciation events to keep them engaged and spending.
For the last 29 years, Hardware Sales has hosted a tool fair every year on Father’s Day weekend with major vendors like Milwaukee, Stihl, Makita and others. Over the two days, the store did almost $900,000 in sales during the 2025 event, says Ty McClellan, owner of the store based in Bellingham, Washington. The first day of the event is geared to contractors, and this year, Hardware Sales partnered with Stemma Brewery, a local brewery, to create a Tool Fair-themed beer garden and hosted a Friday night after-party at the brewery.
In terms of a loyalty program, Hardware Sales has a three-tied system—silver, gold and platinum—and B2B customers are added to a tier based on their annual spend.
“We can adjust what tier a customer is in if we feel we can get them up to a higher level,” McClellan says. “We watch them closely, and they have to maintain a current account to receive the discounts.”
At Flanagan Paint & Supply, the contractor events include raffles for $1,000 in store credit, which improves participation. Attendees get one raffle ticket just for attending and then additional tickets for however much is spent that day.
“At the end of the month, we do a drawing for another $1,000 store credit,” says Jay Donnelly, owner of the operation, which has five locations in the St. Louis Metro area. “During these events, sales at that store for the day can hit triple or quadruple what they normally would do. For many painters, if you can put $1,000 on their account, that’s a big deal. For some, that’s a whole project, material that they don’t have to buy, that they’re putting that money right in their pocket and creating a loyal customer.”
Ned Green, owner of Weider’s Paint & Hardware with three locations in western New York, utilizes the Ace Rewards program for his B2B customers with which he has the ability to turn the rewards and incentives off for certain customers.
“Most of our largest customers, it’s the price up front and the discount that is most important, and so we’re turning off the incentive at the end,” Green says. “They care more about the price they pay that day rather than a rewards card a few weeks later.”
At Valley Ace Hardware in Westcliffe, Colorado, B2B customers are celebrated during an appreciation event on National Tradesman Day. Owner Sarah Handy says the event includes vendor booths, free food and big giveaways and combines tradition with innovation, reminding their customers that the company is invested in their success, not just their purchases.
Every customer is valued at her company, but she recognizes that B2B customers have different needs, so they’ve built in added benefits to support those customers. Valley Ace Hardware extends credit terms that give B2B customers the flexibility to order products with longer lead times. The billing department also goes beyond standard invoicing, organizing purchases by job, working directly with accountants on year-end reporting and even tracking rewards programs, authorized users and customized discount structures.
“In short, retail customers experience our friendly, dependable service, while our business customers receive an elevated level of support designed to simplify their operations,” Handy says. “It’s all about meeting each customer where they are and making sure our service model adapts to their needs.”
