The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

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

ArchiveJuly 2019

POS software from Tower Systems helps small business retailers cut theft

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The scam of Top 10 POS Solution providers in APAC 2019

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Like what we suspect is a long line of POS software companies, we were contacted last week with advice that Tower Systems was shortlisted for Top 10 POS Solution providers in APAC 2019. Yipee! No, not really. Not at all in fact.

Having read the email announcement and associated details, we reached the conclusion that this is an advertising scam, not worthy of further time investment from us. Okay, scam might be too strong a word. However, it feels like a scam from where we sit, because of what they actually want.

Their email was a request for us to spend money with them to go to the next step. This is why we say their email congratulating us is a scam.

We doubt there is a top ten as such. We doubt that they only emailed ten companies.

Our experience with this Top 10 POS Solution providers in APAC 2019 pitch is that retailer should be aware of claims made by companies about being in the list. If, like us, they got the congratulatory email and other materials, a swift read would have revealed that it was off, odd, feeling and reading like a scam or marketing at best, that the aware is not real.

We, for sure, would not trust the claim of Top 10 POS Solution providers in APAC 2019, for us or any other company on the list based on our experience with this unsolicited call for marketing funds to be spend to get to the next step.

Our advice to, for what it is worth, retailers is to not trust this list or any other top of or best of list. In our experience, you cannot trust the genuine independence of these lists. That we are on this top ten POS Solution list is enough reason for us. We are a specialty POS software company, niche, narrow in focus, only serving specialist retail channels. We should not be on this wide and generic list. We don’t aspire to.

We didn’t get scammed or conned, we didn’t spend any money, we did not. get caught up in what we think is a false and misleading claim.

Our call out to small business retailers is to not get caught up in what is essentially a money-making marketing activity. beware companies that claim to be on the list because we know from experience what they have spent and done to get there.

Transparency matters.

Smart POS software helps garden centres drive sales between major seasons

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Garden centres are often seasonal business with shopper traffic and sales peaks at predictable times of the year. They are also businesses that attract more first-time shoppers than many other retail businesses.

The seasonal traffic peaks and first-time shopper visits present opportunities that are not leveraged as much as they could be in garden centres.

Change the game: front-end loyalty

By using an approach we call front-ending loyalty, garden centres can achieve more from seasonal growth and first-time shoppers. Front-ending loyalty 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. It’s in our Garden Centre POS Software.

Regular shoppers can spend the cash discount right away or come back within any time limit you set.

We started trialling this front-ending loyalty strategy in February 2013 in several retail businesses including a garden centre. We did it using the Discount Vouchers facilities in the Tower Systems garden centre software.

Building the basket

From the first day we saw shoppers changing behaviour.

One chap came in to purchase a specific item. When I handed him the receipt we pointed out the voucher offering $2.00 off 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 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

Around 33% of redeemed vouchers are used within seven days of issue and the remaining 33% are redeemed up to four weeks after issue.

Here’s another real story: A month after we started trialling this new approach to loyalty, 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 $45.00 item she wanted. This resulted in another voucher so she bought another item for $29.95.

This customer said she would be back. Two weeks later she was.

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 it needs 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. We suggest 28 days but I have some retailers setting this at 90 days.

Helping your garden centre business

With big box stores like Bunnings and Masters offering their corporate loyalty programs, it’s important for garden centres to offer a genuine point of difference.  Discount Vouchers offer this.

While their approach is very corporate, your approach can be more flexible and more focused on early rewards. Over the months of trialling we have seen changes shopper behaviour, it gets them spending more with you.

We are confident this fresh approach to loyalty is a game changer for any garden centre 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.

New voices on the POS software help desk

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We are thrilled to welcome two new voices to our small business POS software help desk. The new new team members, Minh and Rachael, bring wonderful life and technical experiences to our team.

Having shops of our own is useful for them to learn our software in a real life setting. Stru8ctuired training in the office helps provide them with foundational knowledge.

We take customer service seriously. Having a well resourced team its critical. Equipping them with the right tools is vital. Supporting them every day is what we do.

Here at Tower Systems, the best way we can help our customers beyond our software is backing it with helpful, skilled, help desk team members.

Our motto is we’re here to help, and we really are!

POS software loyalty 2.0 for small business retailers

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Loyalty systems have been around in retail for decades. Too often, small business retailers copy big business, and fail.

A good loyalty system will get shoppers spending more, doling more than is usual, and doing this at little or no cost to a retail business.

A good loyalty system will be loved by shoppers.

A good loyalty system offers shoppers flexibility.

A good loyalty system has little or no management overhead.

A good loyalty system reveals insights about your business that are helpful, impactful and revealing.

A good loyalty system helps you grow your business, helps you make your business more valuable.

This is about Loyalty 2.0 – a fresh approach to shopper loyalty for small business retailers.

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

Yet, discount vouchers are the most misunderstood.

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

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

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

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

So…

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

ADVICE ON PROMOTING DISCOUNT VOUCHERS.

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

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

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

Guys are more likely to spend the voucher right away.

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

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

GOOD LUCK!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How retail businesses do business is changing fundamentally, are you ready?

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Back in the day in retail doing business with supplier representatives was all about face to face contact in-store or a nearby coffee shops. Relationships mattered. This is why suppliers and service providers invested in sales teams.

Good sales people could get a meeting and the required business from face to face interaction.

Today, things are different. Retail businesses run with less staff and management hours in the business. More business decisions are made outside the business, on the road, while at a second job or from home. More business decisions are being made and business transacted without any face to face discussion. Even phone contact matters less.

This shift is, in part, because of broader changes in terms of how we interact with friends and family.

We want to look at what is happening here from the perspective of how we do business with our customers in our retail shops.

More and more transactional business is done without live human contact. There is the obvious route of online (web) for sure. However, there is also business done through message platforms, email and elsewhere, where there is no face to face contact with shoppers.

Are you setup for this? Are you connecting with people through social media and able to sell to them through here? Are you timely in handling emails? Are you prepared with images and information sheets on products you sell so you can sell without face to face?

Without a doubt more and more retail business is being done outside of shops. We in small business retail need to configure and equip our businesses to be able to do this. This is part about technology, part about business mindset and part about availability.

Too often, we see small business retailers express anger and frustration at obvious baddies – landlords, employees, customers and more – for poor business performance.

Right now, with how the conduct of business is shifting, we, all of us – retailers and suppliers to retailers – need to look at ourselves and how we conduct business.

Further, we need to make sure that we are meeting potential customers where they are. We need to realise that more often than ever before, that is outside and, sometimes, far away from our shop. We need to do this when those customers want. Often times, that is when we are closed.

This is the new normal of retail.

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Tower Systems is not your usual POS software company. As retailers ourselves (three shops and seven consumer facing websites of our own) we live closer to your world and this is reflected in ur software and how we serve our POS software customers.

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

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

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

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

Retailer Roam is portable retail for small business retailers.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sell online and offline.

Yes, connect for easy EFTPOS processing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

37 more newsagents switch to the newsagency software from Tower Systems

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Thirty-seven more newsagents have chosen the Tower Systems newsagency software in the last year. We are grateful for their support of our newsagency software.

This is great news. The Tower Newsagency business community is stronger and growing. This helps us better help newsagents.

Today, we help newsagents evolve their businesses into new products, through awesome loyalty tools and online … through our POS software. We help way beyond the POS software itself.

Thanks to our newsXpress relationship we offer newsXpress newsagents using our software leverage an exclusive low low EFTPOS rate. One newsagent is $200.00 a month better off while another, in regional Australia, is more than $250.00 a month better off.

Whether you are a retail or distribution newsagent, our software can help you run a more efficient, enjoyable and valuable business.

We continue to own and operate newsagency businesses ourselves and have done since 1996. This helps us make better software for you.

  1. Compliant with industry standards, using our software you can meet criteria for getting onto the no physical returns program with Gotch.
  2. We can help you reduce EFTPOS fees.
  3. Selling online is easy and sell more regardless of your local population.
  4. Offer buy now pay later with Humm, Zip Pay and more.
  5. Our innovative front-end loyalty facilities help you differentiate your business, drive deeper baskets and bring shoppers back sooner.

Our software can work with you as you evolve your product mix. Whether it is into hospitality, services, produce, repairs, online or more, our software has facilities that help make your business more relevant to today’s shopper.

Integrations can also help you cut operating costs, such as bookkeeping fees. We can help you eliminate double and triple handling. We link direct to Xero, for example.

Switching is not expensive. If you have current hardware, the cost can be as low as $2,400 a year thanks to interest free finance from us for 3 years or $49.00/wk leased or $7,200 up front. Included is:

  1. The latest Tower Systems newsagency software.
  2. On-site installation and training by a newsagency business expert.
  3. Data conversion, converting as much data as we can access.
  4. Software support for the first three years. Nothing extra to pay.
  5. Software updates for the first three years. Nothing extra to pay.
  6. Unlimited over the phone follow up training for the first three years.
  7. Access to an awesome online knowledge base with articles & advice.
  8. Access to weekly group live online training workshops.
  9. Access to a private Facebook page where you can discuss any topic.

Toy shop software, Aussie POS software helps toy shops compete

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Australian developed and supported POS software for toy shops, made specifically for indie, local, small business, toy shops. Constantly evolving, this shop s a genuine differentiator for local toy shops.

  1. This software is made for your type of business.
  2. It is Australian made software, backed by Australian based support.
  3. You can sell from anywhere. That means … from the counter, the shop floor, a pop-up store, a market. Yes, you can sell anywhere.
  4. It links to Xero and MYOB – make accounting easier.
  5. Offer loyalty rewards that work and set you apart.
  6. It links to Shopify, Magento and Woo – sell online easier.
  7. Sell products in bundles, it makes competitor price comparison harder.
  8. Offer buy now pay later– where you are paid right away.

We create software for very specific retail business niches, like yours. We do the regular POS stuff, and we serve toy specific requirements.

If you compete with K-Mart, Target or any other majors or anyone online…

We offer tools specific to helping you compete, tools that you can leverage to genuinely differentiate your business …

When it comes to leveraging shopper loyalty, offering product bundling, sharing local knowledge, delivering product specific personal customer service, our Toy shop software has your back. We help you compete with big business.

We only sell to independent retail businesses. We are grateful to serve 3,500 businesses today, across nine specialty marketplaces, including Toy shops.

Our goal is to help our customers run more enjoyable, successful and valuable retail businesses – in physical shops or online or both.

  1. Competing with big business – we will show you tools you can use to do this, tools that are central to our software.
  2. Being local – Local communities benefit from local shops. We can show you how to leverage being local, to win more local business.
  3. Cut mistakes – They are expensive. Reduce them to save time / money.
  4. Catalogues are a breeze. Catalogue pricing is easily handled.
  5. Online selling is easier.
  6. Special orders are a dream.
  7. Handle toy supplier pricing models.

Talk to one of our experts about an obligation free personal demonstration please call our sales team on 1300 662 957 or email them at sales@towersystems.com.au.

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

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

A free video of your POS software demonstration.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Better than LayBy, POS software helps small business retailers better serve customers

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Thanks to the well-established and deep integration of the Tower Systems POS software with Zip Pay, Zip Money and Humm (through Flexi group), we are able to offer small business retailers valuable and wonderful alternatives to LayBy.

The beauty of our buy now pay later offers is that our customers, the retailers, can demonstrate better flexibility.

We were the first POS software company to integrate with Humm, delivering excellent results for our partner retailers. Humm is fast, easy and backed by the massive Flexi group. This is good news for retailers.

Our pitch for retailers on our buy now pay later integrations is simple:

Give your customers the power to pay later, interest free and watch your sales grow. Tower Systems and Humm /Zip and others have teamed up to provide a seamless, interest free payment solution for your customer, allowing your business to benefit from:

  1. Increased sales volume
  2. Increased average order values
  3. Increased customer repurchases
  4. Now, with a seamless integration with Tower Systems, you can accept Humm and Zip payments as soon as you are accredited. Simply enter your credentials.

Getting up and running with Humm and Zip is the easiest.

We do remind our retailers, however, to be informed. ASIC has released a report into buy now pay later businesses and their model. Retailers could benefit from reading this and understanding that the spotlight is increasing on this type of funding. While we see that buy now pay later helps retailers get business today, we suggest you don’t become dependent on it as tighter regulations are coming for this area of finance that is essentially unregulated.

Helping retailers through the Telstra outage

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Our help desk was busy yesterday afternoon helping small business retailers deal with the consequences of the Telstra outage that cut off access to EFTPOS processing for many.

We helped by ensuring our help desk team members had the facts early, that it was identified as a network issue and nothing to do with our POS software per se, although using the software was affected.

By offering a calm voice about the issue and sharing facts as known helped some retailers realise that they were not alone and that parties responsible were public about the issue and working on it.

Being able to help small business retailers in a situation like this is something we are grateful to be able to do.

We have this morning reminded our customers about the need for a disaster plan in business, something a business can turn to in situations like this. A good disaster plan is a roadmap for all manner of situations., It can provide consistency and calm to an otherwise challenging situation.

POS software connected website e-commerce development helps small business retailers compete

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POS software company Tower Systems offers POS software connected websites to its customers. The e-commerce development is available with Shopify, Magento and WooCommerce.

Yes, we are a POS software company that also developed websites. Our experience is considerable, as our portfolio of websites shows.

We have web development experience with Magento,  Shopify and Woo Commerce (WordPress). Tower also operates multiple consumer facing websites itself that are Shopify and Magento based and connected back it its own retail business POS software.

Our recommended solution for independent and small business retailers is Shopify. It offers the best solution, the easiest to engage with, the fastest to engage with and the most flexible at a local store level. We say this based on our own experiences in establishing and running sites.

That said, we are equally happy with Magento. It really does depend on the objectives of the business and their budget.

Online is about a race to the cash. By this we mean that an online shopper is more likely to be ready to purchase. The first business to take their cash wins. This is where POS integrated websites can win. We can show you how.

The latest release of our POS software introduced a new style web dashboard to help in-store online sales fulfillment. This, coupled with inventory integration, accurate stock on hand data, professional image handling and smart SEO work helps you create and run an efficient, integrated physical and online business.

Whether you run a single store or operate as part of a marketing or banner group, Tower Systems has a track record of success you can leverage for your success. Let us show you how.

What we bring to the website / POS software solution integration is experience as retailers. beyond 0ur awesome technology and our experience with Shopify and others, it really is our retail experience in-store and online that makes a difference for Tower Systems customers. We can help with the glue that makes having a cool website work for a business. This is an important factor, especially to small business retailers.

Tower Systems understates all web development, locally, in its Hawthorn Victoria office. We do not offshore this work.

Small business retailer advice: how to turn off, relax and unwind … to find space to be more successful

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Small business retailers need to work relentlessly to find ideas of their own, ideas suited to their unique situation, big ideas and small ideas, ideas for new traffic, products and services.

Owning a business lays this obligation to be perpetually creative, perpetually innovating, on you.

Coming up with fresh ideas can be a challenge. Sometimes, retailers and retail managers experience a block, like writer’s block. Here are suggestions for ways to clear this blockage.

  1. Try a sensory deprivation tank. These are very popular now. The world outside is shut out. It’s weird at first. Your brain soon adjusts and you … relax.
  2. Cook a complex meal that you have never cooked before.
  3. Bake a cake you have never cooked before.
  4. If you don’t do jigsaws, do a jigsaw.
  5. If you don’t make models, make a model.
  6. If you don’t like ballet, go to the ballet.
  7. If you don’t like opera, go to the opera.
  8. Book in and take singing lessons.
  9. Turn your mobile phone off and go and see a movie from your favourite genre.
  10. Go to a music concert for a group you love. Let your hair down. Sing along at the top of your lungs.
  11. Go to a comedy show. Laugh out loud.
  12. Go for a walk in the forest. A long walk. Touch nature. Sit a while and soak it all in.
  13. Go and sit in front of water, preferably an ocean and look out to the horizon.
  14. Lie on your back at night time and look up to the stars. Think about out there and the bigger universe.
  15. Shut yourself in a dark room and put on your favourite music and sing along.
  16. Try yoga, even if you have never done it before.
  17. Light some incense, put on some relaxing music and meditate inwardly, shutting out the world.
  18. Have a therapeutic massage.
  19. Exercise at the gym, run or swim. Work up a sweat and get lost in exercise.
  20. Read a novel from cover to cover without interruption. Choose a work of fiction you are more likely to get lost in.
  21. Do yard work, things you have been putting off for a long time.
  22. Go for a long drive, away from work and home. Get to somewhere you have never been before.
  23. Have a romantic dinner with your partner at a place where you have never been before.
  24. Take an unexpected day off and treat yourself to guilty pleasures.
  25. Buy some lunch and sit outside your retail store, across the mall or across the road and eat.
  26. Write a fictional short story.

These ideas are about you getting lost in experiences which are unrelated to your business and unrelated to what you are used to.

By getting lost, ideas have a better opportunity of surfacing, solutions have a better opportunity of making their way out.

Scheduling time to nurture yourself with ideas like those noted above could help you become more productive and creating for the business.

While the activities should be enjoyable, the business stands to benefit from greater creativity and more focused mental energy.

Have fun and let the great ideas roll!

The POS Software Blog

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