The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

News from Tower Systems about locally made POS software for specialty local retailers.

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Xero connected POS software for small business retailers saves time, costs costs and helps businesses grow

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The Xero connects POS software from Tower Systems is helloing indie and small business retailers ro run more efficient,  enjoyable and successful retail businesses.

Thanks to the seamless integration from the Tower Systems POS software with the Xero cloud based accounting solution, small business retailers have a solution through which they can expect to achieve reduced bookkeeping costs, lower accounting costs, easier access to business performance projections, reduced data entry errors and an overall better outlook for the retail business.

Having partnered with Xero for the POS software integration for years, Tower Systems delivers to small business retailers a proven and valuable solution through which retailers have access to their P&L and balance sheet from data sales, invoice and other data flow from the POS software.

This is smart for the business and financially positive from the outset thanks to the elimination of accounting costs.

Tower Systems is a partner of Xero, listed by the company on its website. We go further, though. We use Xero ourselves, for retail businesses we own and operate, walking daily in the shoes of our customers integration POS software with Xero and overseen by our own in house CPA. This is a unique position for a POS software company – being a retailer too and using our POS software and its Xero integration for valuable advantage.

Our Xero POS software integration is one of many approved integrations provided by the software to serve the needs of retailers. Other integrations include:

  1. Tyro broadband EFTPOS, which is fast, efficient and secure.
  2. Links to all major banks through PC-EFTPOS. This includes, NAB, ANZ and CBA.
  3. Magento e-commerce. Magento is an excellent platform for website sales for small to medium businesses.
  4. Shopify e-commerce. Shopify is an excellent entry-level solution for small to medium businesses.
  5. FlyBys in New Zealand.
  6. Transactor loyalty in New Zealand.
  7. Scale integration for selling by weight.
  8. Touch networks for vending event tickets, phone recharge, fishing licences and more.

These integrations, like the Xero POS software integration, deliver time saving, cost saving and other benefits to the small business retailers with whom we happily partner.

Our goal is to help small business retailers run more successful and enjoyable businesses.

Free POS software e-commerce workshops for small business retailers

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How to find new customers by selling online direct from POS software for your specific type of business using Shopify and Magento.

Join us for a free workshop where we will explore Shopify and Magento direct connected POS software for specialty retailers: jewellers, garden centres, produce, toy, firearms, fishing, outdoors, newsagents, pet, gift, book, bike and adult. We will focus on new online insights for 2020 and beyond

  1. Hear from current case studies what other indie retailers are doing.
  2. Find out how to use online to drive in-store shopping.
  3. Learn how click and collect actually works.
  4. Find out about the different buy now pay later options for online sales.
  5. See how stock data including images flow easily from the POS to online.

This workshop will be live and interactive and about your type of business. It could save you thousands in web developer fees. This will not be a sales pitch.

We will cover hot topics including: SEO, shipping options, free shipping, the role of social in online sales, returns, bundles, branding and a plan b for your web strategy.

Click on your preferred city below to book. Each workshop (except for online) will be in an easy to get to capital city location.

  1. SydneySept. 30. 10am.
  2. AdelaideOctober 1. 10am.
  3. PerthOctober 2. 10:30am.
  4. HobartOctober 3. 11am.
  5. MelbourneOctober 4. 10am.
  6. AucklandOctober 7. 10am.
  7. BrisbaneOctober 8. 10am.
  8. CanberraOctober 9. 10am.
  9. OnlineOctober 10. 10am. AEST.
  10. OnlineOctober 10. 2pm. AEST.
  11. WellingtonOctober 14. 10am.
  12. ChristchurchOct. 15. 10am.

We are local. Tower Systems serves 3,500+ specialty businesses – with POS software and websites. We make what we sell. We use it ourselves too, in our own retail and online businesses. If you think we could help you, please call 1300 662 957 or email sales@towersystems.com.au.

Our goal is to help you enjoy a more successful and valuable business.

Tower Systems helps protect small business retailers with cloud backup service

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POS software company Tower Systems provides its small business retailer community with access to a secure cloud backup service.

This service provides on-location and secure off-location backups of data, giving retailers double protection in the event of an attack or major hardware crash that necessitates access to backed up data.

The benefits are clear:

  1. Time saved thanks to no more end of day backup.
  2. Fast restore in the event of a cyber attack or system  crash.
  3. Incremental backups meaning the ability to restore back to prior some event occurred.
  4. Peace of mind.
  5. No need to remember to backup.
  6. Double backups = more protection.
  7. Security of off site backups.

The best way to any business, especially any small business, to be prepared for an attack, beyond firewall and other force-field protection is to have easy and fast access to up to date backup data, of whole of systems backup data.

The Tower Systems cloud backup service is safe, secure, offsite and on site and updated regularly as each day transacts.

Our cloud backup service for small business retailers has professional redundancy built in. We will not provide details here as to do so could compromise the security.

There have been instances recently where after a crypto lock attack on a client we have had them up and running, fully restored, within the hour.

This is what professional backup looks like. It is insurance for getting over the attack quickly and professionally. Without a hefty price tag.

We monitor the backups. for no additional cost to customers This is bonus coverage beyond the notifications on your local computer about backup status.

The peace of mind is valuable and appreciated by small business retailers and people who work in small business retail and have been responsible for undertaking the daily backups. It frees them to focus on other requirements, other parts of their business.

Cloud back is, in our view, the only safe backup for small business retailers. It is what we recommend. It is what we use ourselves in our own retail businesses.

Tower Systems is proud to offer this service to its small business retailer POS software community.

ATO warns small businesses on sales suppression software

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The ABC has reported the ATO is clamping down on small businesses using sales suppression software to minimise tax.

Ms Jenkins said the ATO was also cracking down on the use of sales suppression software that disguised the transactions within a company’s records.

“There is some really sophisticated software out there that is helping people avoid paying the right amount of tax.

“But whether it is cashless payments or whether it is the use of platforms or apps, it means there is really a trace of your transactions.

“We use merchant data and other sources of information to identify where things just don’t look right. Then we go and have a chat to them and say, ‘Hey, can you explain?’

In the mid 1990s there was sales suppression scam operating in the newsagency channel. I became aware of it because my newsagency software company lost businesses because we refused to offer such a facility.

There was a software program into which the retailer could enter a code and then an amount of cash they wanted to take out of the business unreported. A second set of records was maintained for the ATO and another records for the business owner.

I know because the software was demonstrated to me several times, by someone who had worked for the software company that created the software. They had approached me. I did some more checking with newsagents and discovered the facility in the software was being used.

The matter was reported to the ATO. At their then Box Hill office in Victoria they assembled a task force including representatives from the ATO, Federal Police, Federal Attorney General office. Victorian State Revenue and Victorian Attorney General office. Several of us with knowledge were brought in for a demonstration of the software. There were several follow up meetings with the ATO in Sydney.

Eventually, my software company stopped losing sales due to us not having the tax avoidance facility in our software.

Any retailer deliberately and systematically underreporting their income to avoid tax deserves what they get from the ATO and from any suppliers they impact through their actions.

  1. We refuse to help any retailer avoid tax.
  2. We will not code for tax avoidance in o0ur software.
  3. We will report it if we see it.
  4. Retailers and taxpayers need to be able to trust POS software.

5 ways to use our POS software to increase sales

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Here are five ways you can use our small business focused, specialty retail business POS software to increase sales. We can help you implement each of these:

  1. Discount vouchers. A voucher on receipts offer customers $$ off a purchase. The pitch is easy. Differentiate your business from old-school loyalty. Usually, 20% of vouchers are redeemed. Guys redeem immediately, girls a week or so later. Get shoppers back sooner and spending more.
  2. Multi-buy. Easily offer a deal for the purchase of more than one of an item. This approach is used effectively in big businesses like Officeworks and Bunnings. Setup is easy. Tracking the results is a dream.
  3. Buy now pay later. Zip Pay, Zip Money, Humm and others integrated in our software offer easy and fast settling buy now pay laterplatforms where you carry no financial risk. This is better for your business than LayBy.
  4. Show off your value-add. Include product care information and local area knowledge related to what you sell on receipts. Share your knowledge to differentiate your business.
  5. Easily sell online. Connect your business to a beautiful Shopify website and sell way beyond your local area. We can develop the site for you on a fixed price basis and link it to your POS software to save time and money.

This advice is part of regular advice we provide our customers in a customer service email ent weekly. For each advice point we have specific implementation guidance that we share to make it easier and more consistent to achieve what we pitch.

This is all part of the Tower Systems service, part of what we do beyond the software itself to help our customers achieve more from and with our POS software.

We think they type of service is a differentiator for us. It is a way we demonstrate deliverables for our customers that are not common from POS software companies. We are grateful to our community for the opportunity to share these and other business beneficial ideas.

Of course, we have more than these 5 ways to use our POS software to increase sales, many more. These ideas are a start, a simple demonstration. We help our customers way beyond these five.

Come join us…

POS software lead referral program for bookkeepers and accountants

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Our lead referral program is for bookkeepers and accountants who invest time and knowledge to help introduce us to prospective POS software customers.  To express interest please email sales@towersystems.com.auTo find out more: Click here for an information document from us.

  1. We link direct to Xero.
  2. We link through a partner to MYOB and Quicken.
  3. We link to Tyro for fast, safe cost effective EFTPOS as well as the big banks.
  4. For buy now pay later, we link to Oxipay (Hmmm) and ZipPay ZipMoney.
  5. We integrate with Shopify, Magento and Woo for easy e-commerce.
  6. We also develop websites for retailers at our Hawthorn, VIC, head office, websites finely tuned to the needs of local retailers..

Our POS software is purpose built with versions for garden centres, jewellers, bike  shops, toy shops, firearms businesses, fishing and outdoors shops, gift shops, newsagents, farm supply, rural and stockfeed businesses, adult shops and newsagents. We dive deep into the needs of each retail channel.

We are keen to work with bookkeepers and others who also specialise in their service of specific retail channel retailers. We’d love to get sales leads from you. To engage please email sales@towersystems.com.au. This is also the entry point for any queries.  Click here to access an information document.

ABOUT US.
Tower Systems is a vertical market POS software company. That is, we sell software designed for specific retail channels. The home page of our website lists all the retail channels in which we serve at any time.

While we may sell/rent/lease our software to businesses outside the retail channels listed, it is rare and only when approved by the leadership team of the company.

We currently serve in excess of 3,000 small business retailers primarily in Australia and New Zealand.

We actively promote our software through direct mail, social media marketing, search engine ads, trade shows and, recently, on radio and TV.

WE ARE RETAILERS TOO.
We own and run three unique retail shops, offering us hands-on retail experience where we can test and refine our software. This has been particularly useful in workflow management where we have tuned our software for efficiency in counter-based retail.

Owning and running retail businesses enables us to provide a unique and valuable level of practical, retailer-focussed, advice to our customers.

ACCOUNTING LINKS AND SERVICES.
We have a full time CPA in the business as our CFO.

Our software is directly integrated with Xero. We are a Xero partner.

Our software also links with MYOB and Quicken through a third party product.

Our customers, through our help desk, have access to comp0lete support in the use of our software as well as practical advice on the correct linking of our software with accounting software. We help our customers achieve and maintain a seamless link.

Thank you for considering working with Tower Systems to empower small business retailers to run more efficient and successful businesses.

To find out more about our POS software and support for specialty retailers, please call our sales team on 1300 662 957 or email them at sales@towersystems.com.au.

Bankable benefits for small business retailers from Tower Systems POS software

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The tangible, bankable benefits of partnering with Tower Systems, beyond the software.

Not all POS software companies are the same.

  1. We are local. Local matters in local communities. Tower Systems is Australian owned, developed and supported. Call us and a human answers the phone.
  2. We listen to your needs and engage in conversation with you.
  3. Our training is personal, in your business. We think people learn better from face to face training.
  4. Customers guide our software enhancement. We offer a transparent, democratic, process for guiding software update content.
  5. In the cloud or in-store. You choose where the software runs.
  6. Rent or buy. You choose how to acquire and fund the software.
  7. Retail channel specific. This software is developed for your type of business.
  8. We help with business performance analysis and theft checks, services where we take a deep dive into your data and provide confidential insights.
  9. Every customer has the direct contact details for our leadership team for easy and safe escalation of any query.
  10. No pressure. You buy when you are ready.
  11. Unlimited free training. Long after you install the software, ask for free top-up training and all we will organise it.
  12. Retail group engagement.  Groups and members of groups have opportunities for group level customisation website sales and more.
  13. New customer care. All new customers have a separate specialist team with which they connect, to ease settling-in.
  14. It’s personal. Retail is personal. This is why we prefer to train you in your shop. Yes, we said this above. We say it again as it is a differentiator.

Tower Systems is not an average POS software company. We are a small business, indie business, focussed POS software company developing software in Australia and New Zealand for Australian and New Zealand based specialty retailers.

Thank you for considering us.

Serving over 3,000 small business retail customers, Tower Systems is engaged locally, across  multiple specialty retail channels, delivering solutions retailers want and need to differentiate their businesses. We help indie retailers specialise, locally. This matters because it helps local businesses thrive locally.

Shopping local is key to the fabric of any local community.

Small business retail advice: preparing your shop for sale

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Selling a retail business is like selling a house, you need to prepare it so that it looks appealing to prospective purchasers. Selling a newsagency is more challenging because of assumptions out there and changes in what a newsagency is can could be.

Here at Tower Systems we are often asked for retail advice beyond our POS software. Preparing a retail shop for sale is one example of advice we are asked for.  We have developed a package of information to help small business retailers as they navigate this. What we share in this blog post today is some of the information we have put together.

Tower Systems POS software customers have access to this and more business management advice and insights.

  1. Make it look and feel appealing. While there are people who will look for a challenge (opportunity). Most buyers will want two see a retail business they understand and feel they can run.
  2. Eliminate dead stock. It looks bad on the shelves and looks bad on the books. Purchasers should not pay full wholesale for inventory more than six months old as your poor buying or management is not their obligation.
  3. Streamline operations. Make the business look easy to run by ensuring it is easy to run for you. The easier it looks to run the more interesting to people who don’t understand the business.
  4. Maximise profit. What anyone will pay will depend on actual profitability of the business.
  5. Be happy. Owners who talk their business down will find it harder to sell the business. You never know who is shopping your shop and the broader interest they may have.
  6. Keep your social media presence up to date. Today, many people check out a business online prior to looking at it in-store. Maintain up to date Facebook, Instagram and elsewhere.
  7. Get your paperwork in order. Early on, get business documents together:
    1. Premises lease.
    2. Equipment lease.
    3. Employee records.
    4. Product forward orders.
    5. Franchise documents.
    6. Supplier agreements.
    7. Details of any forward orders.
    8. Any other documents relating to the operation of the business including manuals for any equipment items.
  8. Choose a broker for your circumstances.

Success at selling your retail business depends on the work you do to prepare it for sale. Focus months, even a years, out can make for an easier and better sale.

Get it right and you can expect to make more than you might have thought possible.

Retailers: sync images from your POS software to your website easily, seamlessly and without human intervention

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Small business retailers using the Tower Systems POS software can easily, quickly, safely and accurately sync product images from their PSO software to their Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce or other POS software site easily, quickly and accurately thanks to smart image management in the Tower Systems POS software.

Syncing images without the need for human intervention saves time. It also cuts mistakes, streamlines workflow and provides a better e-commerce as well as in0-store management outcome.

This is good for business.

Tower Systems has offered this POS software website image sync for ages, as part of its core e-commerce interface benefits.

As retailers with multiple websites and active in-store use of POS software in businesses it owns, Tower Systems is delivering solutions it itself wants for more efficient, accurate and successful e-commerce trading. This personal experience is a key factor in why Tower Systems is able to differentiate its offer over other POS software companies in this and other areas.

With the POS software the keeper of the images – multiple per product and any size that is appropriate to what you sell – connecting to the website is easy and seamless. Each new image loaded for a product is synced to the website based on rules established and managed in-store. This enables the software to behave in accordance with the wishes of the business.

Tower already partners with Shopify, Magento and WordPress – WooCommerce. The interface for each with the Tower software is direct and not through a third party. This is also key in the service of accurate, seamless and safe product image transfer.

Tower Systems is able to demonstrate these facilities live to any retailer contemplating the Tower software or website development services.

Image syncing between POS software and a website is critical for any small business that wants to sell online as it reduces the workload involved in managing images. Too often, small business retailers are asked to manually cut and paste and do other work on images. The Tower software makes the process easier, more certain and more enjoyable in that getting to the opportunity its to sell online is faster.

Any POS software that cannot facilitate the automatic and easy flow of images to a Shopify, Magento or WooCommerce website could be considered to be inappropriate for a business that prides efficiency and accuracy.

POS software from Tower Systems helps small business retailers cut theft

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The Age newspaper last week reported on a surge in theft.

A study of over 9000 Australian and New Zealand retailers has revealed the cost of theft in-store has now reached a “crisis point” for companies as shoplifters have become more brazen in recent years.

While the report focusses on shoplifting, in my experience working eityh retailers, employee theft has a higher cost. This paragraph is telling…

The majority of respondents were large fashion, grocery and department retailers with 300 or more stores. For the 2018 financial year, those companies estimated crime-related losses of $3.37 billion, or 0.92 per cent of the region’s total retail revenue for the year.

The average cost of theft in small to medium business is 3% and more. This, considering the .92% noted above indicates the focus of the report is narrow. But then the report goes on to say employee theft was 22% of overall theft.

Maybe the disconnect is because the report pulled data from medium to large businesses whereas all data I have seen over the years has been from small businesses, single store businesses. In those, in my experience, employee theft costs around 70% of the total cost of theft.

Regardless of this latest report, theft is retail is a high cost for which retailers, customers and others in the supply chain pay.

Read the report. It’s got useful information for any retailer.

Our POS software company helps small business retailers cut the cost of theft. We have proven facilities in the software that achieve this. Better still, we back these facilities with experts who can make a real and positive difference in theft outcomes for small business retailers.

Get a video recording of your live POS software demonstration and questions

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In a demonstration of a commitment to customer service and transparency, Tower Systems is leveraging secure, smart and mobile technology to offer anyone a free video of the live and interactive demonstration of the Tower POS software.

This is an offer for any retail business owner, their consultant or their accountant. It is risk free, putting the needs of the customer at the centre.

Thanks to smart online meeting technology, we can bring together retail business partners, their accountant and others for an online, live and interactive demonstration of our POS software. Better still, we offer you a video recording of the demo every question you ask, and our answers.

While we welcome live in-store demonstrations, with work scheduled today and distance, online live demonstrations are more popular. Here at Tower Systems we have invested in technology to deliver a quality online demonstration where there software is shown live, all questions are answered and open discussion is encouraged.

Our demonstrations are 100% customer driven. This is why a video of the demonstration is good as it reflects the personalised nature of what has been covered, the questions that are business specific that have been answered. The approach demonstrates the realness of the approach taken by Tower Systems in serving customers.

If you have ever wanted to recall, for certain, answers given or promises made in a sales situation, we make it easy because, to us, transparency matters.

The demonstration video offer from Tower Systems its another way the company backs itself, its promises and its personal service. It demonstrates a point of difference that small business owners love because … retail is personal … after all.

We offer locally developed and highly tuned software for specialty retail businesses including garden centres, produce / farm supply businesses, jewellers, bike retailers, pet stores, toy shops, gift shops, homewares shops, fishing and outdoor businesses, newsagents and adult shops.

To find out more about our POS software and support for specialty retailers please call our sales team on 1300 662 957 or email them at sales@towersystems.com.au.

Tower Systems is an Australian POS software company serving 3,500+ specialty retailers in Australia and New Zealand.

Portable POS software helps retailers sell from anywhere including the back of a truck!

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Retailer Roam is an innovative add-on to the awesome POS software from Tower Systems. It brings to a portable, device-independent, platform, access to POS software for retailers who want to sell Fromm anywhere.

This is perfect for retailers who sell at markets, on the road, in pop-up shops, out the front of their shop or in any other temporary and on the run location.

Retailer Roam is portable retail for small business retailers.

It is smart, powerful, flexible and able to run offline. It is safe, too, delivering a flexible and safe solution to indie retailers chasing business away from their shops.

We are thrilled to bring Retailer Roam to the world, to empower small business retailers with a tool that 100% helps them compete more efficiently and flexibly.

This is new software for a new type of retail. It has been developed with retailers.

Retailer Roam is a tablet app-based POS extension to the Tower Systems Retailer POS software.  The app runs on Apple iPad and Android based tablets.  It can run connected over WiFi or any other network. It can also run disconnected, synching when connected again

Retailer Roam is designed to help retailers better manage buy times without the need to install considerable hardware as well as to transact business away from the counter, from an outpost or from a vehicle some distance from the shop.

As the name suggests Retailer Roam enables the business to roam to transact sales.

You can sell for cash or credit card, to an account or through a LayBy. Selling is through a screen designed specifically for Retailer Roam and the types of devices on which it would be run.

Retailer Roam utilises the Tower Systems developed and proprietary secure TALINK platform to synchronise with Retailer store level data. That is, stock in your Retailer software can be sold through Retailer Roam.

Sell online and offline.

Yes, connect for easy EFTPOS processing.

Retailer Roam is set to change how, when and where retailers sell.

WHAT DEVICES OR HARDWARE DO I NEED TO RUN RETAILER ROAM?

IPAD
Our preference is for a regular size iPad running minimum iOS 10.

ANDROID TABLET
Roam was developed and tested using Android 6.0 (API 23). So, if you are running an operating system ahead of Android 6, you’re good to go. We anticipate that Roam could work in earlier versions (either 5, or 4.1). However, we may need to setup for this.

RECEIPT PRINTERS
We recommend and support Epson IP receipt printers. Our preference is the Epson TM82 Ethernet receipt printer. A full list of supported printers is available from Tower Systems. You can share an existing printer between multiple Roam Terminals or even share a supported printer with a Retailer fixed POS if operating in store. A Receipt Printer is not mandatory to operate Roam as receipts can be emailed.

BARCODE SCANNERS
Any direct Bluetooth scanner, i.e. a scanner the communicates directly with the terminal and not via a base, should work. We support and recommend the Socket range of scanners.

Get a free video of your POS software demo – a terrific move for transparency for small business retailers

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POS software company Tower Systems has launched an innovative and valuable opportunity for ay retailer considering its POS software.

A free video of your POS software demonstration.

Using cool cloud based technology and backing this with local infrastructure, Tower Systems is delivering to small business retailers certainty, commitment and trust in truth. We think this matters. It demonstrates that we take our pre-sales approach seriously.

Let us demonstrate our POS software to you in a live, interactive one-on-one online demonstration and we will offer you a video recording of the demo every question you ask, and our answers.

This offer is one to any sales prospect, any in their business and any who advise them.

This is a wonderful development for small business retailers. It gives them the ability to revisit a demonstration, check their memory, be sure of what they were told and be confident that buying POS software from Tower Systems is backed by a truth, transparency and trust on which they can build a long-term relationship with the company.

If you have ever wanted to recall, for certain, answers given or promises made in a sales situation, we make it easy because, to us, transparency matters.

This is a really big deal, something that differentiates the Tower Systems approach to business and to attracting users of our POS software.

We are tired of hearing stories of sales people from various businesses who do not tell the truth, stories of promises made during a sales pitch that never eventuate. Tower Systems wants to see that changes. Change starts with truth, it is built on trust, which its shared with transparency.

We offer locally developed and highly tuned software for specialty retail businesses including garden centres, produce / farm supply businesses, jewellers, bike retailers, pet stores, toy shops, gift shops, homewares shops, fishing and outdoor businesses, newsagents and adult shops.

To find out more about our POS softwareand support for specialty retailers please call our sales team on 1300 662 957 or email them at sales@towersystems.com.au.

Tower Systems is an Australian POS software company serving 3,500+ specialty retailers in Australia and New Zealand.

New financial year business management tips for small business retailers

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Last week, we shared advice with our POS software customers on steps they could take for a brighter and healthier 2019/2020 financial year…

Here is a list of things you could suggest for the new financial year.

  1. Change your passwords. Share them sparingly.
  2. Review your department and categories. Ensure they accurately reflect your business and how you want performance reported.
  3. Review system useto determine if fraud is an issue. Our help desk team can help business owners (and only business owners) with this.
  4. if you are not using Discount Vouchers, consider it as it continues to be the easiest and most effective revenue and return visit building tool we have see.
  5. Review your opening hours / rosterbased on a revenue by time assessment.
  6. Take a look at workflow at the counter. Look at steps you can take to streamline the experience. More efficient sales will help drive sales revenue.
  7. Set aside every invoice that you currently enter manually. Email a copy to us at support@towersystems.com.au along with supplier contact details. We will reach out to them for you, encouraging them to provide you with an electronic invoice, which will save time and improve data accuracy.
  8. Consider cloud based backupfor faster, safer, backups.
  9. If you have a website, consider an SEO campaignto lift its profile. If your website is more than two years old, consider a refresh or replacement.

We hope that the 2019/20 financial year is wonderful for you and your business. We are keen to help achieve this with and for you. That starts with your engagement.

POS software Xero interface saves time and money for small business retailers

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The direct Xero interface in the POS software from Tower Systems helps indie and small business retailers save time and money, every day, easily, consistently, with surety appreciated by accountants and business owners.

Tower Systems has been integrated with Xero for many years, delivering a time saving and accuracy focussed solution to small business retailers. We are a Xero partner and have actively participated in the awesome Xerocon conference events several times as well as having been featured in the Xero users magazine.

We are grateful to the uplifting of the Xero community, for their support and endorsement though active use of our POS software Xero interface.

Through our direct POS software Xero interface, purchase, sales, credits and other business critical data flows direct to the accounting software, ensuring accurate record keeping without the need fort double handling of data. This improves accuracy. It saves time. It helps businesses make better quality business decisions.

This is what a good, safe,. stable and endorsed POS software / Xero like works like … it serves the needs of small business retailers and helps them with business efficiency and accuracy.

This is an advantage from Tower Systems. Something that delivers good outcomes to our business partners, the small business retailer community who rely on our software, the thousands we serve every day with awesome software and awesome software support.

Our Xero like has been developed by us. It is supported by us. It is direct. This saves time and ensures better data accuracy. Indeed, we use it ourselves for shops that we own and run. yes, we walk in the shoes of our customers every day. This is important in that we can speak from first hand experience when helloing 0ur customers, advising them, training them and guiding their experiences with our software and with Xero.

Having skilled in-house accountants helps us to provide access to a level; of expertise and experience small business accountants appreciate and benefit from. We help way beyond the software, we help by bring professional accounting expertise to the table to make our POS software Xero link genuinely valuable.

This is another Tower Advantage.

Portable POS software for on the road businesses

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Tower Systems offers small business retailers easy access to a genuinely portable POS software solution that is cloud based and enables a business to transact anywhere, any time, taking and and card, easily, safely and quickly.

This new solution, called Retailer Roam, is innovative, fresh and 100% focussed on helping small business retailers go where you want to go, as the song says. It is all about helping retailers get to their customers, where their customers want.

Being cloud based, this portable POS software solution enables retailers to easily sell at markets, fairs, collectives, from the truck or car, at events, on the road side at pop-up retail and even from their own shop if they need another register lane opened quickly without costly and time-consuming infrastructure.

Retailer Roam is next generation POS software. Fast. Flexible. Cloud based. Easy to use. Elegant. Portable. deigned by and for retailers.

It is next gen POS software for next gen retailers.

We are grateful to bring this to small business retailers in Australia and New Zealand, grateful to land it as a beautiful piece of software tech and an elegant business solution.

This is Aussie POS software innovation, benefiting all retailers in the small business world, especially in the specialty retail channels in which Tower Systems serves.

As you would expect from well designed portable POS software, Retailer Roam works beautifully while not accessible to the internet. yes, you can keep going business. It syncs in the background and easily.

Remember, this software also allows you to sell 24/7 online too, through Shopify, magenta or Woo Commerce websites that link back to the business Retailer POS software.

All bases are covered, all needs are met with the technically strong and flexible cloud based POS software solutions from Tower Systems.

It is easy for a small local business to decide today to participate in a pop-up market and know that they have the tech that can handle this, make it easy, safe, fast and accurate for trading and capturing what they sell, when and to whom. And, to be able to top this from just about any device based the capital cost manageable, usually from within existing resources.

Retailer Roam is another part of the total Tower Systems POS software solution.

Small business retail POS software loyalty 2.0

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How small business retailers can use unique shopper loyalty facilities to easily get shoppers back sooner and spending more.

Here, we share advice we recently provided to our customers. I share it with you today as it demonstrates how we communicate with our customers, beyond the traditional software company support pitch. Here is the email in full:

We write to share with you insights on how to use Discount Vouchers in a smart way for your business.

Discount vouchers have been in our software for more than six years. They are one of several valuable shopper loyalty tools designed to drive revenue and return shopper visits.

Yet, discount vouchers are the most misunderstood.

Setup is easy. It takes a few minutes. Change is easy, with changes taking effect immediately. Management its easy thanks tp three awesome reports. Pitch is easysince you can call them whatever you like, what is appropriate to your business.

The mistake most retailers make is overthinking. Stop that! Set Discount Vouchers up and see how your customers respond. Adjust accordingly.

In our experience, on average, only 20% of vouchers handed out are redeemed. Those offered with the least rules achieve the best commercial outcome for the retailer.

Remember, the $$$ opportunity on the discount voucher is a good reason to review pricing, to factor in the cost of voucher redemption.

So…

  1. Choose what you want to call them: Discount Voucher; Bonus Bucks; Thank You Gift; Come Back Again Gift; Appreciation Voucher; Pass It On $$$.
  2. Set your settings. Know they can change as you learn more.
  3. We suggest a 28 day expiry.
  4. Have the voucher value show as $$.
  5. Let vouchers be redeemed for as many different products as possible.
  6. Go!

ADVICE ON PROMOTING DISCOUNT VOUCHERS.

Every time a voucher prints, present it to the customer by placing it on the counter facing them with your finger next to the amount and say, while maintaining eye contact, hey you have a voucher here for $x.xx that you can use in store in the next 28 days. Well done.

Make sure that everyone working at the counter knows that the success of vouchers depends on their pitch.

Now, if they complain about the low voucher value have a response like hey it’s appreciation that almost no other business around here will show you.

Guys are more likely to spend the voucher right away.

Girls are more like to collect vouchers and put them together, which we recommend you allow.

What you want to see when you have out a voucher is for them to lift their hear and turn to look back into the shop, thinking of what they could buy.

GOOD LUCK!

PS. Click here to access and print advice that I have previously published to 240 newsXpress stores. This is a retail marketing group I own.

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To find out more about our awesome POS software and support fir indie specialty retailers, please call our sales team on 1300 662 957 or email them at sales@towersystems.com.au.

How our POS software co. helps small business retailers bring shoppers back more often

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In our POS software we have a range of shopper loyalty facilities, including discount vouchers. Today, we share information recently try shared with our customers as part of our free education opportunities…

How to use Discount Vouchers in a smart way for your business.

Discount vouchers have been in our software for more than six years. They are one of several valuable shopper loyalty tools designed to drive revenue and return shopper visits.

Yet, discount vouchers are the most misunderstood.

Setup is easy. It takes a few minutes. Change is easy, with changes taking effect immediately. Management its easy thanks tp three awesome reports. Pitch is easysince you can call them whatever you like, what is appropriate to your business.

The mistake most retailers make is overthinking. Stop that! Set Discount Vouchers up and see how your customers respond. Adjust accordingly.

In our experience, on average, only 20% of vouchers handed out are redeemed. Those offered with the least rules achieve the best commercial outcome for the retailer.

Remember, the $$$ opportunity on the discount voucher is a good reason to review pricing, to factor in the cost of voucher redemption.

So…

  1. Choose what you want to call them: Discount Voucher; Bonus Bucks; Thank You Gift; Come Back Again Gift; Appreciation Voucher; Pass It On $$$.
  2. Set your settings. Know they can change as you learn more.
  3. We suggest a 28 day expiry.
  4. Have the voucher value show as $$.
  5. Let vouchers be redeemed for as many different products as possible.
  6. Go!

ADVICE ON PROMOTING DISCOUNT VOUCHERS.

Every time a voucher prints, present it to the customer by placing it on the counter facing them with your finger next to the amount and say, while maintaining eye contact, hey you have a voucher here for $x.xx that you can use in store in the next 28 days. Well done.

Make sure that everyone working at the counter knows that the success of vouchers depends on their pitch.

Now, if they complain about the low voucher value have a response like hey it’s appreciation that almost no other business around here will show you.

Guys are more likely to spend the voucher right away.

Girls are more like to collect vouchers and put them together, which we recommend you allow.

What you want to see when you have out a voucher is for them to lift their hear and turn to look back into the shop, thinking of what they could buy.

GOOD LUCK!

Small business retail advice on how to choose POS software

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The POS software you choose for your indie small retail business is an important decision. Get it right and the business could prosper and become considerably more valuable. Get it wrong and it could cost you plenty.

In thinking about the software you want, think about your business. Here are some headline level thoughts and suggestions.

  1. If you see your business as specialist in nature, the software you choose should be specialist.
  2. If part of your business pitch is to shop local, choosing locally made and supported software supports your pitch. Local software is software made and supported in Australia.
  3. If you want to be known as the local specialist, you need software that helps you do this consistently and effectively.
  4. If you do repairs or maintenance of any sort, you need software that can handle this.
  5. If you sell items bundled such as a rod, reel and line pack, you need software that can handle this.
  6. If you are in a tourist area and sell to people once, or once a year, you need software with loyalty facilities to maximise their rare visits to your shop.
  7. If you sell products by weight, you need software that can do this.

Think about these things and think about what you want in software in your business to help you stand out.

There are many generic and cheap point of sale systems in the marketplace. Price does matter. You would know that in your business. Think about the shopper who wants a full kit but says they want the cheapest. Think about your advice to them. If you say price does matter and that you get what you pay for, the same is true with retail business software.

A small higher price today for the right software could save many times the gap between it and cheap generic software.

So, work out what you want. This must come first, ahead of any budget.

Given that you can lease or even rent software, the capital cost is best assessed as a weekly cost on the business. This makes comparing systems easier. Once you work out the weekly cost and tote up what you get for this in terms of support serves and software functionality you can reasonable compare the different systems.

If you are not sure whether a software package will serve your needs, don’t choose it. You are better off saying no than fighting with the software and the supplier to get it working exactly as you want. However, it is likely that you will need to change some business processes to suit the software you do ultimately choose.

Be flexible. Once you have chosen software, follow the advice provided by the software company and the expert they send to your business to train you. If they suggest changes to your business processes, embrace them. While changing what you do can be frustrating, software designed specifically independent specialty retail businesses is specialist in nature and it does what it does based on years of development and feedback from many customers.

Be disciplined. Software is like a machine. It needs the right fuel. For software, that fuel is data. Ensure everyone in your business is disciplined in how the software is used. From the moment stock comes into the business to when it is sold. Track it. This will help you make better business decisions.

Be engaged. Your software company will want a two-way relationship If you have suggestions, share them Play a role in the continued evolution of the software. This helps you and other businesses in your channel.

Save time. The right software will help you eliminate manual processes. Embrace these opportunities as much as possible. Time saved is time you can invest in yourself or in the business. Seek time saving opportunities out.

Be realistic. Any new software will be a challenge. Know that you will have some rough days learning the new things. Accept these by focussing on the main goal of enjoyment and efficiency once you know the software well.

The software you choose reflects your business. Take your time. Be certain about what you want. Invest well and the right software will easily pay for itself.

Retail business management advice: how to cut employee theft

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How employees who steal do steal from a retail business has changed over time. As technology and changed and as society has changed, theft techniques have changed.

It is vital that indie retail businesses keep up to date on how to detect and confront theft by employees. It is critical these businesses are ahead of the game in this pursuit.

The challenge is, you don’t know what you don’t know. This is where the comprehensive and POS software integrated approach recommended and guided by Tower Systems can help. The company leverages years of experience, personal retail management knowledge and expert mentorship from some world class leaders to provide its retail business community advice and help.

Detecting and mitigating employee theft in retail starts with the POS software itself. It is critical that retailer use software that has tools, known and unknown to users, that help confront the employee theft challenge. The best detection is the surprise detection, catching an employee when they least expect it, when they think they can get away with theft crime undetected.

The employee theft tracking and evidentiary tools in the Tower Systems POS software have been proven time and again to help retailers, police and prosecutors to deal with theft situations.

The best news is that engaged retailers who follow our advice are able to see theft easily, before the cost on the business is too great. Clearly, this is the best situation – early detection, early addressing of a situation before it becomes expensive and possibly terminal for a business.

Through our in-house theft specialists and personal experience running retail businesses, we offer training, advice and help using the awesome theft tracking and mitigation tools in our retail business POS software. At all times, our work is done in ways and following processes that are useful to any authorities brought in to deal with an employee theft situation.

Indie retail businesses can cut the cost of employee theft. It takes good POS software backed by good support with an oversight from leadership.

Tower Systems has years of experience working with small business retailers, police, prosecutors and insurance companies to help detect and mitigate theft in retail businesses, especially independent retail businesses.

POS software advice for small business gift shop owners

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Gift shop owners have plenty of choice when it comes to choosing gift shop software. There are many systems around and many companies from which to choose.

Choice is a good thing as it means you can compare and comparing is good.

If you are thinking about POS software for your gift shop, look around, do research, look for software that serves your needs  that is backed by training that works the way you want and has a support infrastructure setup how you would like to access support.

The software choice you make for your business is too important to get wrong. Hence, our advice to take your time, do your research, and make sure it is the decision you want.

Tower Systems serves hundreds of gift shops with Australian developed and supported gift shop software. We have been developing and supporting our gift shop software for years.

We think choosing a local company matters. It means they are closer to you, more understanding of local needs and more able to directly engage with you. Just as you might pitch shop local when promoting your local business that serves a local community, we think this m matters

Here is some of what you can do with the Tower Systems gift shop software:

  1. Handle buy now pay later with serval pay later services integrated with the software.
  2. Sell anywhere including in store, on the shop floor, at the local market, in homes, at clubs. Our Roam service makes selling anywhere easy.
  3. LayBy. If you offer this se4rvice in the old-fashioned (and often loved) way, we can help.
  4. Integrated EFTPOS. Fewer mistakes. A faster sales counter.
  5. Integrated Xero. Save time. Cut mistakes., Help guide better business reporting.
  6. Differentiating loyalty. Encourage loyalty with smart tools designed for your type of business. Give points the flick.
  7. Easy selling.
  8. fast selling.
  9. Beautiful receipts … Yes, you control their look!
  10. Special customer orders.
  11. Manage repairs – if you do them.
  12. Add value with what you sell. This is a secret and special facility our customers love.
  13. Cut dead stock.
  14. Help drive companion sales.

POS software is everywhere. Finding what is right for you  takes time, care and a software company willing to work with you to see if their pitch is right for you.

Tower Systems could be right. Check is out…

Advice from our POS software co. for small business retailers doing it tough

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We are often asked by small business retailers for business help when it is too late. In this article, we outline steps any retailer can contemplate from them moment they realise their business is in trouble, from the first thought that closing may be the only option.

If your retail business is in tough times and facing possible closure, you may be able to save it if you act quickly and ruthlessly. Based on years of working with many different retailers, we have found some basic steps can successfully turnaround a business in trouble. But you need to be ruthless.

  1. Know your truth. If you run a computer system, analyse the data it collects. If you don’t know how to do this, find out. Look for surprise information in your data, things you did not know about your business. For example, look at the top selling items. If there are surprises there they could inform other decisions you make to urgently address your situation.
  2. Trim employee costs. Cut employee hours and work more in the business yourself if you are not doing so already. While this can have a significant personal cost, the less you pay others the more be business benefits in financial terms.
  3. Trim overheads. Cut everything you can: cleaning, power usage, insurance, freight, banking. Look at every supplier relationship you have and see if you can negotiate a better deal to cut your operating costs. However, do not turn off lights as darkness is death in most retail businesses.
  4. Stop unprofitable behaviour. If you are doing things in your business which lose money or do not contribute to a good future for the business, stop doing them. Regardless of history or what your business might stand for, continuing with unprofitable activity only makes your situation worse.
  5. Quit dead stock. If you have stock on the shop floor which is old – ‘old’ can vary between product categories – and for which you have already paid, quit it. However, stock that is greater than six months old is a reasonable guide – then take action to sell this at a substantial discount.
  6. Cash matters. Converting anything you have fully paid for to cash has to be your key goal.
  7. Different retail options. Maybe a right or left turn away from what your business has been is an answer.
  8. Move things around. If your business is in trouble it is likely that it has not changed much in recent years. Change it. Move departments around, shake things up so your customers trip over things they did not think you sold.
  9. Review prices. Look at the common items you sell, consider a small increase in your prices. It could be a small increase will not hurt sales volume yet will add profit to your bottom line.
  10. Upsell well. At the counter, work to extend the basket for every sale possible. Do this with clever counter product placement and witty and engaging banter with customers offering upsell products. You goal has to be to make more from each customer.
  11. Market within your budget. Photocopied black and white flyers designed with care can be cheap and effective.
  12. Get suppliers to help. Suppliers often have old stock themselves which they want to quit at a substantial discount. Buy items you have not stocked before, negotiate good prices and put the stock out with a healthy margin but still at a discount to what others would be charging. Negotiate to pay once you are paid by customers.
  13. What assets can you sell? Do you have computers, retail fixtures, vehicles or other assets you no longer use in the running of the business? If they are not being used, turn them to cash as quickly as possible.
  14. Get a job. If you have a partner in the business with you and the business can run with one partner, one of you should get a job outside the business. This is especially helpful in a husband and wife situation where the family income can benefit.
  15. Talk to your landlord. A good landlord will prefer a good business to stay rather than have then close down and a new tenant having to be found. Talk to the landlord, be honest with them about your situation. Given the landlord all of the information they need to make the decision you need them to make. This information will include sales figures, expenses and margin information. Usually, the more transparent you are with the landlord the more they will support your business.
  16. Talk to colleagues. If you have nearby business colleagues in the same line of business, they might have stock they are happy to provide you for free or at a discount to give you stock to move for a good price.
  17. Deliver amazing customer service. When serving customers be the perfect shop assistance and not the owner of the business facing closure. Keep your mind on the job at hand and not the cliff you’re worried might be a few steps ahead.
  18. Whoever is pressuring you the most to close or contemplate closing, talk to them. If it’s a supplier, the tax office or some other organisation or individual pressuring you about debts, be upfront with them, lay out for them your plan detailing the action you will take to turn your situation around, be clear about what you are doing and outline a timeline step by step for them. Seek their support.
  19. Set a timeframe. Decide where you want to be in a week, four weeks, eight weeks, twelve weeks. Set realistic goals. Measure yourself against those goals. Know what you will do if you fall short.

No two situations are the same. No situation is impossible. No business is dead until the doors are closed for the last time.

Never give up. Fight hard and fight smart to turn your business around.

Retail business management advice: compete by not competing

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Too often we in small business see competition and get angry. We ignore the opportunity to change gears and stop competing

In our Tower Systems smart POS software we offer facilities through which you can change gears, through which you can recast your offer so it cannot be compared to those from a competitor.

Sometimes, the best way to complete is to not compete, to change the conversation, to get people seeing your business through a fresh lense.

These gear changing competitive tools in our current POS software include:

  1. Educate. Yes, our POS software helps you do this.
  2. Appreciate. Show your customers you love them, through personalised service during and after the sale.
  3. Aggregate. bring data together, information together, in a way that enhances your view of the business and your service of your customers.
  4. Motivate. Motivate your staff in ways that are smart, understood and customer-focussed.

Now, to some more practical ideas…

  1. Discount Vouchers. This is the most effective form of immediate loyalty rewards we have ever seen, driving excellent sales results. Charge more for an item and reward shoppers with cash off their next purchase.
  2. Buy X get Y – Multibuy. This focuses people on a volume based offer rather than a direct simple purchase.
  3. Package multiple items together for a price you set. Done right you can get more than the total value of the items in the package.
  4. Special orders. Major retailers tend to prefer to sell what they have. Special orders are often considered too difficult. If you manage it well and make it easy, you can pitch your business competitively.
  5. Sell you. Include insights, knowledge and advice with purchases, on receipts, automatically. Show, through every sale, that buying from you is different to other retailers where they could have purchased the same item.

Next time you feel competitive pressure from a big business, ask what you could change gearsin your business to position you differently, to not look like you are competing.

The more you can do to block direct price comparison the better.

Here at Tower Systems we can help with these and other initiatives in this area of smart competition.

The POS Software Blog

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