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A webinar hosted by the North American Hardware and Paint Association examined ways independent hardware retailers could use AI, including product visibility, customer service, inventory accuracy and associate support. Paladin’s Paul Butcher and FastQuery CEO Joe Bullock urged retailers to focus on business priorities and consider whether technology partners’ plans align with their own.
A North American Hardware and Paint Association (NHPA) webinar examined how independent hardware retailers might apply artificial intelligence to customer service, inventory and store operations. Paladin business development director Paul Butcher and FastQuery CEO Joe Bullock discussed possible uses and advised retailers to connect AI projects to business priorities and assess their technology partners’ plans.
The discussion covered a range of potential applications, including improving online product visibility, testing customer-service tools, supporting store associates and improving inventory accuracy. The report presents these as areas where AI can assist; it does not identify specific retailers that have deployed the tools or provide measured results from their use.
Butcher said retailers should begin by identifying the parts of their operations most closely tied to growth, then consider where AI could help. He also highlighted the role of technology partners, saying retailers should understand those partners’ direction in AI and whether it aligns with the retailer’s own plans.
Bullock characterized AI development as being at an early stage and said the volume of discussion can make it difficult to distinguish useful information from noise. He argued that AI could help retailers operate with greater speed and precision, while describing its influence as likely to extend across many parts of daily life. Those comments are forecasts, not findings backed by performance figures in the report.
AI Choices for Independent Stores
For independent retailers, the webinar’s central message was about where to start, rather than adopting AI for its own sake. Potential uses touch both customer-facing work, such as product discovery and service, and internal tasks, such as inventory management and associate support. Retailers evaluating these options may need to decide which operating problem they want to address before selecting a tool.
The discussion also puts technology partnerships in focus. Retailers often depend on outside providers for software and services, so a vendor’s approach to AI could affect the capabilities available to a store. Butcher’s advice was to compare partner plans with the retailer’s own direction; the report does not specify what criteria stores should use or describe any particular vendor commitment.
There is no evidence in the report establishing that AI has already improved sales, reduced costs or raised inventory accuracy for independent hardware businesses. The material is best understood as guidance on possible applications and planning, rather than proof of returns. That distinction matters to owners weighing investment, staff time and changes to established workflows.
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From AI Interest to Store Priorities
The report appeared in Hardware Retailing on November 6, 2026, in its Operations coverage. It summarizes a webinar hosted by NHPA, which brought together Butcher, identified as Paladin’s director of business development, and Bullock, the CEO of FastQuery. The article points readers to the full conversation but does not state when the webinar took place.
The speakers addressed AI at a time when retail applications are still developing, according to Bullock. The source does not give a survey of adoption among independent hardware stores, identify particular AI products demonstrated during the webinar, or compare AI with existing systems. It instead offers a high-level discussion of possible uses and practical questions for retailers considering the technology.
““We are very, very early in the innovation cycle in the AI space and it’s hard to make sense out of the noise.””
— Joe Bullock, FastQuery CEO
Adoption Results Remain Unreported
The report does not identify which independent retailers are using the applications discussed, how widely the tools have been adopted, or whether they have produced measurable improvements. It also provides no cost estimates, implementation timelines, accuracy measures or examples of customer outcomes.
It is not clear which specific AI systems or vendors were discussed in the full webinar, what safeguards retailers should apply to customer or business data, or how the proposed tools would integrate with existing store systems. The source also does not establish whether the speakers’ predictions will apply equally across businesses of different sizes and operating models.
Retailers Face Local Evaluation
The article directs readers to the full webinar conversation for additional discussion. It does not announce a follow-up event, product launch or formal NHPA program. For retailers, the next steps implied by the speakers are to identify a specific operational priority, examine whether an AI application addresses it and speak with technology partners about their plans.
Whether those discussions lead to adoption or measurable benefits remains open. Further reporting would be needed to establish which tools stores put into use, how they are implemented and what results they deliver over time.
Key Questions
What was the NHPA webinar about?
It examined possible ways independent hardware retailers could use AI in areas including customer service, online product visibility, inventory and associate support.
Who spoke during the discussion?
The speakers were Paul Butcher, Paladin’s director of business development, and Joe Bullock, CEO of FastQuery.
Did the report show that AI improved store performance?
No. It describes potential applications and speaker views, but provides no performance data on sales, costs, inventory accuracy or customer outcomes.
What did the speakers advise retailers to do?
Butcher advised retailers to focus on operational areas linked to growth and consider whether technology partners’ AI plans align with their own direction. Bullock said the field remains at an early stage.
Source: hardwareretailing.com
