Quick summary. Some POS software companies charge to customise their software for your business needs. This customisation can cost thousands. It’s sold as giving you software tuned to your business needs. It could mean, though, that you’ve not found the right software for your business. Take a beat, look at other software, POS software that does not have a high customisation cost.
Software development is expensive. Add to this healthy margins on fees and you can see why some software companies pitch customisation as core to their offer.
Now, let’s get into it.
If a software company you are considering always has a customisation fee, be sure the software is a perfect fit and worth it.
Should you pay for POS software to be customised to the needs of your specialty retail business? Maybe not. It depends on the needs of your business, the financial value you will gain from the customisation and consideration of the cost of customisation.
Software made for specialty retail challenge should not require customisation if your business operates in ways that are common for businesses in those retail channels.
Take what we do here at Tower Systems. Our produce / farm supply business software is fine tuned to serve the needs of produce / farm supply businesses. Our jeweller software is fine tuned to serve the needs of jewellers. Our garden centre software is fine tuned to serve the needs of specialty garden centres and nurseries. Our bike shop software is fine tuned to serve the needs of bike shops, Our bookshop software is fine tuned to serve the needs of bookshops. You get the drift.
We don’t customise our software. if our off the shelf solution is not a good fit for your needs, we wish you all the best with your search.
The reasons we don’t customise our software are:
- It’s expensive for us and for you.
- It results in software for you and this is expensive to maintain.
- It makes support harder since your software is made for you.
- There is a greater risk of weakness in software made for one business compared to software made for and used by thousands.
- It places you in a customer pool of one. In small business, there is power from working together.
There are situations where POS software customisation is vital. We get that. What we are saying is that before you make that commitment, be sure this is the right step for you and that you understand the costs, risks and return on investment likely. This is what we say take a beat, be sure.
Let’s go back, though, to the software companies that pitch customisation to every sales prospect. Hey, it’s 2026! Back in the 1990s this might have been the approach, but not today. Software today is very different. Software ownership costs are very different too. This is another reason we say take a beat, check and check again before making your decision.
This is what it comes down to.
Every dollar spent on custom software code is a dollar not spent on stock, marketing, or your team. In a 2026 retail environment where margins are under pressure, paying to ‘reinvent the wheel’ is a risk few small businesses can afford. Before you sign off on a customisation fee that costs more than the software itself, ask yourself why the ‘off-the-shelf’ version wasn’t enough to begin with. You deserve a solution that fits your business today, not one you have to pay to build for tomorrow.
Don’t pay a developer to learn your industry; partner with a software company that already lives in it.
Ultimately, what you decide for your business needs to match what you need and want for your business. before you start – be sure of what you want and need, and of your budget. As you consider software, be in control as this is your decision to make. Get all commitments in writing and only proceed when you are truly happy.
You’re the customer, own it!
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The right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business. Tower offers POS software made specifically for local small business retailers in a selection of retail channels. To see if we might help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today.
Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au.
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