Tower Systems one sells its POS software to independent small business retailers. This is one of our strengths. We are proud to be local and small business focussed.
Proudly local POS software for small business retailers
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Loyalty marketing in small business retail: How Tower Systems helps retailers get shoppers back sooner
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All retailers, want shoppers to spend more in each visit and to come back more often.
Yet most retailers are uncomfortable overtly engaging with shoppers to get spend more in a visit or come back sooner.
Years ago, the thought was that a shopper VIP card or points based loyalty program was the way to go. Today, with such programs commonplace, their value is diluted.
There is talk among shoppers of loyalty fatigue – they are doubting the value of cards and programs where real rewards are not what was first offered.
Change the game: front-end loyalty
Instead of making shoppers accrue points that are then converted for cash at some future stage, why not offer cash-based rewards earlier, from the first purchase?
This approach is called front-ending loyalty. It brings a reward to the front in an effort to engage shoppers in additional purchases sooner.
It’s an approach that can encourage those who do not shop with you to purchase something else right away, to get the value of the cash discount offered.
Regular shoppers can spend the cash discount right away or come back within any time limit you set.
We started trialling this front-end loyalty strategy in February 2013 in several retail businesses. We did it using the Discount Vouchers facilities in the Tower POS software.
Building the basket
From the first day, in my own shop, we saw shoppers changing behaviour.
One customer came in to purchase a specific item. When I handed him the receipt I point out the voucher offering $2.00 of his next purchase. He was not a regular and so spent the $2.00, and more, right away on another item. He received another voucher and so purchased a third item. In all, he spent three times as much as the original purchase – all because of the Discount Vouchers he received.
Around 33% of all vouchers redeemed are used the day they are received. This shows customers building the basket – adding to their purchase that day as a result of the voucher. This makes each visit more valuable to us.
Bringing shoppers back
33% of redeemed vouchers are used within seven days and the remaining 33% are redeemed up to four weeks after issue, bringing shoppers back.
There is real evidence now from hundreds of retailers supporting these claims.
Here’s another real story: A few months ago, a customer came in and used a voucher she had picked up a couple of weeks earlier. She was happy to get $5.00 off a $65.00 item she wanted. This purchase resulted in another voucher so she bought another item for $29.95.
This customer said her friends had been recently talking about VIP cards and how they were useless. She then told them about us.
Changing how shoppers interact.
In another instance a customer was considering a $250.00 item but decided they could not justify the expense. They purchased some smaller items, spending $25.00.
On receiving a $5.00 voucher they turned around, immediately, and bought the $250.00 item.
We asked what happened. The answer was I don’t know. I needed permission I guess and the $5.00 did it.
This is a true story and there are many more like it in hundreds of retail businesses.
The key about discount vouchers is they change shopper behaviour, usually immediately and valuable for the business.
Indeed, discount vouchers are a game changer for many retail businesses, large an small, city and country.
We love hearing the stories of success from your customers.
You control the business rules
Like any good loyalty program, you need good levers with which to drive shopper engagement and to deliver the benefits to justify the investment.
The Discount Vouchers facilities have this.
You control the amount of each sale you are prepared to give away on the voucher.
You control the products the voucher can be used for.
You control how long the voucher is live for. I suggest 28 days but I have some retailers setting this at 90 days.
Helping your business
With most retail businesses running a loyalty program using a points based approach and only targeting long-term customers, adoption of this front-end loyalty approach can provide you with a genuine point of difference.
It is easily managed through the Tower Systems software and is backed by excellent management reports. This makes implementation and management easier than the old approach.
I’m confident this fresh approach to loyalty is a game changer for any retail business. The control you have enables you to easily manage the cost and the value you gain from the program.
This really is a new approach to bringing shoppers back sooner and getting them to spend more with you.
The success we have described here continues today, in 2018. Excellent incremental growth, wonderful business rewards, leveraged through shopper rewards.
POS software connected websites help small business retailers leverage high street and online
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Tower Systems specialises in developing and supporting POS software for specialty retailers in selected retail channels as well as developing and supporting POS software connected websites for these businesses.
We with with these retailers: gifts, jewellers, bikes, toys, fishing/outdoors, garden centres, pet shops, produce, firearms, adult shops and newsagents.
Our Magento websites are best practice, bringing the latest e-commerce facilities to high street retail, enabling these retailers to connect with shoppers anywhere in the world.
The benefits of a POS software connected website are considerable:
- Accurate stock on hand data for the website.
- Time saved in managing inventory and sales data.
- Fewer mistakes thanks to the elimination of double handling of business data.
- Easy management of inventory data with only one entry point of data – the POS software – feeding the website automatically, efficiently and accurately.
- Easy tagging on and off of what you sell online.
- Fast photo upload.
- Whole of business management.
- Easy management of click and collect.
Managing the physical and online outlets through a linked and integrated platform is good business. It is also good for the customer.
Thanks to a skilled web development team and a skilled POS software team, Tower Systems is able to offer a whole of business solution from within the one company, not using any external resources. We bring to the table focus, consistency and a track record of success in POS software as well as retail business websites.
Working with small business retailers across a variety of channels has exposed us to experiences that have been invaluable in developing our skill set.
Working on developing websites for our own retail businesses makes this personal for us. We can take you deep into our own experiences of POS software integrated websites, showing not only the how but also the why and when. Thanks to our own personal experience we can provide context and this is a differentiating factor for us.
We can talk about going from start-up to half a million dollars in online sales in a year: the impact on the high street, the back end processes necessary for fulfilment, the financial side as well as how we got the level of exposure necessary to drive the sales we achieved.
If you want to grow online sales, talk with us. We can talk about web development as well as business management and marketing necessary to achieve this. We start with a business to business discussion as getting that right is vital to the tech delivering the benefits you want.
You will find us open about the experience. We take education seriously and will happily share what we know.
Tower Systems is not your usual POS software company
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POS SOFTWARE IS ONLY PART OF OUR STORY.
We help retailers grow their businesses.
When I started Tower Systems I wanted it to be more than a regular POS software company. I knew we would only sell to independent small retail businesses and only develop software for specific retail niches.
I also knew I wanted us to help beyond the software itself.
On an average day, we help retailers buy better, discover theft, improve efficiency and increase the average basket size.
We train our front line people in business so they can help your business. They are not your usual POS software help desk people.
We also help by creating marketing collateral, like this new poster we created in-house for fishing and outdoor businesses that use our software:
Or this one for pet stores:
Let us show you our POS software. Email sales@towersystems.com.au or call for an obligation free demonstration: Please call our sales team at 1300 662 957 or email them at sales@towersystems.com.au.
We are proud to serve 3,500 specialty retailers with our software.
Tower Systems shares insights from Magento Imagine 2018 conference in Las Vegas
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We are grateful here at Tower Systems for the partnership we share with Magento, the e-commerce platform businesses prefer when bringing transactions and services online. We were at the Magento Imagine 2018 conference in Las Vegas. Our Magento integration with our POS software is world class, ideal for small business retailers. Here is a short video with some of the many insights we gained.
We love POS software integrated Tyro for our small business retailer customers
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Our Tower Systems POS software has been integrated with the Tyro broadband EFTPOS for years. we love Tyro and our customers love Tyro. Their solution is excellent and they are a dream to deal with.
In a recent note to our customers, we shared why we love Tyro:
- 🎯 Reliable Systems: 99.9% uptime with 3G backup, dual live data centres.
- 💸 Faster Than Cash: Sub 1.6 second transactions to keep queues short.
- 👍 Easy Setup: Quick & simple set-up: plug-in, activate & go.
- 💱 Seamless POS Integration
- 🏦 Keep Your Current Bank: Tyro can deposit your EFTPOS takings into any Australian bank. We can even open a fee-free bank account for you.
- 🔒 Secure Transactions: Proprietary security.
- 🏝️ Local Support: 24/7 100% Aussie customer support.
- 🌈 No Lock In Contracts: No lock in contract: we believe in our products.
- 📝 Instant Reporting: Real-time reporting and stress free reconciliation.
As an independent bank, far outside the major banks, Tyro is small business focussed. We really like this. we like the small business focus. Our customers are all small businesses, we only sell to small businesses. Hence our attention to and preference for small business focussed companies.
The integration in our POS software with Tyro is easy to setup and solid to operate. It delivers excellent operational benefits for retailers and for their customers. It is a perfect solution for small business retailers.
Another crucial factor here is the speed of addressing issues as issues do arise from time to time with EFTPOS. Getting fast answers to questions and support to resolve challenges is key with any EFTPOS relationship. Tyro is brilliant here. Their help is easy to access, professional and small business focussed.
In our experience working with big banks and Tyro in our own retail shops, which we have run for many years, is tyro is a dream to work with. we use Tyro in our own shop for the vet reasons we have outlined above.
So, our POS software integrated Tyro broadband EFGPOS is a solid preference from Tower Systems for all the reasons we have outlined here and detailed in the list shared above.
Small business matters to us here at Tower Systems.
New t-shirts for POS software team pitch small business support
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We are proud to note that our team members have new t-shirts that pitch small business as a valuable and active part of the economy. Here is a sneak peek…
Meeting small business POS software customers in Auckland next week
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We are in Auckland next week meeting with customers and potential customers in New Zealand. We are regularly in NZ thanks to a strong user community of small business retailers using our software.
Our NZ customers have easy access to on-site training as well as support, through a toll free number provided to all.
Handling all New Zealand Inland Revenue reporting and tax requirements, our NZ POS software is terrific for retailers in the various specialty niches in which we serve. It has been thus for many years, since we first entered the NZ marketplace.
While we are in Auckland next week we will meet with business partners who provide local hardware sales and support, offering small business retailers the comfort they want for the maximum uptime.
Retail in New Zealand is different to Australia in several interesting ways. While we will not detail them here for competitive reasons, the differences are valuable to us as in meeting them we make our software more valuable in Australia and other countries in which we work.
We are grateful to our NZ customers for their engagement and support. They help make us a better POS software company.
Awesome pet shop software helps independent pet retailers
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We love your pet shop software. It is so much better for our business than the software it replaced. We also love your training. It’s awesome that we can get as much as we want one on one. Thank you so much!
We were thrilled to receive this feedback from one of our new customers where we just installed our pet shop software.
We arena a roll, insulating plenty of pet shops with our software and some of these new customers are switching from other software.
We are seriously engaged with pet retailers by providing:
- Pet store specific software.
- Access to supplier electronic invoices.
- Pet store specific marketing tools.
- Easy shopper upsell tools.
- Email marketing support.
- Pet anniversary prompts.
- Marketing based on pet birthdays and other anniversaries.
- Group discounts, where members of a local group loyal to you save money.
- Easy loading of electronic invoices from your suppliers.
- Linking to a website for online sales.
- Linking to Xero to cut bookkeeping and external accounting costs.
- Rewarding loyal shoppers with points and / or cash off their next purchase.
- Making it easy for a store to share local knowledge and thereby leverage their local small business compared to the big businesses.
Another way we help maximise sales is with an instant loyalty reward. This is particularly useful where you see shoppers infrequently. Using rules you control, a receipt can include a voucher offering an amount off the next purchase.
An average 19% redemption rate for the vouchers with a third redeemed the day of purchase. Male shoppers are far more likely to redeem the day of purchase.
The latest version of our pet shop software is rolling out now. It has more facilities, terrific enhancements … making it a valuable tool pet retailers can rely on to better serve their local community and those who rely on the business.
We are not your average POS software company.
Our commitment to independent small business retail is heartfelt. You can see it in our Australian developed pet shop software, our Australian based customer service and the business management and marketing advice we provide.
I you would like help in your business, please give us a call. I promise, we will not pressure you whatsoever.
Here are the contact details for our team: Please call our sales team at 1300 662 957 or email them at sales@towersystems.com.au.
Why small business retailers no longer need to pay for a stock take
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The annual stock take in retail businesses has been a thing of the past for years. While plenty of shops run stock take sales, there is no need for the annual count that the sale is supposed to make easier.
The ATO agrees that a business does not have to do a stock take as long as it consistently follows structured business processes that track all incoming and outgoing stock and that there are scheduled checks to ensure the accuracy of stock on hand data.
There was a time when small business retailers would have to bring in external stock takes and pay hefty fees for counting, sometimes needing to be closed while this was done.
Today, however, with good POS software and good business practices the business can provide a stock listing that meets ATO reporting requirements and saves the business that end of financial year time soak.
Tower Systems can help small business retailers with the software and the business processes that support the software in its accurate and timely use.
Following the businesses processes we train small business retailers on also helps reduce dead stock and cut other costs businesses find when stock is not managed professionally.
Tracking goods as they come in and are returned or sold is an effective part of a stock take. As is an ad-hoc stock take of part of the business. These and other tools in ur software make it easy for a retail business to be able to produce an accurate stock on hand list in a format required by the ATO.
For our customers who li certainty of a stock take we have excellent facilities in the core of the software for achieving this. We make it easy and certain. We do it in a way that any retail employee can participate in undertaking a stock take. Plus we do it so that the business can trade while the stock take is under way.
No matter how you approach ensuring stock on hand data is accurate, Tower Systems is able to help any small business retailer … save time, save money and feed better business decisions.
Free small business retailer POS software training for May
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We are thrilled to have a terrific suite of free (live) online training sessions in May for small business retailers using our POS software.
Each session is free to any of our customers. Each includes plenty of time for questions, on the topic covered or other topics.
Here are the May sessions:
- 02 May. How to compete with big retailers.
- 09 May. How to handle non EDI invoices to keep stock accurate.
- 16 May. Events: Take a look at this new facility, learn how to use it to bring shoppers back into your business.
- 23 May. Stocktaking for EOFY.
- 30 May. Getting ready for EOFY.
Customers can book through our training portal.
We run online training sessions each week across a wide range of subjects. These are an excellent way for you and your staff to learn in detail about specific areas of the software.
We also offer free one on one training sessions that are business specific and private between us and the business. There is no limit to how many training sessions any customer engages with.
To participate in an online group meeting all you need access to is a computer with a broadband internet connection and a phone to receive a call so you can hear the audio. Each session runs for approximately 45-60 minutes depending on questions.
The face to face meetings are yearly in capital cities and regional centres across Australia. These are in addition to our weekly online live sessions. We also attend more than twelve industry trade shows offering face-to-face meeting opportunities with users.
Free POS software connected e-commerce workshop for small business retailers in Darwin
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FREE RETAILER WORKSHOP INVITATION
How to win new customers and increase revenue with a POS software connected website for your type of business
At this practical, jargon-free, workshop in Darwin (BOOK NOW) on May 3 @ 2pm we will show through, several live case-studies, the value of a POS software connected website. We will:·
- Show how a good website / POS solution can land more shoppers in your physical shop, more than you think, and help you sell 24/7.·
- Explain how to get to the top Google results, and stay there.·
- Share how a website we launched a year ago did more than $500,000 in sales. We will unpack for you everything we did to drive success.
- Compare Shopify / WooCommerce and Magento and explain why each is good in their own right.
- Share practical experience on order fulfilment using Australia Post and others and how to handle freight costs.
- Explain payment options and how to leverage them for more sales.
- Demonstrate the commercial value of the right POS software / website connection.·
- Explain photos, descriptions and other things, day to day things, which web developers often miss.·
- Answer all your questions.
The knowledge we will share will enable you to compete better online and in-store. Click on your preferred city location to book now.
We are inviting any retailer in the channels in which we serve with POS software for that channel: gifts, jewellers, bikes, toys, fishing/outdoors, garden centres, pet shops, produce, firearms, adult shops and newsagents.
If you are actively in the market for new POS software and / or a website for your business, we would consider flying you in for one of these workshops at no cost to you.
To qualify for a free flight, drop us a line at sales@towersystems.com.au and one of our expert account managers will have a chat with you. Alternatively, call the account manager for NT: Justin Randall. 0434 365 789.
In addition to owning Tower Systems, we also own and operate retail businesses and through these seven different public-facing websites.
This practical session leverages our personal web connected retailer experience to help you navigate in-store and online opportunities. I promise, it will not be death by PowerPoint. Rather, the focus will be on real examples, live examples, as they will be more valuable to providing understanding.
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