Big box loses ground: Why Ace and Menards are winning on the moments that decide loyalty

Home Improvement study reveals what’s driving shoppers away from big box and toward local service excellence

PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga., Jan. 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — In Market Force Information’s 2025 Home Improvement Retail Benchmark Study, Ace Hardware and Menards earned the highest Customer Experience (CX) scores in the category, outperforming national big box competitors on the factors most tied to loyalty: helpful staff, store ease, and trust. While Home Depot and Lowe’s continue to lead purchase share, consumer feedback signals a shift—service and confidence are increasingly determining where shoppers choose to spend.

In Market Force’s 2025 Home Improvement Retail Benchmark Study, Ace Hardware and Menards earned the highest CX scores.

While Home Depot still leads in purchase share at 45.9%, followed by Lowe’s at 31.8%, customers are sending a clear message: service and trust now trump scale. Large retailers should take note of customer needs for service and adjust their retail models to try and retain customers they may have won with low prices. Smaller retailers should double-down on service to retain and grow a customer base that values a service-defined experience.

Where Ace and Menards Beat Big Box
Both Ace Hardware and Menards posted industry-leading Customer Experience (CX) scores—58.0 and 57.7 respectively, far above the industry average. Ace, in particular, lives up to its tagline as “The Helpful Place,” topping all brands in assistance availability (55.8%) and satisfaction with help received.

“This year’s results show that great experiences still beat great advertising,” said David Murray, Senior Director of Customer Experience Strategy at Market Force Information. “Shoppers reward brands that make their lives easier—clean stores, fast checkouts, helpful staff, and real value. That’s where Ace and Menards shine.”

Menards also stands out for store layout, product variety, and price competitiveness, outperforming even the national giants in areas where shoppers traditionally report the most frustration.

The Loyalty Equation: Experience Beats Footprint
When it comes to loyalty, Ace Hardware narrowly tops the Customer Loyalty Index (CLI) with a 4.61, just edging Menards (4.54) and Lowe’s (4.50).

On brand trust, the positions flip—Menards (4.38) surpasses Ace (4.29)—but both brands leave a sizable gap over big box rivals.

Interestingly, consumers still say they’ll make more future purchases at Home Depot, likely due to its sheer store footprint rather than customer experience advantages. As Murray notes, “If you’re Home Depot, you can’t take location for granted—because if there’s a Menards in town, shoppers are noticing the difference.”

What Shoppers Say Matters Most
The study found that consumers continue to prioritize:

Location convenience
Value and competitive pricing
Positive prior experiences
Rewards and loyalty programs

However, respondents also pointed to ease of finding items, store layout, and price transparency as ongoing frustrations across the category, pain points Ace and Menards are addressing better than anyone else. Service oriented retailers who begin to compete on price and convenience, while maintaining high levels of individualized service will win the battle for the home improvement consumer.

Inside the Numbers
More than 1,000 U.S. consumers participated in the 2025 study, nearly 70% with household incomes over $50,000. Half identified as DIY enthusiasts, while another 26% buy materials but hire professionals—a sign that both do-it-yourself and do-it-for-me segments are fueling growth.

Menards and Ace lead in overall satisfaction, while Home Depot and Lowe’s maintain share advantage due to scale and convenience. Walmart also appeared among the top shopped retailers, largely driven by smaller repair or seasonal project purchases. Consumer evaluations of paint brands and retailers are also available with this study.

Download the report and see brand-by-brand rankings across CX, loyalty, trust, and key drivers: www.marketforce.com/2025-home-improvement-industry-trends

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About Market Force Information
Market Force helps leading global brands improve the customer experience and operations at each location. Through an integrated services package including mystery shopping, site audits, contact center, social reviews, surveys, employee engagement and analytics Market Force drives consistent growth and profitability for its valued clients. Market Force provides solutions for restaurants, big box and specialty retail, grocery, petro-convenience, hospitality, travel, telecom, technology, energy, education, health and wellness, movie studios and theatres, fitness, financial services, gaming, CPG, alcohol and tobacco, pharma, government agencies and more. Market Force is part of the MCI family of companies, alongside MCI BPO and AiCX. Learn more at: www.marketforce.com

About MCI
MCI (www.mci.world) is a U.S.-based holding company for technology and tech-enabled services brands, including MCI BPO (www.mcibpo.com) and AiCX (www.aicx.com).