The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

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

ArchiveMay 2019

The best POS software for fishing and outdoors shops in Australia

May 9, 2019
3 Min read
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Tackle World retailers, Compleat Angler retailers and plenty of independent retailers use the Tower Systems fishing shop software to help run their businesses.

We are grateful to our Tackle World and Compleat Angler customers for their guidance and input as we have developed our software to better serve the fishing and outdoors retail marketplace.

Each software update we release delivers more facilities and enhancements to existing facilities based on suggestions from shop staff, managers, owners and suppliers. We love the suggestions and the voting for the suggestions of others – our approach to determining what is in each software update is transparent and user driven.

Our fishing shop software is highly tailored and finely tuned to the needs of local fishing shops. This is what makes it specialist software for these specialist retailers. We back the specialist software with specialist training for our fishing shop retailers. We do this in their shops, one on one with them and their staff. It is a personal and specialty service that delivers better business outcomes for the. Retail is personal, after all.

HOW DO YOU CHOOSE THE BEST FISHING SHOP SOFTWARE FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

We think we can help with this, based on years of service to this retail channel.

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.

Tower Systems is ready to serve independently owned and run fishing and outdoors retail businesses with awesome software backed by awesome service.

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How does the Tower Systems POS software for pet shops compare to Vend POS software?

May 8, 2019
2 Min read
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First up, we have never used the Vend POS software. So, we can’t speak to what it does.

What we know is the Tower System s pet shop software, how we train our customers, how we support them and how we work with pet shop suppliers.

We are a full service, personal service, specialty retail POS software company with many customers in the pet shop space.

Our software is not generic, basic, simple. It is comprehensive. Fit for purpose. made for pet retailers. Connecting pet retailers and their suppliers.

Our software is embedded with facilities pet shop owners and managers and retail staff have pitched to us to include. This is part of what makes our software specialist.

We are confident that in any function by function comparison of our software with Vend that anyone working in a specialty pet shop would choose us.

Like all good specialty retail software, our Pet shop POS software continues to evolve. We improve facilities, add new facilities, making it better with each new release … with many of the enhancements coming direct from customer suggestions.

We are close to our customers, accessible to them, available to them – our weekly customer email has all our contact details including the direct contact details of the COO and CEO of our company. This makes us not only accessible but also accountable, and that matters.

But where we think we really differ to Vend, where Tower Systems really shines in in our view in service of pet shop software users is in our personal service. We train our customers and their team members, personally, in their shops, in the use of our software. Personal service matters in retail and it matters in POS software training.

Not over the phone, but in the shop. Picking up local nuances, how things are done, workflow and the like, and showing, live and in person, how to use our software to advantage to serve those observed needs.

We believe in personal service as this is what establishes long-term and valued relationships. This is a good example of the Tower Systems advantage.

You can find out more about our awesome pet shop software at our website.

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Jeweller software from Tower Systems

May 8, 2019
2 Min read
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Tower Systems has been in business for more than thirty-five years. We are an Aussie company with development and support based locally.

When people contact us, they are not sent offshore. Better still, our software is developed in Australians and Australian businesses.

We develop, sell and support our jeweller software. Our customers can access the software through rental, lease or purchase. They can choose the payment method that best suits their business needs.

The jeweller software we sell today is different to what we sold ten years ago. It is different to what we sold last year. We actively embrace change and enhancement, helping our hundreds of jeweller customers embrace change, too, through evolving software.

The benefits to jewellers of the Tower Systems software are myriad. They include reduced paperwork, reduced mistakes, efficient workflow, easier customer marketing, easier differentiation of the business to reflect the business unique selling proposition.

The most important benefit to jeweller retailers of the Tower Systems POS software is the provision of a sound base of data on which to base business decisions, better business decisions.

Tower Systems helps its jeweller customers learn and master our software by providing on-site, live training. We visit the store and train all the staff. We back this up with unlimited free training oevr the phone for years as part of our support package.

The Tower software can be used in the cloud or on the desktop. Our customers choose what they prefer. In either case, integrations to accounting solutions such as xero are available.

The most significant advancement that we have seen for jewellers over the last two years is the implementation of jeweller POS software integrated websites. We make selling online easy and consistent.

What makes Tower Systems stand out is that we are the only Jeweller POS software company in Australia offering Australian developed and supported software. We make what we sell. We are not agents for another company.

What is next is the ability to more easily do pop-up retail, to sell anywhere, any time and through this to find new customers. Our online integration with Shopify, Magento and WooCommerce are perfect for jewellers who see online as key to their success in the future.

We are grateful to jewellers for their support, guidance and business for decades. Their advice has helped make our software better, without a doubt.

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Jeweller software from Tower Systems for Australian jewellers

May 6, 2019
2 Min read
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Tower Systems has been in business for more than thirty-five years. We are an Aussie company with development and support based locally.

When people contact us, they are not sent offshore. Better still, our software is developed in Australians and Australian businesses.

We develop, sell and support our jeweller software. Our customers can access the software through rental, lease or purchase. They can choose the payment method that best suits their business needs.

The jeweller software we sell today is different to what we sold ten years ago. It is different to what we sold last year. We actively embrace change and enhancement, helping our hundreds of jeweller customers embrace change, too, through evolving software.

The benefits to jewellers of the Tower Systems software are myriad. They include reduced paperwork, reduced mistakes, efficient workflow, easier customer marketing, easier differentiation of the business to reflect the business unique selling proposition.

The most important benefit to jeweller retailers of the Tower Systems POS software is the provision of a sound base of data on which to base business decisions, better business decisions.

Tower Systems helps its jeweller customers learn and master our software by providing on-site, live training. We visit the store and train all the staff. We back this up with unlimited free training oevr the phone for years as part of our support package.

The Tower software can be used in the cloud or on the desktop. Our customers choose what they prefer. In either case, integrations to accounting solutions such as xero are available.

The most significant advancement that we have seen for jewellers over the last two years is the implementation of jeweller POS software integrated websites. We make selling online easy and consistent.

What makes Tower Systems stand out is that we are the only Jeweller POS software company in Australia offering Australian developed and supported software. We make what we sell. We are not agents for another company.

What is next is the ability to more easily do pop-up retail, to sell anywhere, any time and through this to find new customers. Our online integration with Shopify, Magento and WooCommerce are perfect for jewellers who see online as key to their success in the future.

We are grateful to jewellers for their support, guidance and business for decades. Their advice has helped make our software better, without a doubt.

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Small business retail advice: making the most of election day

May 4, 2019
2 Min read
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We are getting in early with refreshed election day advice for small business retailers.

Election day in Australia is a terrific opportunity for small business retailers with a spike in the number of people who are out and about. Smart retailers will embrace this opportunity as well as the opportunity of people standing in line waiting to vote and on their phone.

Here are some tips to get you thinking about marketing opportunities for any small retail business this weekend on election day:

  1. Set the front of the shop so it looks completely different – make the most of the extra people out and about. You want people seeing the shop for the first time ages to be surprised at the changes.
  2. Have a party. Plenty of music, activities, drinks and food. Make the day a celebration – to celebrate the end of the dreary campaign.
  3. Have an election sale – but make it fun. Do better than a straight sale. For example, in good Asssie tradition call it keeping the bastards honest sale.
  4. Setup sale tables in the name of local candidates.
  5. Give a discount to any customer who tells you and everyone in the shop a joke about politicians.
  6. Have a game of pin the tail on the politician in the shop.
  7. Declare the shop an election free zone. Maybe have a fine jar for anyone talking about the election on the day – raise money for a local charity.
  8. Promote your business online all Saturday with a series of social media posts so those out and about in lines waiting can see you are engaged.

All these ideas are about having fun on the day and offering a different shopping experience to usual. We hope they get yo8u thinking of what you could do, thinking of ideas of your own.

Here at Tower Systems we are not your usual POS software company. We are engaged with our customers deeply on a range of fronts to help them enjoy their businesses more and to get more from their businesses every day. In addition to excellent POS software for specialty retail businesses, we provide business management advice and support – way beyond the POS software itself.

Whatever you do this election day, have fun.

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Gift and homewares online wholesaler for indie retailers

May 3, 2019
2 Min read
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The Online Wholesaler website launched by Tower Systems offers access to a wide variety of unique, fun and engaged gift and homewares products.

Connected to our POS software, this wholesale website has been created solely for retailers, for the sale of goods at wholesale prices to them.

The Online Wholesaler is run by newsXpress Pty Ltd, part of the Tower Systems family. Originally developed for newsXpress members, it has been evolved to offer access to the unique range of quality products to other retailers too.

The website is an excellent showcase for Tower web development tools and processes as the website has been entirely developed in-house by Tower Systems. It offers variable pricing, flexibility on shipping and much more – making it a terrifically advanced wholesale products website of benefit to retailers around Australia keen for easy access to good margin unique products.

The website is a good calling card for Tower systems as well as a commercially valuable wholesale site for small business and indie retailers.

The goal of the website is to offer a new type of wholesale experience. We will not have reps on the road. We don’t do trade shows to show our products. We don’t have sales agents. We will not push product to you. Rather, this site uses leading edge tech to enable you to shop for what you want and what you can use to attract new shoppers to the business.

We are keen to help you find new shopper traffic for your shop through ranging products you might otherwise not have stocked in your business. We do this by categorising products by buying occasion and well as using tags to help you search for what may interest you.

We source products by visiting international trade shows in Atlanta, Birmingham, New York, Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Nuremberg and elsewhere. We seek out products that are not represented by the wholesalers in Australia with whom we already have relationships.

Any retailer can access The Online Wholesaler by singing up for an account. There is no cost for this. The process is simple and easy with product details readily accessible.

In using the site you are also using web technology that is directly connected to the Tower Systems POS software.

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POS software Xero integration makes online LayBy and much more easy for small business retailers

May 2, 2019
4 Min read
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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 partner Tower Systems provided an integrated Point of Sale software 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 Jayden Norton, 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 Jayden Norton. “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.

Tower Systems owns newsXpress Southland.

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Colour, size and style attributes in POS software help small business retailers

May 1, 2019
3 Min read
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Our POS software is not a destination. Rather, it is an evolving solution, being enhanced to serve evolving needs.

For many years, we resisted introducing support in the software for handling inventory items tracked and sold by colour, size and style. We resisted because this type of inventory was usually found in fashion retail, a retail segment outside the specialty retail channels in which we have been focussed.

That all changed over a year ago, thanks to a major POS software update. We developed, in close consultation with customers, awesome new facilities.

Retail has changed. The lines between retail channels have become blurred. There are businesses in our specialty retail channels today selling inventory items they wish to manage by colour, size and style. To serve this changing need, we have developed support for handling colour, size and style within our Retailer software.

We refer to colour, size and style as variantsas this is a better description for the facilities given that it can handle more than just colour, size and style.

Like any new functionality, how we handle this will evolve over time and based on user feedback.

This new function allows our POS software customers to add Variants to new or existing stock items which identify variables of what are essentially the same stock item. For example – The product Sheridan Adkins 700TC Sheet Setcomes in 5 different colours, with each of those colours coming in Queen, King & Super King sizes. All up, there is 15 variants of what is essentially the same item (15 barcodes, the main description, cost, sell, department and category etc are all the same, the only difference being the Colour and Size. This new feature will give users more flexibility and efficiency in areas such Arriving Stock, Creating Orders and checking Stock Levels.

We see this serving needs in a range of specialty niches including Jewellers, Bike Shops, Gift Shops, Fishing businesses, Outdoors businesses and more.

We are grateful to our customers for their guidance and help as we have walked the path to releasing our colour, size and style facilities.

In summary, using the new variants facilities in our software you can track items by multiple variants, like colour, size and style, at the point of sale, returns and reordering.

You can report on inventory performance in a meaningful way to serve your business needs in this area.

The goal of the variants enhancements is to provide each user business with data necessary to better manage the inventory in the business and the business itself overall.

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