The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

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

Categorynewsagency software

Best practice POS software for newsagents helps businesses grow

July 18, 2017
3 Min read
B

The most valuable growth being achieved by small business newsagents today is in product categories that have not been traditional for newsagents.

While traditional categories such as papers, magazines and stationery can be found in retail newsagency businesses, they are not financially rewarding as they once were. This leads newsagents to question the investment they make in these categories of diminishing returns.

Tower Systems offers newsagents solutions in these old categories as well as the growing in value new product categories.

This focus by us as the newsagency software company serving close to 1,800 newsagents using our newsagency software is at the core of what we do for small business newsagents.

Hundreds of newsagents have switched their software to Tower Systems. We can connect you with reference sites who will speak to the commercially valuable difference between our software and what you use today.

Here are our commitments, our promises, to you:

  1. We will not leave the newsagency channel. With more than 1,750 newsagent customers today we are here for you.
  2. We will fight for you. Beyond our software, outside of support, we will help with supplier issues, business strategy and other challenges you confront.
  3. No locked-in support. Taking support coverage is optional. We never block access to your software if you choose to not take support coverage.
  4. Fast support. Most calls are handled when you call. If not, we call back fast.
  5. Easy management access. The leadership team of Tower Systems is available if you need them. We take customer service seriously and personally.
  6. Updates when you choose. You are in control of when you load updates.
  7. You are listened to. We offer the only transparent, user driven, software enhancement suggestion service. All our customers are listened to.
  8. Regular user meetings. Around the country, in city and regional locations – we offer free face to face training and networking through the year.
  9. Free training. Long after you install our software you have access to free personal training to refresh knowledge or provide training on new facilities.
  10. More integrations. Our direct links to Xero, Magento, Shopify and more mean you have more direct link options to help you grow your business.
  11. Business management insights. We can look at your business performance data and provide a personal analysis of what we see
  12. The Tower AdvantageTM. Our professional and friendly help from training to support to business advice. We are not your average software company.
  13. Owner access. Our owner, Mark Fletcher, is easily accessible: 0418 321 338.

You can purchase our software, lease it or even rent it by the month. You choose the path most appropriate to your needs. We make doing business easy.

Tower Systems has more newsagents using its software than all other newsagency software programs combined.

Read onRead later

POS software Xero link helps small business retailers drive sales

July 14, 2017
4 Min read
P

newsXpress Southland is a card, gift and collectibles shop in the sprawling Westfield Southland shopping centre in south east Melbourne.

With rent increasing faster than foot traffic to the 300+ store shopping centre, the manager of the business needed to connect with shoppers outside.

Online was the obvious choice but time was limited. The goal was to find a solution that enabled the business to get online without any additional management or accounting time involved.

Xero POS software partner Tower Systems provided an integrated Point of Sale solution for in-store and well as online. This seamless link, coupled with complete xero integration, provided the time-saving solution the business was looking for.

“In the first six month, online revenue passed A$75,000”, commented the Manager of the store. “This is a direct bottom line benefit for the business as there is no additional labour cost and no capital expenditure.”

“We could not have done this without the xero link as that enabled us to effectively open a second outlet without what in the past was additional accounting or bookkeeping cost.”

As the business has become more familiar with the Tower Systems and xero solutions it has evolved the online offering to be more comp0etitive against big retailers in the online space.  This has seen click and collect and online LayBy launched.

It is with online LayBy where the business has benefited from the xero integration in that the shopper is able to pay over time, interest free, and the retailer is paid immediately. There is no additional accounting or bookkeeping work involved as the data flows from the website to the POS to xero without being touched by human hands.

A shopper adds items to their shopping cart, they select online LayBy, provide basic instant credit check data and fine the application approved or otherwise in seconds. The retailer is paid less a small handling fee with the finance company taking full responsibility for collecting payment.

With click and collect, the payment is handled online. This works best as to commits the shopper and turns the in-store visit to an easy collection. Experience has shown this is what shoppers prefer rather than having to worry about payment in-store. It also means one person can purchased while another can collect, with appropriate secure authority.

Doing this, flowing data from shopper through to xero in this way eliminates mistakes that can be made when data is re-keyed. It also saves considerable time and this is a tangible business benefit.

“Control and transparency of data at each step in the line is key for our business because like any small business every cent of margin is important” commented the store manager. “The solution needed to be easy and neat for us and for our customers. Xero was a key part of achieving this.”

In addition to the xero integration, Tower Systems POS software integrates with Shopify, magento and WooCommerce – the three leading e-commerce platforms in the world. The web development team at Tower has enhanced these to offer a multi-store solution whereby independent retailers can trade under a single branded website rather than needing their own website.

“The xero integration is the back-office piece where real labour costs are reduced”, commented Gavin Williams, Tower Systems COO. “We only sell to independent small business retailers in selected retail niches such as bike shops, jewellers and garden centres. Having the xero integration is vital as they are all competing with big business and every saving, no matter how small, is loved.”

Tower Systems is an Australian based POS software company currently serving in excess of 3,500 small and independent business retailers. The company can be explo9red at www.towersystems.com.au.

Read onRead later

The easy way to compare small business POS software companies

July 13, 2017
1 Min read
T

Small business retailers can be bamboozled by claims made by POS software companies. Here is a guaranteed way to find the best POS software company for you in a comparison:

  1. Ask the companies you are interested in to visit your shop, to show you live and in person how their software handles questions you have about it.
  2. Speak with the owner of the POS software company. Ask them why your business matters. Ask them for details of retailers like you they have using their software.
  3. Get login access to their customer knowledge base. Look at th resources they provide.
  4. Look at their business blogs, compare the content and professionalism.
  5. Compare the written quotes. Ensure everything you require is included.
  6. Ask if software support coverage is mandatory. Get their answer in writing, from a director of the company.
  7. Ask for a total cost of ownership projection for three, four and five years.

These six points alone will offer a complete comparison outside of the software itself. It will force some companies to confront topics they would rather avoid.

Read onRead later

POS software Shopify link helps small business high street retailers sell online

July 11, 2017
4 Min read
P

Tower Systems offers direct integration between its small business POS software and Magento, Shopify and WooCommerce, as well as a generic link that retailers with web stores in other platforms can use.

The Tower Systems platform specific links have been developed to the standards of Magento, Shopify and WooCommerce. We have taken great care to ensure that we link as they intend, sharing the right data for a seamless connection between the physical store POS software and the o line store experience.

This drives shopper confidence and saves retailers time. It helps drive revenue too.

As operators of retail businesses as well as online businesses, Tower Systems is well placed to provide a whole of business physical store and online =store solution that is integrated, safe, easy and shopper outcome focussed.

Each link is different.  Here is information abut the Tower Systems POS software Shopify link:

What is Shopify?

Shopify is one of the easiest ways to setup and run an ecommerce store. We think it provides you with the ideal place to create you first website and gain experience in the world of ecommerce. You have complete control over the look and feel of your online store and can instant access fantastic look themes to reflect the personality of your business. For more information visit www.shopify.com.au.

What is the Retailer to Shopify Link?

The Tower Systems Retailer POS software to Shopify Link uses the Tower Advantage Link platform to allow Retailer to connect directly to your Shopify store. The Tower Advantage Link platform is a subscription-based service that acts as an intermediary between Retailer and the Shopify API.

How does the link work?

The link works by using the TALink platform platform to connect to the shopify API and synchronise your data.

Stock. Retailer is your master stock database. You flag what stock items you want to appear on your shopify store. Descriptions and extended descriptions are added as your titles and descriptions in Shopify. Newly flagged products are automatically added and if you edit items in Retailer you have field level control over how these are handled in Shopify.

Department and Categories. Your Retailer Departments and Categories become collections in Shopify. You can have a chose of either Department level collections or category level, but not both. If you choose to synchronise either a department or category, your existing structure will be mirrored and managed in Shopify automatically. If, however, you decide not link your Department and Categories in Shopify, you can allocate collections manually to products once they are added.

Classifications. Shopify does not have a mechanism to manage classifications.

Prices and Quantity On Hand. You have control over your webstore pricing from within the Retailer Stock Screen. Bulk updates of the webstore prices can be performed in Stock Manager. Once new prices are set, your web store is updated automatically.

Quantity on hand is also managed automatically, when your sell or arrive an item into stock these adjustments are sent directly to Shopify. If the quantity on hand of an items drops to 0, the item is marked as out of stock in Shopify.

Images. The images you set against stock items in Retailer are automatically uploaded to your website. If images change, then old one is removed and the new one is added. You can upload as many images as you like per stock item.

 

Customers. Customers that purchase off your webstore are added as customers in your Retailer database, allowing you to track what they buy and market to them if you desire. Existing customers with an email address will also be added to your web store to facilitate easy sales if you choose.

Sales. Sales are downloaded on a periodic basis and imported into Retailer. They are imported into our Customer Invoice Maintenance facility allowing you to place orders and print invoices if needed. Once sales are imported it reduces your quantity on hand so you maintain accurate stock control. Sales can be allocated to a specific location or merged to you main sales data, giving you excellent control over how you report on your webstore sales.

I don’t have a website but want one. Can Tower help?

Yes! We are expert in POS software and web store development and deployment.

Read onRead later

How a small discount voucher from our POS software led to a $1,500 purchase

July 9, 2017
4 Min read
H

I want to share with you a true story of what happened recently in one of my own shops – yes, I own this POS software co as well as retail shops. It is a story of how a small everyday purchase led to something bigger and how this happened as a result of fundamental changes in how the business is run.

This story could happen in any retail business – city, country, large, small, shopping mall, high street. I make that point so you do not dismiss the story and think it could not happen in your business. The elements of the story work together in any size business. In writing about it here I’m not getting you to do anything other than to consider that you could achieve the same in your business.

At its core, this is a story about shopper loyalty, especially shopper loyalty in a retail situation where between 25% and 30% of shoppers visiting the business are not local and therefore not likely to engage with the old-school points-based loyalty program.

A customer passing the shop noticed our greeting card range and stepped into make a purchase because of a specific need. They purchased two cards. On their receipt was a voucher for almost $2.00. As they are not usually in the shopping centre they looked around for something in which to spend the $2.00.

This is the key: the customer came in to make a quick destination purchase. The type of purchase where we did not matter. They were on the way to the car park and happened to pass buy our shop. Point 1: location is in our favour. The stepped in because they saw our greeting cards. Point 2: the floor placement of cards was key in getting them in the shop.

Having made the purchase, the customer then noticed, for the first time, what else we sold – because of the $2.00 discount voucher on their receipt. Point 3: we got them to look around and see what else we sold.

The customer did a 180 degree turn and saw a locked glass cabinet of beautiful collectible bears. This was in the right place at the right time as they had been looking for a gift for a child. Money was not an issue. They wanted something to last a lifetime. They purchased a $500.00 bear.

This purchase would not have been made had they not been given the $2.00 voucher on their receipt. The voucher is what got them to notice what else we sold.

Fast forward several weeks and this customer who said they don’t usually come to the shopping centre was back for another $500.00 purchase. Now, several more weeks later, the customer has another $500.00 order placed.

I can directly trace more than $1,500.00 in sales back to the $2.00 voucher.

The software produced the voucher based on rules I established. The initial staff member serving the customer made a brief professional pitch highlighting the voucher. These are both important factors as they are at the core of a structured consistent approach to what has become the most lucrative loyalty program I have seen in my 30+ years involved in retail as a retailer myself and working with retailers in many different channels.

While most times vouchers are handed out they are not redeemed, they are redeemed enough to make them worthwhile. They are redeemed for good margin product as they get people looking at the shop for the first time and discovering items to purchase they were not in our four walls to consider.

The discount vouchers are disruptive. People respond in unpredictable ways.

Best of all, the discount vouchers are profitable.

For this story to work in a newsagency you need to have the right products, placed strategically in-store. Your staff need to make the right pitch. Plus, you need to be attracting people who don’t know and probably don’t care what shop they are in.

If you have read this post and thought it does not relate to you, that you could not do this in your business I say you are wrong. I am certain the approach I have shared with you could work in any newsagency in any situation. I urge you to not hold your business back.

Read onRead later

Using POS software to cut employee theft in small business retail

July 6, 2017
5 Min read
U

Theft is retail can be expensive, particularly employee theft. Tower systems has a structured and proven approach for dealing with employee theft in retail businesses where the Tower Systems POS software is used.

The Tower POS software has tools for reducing the opportunity for theft. Better still, the software has hidden tools for tracking theft, tools that provide evidence police and prosecutors have used to successfully deal with theft situations.

It is the secret and secure facilities where our software provides retail business owners the evidence necessary to achieve successful resolution, as we have found in many employee theft situations where our help has been called upon.

Discovering theft by an employee can be debilitating and destabilising. To help you through this, Tower Systems provides advice and support on what to do once you discover employee theft. The goal is to offer straightforward steps to help you get through as it is on the other side of this where you can find the opportunity to move on from the feeling of violation that often accompanies employee theft in small business.

In addition to being a support, we provide practical advice an help for use our our POS software to reduce  the opportunity for employee theft and shopper theft.

Follow this advice on how to use our specialist retail software to hamper opportunities for theft and bolster the certainty of detecting it before it’s too late:

  1. Employ stock control for high volume items. Enter new stock as it comes in, scan all sales and only reorder based on what the software says. Perform a stock take regularly each month. High volume item stock discrepancies are an indicator of theft.
  2. Scan everything you sell. Do not use department tracking only – your data needs to be granular to prevent employees taking advantage of loose stock on hand quantities. Not scanning individual stock items is unfortunately an invitation to dishonest employees.
  3. Use the software-based end of shift procedure and have a zero-tolerance policy on cash balance discrepancies. Reconcile banking to your computer software at end of shift. We have seen businesses failing to do this: one was being skimmed regularly of $200 a day.
  4. Do spot cash balancing. Unexpected checks can uncover surprises. One business owner needing to perform banking during the day uncovered a $350 discrepancy that lead to the discovery of systematic theft.
  5. Mix up your roster. Sometimes people work together to steal. One retailer found a family friend senior and their teenage daughter stealing consistently.
  6. Check your audit Log. Look at cancelled sales, deleted sales and items deleted from a sale. Leaving a cash drawer open from the previous sale, scanning items, taking the cash and cancelling the sale is the most common process used by employees to accrue cash they then take from you. Our software tracks cancelled sales and what was in them. This can be matched with video footage.
  7. Check GP by department. If GP is falling outside what you expect, always research further.
  8. Publish a theft policy. Put this on a noticeboard in the back room. Get staff to read it and sign up to it. At the bottom of this page is a sample theft policy.
  9. Keep the store counter area clean. A better organised counter reduces the opportunity for theft. Reducing nooks and crannies makes detection of any cash hoarding easier.
  10. Have a “no employee bags” at the counter policy. This makes it harder for dishonest employees to hide stolen cash.
  11. Beware employees who carry folded paper or small notepads. These can be used for them to keep track of how much cash is in the register that is theirs – i.e. not rung up in the software.
  12. Beware of calculators and mobile phones at the counter. Employees can use these devices to track how much cash could be stolen prior to balancing for the day – cash from sales not processed.
  13. Do not let employees sell to themselves. If an employee wants to purchase something ensure they purchase it from the customer’s side of the counter.
  14. Be professional in your management of the business. The more professional your approach they less likely your employees will steal as they will see the risk of being caught as high. Do not take cash handling lightly; if you respect your business procedures your staff are more likely to too. Never take cash from the till for your own personal use, i.e. to buy lunch.
  15. Advise all job applicants that you will require their permission for a police check. From the outset this indicates that you take your business seriously. In many situations applicants who have been asked for permission to do a police check advise they have found a job elsewhere.

These steps work. They are based on decades of helping small business retailers to reduce and manage employee theft.

Read onRead later

Easy management of loyalty cards for small business retailers

July 3, 2017
2 Min read
E

Track shopper loyalty cards with ease using the Tower Systems POS software. Even something simple like th coffee card approach where each purchase receives a stamp or clip and at a certain milestone a free item, coffee or similar.

The retail loyalty software in the Tower Systems software handles this basic type of loyalty offer easily. You can eliminate the cards and each purchase is tracked, helping shoppers maximise rewards and thereby driving loyalty.

Better still, shoppers can have multiple loyalty cards in the one business – without the need to ever have the physical card. This works a treat for families where they collect multiple specialist items from a business. They can work and shop together for their benefit and for the benefit of the business.

Yes and even better still, the small business retailer can track and manage they, they can adjust settings, watch shopper engagement and leverage the loyalty opportunities of the benefit of the business.

Shoppers who like the idea of carrying their own card can continue to do this. The retailer has their records and the shopper has peace of mind of a care with a stamp or clip. Both parties have their needs and desires satisfied.

This is a good whole of business loyalty solution. It is ideal for small business retailers. Perfect for driving shopper engagement. Working in with suppliers too who offer retailers rebates for levels of shopper engagement. In the Tower Systems software retailers have access to a level of reporting necessary to serve the needs of these engaged suppliers.

This ability to run a coffee card type of loyalty is one of a broad range of loyalty solutions in the Tower Systems software. The facilities are strong, comprehensive and integrated – meaning small business retailers can use one, another or a mix of several to create the type of loyalty offer that will work best in their local situation.

Shopper loyalty programs are loved by shoppers and vital to small business retailers. They are a perfect way to different a business from a big business competitor. Tower Systems s offers the software. Better still, we offer business advice and guidance to lev rage the tools for maximum benefit.

Read onRead later

How to connect your POS software to your website

July 1, 2017
2 Min read
H

Connecting your high street retail business POS software to a website is straightforward if you are connected with software businesses that understand the importance and value of such a connection.

Tower Systems offers POS software to webstore direct connections for Magento, Shopify and WooCommerce – directly between its software and each of these e-commerce platforms. We have used the development APIs for each of the platforms to create three separate links.

For retailers using a lesser known webstore platform, we have a generic link that also works well to sync transaction and inventory data across two technology platforms.

The best link is tight, accurate and driving online and in-store business. We can demonstrate the value of this through many store connected websites we have crated for single businesses as well as for group businesses. We can shop the value of implementing online LayBy, click and collect, carious payment options, handling freight, handling customer special orders and handling preorders for highly sought after lines.

All of these things and plenty more have been addressed in the POS software webstore integrations that we have delivered to our small business friends.

As a POS software developer with a terrific team of web developers we are well positioned to provide a complete one-stop solution for in-store and online. This ensures small businesses are not lost in a battle between two software companies that point at each other as the cause of any issue. Providing both the website and the POS software there is one go-to place, one way to make the relationship work, one business responsible.

The Tower web team is also skilled at SEO and SEM services that help raise the website rankings in key search engines, ensuring the site is found ahead of others.

But best of all, Tower Systems provides professional advice and guidance to small business retailers keen to build their online presence. Our commitment is honest transparent advice on which any small business retailer can rely.

The Tower Systems web development team is Australian based, working out of the company’s head office in Hawthorn. This is important as many web development businesses are overseas. While you might have a locally based contact person development too often is done overseas, leading to challenges with delivery and usefulness.

Go to our website to find out more about our POS software webs store integrations.

Read onRead later

Small business retailers ready for EOFY

June 30, 2017
2 Min read
S

Wow! What a build up it has been form small business retailers using our software. They are ready for the end of the financial year thanks to an extraordinary roster of free live group training, free one on one training and easy access to videos and online training documents.

No matter how, when and where our customers wanted to access EOFY training they have been able to.

Many years ago we committed to running weekly live online accessible training, using a the world-class WebEx platform. We continue to run these weekly training sessions, years later. But this year the weekly sessions were not enough. Some weeks we did five sessions, as so many of our customers wanted to learn more about the amazing new and easy stock take tools in our software.

We love providing training and we love that our customers engage with it. Indeed, we are grateful to our customers for their engagement.

This financial year, many more small business retailers thanks to the free training we have provided access to.

And the training continues. next week we have a terrific interactive and live session on reordering. We can help retailers cut mistakes through a faster and more accurate reordering process that can significantly improve the bottom-line performance of the business. Like all our training workshops, access is free.

Training opportunities cities never stop at Tower Systems.

Our approach to training is actions speak louder than words. While it is easy for any POS software company to announce they will offer training, it is another thing entirely to deliver.

Read onRead later

Tower Systems offers small business retailers help with the Petya malware attack

June 28, 2017
1 Min read
T

We published to our small business POS software customers today reminder advice on the best steps to follow to protect the business against impact from malware. This is especially relevant today because of the overnight Petya attack in the UK and elsewhere, including in Australia.

Being early with consistent professional advice helps our small business customers protect their businesses.

Here is best practice advice on which any computer user can rely:

MALWARE WARNING.
A new malware attack on computers is sweeping the world. It has hit the UK government, big businesses (shutting down the Cadbury factory in Tasmania) and small businesses. Please protect your business. Here is our advice.

  1. Tell all who use your computers to not open any emails that look suspicious in any way.
  2. Do not click on any links unless you are 100% sure.
  3. Do not open attachments unless you are 100% sure.
  4. Make sure you have the latest Windows update running on every computer.
  5. Never connect a computer to your network unless you are sure it is clean.
  6. Advise all employees of these requirements.

The easiest way to recover is if you use a professional cloud backup.

Read onRead later

Security warning for small business retailers

June 27, 2017
2 Min read
S

2017 has seen an extraordinary spike in attacks on computers and on websites. Our ability to help will depend on the care you have taken. Our advice is that you use a cloud backup service, like the Tower Backup service we offer. It works in the background, backing up without you having to do a backup. If your business is attacked, getting back to a clean and safe place is easy. Any reputable backup service should be able to offer similar to you.

Please do not put this off. Get protection for your business and your business data. You don’t want to be the person who does this after you have been attacked.

At the very least, backup every day, onto a USB stick for that day. While this is an old-school approach, it is better than nothing at all.

But let’s be clear, cloud backup is our recommendation. Our service provides you with a local backup and an offsite backup, in the cloud. This gives you two backups, excellent protection. We monitor the backups to ensure they are working. If we find an issue, we proactively call you. This is rare from a cloud backup service provider.

Here at Tower Systems we take data security seriously. We provide best-pracie advice. Our customers are welcome to use our service or another, our recommendation, however, is that they do something – to be protected.

Too often small business retailers think about data security after they have been affected. Hence this advice here and in our weekly emails and elsewhere in our touch points with customers.

Read onRead later

More accountants join the Tower Systems POS software Xero list

June 26, 2017
1 Min read
M

We are thrilled to welcome more Xero skilled accountants and bookkeepers to our list of professional resources, listed on our website. This is another service for our small business retail friends. We are grateful to our customers for their feedback on the usefulness of this service. What you can see below is only a fraction of the list.

Read onRead later

Welcoming more newsagents to the Tower Systems community

June 23, 2017
1 Min read
W

We are kicking some terrific goals with the Tower Systems software for newsagents with strong sales to businesses switching to our software.

While newsagents love the newsagency specific facilities in the software, it is the optional software support fee that attracts people. Newsagents can use our software regardless of whether they pay a support fee or not. This use includes being able to use XchangeIT for magazine returns – at no locked-in annual cost from Tower.

Our latest software update enhances the facilities for newsagents even further. The feedback from our customers about the update is inspiring. We are grateful for their support, and inspiration.

Read onRead later

Regional small business POS software user meetings demonstrate customer care

June 23, 2017
2 Min read
R

We are grateful to our customers and prospective customers who attended regional face to face small business POS software training and user meetings in New South Wales this week.

As we criss-crossed the north of New South Wales by plane and car we covered plenty of ground and met with plenty of small business people, from different specialty retail sectors.

Every encounter in our sessions and after in private Q&A added to our knowledge of small business retail and provided us an opportunity to preach Tower.

100% committed to only selling to small business retailers, we demonstrated through the sessions a commitment to transparency, welcoming customers and prospects to one session in each town. It was terrific hearing the blend of questions and sharing solutions that are well covered in our software today.

It is hard work putting together regional in-person user meetings like these. And expensive. These are reasons most POS software companies do not do it. That we do run these sessions is a genuine differentiator for Tower Systems. Plus, for those unable to attend, we host weekly online workshops, without fail.

Next week, we hit top far north Queensland with four sessions. We are looking forward to learning more and sharing more with small business retailers from a range of channels.

Read onRead later

Click and collect helps small business retailers win more online sales

June 21, 2017
3 Min read
C

Tower Systems has been offering click and collect for its various developed online websites for months. It is a ripper of a success, both in terms of sales and attracting new shopper traffic.

Our POS software connected website solutions in magento, Shopify and WooCommerce deliver valuable new traffic solutions. Click and collect is one of several enhancements key to this.

Click and collect is where people shop online and visit a physical store to pick up the goods purchased. It is a major focus of big business retailers like David Jones, Myer, Officeworks, Coles and others. Offering it shows online shoppers how current you are in your online approach. It builds trust.

Customers like that they can shop online at any time, pay online, and be certain that what they purchased is set aside for them to collect at any time.

It is shop online at any time that matters in that the majority of transactions are done outside usual shopping hours. This gives click and collect businesses an advantage – they can win the sale and bank the revenue while their nearby competitors are closed.

Another benefit of click and collect is that it introduces new shoppers to a business. Two thirds of click and collect shoppers surveyed visit the shop from where they collected the goods for the first time. Half purchased other items while in the store. Close to half came back for more purchases, having discovered what the store sells.

Around a quarter of click and collect shoppers use interest-free online LayBy… meaning they buy now, pay later and get the goods right away. The retailer is paid right away less a tiny processing fee that is not much more than the usual credit card fee.

Click and collect is not a massive game changer. Rather, it is a small step in a series of steps that make up a successful comprehensive online strategy.

A comprehensive online strategy is key to competing with other online businesses as well as with other high street businesses.

The way we help our small business retail customers leverage click and collect is through offering access to absolutely current stock on hand data for sought after brands. Having this, updated every 5 minutes 24/7 is what shoppers want when shopping online. It is hard to achieve – this is a reason many small and independent retailers and retail groups have not done it.

Online is big and growing. You only have to look at data from any of the online giants to understand this.

Tower Systems is thrilled to offer leadership on this.

Read onRead later

Major enhancements delivered in newsagency software update from Tower Systems

June 20, 2017
2 Min read
M

Tower Systems has delivered significant enhancements for the 1,750+ newsagents using its best-practice newsagency software with another major software update.

The company approaches developing software updates with care and consideration, knowing that it is spending customer money, as updates are funded our ion software support fees.

The latest update delivers enhancements in a range of areas of including online, offline, integrations and business efficiency.

Of particular value is supplier engagements of high GP value to newsagents.

As the newsagency channel continues to transition from an old-school approach to something more attuned to retail today, Tower Systems is at the forefront of enhancements thanks to close relationships with suppliers that are helping to lead newsagency business changes.

Helping newsagents be smart in how, when and where they sell is key to where the skilled POS software development at Tower Systems is engaged. This is reflected in this latest POS software update as newsagents are better positioned than ever to help evolve their businesses through the technology partnership.

Newsagent suppliers who have remained rooted in low-margin product areas and who have obligated small business newsagents to inefficient practices are not getting the same attention from the leadership team of Tower as the company is focussed in better margin and new traffic.

This is where the company sees the newsagency of the future.

The number of newsagency businesses switching to Tower reflects a shared view that the Tower Systems approach is the correct approach. We are grateful for these relationships and remain committed to helping newsagents thrive through change.

Read onRead later

Tower Systems brings POS software / webstore workshop to regional Australia

June 19, 2017
2 Min read
T

Launching today, small business POS software company is bringing training, insights and inspiration to small business retailers in regional Australia through a series of thoughtful and interactive live workshops in towns and cities in New South Wales and Queensland.

Each session is free and each will be attended by senior folk from ur business, sharing the latest insights from Australia and overseas.

  1. Coffs Harbour. June 19. 10am. Novotel.
  2. Tamworth. June 20. 10am. Leagues Club.
  3. Newcastle. June 21. 10am. Mercure.
  4. Dubbo. June 22. 10am. Quest.
  5. Wagga Wagga. June 23. 10am. International Hotel.
  6. Cairns. June 26. 2pm. Novotel.
  7. Townsville. June 27. 10am. Mercure.
  8. Mackay. June 28. 10am. Mackay Grande Suites.
  9. Rockhampton. June 29. 10am. Quest.
  10. Gold Coast. July 5. 2pm. Sofitel.

Come and see how small business retailers around the world are using website connected POS software to win online sales.

We will explain how to get to the top of Google search results. In fact, we will show it with live search.

We will demonstrate the connection between social media posts (Facebook, Twitter etc) in-store sales and online sales.

At our FREE workshops near you and find out more about how you can equip your retail business to confront the changes in retail, transact online and compete with big businesses, including Amazon.

There will be no hard sell. Our goal is to share practical information to help you better plan for the future of your regional retail business.

Anyone is welcome including people on whom you rely for advice, such as accountants and mentors.

We hope to see you at one of these workshops. I am keen to share with you what I have seen and learnt in this rapidly changing space.

There will be plenty of time for questions on any topic connected with retail.

We have software for: gift shops, jewellers, bike shops, pet shops,  toy shops, fishing/outdoors, garden centres/nurseries, newsagents, produce stores and firearms retailers.

Read onRead later

Free POS software & e-commerce workshop for regional QLD small business retailers.

June 14, 2017
2 Min read
F

Retail is changing at a rapid rate. Changes in-store and online are making 2017 an important year.

We have see these changes first-hand at international retail conferences this year. We play with the changes in our own shops where we use our POS software and our website technology to find new customers and drive a higher average spend.

Come to one of our FREE workshops near you and find out more about how you can equip your retail business to confront the changes in retail, transact online and compete with big businesses, including Amazon.

Here are the dates for our free POS software / website workshops. Click on the city name to book your place:

  1. Cairns. June 26. 2pm. Novotel.
  2. Townsville. June 27. 10am. Mercure.
  3. Mackay. June 28. 10am. Mackay Grande Suites.
  4. Rockhampton. June 29. 10am. Quest.

We will share insights on how small business retailers around the world are using website connected POS software to win online sales.

We will explain how to get to the top of Google search results.

We will demonstrate the connection between social media posts (Facebook, Twitter etc) in-store sales and online sales.

There will be no hard sell. Our goal is to share practical information to help you better plan for the future of your regional retail business.

Anyone is welcome including people on whom you rely for advice, such as accountants and mentors.

If you have sales queries prior to these events please talk with your local account manager: QLD: Justin Randall. 0434 365 789.

I hope to see you at one of these workshops. I am keen to share with you what I have seen and learnt in this rapidly changing space.

There will be plenty of time for questions on any topic connected with retail.

We have software for: gift shops, jewellers, bike shops, pet shops,  toy shops, fishing/outdoors, garden centres/nurseries, newsagents, produce stores and firearms retailers.

Read onRead later

Small business retail advice: how to organise your back room

June 12, 2017
3 Min read
S

The back room of a retail business is a window on the efficiency and focus of the business. This is a fair assumption because it is where the business is organized.. A disorganized back room reflects a likely disorganized business.

Organizing the back room is easy. Those who disagree are probably spending too much time thinking about it and not enough time creating an efficient and enjoyable work space.

Here are some simple tips for organizing the back room of any retail business.

Have defined areas. Separate, mark out and manage the areas for: inward goods, spare floor stock, returns, administration and employee rest space. Locate each area in a logical position.

For example, inward goods needs to be located inside the doorway away from main traffic but close enough to be convenient to delivery people. Create a defined process around this space – such as every delivery being signed for and even verified by a second person if the value of deliveries warrants this.

Administration documents and materials need to be located in an area more secure than the general back room space. It also needs to be in office cabinets and units which can be locked.

A place for everything. Pens, pencils, tape, box cutters, scissors, paper, boxes, packaging materials – everything in the back room should have its defined space. This creates a safer and more enjoyable work environment. The better organization also encourages all others in the organization to be better organized. Lead by example.

Communicate clearly. Setup a notice board or a white board onto which you can communicate with all employees. This should be located next to the door which leads from the room to the shop floor. The noticeboard can share important information about the business as well as required health and safety notices.

Don’t hoard. Retailers are notorious hoarders, handing on to everything in case they need it one day. While it is easy to say don’t hoard, the reality is different. Here is a simple tip for retailers with space available. Set aside some space, hopefully somewhat hidden – where you put anything which you are not using and don’t think you will need but are not prepared to throw out. Not the date you put it there. review this space every six months. Items you do not use in six months should be thrown out.

Structure and discipline are the keys to a good back room. get these right and the business itself will become more organized as a result.

This is an example of practical business advice we provide at Tower Systems to our retail customers, advice beyond our POS software, to help our retail business partners get more from their engagement with us.

Read onRead later

Employee theft remains the biggest concern of small business retailers.

June 10, 2017
1 Min read
E

Employee theft in small retail businesses remains the biggest single concern among small business retailers and the biggest single cost to retail businesses.

We say this based on evidence of interaction with 3,500+ small business retailers in our user community and from working with plenty of retailers outside our user community, helping them to deal with the hurt and cost of discovering theft by retailers.

We have tried many approached to getting the attention of small business retailers on the issue of theft. One of the most successful means of engagement has been this cheeky video from us. It gets attention.

We have used it through YouTube as well as other platforms. It works a treat, gaining thousands of views.

Read onRead later

Australian developed POS software for Australian specialty retailers

June 9, 2017
2 Min read
A

A good Point of Sale system pays for itself every day by helping retailers increase customer spend per visit, bring customers back more regularly, reduce the cost of slow or dead stock, reduce mistakes and make better business decisions.

Australian POS software company Tower Systems is grateful for the opportunity to help more than 3,500 independent small business retailers leverage more benefits from being part of the group.

Consistent stock files, electronic invoices, easier business-to-business comparison and more targeted business development assistance are just some of the benefits you can expect from a more consistent solution.

But being independent businesses we understand you need a computer system over which you have absolute control and security within your business.

That is what the Tower Systems solution offers – locally run software for your type of business in your business over which you have control yet that can be run in a manner that helps others you work with help you.

Tower Systems has a strategy for helping individual businesses as well as businesses that trade as part of a group.

From the sales counter to the back office to online, Tower Systems has comprehensive solutions to work with and for a business in a broad variety of ways. these solutions are available for a variety of retail businesses channels, with software designed specifically for the businesses in these channels.

We have software for: gift shops, jewellers, bike shops, pet shops,  toy shops, fishing/outdoors, garden centres/nurseries, newsagents, produce stores and firearms retailers.

Read onRead later

Helping small business retailers manage efficient and accurate stock takes

June 8, 2017
1 Min read
H

The annual stock take can consume a small business, taking time and resources away from more productive activities.

Tower Systems has a range of time-efficient and accuracy-guiding stock take options in its software. These options can be leveraged to make the annual stock take faster. They can also be leveraged to eliminate the annual stock take altogether.

Yes, small retail businesses can avoid the annual stock take.  This can be done in a way that meets the requirements of the ATO, that ensures the business fulfils its data tracking and record keeping obligations.

All through June, and last month in May, Tower Systems has offered and is offering access to many live stock take training workshops. As sessions fill we add more, at flexible times. Plus, we supplement these with the offer of free one on one training for business owners who cannot make it for any of our scheduled times.

Our small business retail stock take training covers all forms of stock takes and includes advice on how to eliminate the annual stock take if you would like to achieve that.

This free training and personal assistance with stock takes in another Tower AdvantageTM.

Read onRead later

Free POS software & e-commerce workshop for regional NSW small business retailers.

June 6, 2017
2 Min read
F

Retail is changing at a rapid rate. Changes in-store and online are making 2017 an important year.

We have see these changes first-hand at international retail conferences this year. We play with the changes in our own shops where we use our POS software and our website technology to find new customers and drive a higher average spend.

Come to one of our FREE workshops near you and find out more about how you can equip your retail business to confront the changes in retail, transact online and compete with big businesses, including Amazon.

Here are the dates for our free POS software / website workshops. Click on the city name to book your place:

  1. Coffs Harbour. June 19. 10am. Novotel.
  2. Tamworth. June 20. 10am. Leagues Club.
  3. Newcastle. June 21. 10am. Mercure.
  4. Dubbo. June 22. 10am. Quest.
  5. Wagga Wagga. June 23. 10am. International Hotel.

We will share insights on how small business retailers around the world are using website connected POS software to win online sales.

We will explain how to get to the top of Google search results.

We will demonstrate the connection between social media posts (Facebook, Twitter etc) in-store sales and online sales.

There will be no hard sell. Our goal is to share practical information to help you better plan for the future of your regional retail business.

Anyone is welcome including people on whom you rely for advice, such as accountants and mentors.

If you have sales queries prior to these events please talk with us: Please call our sales team at 1300 662 957 or email them at sales@towersystems.com.au.

I hope to see you at one of these workshops. I am keen to share with you what I have seen and learnt in this rapidly changing space.

There will be plenty of time for questions on any topic connected with retail.

We have software for: gift shops, jewellers, bike shops, pet shops,  toy shops, fishing/outdoors, garden centres/nurseries, newsagents, produce stores and firearms retailers.

Read onRead later

How our POS software Xero link helps us win online sales for our own retail business

June 2, 2017
4 Min read
H

 

Online LayBy made easy.

newsXpress Southland is a card, gift and collectibles shop in the sprawling Westfield Southland shopping centre in south east Melbourne. It is our own business. We run this as a testing groups for our small business POS software.

With rent increasing faster than foot traffic to the 300+ store shopping centre, the manager of the business needed to connect with shoppers outside.

Online was the obvious choice but time was limited. The goal was to find a solution that enabled the business to get online without any additional management or accounting time involved.

Xero partner Tower Systems provided an integrated Point of Sale solution for in-store and well as online. This seamless link, coupled with complete xero integration, provided the time-saving solution the business was looking for.

“Online revenue is fantastic”, commented the manager of the store. “There is a direct bottom line benefit for the business as there is no additional labour cost and no capital expenditure.”

“We could not have done this without the xero link as that enabled us to effectively open a second outlet without what in the past was additional accounting or bookkeeping cost.”

As the business has become more familiar with the Tower Systems and xero solutions it has evolved the online offering to be more comp0etitive against big retailers in the online space.  This has seen click and collect and online LayBy launched.

It is with online LayBy where the business has benefited from the xero integration in that the shopper is able to pay over time, interest free, and the retailer is paid immediately. There is no additional accounting or bookkeeping work involved as the data flows from the website to the POS to xero without being touched by human hands.

A shopper adds items to their shopping cart, they select online LayBy, provide basic instant credit check data and fine the application approved or otherwise in seconds. The retailer is paid less a small handling fee with the finance company taking full responsibility for collecting payment.

With click and collect, the payment is handled online. This works best as to commits the shopper and turns the in-store visit to an easy collection. Experience has shown this is what shoppers prefer rather than having to worry about payment in-store. It also means one person can purchased while another can collect, with appropriate secure authority.

Doing this, flowing data from shopper through to xero in this way eliminates mistakes that can be made when data is re-keyed. It also saves considerable time and this is a tangible business benefit.

“Control and transparency of data at each step in the line is key for our business because like any small business every cent of margin is important” commented the manager. “The solution needed to be easy and neat for us and for our customers. Xero was a key part of achieving this.”

In addition to the xero integration, Tower Systems POS software integrates with Shopify, magento and WooCommerce – the three leading e-commerce platforms in the world. The web development team at Tower has enhanced these to offer a multi-store solution whereby independent retailers can trade under a single branded website rather than needing their own website.

“The xero integration is the back-office piece where real labour costs are reduced”, commented Gavin Williams, Tower Systems COO. “We only sell to independent small business retailers in selected retail niches such as bike shops, jewellers and garden centres. Having the xero integration is vital as they are all competing with big business and every saving, no matter how small, is loved.”

Tower Systems is an Australian based POS software company currently serving in excess of 3,500 small and independent business retailers. The company can be explored at www.towersystems.com.au.

Read onRead later
The POS Software Blog

Categories

Categories

Categories

Recent Comments

Monthly Archives