The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

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

CategoryEthics

We think the Lightspeed EFTPOS payments pitch is inaccurate and here’s why

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A big competitor of our our Aussie POS software company, Lightspeed, a big Canadian company, is promoting Lightspeed Payments as being revolutionary, delivering to retailers new benefits. We heard them pitch at a trade show in Sydney today that they are leaders on time-saving integrated EFTPOS, helping retailers save time, cut mistakes and do more.

Check out this pitch, which they published via Inside Retail.

At the forefront of this transformation, new payment systems are now advancing the way retailers handle transactions and manage their businesses. Instead of manually inputting sales into separate payment terminals after processing them on their point-of-sale (POS), retailers are now increasingly turning to systems that sync their POS with their payment processors, allowing transactions to seamlessly flow between the two platforms. These setups are commonly referred to as integrated payment systems.

What Lightspeed offers with integrated EFTPOS is goof tech, but it is no advance, no new technology.

Tower Systems has offered integrated payments for more than 16 years.

The difference with our offer is that our customers can choose the bank they go with. This can result in lower EFTPOS fees than the retailer may have to pay if they use the Lightspeed Payments platform.

Here at Tower Systems we also offer access to a 1% EFTPOS rate if customers would like to go with that.

As a software company, we do not have any charges for our customers that are based on retail transactions. From the Lighspeed marketing material, they do have such a charge – meaning as your business grows, you pay Lightspeed more for access to their software.

If you are Lightspeed customer and you choose to not use their payments platform Lightspeed has started charging customers a fee to compensate for them not making payments revenue from you.

In our opinion, what Lightspeed claims is an advance in its technology solution for retailers via Lightspeed Payments is, in fact, a price increase in the use of its software, something imposed on retailers but dressed as some great advancement.

Here at Tower Systems we believe that retailers should get to choose the payments platform that is right for their business. This choice can lead to significant savings in the cost of payments. We know of retailers paying way less than if they were using Lightspeed and were locked into the Lightspeed Payments platform.

Lightspeed is a successful company.  In our opinion, the claims being made in relation to Lightspeed Payments are inaccurate and shallow.

Our advice to retailers is to do your homework, look at the total cost of ownership, and, choose the software that serves your needs best as functionality and customer service are the two most critical factors. All good POS software puffers integrated payments, what Lightspeed claims as an advance is not – they are late that party.

Hey news outlets and reporters, not all businesses and CEOs want employees to return to the office

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It is tiresome reading news reports claiming that businesses and business CEOs want employees to return to the office – often backed by a survey of CEOs.

Sure, some do. But, plenty don’t.

These stories about returning to the office are often vested interest based: landlords wanting their commercial space to be filled, companies wanting the space they have leased to be filled, businesses needing office-based trade to thrive and consultants serving businesses in these situations.

Think about local retailers benefiting from people working from home, regional retailers too. Force people back to the office and they lose the business they have won.

Landlords, property developers and others wanting people to return to the office for selfish reasons need to stop being selfish.

Smart employees of workers who want work from anywhere want their people to work where they are happiest. If that’s home, let them work from home.

Happy employees are valuable to any business.

Journalists and news outlets need to stop being boosters for the selfish demanding people work at the office and not from home.

Families benefit from more time with people able to work from home rather than losing family time to a commute.

Local communities benefit from people working from home shopping more locally and having mor time for local engagement.

Those calling for people to return to the office think their needs are more important than family time or local community time. They are wrong.

At our POS software company, Tower Systems, where people work is up to them. We actually started on this model in 2019, ahead of the pandemic, and then we escalated it to be companywide. We are lucky to be in a business where work location is not an issue.

We hire people we trust, provide them with resources they need and offer as much flexibility as we can in terms of their work situation. We have some team members saving close to twenty hours a week – that’s money in the bank for them.

Sure, we have a small crew in the office, where the job requires it. We support them. We are also grateful that each member of this crew actually prefers to be there, in the office.

Now, we do have a vested interest in all this. We make software for local small business retailers. They benefit from more people who work from home. So, of course we will support work from home from a commercial perspective. But our pitch makes sense right – happy people = productive people = people less likely to look elsewhere = a more successful business.

We think it all comes down to how you view people working in your business. If you see them as a line item on your P&L, a cog in a big machine that serves a P&L result only, you miss the opportunity to see people working in your business as people, families, members of local communities.

We don’t support the calls for people to return to the office and we wish news outlets would stop being used as mouthpieces for the vested interests making these selfish pitches.

We think the payments pitch by Lightspeed is wrong, inaccurate, and here’s why

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A massive competitor of ours, Lightspeed, the HUGE Canadian POS software company, is promoting Lightspeed Payments as being revolutionary, delivering to retailers new benefits. Check out this pitch, which they published recently via Inside Retail.

At the forefront of this transformation, new payment systems are now advancing the way retailers handle transactions and manage their businesses. Instead of manually inputting sales into separate payment terminals after processing them on their point-of-sale (POS), retailers are now increasingly turning to systems that sync their POS with their payment processors, allowing transactions to seamlessly flow between the two platforms. These setups are commonly referred to as integrated payment systems.

There is no advance, no new technology.

Tower Systems has offered integrated payments for more than 15 years.

Lightspeed Payments is new to Lightspeed and so it makes sense that they pitch it a an advance. For them maybe it is an advance, bot not for Tower Systems and plenty of other software companies that have delivered this for may years.

The big Lightspeed Payments advance is that they integrate with their own payments platform, a payments platform off of which Lightspeed makes money from every payments transaction in a retail business using their software.

This is the advance – that Lightspeed makes more money from its customers.

It is disappointing seeing news outlets publish news of an advance that is really a tool or tax of retail transactions conducted through specific software.

Is this fair for retailers?

If you are Lightspeed customer and you choose to not use their payments platform Lightspeed has started charging customers a fee to compensate for them not making payments revenue from you.

In our opinion, what Lightspeed claims is an advance in its technology solution for retailers via Lightspeed Payments is, in fact, a price increase in the use of its software, something imposed on retailers but dressed as some great advancement.

Here at Tower Systems we believe that retailers should get to choose the payments platform that is right for their business. This choice can lead to significant savings in the cost of payments. We know of retailers paying way less than if they were using Lightspeed and were locked into the Lightspeed Payments platform.

But let’s go back to the article at Inside Retail by Lightspeed and check in on another claim.

Where Lightspeed takes things a step further is in conjoining these linked systems into a single, comprehensive platform that combines POS and payments, allowing every aspect of the transaction process to be seamlessly synchronised.

In 0ur opinion, this is a misrepresentation of the facts.

Okay, Lightspeed Payments may take things a step further compared to what Lightspeed did in the past. But for many POS software companies, for manny years we have provided a single, comprehensive platform that combines POS and payments. And, we have done that for a lower cost and with more control offered each retailer.

Lightspeed is a mighty and successful company for sure. We are not even the size of an ant in comparison. The size difference does not mean they should get a free kick in terms of marketing spin. In our opinion, the claims being made in relation to Lightspeed Payments are inaccurate and shallow.

Our advice to retailers is to do your homework, look at the total cost of ownership, and, choose the software that serves your needs best as functionality and customer service are the two most critical factors. All good POS software puffers integrated payments, what Lightspeed claims as an advance is not – they are late that party.

$0 transaction fee POS software

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Savvy retailers are price comparing POS software and gaining a better understanding of the cost of ownership of the software as the cost of ownership includes monthly rental cost as well as fees imposed on transactions and costs associated with any required payments platform.

Here at Tower Systems you can choose the payments platform you prefer, for no cost.

Our POS software connects with Tyro, Linkly, Linkly Cloud, MX51, CentrePay, SmartPay, Quest and others. These are integrations, saving time, cutting mistakes and offering seamless engagement.

There is no payments charge when you use our POS software. Tower Systems has a $0.00 transaction fee cost.

There is no payments platform requirement when you use our POS software.

This is why the total cost of ownership of the Tower Systems POS software is less than plenty of comparable products.

If you are looking for POS software for your business, do your homework, check out pricing, all the pricing, compare and decide what is functionally and financially right for your business.

When you compare our POS software to others, ask the question about payments fee or transaction fee or any percentage surcharge on transactions.

We think software companies should make money from software and not from each transaction a retailer makes in their business.

We also think that transaction fees and payment fees are like a tax, an awful tax, and impost on your business for making sales. It’s why we have taken the approach we have and why we are so transparent about it.

We don’t have the marketing funds to match the POS software companies that do charge a transaction fee. We rely on word of mount and other grass roots marketing. we’re doing okay, too, for which we are sincerely grateful.

Now, to be very clear, Tower Systems does not charge any fee whatsoever for transactions or payments. Nothing fee for debit cards. No fee for credit cards. Tower Systems has no fee whatsoever for any form of payments put through its POS software.

Ultimately, the best POS software for your business will depend on your specific needs and budget. Be sure to compare the features and pricing of different POS systems before making a decision.

Is Arielle Executive right when it promotes 7 Best POS Systems In Australia For 2023?

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Arielle Executive claims to list 7 Best POS Systems In Australia For 2023.

We think what they actually promote is software companies that pay them to be on the list. We think theirs is an ad platform.

Why do we say this? Because they’ve not assessed our software. Okay, we’re a small company. But we do have 3,500+ local Aussie business customers.

We think that if you are going to pay Google to rank well for listing the best POS systems in Australia you should have at the very lease actually looked at POS systems made for retailers in Australia. Like, you should have done the work to enable you to make the claim.

Oh, and by looking at POS systems we mean looking at the actual software, comparing functions, getting into the total cost of ownership and understanding each product before making an assessment leading to the claim you promote.

We are suspicious about comparison websites like that offered by Arielle Executive because in our experience they are ad platforms you pay to list your product to be considered ‘best’, when really the ranking comes down to an amount of money you spend.

Arielle Executive is a commercial business that offers a range of services. None of the services listed at the Arielle Executive claim expertise in assessing the best software of any kind.

We get that Arielle Executive is running a business and has to make money. We wish they were clearer about what they were doing with the ads they are running on Google claiming to list the 7 Best POS Systems In Australia For 2023. And while they products they list are well known and loved by many, whether they are the best comes down to much more than whether they have paid money to be on the marketing list promoted by by Arielle Executive.

Here at Tower Systems we are a transparent company, clear in what we offer. People considering us can see demonstrations of our software on our website and on our Google channel. We’re not pushy either. Folks who enquire about our software are respected. We are keen to understand their needs. If we think we are good fit we will say so, and show how.

If you are considering POS software for your business, take your time, do your homework, trust what you discover and not a marketing lost others have paid to be on.

Is compare POS quotes engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct?

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In our opinion, we think they are.

If you type tower systems into Google and click search, this ad comes up:

The thing is, if you click on the ad, there is no comparison to or with Tower Systems.

The headline of the ad reads to us as misleading.

They have not looked at our software, investigated our software, compared our software.

Yet, here is the compare POS quotes website, which is run by Comparison Advantage Pty Ltd, an Australian company with the ACN 626 309 073. The comparison website they run is an ad platform. Products are listed by them for companies that pay to have their products listed.

It needs to be called out for what it is and their headlines, that we claim in our opinion are misleading and deceptive need to be see for this.

It frustrates us that they pay Google to come up as an ad when people are searching for our company.

We can’t figure out why software companies pay to be listed with Comparison Advantage and their compare POS quotes website. Imagine paying to get a lead when someone is actively looking for a competitor product.

We know we should ignore it. But then we see the deliberate and in our opinion misleading ad today and it frustrates us. We have done good work to build our reputation and here they are trying to trade off of that for customers of theirs, for businesses willing to pay to get in front of retailers looking for our POS software. Talk about desperation.

We think the folks at Comparison Advantage know what they are doing and that they have deliberately calibrated ads for their compare pos quotes website to pitch businesses looking for us and for other businesses they name in their ad keyword campaign with Google.

Our advice to anyone using comparison websites is – be aware that companies listed on these websites are there because they have paid to be there. There has been no assessment, no consideration, no effort at all to be considered appropriate. Comparison suggests assessment,. You won’t find that here.

Compare POS quotes by Comparison Advantage is an ad website and in our opinion it’s not worthy of consideration.

It’s easy to spot AI bland in marketing and blog posts from companies

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Have you read a blog post or article from a company recently and thought about how generic and bland it was. It’s happening more thanks too AI. AI bland we call it.

AI tech is grinding out content fast and doing do by regurgitating what others have written and trying to make it sound new and from the voice of the person giving the AI machine the prompts. The blandness is one of several AI tells. You can see it in the words, the formatting and more. Ho-hum.

It’s okay, businesses can use AI for their posts if they want. But, here at Tower Systems, we prefer the real, the human, the emotional, the reality with feelings, because, after all, local indie retail is all about feelings. You know what we mean 0- you walk into a local shop and there’s a warm smile from a local, locally relevant conversation, useful local knowledge and engagement with the local community that locals understand.

AI doesn’t get any of this, because it has no feelings, no local roots. It can only fake it so far.

In our POS software we reflect the humanity of what we do by bringing to life enhancements our customers ask us for. Every enhancement we deliver in response to a customer requests, and votes from their colleagues, enhances the humanity of our software, the connection our software delivers to our customers, to0 its users.

Here at Tower Systems, our knowledge base articles are written by humans, our videos are made by humans, our software is written by humans. We do all this in service of local indie specialty retail – a very human local retail endeavour. Locals feel the heartbeat and that’s something that AI cannot give you.

So, next time you read something from a company and it feels bland or middle of the road, wonder to yourself if it is AI bland, wonder if the company cared about the reader in a way that they used an AI bot to write for you rather than having a human from their team write it.

What are we in small business if we are not ourselves, real, human, authentic, and in the moment? Sure, AI can provide useful tools, but when it comes to communication abut who we are, what we do and why it matters to customers and prospective customers, being human is our difference.

Do comparison websites actually compare the products they list and pitch?

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No, they don’t, at least as far as we can see.

We are a POS software company. We make retail management software for local specialty retailers. Our company, Tower Systems, is a market leader in a range of retail channels such as newsagents, jewellers, bike shops, produce businesses, gift shops, and more. yet, we do not appear on comparison websites.

We don’t appear on comparison websites because we do not pay to appear.

In our experience that is the main reason they list you, because you pay to be listed.

Comparison websites are advertising platforms plain and simple. There is no comparison, no analysis of the POS software listed, no testing of functionality or marketing claims, no due diligence as to the appropriateness of the POS software.

This is why, in our opinion, comparison websites that we have seen are not comparison websites.

It’s on our mind today as we have seen a comparison website target people looking for our company. A Tower Systems Google search lists a comparison website pitching products as alternatives to us. But, they’d have no idea because they have done done any comparison. The companies listed have paid to be listed to people searching for us.

In our opinion this is lazy marketing. While we invest in creating robust and useful software, some other businesses invest in marketing and while that may get the noticed, in local specialty retail function matters the most. Local retailers want POS software that works for them, that suits their needs, serves them deeply and well within their businesses.

If you click on an ad for a comparison website it costs the other companies money, which we like as each dollar they se=pent to not get a sale is a lesson for them.

We are grateful to serve more than 3,000 retailers today with POS software made for their type of business.

In the small business world, personal service matters, personal service is the difference. Our POS software reflects this focus on personal service, it reflects our commitment to helping our local retail business customers to more valuably and successfully connect with their local shoppers. This is a Tower Systems difference.

Why we don’t claim our POS software is the best POS software

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It’s funny seeing POS software companies claim their software is the best. They could not know. We for sure do not know if our Tower Systems retailer POS software is the best PSO software, and here’s why:

Only someone who has used in real life and over some time all the software to which it is compared could really know.

We have not used other POS software. We’;re sure our competitions have not used our software, or other software, too.

A retailer who has used two or three software products could not know how a product they have not used may or may not serve their business.

The thing is, when it comes to POS software marketing, there is too much hype in our view, a lot of businesses saying their software is the best.

It’s why we don’t say our Tower Systems POS software is the best and the same reason we do not say it is perfect for you.

Only you can know what POS software is right for your business.

Here’s what we do know though, as retailers ourselves (currently 3 physical shops and 4 online retail businesses), we know that our POS software is a good fit for our needs, and they are complex needs. As retailers ourselves we use our software every day, at volume, in several specialty niche retail areas.

So, we can certainly speak to our own experience, about how our POS software is serving our needs, and we can show prospective retailers how our POS software works, we can show them in any of our shops. We welcome people to work in the shops and use the software first hand before they make a decision if they want.

We’re not aware of any other Australia POS software companies in our specialty retail; channels who own and run retail. businesses as live labs for testing and enhancing their software and for offering prospective customers a live business in which they can experience the software first hand.

We reckon our Tower Systems Retailer POS software is good. It’s up to you to see if it right for you. We are happy for it to be compared to anything. We welcome such comparison and with co-operate in any way we can to help you do this.

Beware comparison website www.compareposquotes.com.au since they have not compared anything

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The folks are at it again today, if you do a Google search for Tower Systems, an ad comes up for www.compareposquotes.com.au.

They are encouraging those searching for Tower Systems by name to look at comparisons. But, the www.compareposquotes.com.au business does no such comparison. You have to do that work.

Theirs is an ad platform that other businesses pay to be part of to be found when people are looking for a business, like Tower Systems.

We think it is lazy advertising to directly target us and to use our name or part of our name in their advertising.

The best way to research POS software is to do your own research, and not use a faux comparison website, like www.compareposquotes.com.au. Since it costs money to list with them, the businesses that do list with them have an advertising cost that they would surely want to recoup somehow. Businesses that do not pay to list with a comparison website may not have these costs.

One of the main drawbacks of using comparison websites like www.compareposquotes.com.au from Comparison Advantage is that they often only display a limited number of options. This means that shoppers may not be aware of all the options available to them, and they may not be able to find the best deal for their needs. Additionally, some comparison websites may only display options from certain companies or providers, which can bias the results in favor of those companies.

Another issue with comparison websites is that the information they provide may not always be up-to-date or accurate. Since the websites rely on the companies themselves to provide information about their products and services, there is a potential for bias or even misinformation. Additionally, prices and other details can change rapidly, so the information on a comparison website may not always reflect the most current situation.

Furthermore, using comparison websites can also be time-consuming and confusing. Consumers may have to sift through a lot of information and compare different features and prices in order to make a decision. This can be overwhelming, especially for people who are not familiar with the products or services being compared.

If you click on their ad it costs them money, which is something we suppose.

If you are looking for POS software for your retail business, take your time, figure out exactly what you want, search for yourselves for the software that serves your needs.

Small business retail advice: beware the total cost of ownership of your POS software

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What the POS software you choose for your retail business actually costs your business is not always clear or transparent. There are situations where retailers do not discover the actual cost until they are locked in to a particular POS software company.

Here are some examples of things we have seen recently, things we do not do:

  1. Quoting a monthly cost that is actually a prepaid annual cost divided by 12 and where the actual monthly cost if you pay monthly is considerably more.
  2. Charging an EFTPOS fee for your use of an EFTPOS directly linked to that POS software where the EFTPOS fee is considerably higher than the competitive market price.
  3. Signing what you think is a monthly contract only to find that you have a minimum commitment period of 24 or 36 months or more – meaning it is not a monthly contact at all.
  4. Being told that the software can go to the new owner of the business when you sell only to discover that the new owner is asked to pay up front a fee to actually access the software.
  5. Being told that your price is the standard price only for you to discover later that friends get a special price that is much lower than you are paying.
  6. Being told one price only to find a different price in the contract.

These are some of the things going around at the moment. It’s frustrating because here we are in 2023 writing about real things that are happening this year that tarnish the reputation of software companies. we don’t like it. The is why we are calling it out here and elsewhere.

Here at Tower Systems, our prices are transparent, as is what is included in the monthly rental price.

Our monthly price is our monthly price. There is no need for a year up front payment to access it.

And, for all of our customers, here’s what’s included in the monthly rental cost: software licences for unlimited computers in the location, help desk support (by phone or email) 6 days a week (including Saturday), access to a comprehensive support knowledge base, after hours support call access for urgent system down queries, access to our Shopify, Xero and other integrations, access to our supplier invoice import tools.

Simple. Clear. The same offer to everyone.

From a sales perspective, there is no rush, no pressure. Our sales professionals are just that, professional. They pride themselves if being clear if they think our business is not the right fir for you. They also are under no pressure themselves to close a certain amount of business each month. That’s whey they will not harass or pressure you.

Take you time when considering POS software. Move at your pace. Be driven by what you want and need for your business. We are here when you need us.

Small business retail advice: beware the payment redirection scam

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The emails of one of our customers was recently hacked on their business computer.

The hacker saw that we had quoted of supplying a new laptop a month ago. The hacker pretended to be us in an email to our customer and convinced the them to direct deposit money into a bank account they provided.

We only heard about it weeks after the deposit, when our customer contacted us asking where the laptop was. By then, the money, and the hacker, were long gone.

Hackers are sophisticated and clever. They make themselves look legitimate for people uncurious about emails and calls they receive.

In this instance, there were 3 indicators in the email from the hacker that it was a hack, 3 indicators we saw the moment we saw the email they had sent to our customer:

  1. The email named one of our staff members but had a dodo mail email address clearly visible.
  2. The grammar was poor – much worse than our usual typos (sorry for them). For example: all program has been loaded as well. The singular program is the giveaway here.
  3. We never ask for direct bank deposit by email.Our customers can shop with us online through a secure platform, or we issue an official invoice with payment details. Our invoices have a secure payment link.

What happened to our customer was what is called a payment redirection scam. We have provided our customers with advice on reasonable steps they could take to pursue what has happened to them, even though the chances now of resolution are slim.

For more, read about the payment redirection scam: https://asic.gov.au/about-asic/news-centre/news-items/asic-warns-small-businesses-to-be-vigilant-about-payment-redirection-scams/

While the advice from the ASIC and other government agencies is straightforward, it comes down to being vigilant, careful and questioning, especially before you part with any money.

For our customer, the hack was before they received the email. It could have been days or weeks before. Protecting against this involves the most basic of care – clicking only on links you absolutely trust and being careful as to the websites you visit from the business computers.

The Australian Cyber Security centre run by the Australian Signals Directorate offers excellent advice on protection against email hacks. We share this link with our customers as they are the experts. It’s best to share government provided expert advice rather than write our own. This way we are sure the advice is current and best practice. We particularly like:

  • Consider introducing an approval process for requests that ask to change payment details or make a large transfer.

  • Verify any such requests by calling the sender. Call them on a known and verified phone number (not a phone number from the email, as this could be operated by a cybercriminal). Speak with the sender over the phone to verbally confirm the request or change.

  • Ensure workers have clear guidance to verify account details and to think critically before actioning unusual requests.

  • Have a reporting process to report threatening demands for immediate action, pressure for secrecy or requests to circumvent protective business processes.

In terms of what we do at Tower Systems, we never ask our customers to transact with us insecurely. Payment is always through a secure platform, a trusted platform that protects our customers and protects us.

Compare POS quotes is at it again, seeking to trade off the good name of Tower Systems

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If you go to Google and search for us, for Tower Systems, you are likely to see an ad from Compare POS quotes, a website run by a company called Comparison Advantage.

Comparison Advantage is paying Google to run an as with our name, Tower Systems, in the headline.

To a small business owner, this could look like a link to a website about Tower Systems.

We are concerned that the Comparison Advantage www.compareposquotes.com.au Google ad appears to pass itself off as related to us. It is not.

This situation sucks in that here we have a company, Comparison Advantage, paying to get their ad in front of people looking for us, for Tower Systems.

Their website claims to offer comparisons of POS systems, for business owners looking for POS systems. The thing is, you are only listed at www.comparisonadvantage.com.auy if you pay Comparison Advantage to list with them. There is no assessment by them, no value add, other than them paying Google to list their Tower Systems related ad.

Good businesses win customers on their own merits, not by jumping the queue and paying to come up as a search result when someone is searching for something else. This is what sucks about this. Of course there will be people with deep pockets who want to trade off the good name and success of others. It’s what the world is like.

All we can do is to continue to build and support POS software that local small business retailers like and use. we are grateful to our thousands of customers for their support.

As for Comparison Advantage and their www.compareposquotes.com..au website, we hope click on the ad and then not choose any of the products they offer. Eventually advertisers will withdraw and the company will have to find another way to make money. Making money on the back of the hard work of others is poor form in our opinion.

One of the main drawbacks of using comparison websites like www.compareposquotes.com.au from Comparison Advantage is that they often only display a limited number of options. This means that shoppers may not be aware of all the options available to them, and they may not be able to find the best deal for their needs. Additionally, some comparison websites may only display options from certain companies or providers, which can bias the results in favor of those companies.

If you found us by looking for us, thank you, welcome, we hope we can help.

Comparison Advantage at their www.compareposquotes.com.au website is seeking to trade off our name, again

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Do a Google search for Tower Systems and the top result is an ad for Comparison Advantage and their www.compareposquotes.com.au website. Take a look:

This sucks because they are paying Google to trade off people searching for our company.

We had a sales prospect tell us recently that they used the Comparison Advantage www.compareposquotes.com.au website, entered their details and was hit with a torrent of calls, emails and text messages from some companies listed by Comparison Advantage all before they even understood if the software may be useful.

Tower Systems does not do this. We do not use Comparison advantage and their website www.compareposquotes.com.au.

Many consumers and business owners turn to comparison websites to help them make informed decisions about purchasing products or services. However, it is important to note that these websites may not always provide an accurate or complete picture of the options available.

One of the main drawbacks of using comparison websites like www.compareposquotes.com.au from Comparison Advantage is that they often only display a limited number of options. This means that shoppers may not be aware of all the options available to them, and they may not be able to find the best deal for their needs. Additionally, some comparison websites may only display options from certain companies or providers, which can bias the results in favor of those companies.

Another issue with comparison websites is that the information they provide may not always be up-to-date or accurate. Since the websites rely on the companies themselves to provide information about their products and services, there is a potential for bias or even misinformation. Additionally, prices and other details can change rapidly, so the information on a comparison website may not always reflect the most current situation.

Furthermore, using comparison websites can also be time-consuming and confusing. Consumers may have to sift through a lot of information and compare different features and prices in order to make a decision. This can be overwhelming, especially for people who are not familiar with the products or services being compared.

In conclusion, while comparison websites can be a useful tool for consumers, it is important to be aware of their limitations. They may not always provide a complete or accurate picture of the options available, and the information they provide may not be up-to-date. It is always a good idea to do your own research and compare multiple sources before making a decision.

As for www.compareposquotes.com.au from Comparison Advantage, in our opinion, steer clear of them.

OPINION: Why we think you cannot rely on www.compareposquotes.com.au from Comparison Advantage Pty Ltd to offer a complete comparison service

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Comparison Advantage runs www.compareposquotes.com.au. Their pitch is “compare POS quotes. All major brands”

The thing is, this statement is not backed by the evidence.

We did a search this morning, December 5, 2022, for Tower Systems, our own POS software company, and the top result is an ad from Comparison Advantage with our business name in the ad. But we don’t advertise with Comparison Advantage. We don’t pay them to list our Tower Systems POS software on their www.compareposquotes.com.au website. because we don’t pay them, they do not include us. It seems to be considered a major brand by Comparison Advantage you have to pay them. That doesn’t make sense.

www.compareposquotes.com.au is not, in our opinion, an authentic comparison website. rather, it is an advertising platform. Businesses pay to have their software listed. Comparison Advantage Pty Ltd does not undertake any comparison itself. being listed on their website is a result of what you pay them, and not as a result of any assessment they have made as to the abilities of the POS software.

As the www.compareposquotes.com.au website notes, it is an introduction service:

  1. INTRODUCTION SERVICES
    CAF is a medium that facilitates the introduction of Users and Providers, in order for those Providers to provide Quotes, offers goods and services to Users. CAF simply acts as an introduction service to Users and Providers, and does not have any obligations or liabilities to, and is not a party to any contract between, Users and Providers in relation to such offers, goods or services, or otherwise resulting from the introduction. You agree and acknowledge that:

    • . any terms and conditions relating to Quotes, offers, goods and services are solely between you and the Provider and do not involve CAF in any way, except that they must not be inconsistent with your obligations under this agreement;
  2. as part of the Services, we provide links and introductions between third party Providers that are not under the control of CAF;
  3. any Quotes and subsequent follow-ups are not under the control of CAF, and any queries or complaints about the Quotes should be directed to the Provider;
  4. our provision of introductions between Providers and Users through the Website does not imply any endorsement or recommendation by CAF of any Provider;
  5. we do not constantly examine, determine or warrant the legality of any Provider, or of the offers, goods and services listed by a Provider on the Website. In the event that you wish to use a Provider, you are solely responsible for making your own enquiries;
  6. we make no guarantee of any cost savings or any other financial outcome by facilitating introductions between you and Providers;
  7. any terms and conditions agreed relating to an offer, a good or a service, or Quote provided via the Website, constitute a contract between a User and a Provider and do not involve CAF in any way; and
  8. all Quotes provided by a Provider are subject to change by the Provider without notice.

We’d go further and note that they only introduce you to businesses that pay them for the service. It looks and feels like an ad platform. we think it is an ad platform.

We don’t think that www.compareposquotes.com.au by Comparison Advantage Pty Ltd is accurate in its claims of representing major brands.

We also don’t think it is fair that they pay to use the names of businesses like ours to attract traffic. if someone is searching Google for Tower Systems, that is their goal, not to be presented an ad platform that lists nothing about Tower Systems.

We share our opinion about this here today because we are frustrated that this ad platform is seeking to trade off the good reputation and market depth we have achieved.

Compare POS Quotes continues to trade off interest in the Tower Systems POS software

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It’s 6:45am Thursday November 10 and the www.compareposquotes.com.au website continues to pay Google to attract people to their website when Tower Systems is typed into a Google search.

These are people searching for us and here is a business spending money to re-direct the search done by those people on their ad platform, in which we do not participate.

The businesses listed at Compare POS quotes pay to be there. These are businesses potentially benefiting from people searching for the Tower Systems name and clicking on the Compare POS Quotes ad.

In our opinion, this is poor business practice, questionable ethically because people in the example we share are searching for us, specifically for us, and the Compare POS Quotes website ad names Tower Systems, suggesting that clicking on their ad will help those searching “find the right Tower Systems” for their business.

We would not do this competitor named and targeted advertising for ethical reasons. But that’s us. Clearly, there are some quite happy to do it, quite happy to try and grow their business based on the interest out there in our Tower Systems POS software solution.

You can see from SEMRush data this morning that the traffic to the Compare POS Quotes website is primarily coming from this paid advertising, and, in our opinion, the traffic is not that much, but you can see that it has recently bounced.

What Compare POS Quotes is doing is like a competitor jumping in front of someone who is about to enter your shop to browse. For sure any local retailer would be unhappy about that, and they would be angry at any competitor doing it.

All we can hope is that people go to Google, type in Tower Systems, and click on the Compare POS Quotes ad as this costs them money. The more it costs them and the businesses that advertise with them, without a commercial outcome – the less they are likely to do it. We can hope at least.

We want interest in Tower Systems to grow because we make awesome specialty retail POS software backed by awesome local Aussie support. We want to grow for authentic and justified reasons – not because we jumped in front of someone looking at a competitor business.

Compare POS Quotes is running an AD on Google leveraging our Tower Systems name

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If you have a moment, go to google.com.au and type in Tower Systems. We just did this and the top result was an ad for Compare POS Quotes. The ad has our name in it. See…

We are not connected with the website.

There is no comparison with Tower Systems.

In our opinion, this website is not a comparison website in that we suspect that they have not actually compared the different POS software they charge to list on their advertising platform website. If we are wrong, please let us know.

In our opinion, Compare POS Systems is false and misleading when they include our business name in their ad and false and misleading when they suggest they compare.

POS software only gets listed with them when the company pays to be listed.

Look at the image we shared, you can see we are the first natural result in the Google results. The top one is the Compare POS Systems ad. It sucks.

If you click on the ad it will cost them some money. The more wasted clicks the less likely they are to keep paying for an ad that represents itself as being associated with us. Thank you.

We’d love people to click on the ad from all over Australia.

If you really want to compare POS systems, do it yourself, look carefully at each company you co sider. Take your time. Be thorough.

A POS software company relationship is long term. This is not something to rush or rely on someone else to do it for you, especially if they have a commercial interest in only showing you the companies that pay them to list with them. Comp-are POS Systems is not an accurate and fulsome comparison. It’s a commercial ad platform plain and simple from what we can see.

look, we are flattered that they think so much off us to pay for an ad with our business name in it. But we feel for anyone duped by this ad they are running. Click on the ad, cost them money, and then contact us to see if our POS software could serve your needs. we can be reached on 1300 662 957 or by email at sales@towersystems.com.au.

We think this Compare POS Quotes ad is misleading

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If you search Tower Systems on Google today, this www.ComparePOSQuotes.com.au ad appears.

In our opinion, this ad appears misleading. we say this because it says in the headline Compare Tower Systems – POS Systems for every industry. The thing is, there is no comparison with us, no comparison with Tower Systems. So, why is Tower Systems in the headline. We think this is because we are sought after, searched for via Google and so this business, Comparison Advantage Pty Ltd, is using our business name as a form of click bait, as a way of getting people to click the ad.

If you click this compare POS systems ad that has our Tower Systems name, you are not comparing Tower Systems, we are not involved whatsoever.

So, guess what we did … we entered our details into their website that came up after we clicked the ad. They emailed us. While we were typing a response to their emails, they called us. Talk about spam.

We explained to the representative of Comparison Advantage, who sounded like they were calling from an offshore call centre, what the company was dong by boyu=ing our business name for Google advertising their response was that it was outside their area.

While we get that there is nothing illegal to this type of Google advertising, we think it is ethically wrong for one company to pay to present the name of a competitor in order to divert traffic the competitor may have otherwise achieved.

We think, it’s our opinion to be clear, that Comparison Advantage sucks. We think their approach is questionable ethically. But, hey, it’s our opinion only.

We have sought to raise a complaint with Google, but that is not an easy process. In fact, dealing with Google on anything like this is frustrating. We think the company makes it so deliberately.

Our Tower Systems POS software is awesome in our opinion. The best way to decide whether it is right for you is for you to take a look at it, and con sider whether it serves your needs. It may not. But do compare it. Using a comparison website like Comparison Advantage is no comparison at all as they are not comparing everyone, not even the key players in our experience. It is misleading we think.

How does the Tower Systems POS software compare with Retail Express?

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The short answer is we don’t know. we have never used Retail Express in any of our software. We’ve not even looked at their software. Likewise, we are not aware of any Retail Express staff members looking at our Tower Systems POS software.

So, How does the Tower Systems POS software compare with Retail Express? … we don’t know.

This question is on our mind today because someone asked us. They had been told a view and wanted our reaction.

The best we can do is make it easy for you to see our software in a demonstration for your specific business, or across at our publicly accessible Tower Systems YouTube channel. You don’t have to give us your email address to access these videos. We believe in transparency and show it through easy access to this software we make and support.

We are even happy to arrange a personal Zoom meeting where you can see our software compared function for function with Retail Express.

What we want for every retailer we speak with is for them to find the software that best serves their needs.

If the Tower Systems POS software is not the right fit, we’ll say so and wish you all the best. We won’t pressure you or pitch to you. We let your needs guide what’s best, yes, your needs and how they match, or don’t, with our POS software.

From our sales team members to our leadership team to our help desk team members we are all about providing personal service in support of ever evolving POS software. We mention ever evolving since the Tower software today is very different to what we offers a year ago or two years ago. This continual improvement with which we engage is driven by customer suggestion, for which we are sincerely grateful.

Functionality is everything and comparing two POS software programs function buy function is useful to determine which better serves your needs. This is another reason for wanting the assessment to be done in your business, at a time of your choosing.

This is what good personal service is all about – putting the needs of your business first.

How does Tower Systems compare to Retail Express? Compare the two software programs in your business side by side and see for yourself.

Our 3,000+ local retail businesses that we serve help us create better software every day and for that we are grateful.

People see copying for what it is

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We demonstrated our latest integration with Google maps last week, through our enhanced integrated dispatch tools. We have been working with produce businesses, garden centres, landscapers and more to deliver an advanced solution that serves their needs for managing anything from one delivery vehicle to a fleet.

The enhanced Google maps integration is a small part of a much bigger solution. We say enhanced because it is ahead of what we have done for years.

Rather than speaking to any innovation of their own, a wannabe competitor wrote publicly about Google maps integration, a day after we did. They’ve done it before and we’re sure people see it for what it is.

Retailers would benefit more from innovative competition, not a game of follow the leader.

Who owns your small business data?

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We have a local retail business switching to our POS software from another POS software company. Once they let their current software company know they were moving to us, they were locked out from being able to access their business data, including product images that they had loaded into their software. This is their own intellectual property that they loaded into the software.

This is an appalling situation that has come about solely because someone in the POS software company losing a customer has decided to block access to their current customer.

Is our POS software right for you?

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Yes, you, we are asking you. This is a personal question directed at local retailers, small business retailers.

Is our POS software right for you?

We think this is a question any local retail business owner needs to answer for themselves prior to purchasing POS software, prior to making that decision for themselves.

Yes, it is a personal decision, like any vital and important decision you make about the business.

You have to feel good abut the decision. It has to feel right. It has to fit. It has to be the decision you are comfortable and happy with.

We say, take your time, research thoroughly, be sure of what you want, be sure of the people you will deal with. It’s your business after all and every decision you take in and about the business is a reflection on you. This is why we say the decision about the best POS software for your local retail business is likely to be a personal decision for you.

Is our POS software right for you?

We are not seeking to be combative or offensive in asking the question. rather, our goal is to help you make the decision that best serves your own needs for if they are served then the POS software you choose will serve the needs of the business as well. It starts as a personal decision and evolves into a business decision.

The way to answer the question Is our POS software right for you? is by being personally involved, looking at software, talking to people from the company, talking to existing customers, being sure about your needs and being sure about your ultimate decision. If you are not sure, don’t rush, there is no hurry – expect sometimes from the software sales person who is chasing a target. We will not pressure here at Tower Systems – we are here for the long haul. make your decision when it is right for you.

So, Is our POS software right for you? We hope so. But, if it is not, we will wish you all the best. We may even suggest other POS software to consider.

Tower Systems makes specialty POS software for selected niche retail channels. Our focus is on local small business retail.

No secret commissions here

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We lost a sale recently in a situation where a business support / marketing group recommended against us. That same group asked us for a percentage of the value of each sale they recommend us for. We refused unless they agreed to tell their members about the payment for the recommendation. They have recommended against us ever since.

Transparency matters to us, as does the fit of our POS software for a business.

If anyone recommends POS software to your business, ask them if they will receive a commission or some other benefit from the recommendation.

The important role of local small business retailers during Covid lockdowns

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The latest Victorian Covid related lockdown has shown, again, the important role small business retail front line team members play in our communities … especially the retail businesses that are open through lockdowns.

For people living alone or caring for someone at home, the interaction at the counter is important. Over recent weeks there have been several examples we have witnessed of this, where shoppers talk for a bit longer, soaking up the interaction. Local retail shops are hubs for this warmth.

Good retail team members spot the need and provide interaction that is encouraging and helps the customers feel better than when they arrived.

What’s been happening in  in Victoria over recent days is a reminder of the importance of local small business retail in communities, the role they (we) play, the support provided.

We are writing about local small business retail as it is in that setting that shoppers are more likely to have a personal and nurturing experience. The local small businesses we serve are less focussed on KPIs, interactions are more authentic than the corporate national retailer dictate of the five rules of every customer contact or whatever corporate rules the staff are told they must follow.

The warmth and genuineness of the interaction in a local high street shop setting is helping plenty of Victorians through this latest lockdown. Local small business retail channels can be proud of the role they play on the front line, the role they play in the mental health of so many who visit these local shops.

If only politicians would take a moment to see first-hand the role local small business retail plays in the community in situations like this. There are retailers in our channel who do more good in a week of customer interactions than a year of words press releases, announcements and doorstops from any politician, especially federal politicians who love a big announcement but fail at the action.

Kudos to all retailers in Victoria who have been open through the latest lockdown and who have provided extra care at the counter to customers keen for personal contact and support.

The ethics of using POS software to hide income from the federal government

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Many many years ago we were shown a function in POS software from another local software company that enabled a retailer using the software to take cash out of the business in a way that was difficult to detect.

Using a special password, anyone using the software could enter the amount they wanted to withdraw. the software adjusted records to hide the withdrawal, maintaining accounts records for any tax audit and a separate, hidden, set of records for the business owner.

We discovered the unique tax free cash accessing facility when we were asked many many years ago to add a similar facility in our software. The business owner wanted to remove $2,000 cash a week from their busy business. We refused. We lost that customer and some others who wanted such a facility.

Eventually, the knowledge of the facility in the other POS software reached state and federal government authorities. Several agencies from state and federal governments got together to look at the facilities. We were able to observe this first-hand. It was breathtaking. Their interest was in how a retailer was assisted in removing cash from a business without detection. This was demonstrated.

We have been asked since several times by some retailers to make it easy for them to remove cash undetected from the business. Our answer is as it has always been – you can’t do this with our software. To do so within the code of our software would be illegal, just as doing so in any retail business would be illegal.

With benchmarks and other data analysis tools, the federal government is especially well equipped today to detect such activity.

We have many ways we can lawfully help local retailers make more money in their businesses – through better decision making, faster decision making, tactical shop floor engagement, efficient online selling to shoppers they will never see. retail today is growing for many local retailers thanks to these and other engaging tools in smart POS software. This is where good business growth can be achieved and through which value can be cultivated to make a business worth more when it comes time for the owners to sell.

Bad business decisions can be a big burden in a retail business. make better business decisions and you can make more than any cash you may wish you could take form a business.

The POS Software Blog

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