Our Town Direct Mail | New mover marketing and targeted direct mail | Serving businesses nationwide
WHY HARDWARE STORES
Project season starts at move-in.
We handle the list, the design, the printing and the mailing. You welcome them in.
85%
improve in year one
Of homebuyers take on projects within a year. (HIRI, 2024)
$18,673
spent in year one
About double what neighbors who stayed put spend. (NAHB, 2026)
$11,090
on home projects
Repairs and remodels, vs. $6,310 for those who stayed. (NAHB, 2026)
61%
first-time buyers
Buying their first hammer, their first ladder, their first everything. (HIRI, 2025)
Local stores. Real customers.
Kabat’s Ace Hardware, four stores in Arizona.
"We’re not in the hardware business, we’re in the people business. Give the people a reason to spend their money with you."
Joseph Burks, Business Development Manager, Kabat’s Ace Hardware
1,350
new customers at Kabat’s in a year
9.5%
response in Kabat’s home zips
$17,138
in added sales at Kabat’s
We track every offer with TruTrak®, your POS data or the results you send us. See more hardware results, like Baskin's Ace on Cape Cod.
One $10 gift. A $632.06 sale.
A new homeowner in Mesa got a $10 welcome gift from Kabat's San Tan Ace. New to the area, they drove 21 minutes past Home Depot, Westech Building Supply and Harbor Freight to use it. They didn't even know another Kabat's Ace was about 10 minutes north. That's how new people shop in a new town. They go where they're invited.
The drive: 21 minutes, past three bigger stores.
The receipt: $632.06, on a $10 gift.
The first visit usually covers the cost of the mailing. That’s not what you’re buying.
You’re buying visits three through 103.
More first visits from a $10 gift.
$1,163.76
First visit at Kabat’s Fortuna Ace, 2022
$554.89
First visit at Kabat’s Fortuna Ace, 2023
Susan’s move. 139 hardware trips.
I kept every hardware receipt after my own move, to find out whether what we sell is actually true. I never planned to become a regular anywhere. Nine months later I had been in a hardware store 139 times, and I was still going.
139
hardware trips in nine months
$17,486
spent in nine months
68%
of trips in the first three months
Susan Nagi, Our Town owner. Moved in March 2023.
The spending tapers. The habit doesn’t.
Real cards, real hardware stores.
Welcome gifts, thank-you cards and neighborhood postcards. Design is included.
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Questions, answered
How can a hardware store attract new homeowners in its area?
New mover mail welcomes every new household near your store. You can add Home Improvement Buyer Targeting to reach homeowners likely planning a project, and neighborhood saturation to cover the streets closest to you. Moving is stressful, and new homeowners are building new habits fast. A gift in their hands makes the decision for them, even when Google shows a big-box store down the street.
What marketing can a hardware store use to reach people right after they buy or move into a home?
Reach them in the first few weeks after they move, when they’re buying the most for their new home. A welcome offer gets them in the door, and a thank-you postcard brings them back for the next project.
Do you work with independent hardware stores, or just Ace and Do It Best?
Both. We work with independent stores and co-op owners of every banner. For Ace stores, the program is 100% reimbursable with Ace Brand or Paint co-op funds once it’s pre-approved. For other stores, we build the art to match your brand and any co-op you have available.
What offer works best?
A no-strings-attached gift works best, like a $10 or $20 gift certificate with no purchase required. It taps into the law of reciprocity: when someone gives us something for free, we want to return the favor. So new homeowners come in and give your store a try.
How do I know if it’s working?
Every welcome gift has its own code. Your team scans the certificates in the back office with our TruTrak® system, at the end of the day or once a week, so you see how many new customers came in. We can also add spend data from your POS. That’s how Kabat’s Ace tracked $17K in additional sales.
How many new movers are near you?
We'll look at your area and tell you how many new homeowners move in near your store each month.
More ways to reach your neighbors.
Three more programs that put your offer in the right hands.
Not sure who to target? Here's how we find your best customers.