While we think it’s more than one thing that differentiates our POS software, some of us got together to record this video where we each share our one-thing:
What’s the one thing that differentiates the Tower Systems POS software?
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Aussie made POS software for specialty retail
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The best loyalty solution for local small business retailers
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If your local retail business competes with big businesses and online businesses, you are likely copying them and their approach to loyalty. Points are the common approach. The world is obsessed with points, chasing them, collecting and trying to spend them.
But who knows that they are worth?
Each point is not the same whereas each dollar is a dollar everywhere.
The Tower Systems POS software offers a points based loyalty solution embedded in the POS software – for businesses that like to copy big business. The businesses that like to innovate, be different and stand out, however, use the discount vouchers facilities in our POS software. In these facilities there are no points accrued. rather, loyal shoppers accrue dollars. See how:
With hundreds of local small business retailers using the Tower Systems discount vouchers we have good data to speak to when encouraging local retailers to embrace the opportunity.
For years, retailers, especially independent and small business retailers, have been told to follow retail giants and reward loyal shoppers with points that can be redeemed for gifts and discounts.
Dutifully, many small business retailers acted on this – but without a thought-through strategy to achieve the best outcome for the business.
Without a financially rewarding outcome for a business, a loyalty program is worthless.
This is why retailers, in any retail channel and in any retail situation – high street, shopping mall, rural and or regional – need options in terms of shopper loyalty rewards.
While a points based program is useful, it could be that the business will benefit from a different approach.
Good POS software will offer flexibility. This flexibility can add thousands of dollars to the bottom line performance of a retail business each year.
Change the game: front-end loyalty
By using an approach we at Tower call front-ending loyalty, retailers can achieve more from first-time and infrequent shoppers. Front-ending loyalty brings a reward to the front in an effort to engage shoppers in additional purchases sooner.
Too often loyalty has been all about total spend over a year whereas above average spend in just one visit can be more valuable to a business.
It’s an approach that can encourage those who do not shop with you to purchase something else right away, to get the value of the cash discount offered.
Regular shoppers can spend the cash discount right away or come back within any time limit you set.
We started trialling this front-ending loyalty strategy in February 2013 in several retail businesses. We did it using the Discount Vouchers facilities in the Tower Systems software.
Building the basket
From the first day we saw shoppers changing behaviour.
One chap came in to purchase a specific item. When he was handed the receipt the voucher was pointed out to him – 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 covering how vouchers are issued and redeemed. You control your financial exposure at all times.
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 in the Tower software have this.
5 ways to make your local retail business more competitive
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Every day can feel like a grind in local small business retail. A grind competing with big businesses, a grind competing with online businesses. It can wear people down if they let it.
The key is to not let it wear you down.
It starts with loving your business, believing in it, respecting it and making it stronger at the core. That’s what this advice from Tower Systems is about today, making your business stronger at the core, by making the business more competitive.
5 ways to make your local retail business more competitive
Now, before we get into them they will feel easy, even lame. The thing is, these are deliberately everyday things you can do without a budget, just with a small time investment.
These are all things your POS software, like the Tower Systems POS software, can help with if you wish.
1. Offer something unique that your competitors don’t. This could be a unique product, service, or even just a specific focus or niche that you cater to. have a point of different. This matters a lot. Create it, embrace it, leverage it. This point of difference is you, it is your reason, your go to, your 7 second pitch.
2. Make sure your prices are competitive. This doesn’t mean always having the lowest prices, but rather offering a good value for what you’re selling. Value is something you create based on how you bundle items, how you source to differentiate, how you make raw price comparisons hard.
3. Offer excellent customer service. This could be something as simple as providing a great experience in your store, or going above and beyond to help your customers. make it personal, different and valuable. At each contact point provide that extra bit that helps people make better use of what you sell.
4. Use marketing and advertising wisely. Make sure you’re targeting your ideal customer, and using the most effective channels to reach them. When you market, market you, your point of difference – always ahead off price as price based shoppers are not loyal.
5. Stay up to date on industry trends. This will help you anticipate changes and stay ahead of your competitors. It will also help your business be a resource, and that will bring people back.
Being more competitive in local retail is all about you and the core of your business. get this right and worries about competitors out there, real or imagined, will fade away.
Tower Systems through its POS software helps with this and more. We have embedded in our software opportunities for you showing your competitive advantages, giving shoppers lived experiences they will love.
More retailers switch from MYOB Retail Manager to Tower Systems POS software
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We are grateful to have welcomed more retailers to the Tower Systems POS software community from the MYOB Retail Manager software.
With MYOB making their intentions re the future of Retail Manager clear, retailers, community groups, clubs and others using the software are looking for alternatives, solutions o9n which they can rely into the future.
Tower Systems has helped many businesses and groups move from MYOB Retail Manager to the Tower Systems POS software. We do this in a structured and methodical way, working with our customers to bring across what they trust and helping them setup in a new world with fresh data fresh settings and, best of all, comprehensive training and one-on-one support.
We have many customers in many different retail settings who have made the switch from MYOB Retail Manager before. They can speak to the software as well as our support processes that have helped them land where they are. People switching from MYOB Retail Manager today can rely on the experiences of others. They can also trust the Tower Systems commitment to continual evolution of its POS software in service o0f the needs of specialty retail.
Like any new installation of our POS software, we start the relationship wanting to ensure we understand the needs of a business. This actually starts before prospective customers even sign up with us. We want to make sure we can meet their needs. So, we start a discovery process before anything else. If our software does meet their needs, then it’s full steam ahead with comprehensive training in how to use the software and easy to access customer service for any query customers may have once the training is completed. We make it easy to learn and easy to continue to learn long after the software is being used in a business.
We differ from the old MYOB approach in that we provide all our own training, we are very accessible – through to our leadership team, our software is regularly enhanced, documentation is regularly updated, and, support access is easy and direct … by phone, email in person, text message or through social media. We make it easy for you to reach us when you need us.
If you are using MYOB Retail Manager in your business and you want to consider an alternative, Tower Systems is here for you. We’d love to find out more about your needs: 1 300 662 957 or sales@towersystems.com.au.
Tower Systems helps local small business retailers shine
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New POS software connected dispatch facilities help local retailers with local deliveries
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Here’s a new short video from our POS software team demonstrating the dispatch facilities local retailers are loving:
Retail advice: if you are concerned about rising EFTPOS merchant t fees, here are some steps you can take to help
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It’s an easy complaint to make – my merchant fees are going up, it’s not fair, time for me to consider another supplier.
Okay, yeah, that’s an easy take. It’s a cheap shot by us to call it out. But, let’s explain and explore it with you.
Our advice is to look at your data first.
We have thoroughly looked at hundreds of thousands of baskets from many retail businesses.
The most common reason merchant fees are increasing is because of more sales transacted using EFTPOS.
While sometimes the actual fee basis, flat fee per Tx or percentage, increases, this is rare.
Yes, the most common reason a retailer paid more in merchant fees last month than the month before is because more transactions were paid for on a card.
So, the EFTPOS provider is not the cause of the issue.
Retailers is some marketing groups have access to preferential rates that see them paying the lowest fees in the country.
But, that addresses only the base cost.
To address the growing cost to the business, of people using a card to pay, you need to be an engaged retailer. Here are some ideas:
- Promote cash payment – if you want the costs associated with cash of course.
- Be clear as to the cost of using a card. You could apply a surcharge, which I think is a ridiculous idea though.
- Price knowing that cards will be used. Build the cost into your pricing model. Keep the bump under 2% and it is less likely to be noticed.
- Lower a cost elsewhere to cover the cost. Look at your labour cost, for example. Shaving a hour of employee rostered time can save you around $30.00, that’s equal to purchases of $3750.00 on a card – depending on the type of card used.
- Increase sales. While you should be single-mindedly focussed on this anyway, increasing sales helps you address the EFTPOS cost and more in the business.
It’s easy to kick a bank over EFTPOS fees. But … before you do that, look at your own behaviour. Here are common points in retail businesses that retailers overlook when they kick a supplier:
- Dead stock. It’s easy to identity but often not. A problem not seen is not a problem to some. In my experience on conducting an audit of stock performance, usually, 20% of stock on the shop floor over which the retailer has full control underperforms and should not be there.
- Bloated roster. Some prefer to spend money on people so they have time to themselves for relaxing, golf or to sit in the back office, where no customer purchases from.
- Wrong trading hours. Some stay open too long while others are not open long enough. Either way has a cost to the business.
- Being blind to theft. Theft in retail, like a local newsagency business, costs on average between 3% and 5% of turnover. Not watching for it, tracking it and mitigating against it has a cost to the business.
- The wrong product mix. GP% is a key measure of retail business performance. Increasing yours beyond what is traditional for your channel provides you with a buffer. For example, transaction count / sales can decline and you can be okay. Measure GP%. Set a goal. Chase it. The air is cleaner in above average.
- Ignorance. It’s not bliss. It’s not! There are insights in your software that can guide better decisions, faster decisions, more financially rewarding decisions. Yet, too many in retail don’t want to know. That failure costs them plenty.
The 6 items on the above list are all on the retailer to address.
We get that it’s easy to complain about high EFTPOS fees. If you are contemplating that, please take a moment to look back inside your business, look at the reason why and see if there are decisions you could make that are more valuable than complaining about EFTPOS fees or changing supplier. Our team here at Tower Systems would be happy to help.
Rising EFTPOS fees are likely not a problem since the y reflect rising sales, unless your provider is hiking your fees, which is rare.
POS software from Tower Systems helps retailers deal with employee theft and customer theft
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Here is a new video from Tower Systems in which we discuss opportunities for early detection and mitigation of employee theft and customer theft in retail:
Xero connects POS software helps local small business retailers save time and cut mistakes
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The Tower Systems POS software connects directly with Xero and has done for many years. we are grateful to be a development partner of Xero, providing seamless and safe data flow between the POS software and Xero.
Retailers using the Tower POS software can turn on the Xero accounting software connection without additional cost. yes, this Xero POS software link is included with the software, helping to reduce the cost of accurate accounting for local small business retailers.
The development of the POS software Xero link has been overseen by our retail software development experts and our own COPA accountant, taking it beyond the usual software focus – this is a whole of business focus, a whole of business solution, which we use ourselves in the 4 retail businesses we currently own – yes, we have our own practical experience with this PSO software Xero integration.
Save time, eliminate bookkeeping costs, cut mistakes and make better business decisions sooner with the Tower Systems POS software Xero integration. This link cuts keystrokes and every keystroke cut is a possible mistake eliminated.
The Xero integration designed by Tower Systems, working with the folks at Xero, makes it easy for small business retailers to cut accounting paperwork and thereby tap into time and money saving benefits.
This POS software Xero link has been made for local small business retailers like jewellers, garden centres, bike shops, pet shops, toy shops, sewing shops, newsagents, produce businesses, fishing shops and many more. It has been made for them, to help drive efficiency.
PERSONAL SERVICE MATTERS.
Here are areas where the Tower Systems approach shines, where our personal service matters.
Our training is personal, one-on-one. It is delivered by someone with extensive retail experience.
Our help desk is based locally. When people call, the call is answered by a human and not a computerised phone system. We believe in personal service.
This matters especially to retailers using the Xero link in that if they have a query, it is vital it is answered quickly and professionally. This is the Tower Systems difference in action – based on our own personal experience using the POS software Xero link ourselves – we bring that experience to every call, every interaction.
POS software for local bait and tackle shops / fishing shops helps nurture people who love and rely on fishing
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Local bait and tackle shops are awesome businesses. They are places of wonderful local fishing knowledge and support. Local communities benefit from their knowledge and service. Stories of their knowledge are legendary.
Tower Systems offers bait and tackle shop POS software that helps these local indie businesses to systemise how local knowledge is served, consistently and in ways that visitors love. And, by systemise, we mean capturing the local knowledge and serving this consistently through the POS software. This is just one of the awesome facilities embedded in this POS software made specify calls for bait and tackle businesses.
It is easy to encode your knowledge about products, fishing locations and pother details, and to have this serves to customers with consistency even bob a casual employee who works in the bait and tackle shop a couple of times a month. Customers will love this.
This bait and tackle shop POS software gives you tools that help you track what you sell, even if it is sold by fractions. You can also easily sell bindles, which can make price comparison challenging … this is a real benefit for local indie retailers competing with online and big retailers.
The Tower Systems bait and tackle shop POS software is more than sporting goods software. It does more and the training is different to that retail niche. This really is made for bait and tackle shops, fishing shops and outdoors shops that serve local fishing interests and needs.
You can also provide guidance as to what goes with what, which can really help boost sales.
Plus, since many bait and tackle shop customers are tourists, people passing through once, or infrequently, the awesome and unique loyalty tool in this software helps them spend more in your shop in that one visit. This makes the visit more financially beneficial and efficient for you and more enjoyable for them with perceived savings. But enough on that for now as we don’t want to give away too many secrets.
The Tower Systems bait and tackle shop POS software is made for local independent retailers who appreciate personal service and who love to see people shopping locally. It is easy to use, well supported, provided with full training and packed with awesome tools to help your bait and tackle business run more efficiently and make money, which providing awesome customer service all through.
We made a video that speaks to how we see bait and tackle / fishing shops and their role in the local community. Here it is:
Specialty retailer POS software enhanced
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Tower Systems has released a new functionality POS software update, delivering genuinely new facilities to it’s customers, enabling some to offer and manage services they have not offered before.
This advance in POS software functionality for local retailers has some about through extensive customer and sales prospect consultation and comprehensive new tech. software development. The project has been many months in the making, involving several members of our local Aussie based POS software development team.
Our existing POS software customers have been provided access to there software update through an easy implementation pathway, along with easy access to training so that they can fully learn how these new facilities work and how to implement them within their business.
Our POS software rental customers have immediate access.
Our hosted close POS software customers have the update installed for them, when they want – with timing 100% their call.
As well as the new facilities introduced with this POS software update, plenty of existing facilities have been enhanced based on suggestions made through our transparent Software Ideas platform. Software Ideas is where our customers can suggest enhancements and other customers get to vote on these once we have provided feedback as to technical feasibility. Software Ideas is a differentiator for Tower Systems as it provides to our customers a level of transparency and and democracy that is not common in the commercial software space.
At the same time as releasing this update, we are releasing access to the most comprehensive overhaul of our POS software documentation in more than 15 years with new articles released as well as many existing articles enhanced and adjusted to serve the software its it is today and our customers as they make use of the software today. Our commitment to continual improvement of our documentation and user training resources is key to helping our customers leverage more value from their POS software investment.
Tower Systems is grateful to the active engagement of its customers as this is at the heart of what we deliver for our customers through these POS software and documentation enhancements. 3,500+ local small business retail customers do make a difference.
POS software on-boarding, the key to success with POS software in your retail business
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POS software is like the structure of a house, roof, walls, floors … yes, the structure. What makes the house liable is the furniture and knowledge of how it all works.
This is what POS software onboarding is all about – the training, support and help to make the software useful, valuable, a good investment for your business.
Without professional onboarding, what you get from the POS software may not be what you hoped for.
The tips you learn, the efficient ways to use the software, the accurate handling of data – these are all valuable things to learn and know, all things covered in professional on-boarding, and much more.
The best onboarding for your POS software is that done by the POS software company itself, they are the other party most invested in your successful use of the software. While a third party consultant may do a competent job, they are not commercially invested in the long term benefits for you and your business and its use of the POS software as you are or as the POS software company is.
The Tower Systems approach to POS software onboarding is professional, comprehensive, tailored to each retail sector in which the company serves and fine-tuned to the needs of each business based on what they advise is key to them.
We provide an account manager to oversee the process and a professional software specialist to deliver the training and setup work and advice, to help you get the most from our POS software. These are Tower Systems employees, not outside consultants. This is a huge difference, a valuable difference. It is what makes the house a home, some place you will love, appreciate and benefit from.
This is what good on-boarding looks like. It is what helps local retailers get more value from their POS software. It is the fine-tuning, the tweaks, the adjustments that help deliver POS software setup for your business. No amount of reading or playing can substitute for the efficiency and gains from professional on-boarding by experts who have done it hundreds of times already. Their years of experience can put time and money on your side.
These are just some of the reasons why on-boarding by Tower Systems is valuable to all of our POS software customers.
Footnote: we call it onboarding. But, we have referred to it as on-boarding too as some do.
Our POS software helps fishing & outdoor shops sell wonderful memories
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Giving POS software customers more power
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Last week we released new customer facilities for our POS software customers. These are back office facilities, accessed through our website, for our customers and how they interact with us and, in particular, our support team.
Once our POS software customers log into our website they have access to new technology through which they can log their own cases, see any current cases, search their past cases and, access pre-set help that may offer immediate assistance for any new case.
This advanced self serve technology goes beyond what we offered in the past, beyond what is common is local small business retail POS software support.
What we released last week is a blend of leading edge, best practice, expert technology from overseas, layered with technology we have developed ourselves and populated with a truckload of knowledge and data from our years of service of local small business retailers.
What we released last week is technically innovative, the culmination of a considerable financial investment by us to bring this to life for our customers. we have been working on this project for close to a year. We brought in a CRM solutions expert from outside to help us bring this home.
The project is a good example of us investing in our infrastructure and bringing on board people expert in the area, rather than relying on only our experience.
We are grateful to be able to make this investment for our customers and thankful for the feedback already from customers who are loving the new facilities and the greater power they have for themselves.
POS software support is all about offering advice and answers that suit the questions and in a timely way that serves the needs of customers. What we have released fits with this, and more.
Tower Systems is grateful to serve 3,000+ local specialty retail businesses that trade in a range of unique retail niches. Our focus is on locally owned family businesses as serving their needs is different to serving big mass businesses. We do not serve bug business customers. Our service is personal, local – like the businesses of our customers.
7 steps for a successful stock take in your retail business
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In order to stock take in your retail business successfully, keep these 7 steps in mind.
Bit first, make sure you are using smart POS software that lets you stock take while the shop is open, software that lets you stock take using several computers or terminals.
STEP 1: Decide who will be stock taking and how often it needs to be done. Ask yourself the following: “How big is my stock?” and “How long should stock last?”. Another thing to bear in mind is that stock takes must be done systematically and not on an ad hoc basis. Typically, a shop with 3,000 items can be completed by two people in less than a day.
STEP 2: You stock take should start with a stock count of your stockroom, before you move too the shops floor. Be consistent, methodical, in your approach, covering each space fully before you move to the next space.
STEP 3: In the old manual days, you would write a stock take list as stock takes can be very long processes and this list will act like an agenda for the stock taker. Also, it is useful to use reminders on stock take lists such as “if stock isn’t available check with suppliers”. But those days are over. Today, using smart POS software you can do a stock take faster and more accurately using the POS software.
STEP 4: Stock counts must be done individually to get accurate stock counts. Scan an item, enter a quantity, move on. You can scan each barcode if you wish but that tends to take more time. Move down each aisle in a consistent way: Scan, count, scan, count. Your POS software makes it easy.
STEP 5: All stock of the same type of product should be counted at once to get an accurate total of all stock for that item. This will make stock takes very quick and efficient. See point 4 for doing this in your POS software, scan, count, etc…
STEP 6: Rely on your POS software to store the stock take count data.
STEP 7: Once you have the stock take done, you are ready to use this valuable data to cut for the business dead stock, stock that has not sold in months or years, stock that his not paying its way. This is the value of a stock take for a retail shop.
The Tower Systems smart POS software helps small business retailers complete accurate and time efficient stock takes.
Small business retail advice: how to compete with big business competitors
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Here at Tower Systems we only work with and support local retailers ranging from small shops to modest size family businesses with several outlets. We don’t sell to big business.
We have seen many local retail businesses compete with big businesses. The most successful have done well by not competing directly.
This is our advice today. if you have a big business competitor, spend less time looking at them and what they do and spend more time on what you do and how you can make your business more interesting, useful and healthier, because the healthier you are the better you will be.
Don’t compete on price. Price based shoppers are not loyal. They are not.
Be smart about this. Compete on value as value is appreciated. People who experience value will vie back again and again.
Using our Tower Systems POS software you have a range of options for competing on value. yes, the software itself helps you do this. It has facilities built into the software than enable this, that help you pitch value at the transaction level and after the transaction.
Small business retailers often express frustration at big business competitors: they have more money for marketing, get better supplier deals and often have lower overheads per dollar of revenue.
In our experience, there is little to be gained from worrying about these things, which we cannot change. There is more to gain from focussing on points of difference we can leverage.
For example, using our POS software, you can bundle items to make price comparison difficult or impossible, you can offer a loyalty pitch big businesses will not offer, you can be flexible in how and where you pitch products while big retail businesses are structured and, usually, inflexible.
Bundling is particularly useful as you can create a bundle unique to your business, which feels like it is a value proposition unlike anything they have seen to that point. While this is a product by product task, it is in these small steps that you can find success, by changing shopper perspective and winning business more direct competition may have denied.
The best way to compete with a big business is to not be in their lane. Create your own lane, your own playing field where big businesses are air a disadvantage. Our Tower Systems POS software can help you do this.
It’s the add-ons that can cost more with POS software, but not at Tower Systems
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Here at Tower Systems we provide POS software for local small business specialty retailers rich in function, robust in structure and ever-evolving to serve changing needs.
Gift shops, garden centres, jewellers, bike shops, pet shops, toy shops, antique shops, sewing shops, nurseries, newsagents, mobility scooter businesses, farm supply businesses and fishing and outdoor businesses all use our specialty retail Australian made and supported POS software.
We bundle in with the Tower Systems POS software facilities that too many other software companies charge extra for or get to you go to a third party to access, which we think is not ideal for small business retailers.
By including these facilities and services in the one price, Tower Systems POS software customers know what they are in for, they can budget, they can rely on what we do and how we do it.
Take a look at this list of what is included with our POS software, what you done;t need to pay extra for.
- Registers – no additional charge for additional registers.
- Integrated payments for EFTPOS. Less mistakes. Less theft.
- Accounting (Xero integration).
- Ecommerce (Shopify / Magento / Woo).
- Loyalty (points and discount vouchers).
- Integrated LayBy.
- Product care instructions on receipts.
- Product box location tracking.
- Integrated gift cards (your branding).
- Community group pricing and local club pricing – to help promote your business locally.
- Product bundling (hampers etc) – makes price comparison harder.
- Was / Now pricing.
- Special customer orders.
- Seasonal sales tracking.
- Targeted customer marketing.
- Sell by weight.
- Sell by length.
- Sell by fractions.
- Colour / Size / Style.
- Digital receipts.
- Secondhand goods.
- 24/7 customer service. Staffed by humans, who are local. This is not an offshore call centre.
- Launch services. To help you settle in and get running with the software.
- API access.
- Serialisation. Yes, you can sell products that come with serial numbers.
- Dedicated account manager.
This is not a complete list, not by any measure. There are many more inclusions with our POS software that are marketplace specific, inclusions in terms of supplier integrations and more, that make this POS software specialist in nature for specific retail channels.
Tower Systems is a small business focussed POS software company developing, and supporting POS software for niche specialty retailers. Jewellers, garden centres, bike shops, toy shops, produce businesses, farm supply businesses, fishing shops, pet shops, charity businesses, landscape gardening businesses, antique shops, sewing shops, haberdashery businesses, newsagents and more benefit from this software.
Find out more at www.towersystems.com.au Call 1300 662 957 or email sales@towersystems.com.au
What’s different about our POS software co?
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Here’s a video we shot and released yesterday in which we explain and show the Tower Systems POS software difference.
Our POS software co. helps local fishing bait and tackle businesses sell memories
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POS software customer Zoom meeting
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We are grateful to our POS software customers who joined us live Thursday last week for our first Zoom meeting of 2022 and to the many who accessed the video we shared after the meeting.
In this Zoom meeting we demonstrated some of the enhancements to our POS software that will be released in our first update for 2022 as well as taking questions and feedback from customers.
Accessibility is key not only to POS software users but to those who make the POS software. Connecting our development team with our customers regularly as we do makes for better, more useful POS software.
Good POS software does not come from dark rooms disconnected from the real world.
6 things any local retailer can do for a more enjoyable 2022
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Advice to benefit any local specialty retailer … for a better 2022.
- Touch data less. Every time you touch data, entering an invoice, entering accounting data, it’s an opportunity for mistake or, worse, fraud.
- Manage stock in one place. If you sell online and in a physical shop, manage your stock in one place. Double handling is fraught, and it wastes time.
- Add a revenue stream. Seek out new products or services. Broaden the appeal of your business. Broader appeal = stronger foundations.
- Leverage you. It’s likely your knowledge and passion are a key difference for your business. Share it. Your competitors can’t compete with you.
- Copy less. Big retailers advertise loyalty programs to trick shoppers to think points are a reward. Be different, run an honest loyalty program.
- Be authentically local. When you buy local, talk about it, celebrate it and, show shoppers with the local message on products tags and more.
We make POS software for local specialty retail. Find out more: email sales@towersystems.com.au or call 1300 662 957.
Click on any link below to see a video of a demonstration of our software. We don’t ask for your details, you don’t have to register, just click and watch.
- Produce / Stockfeed / Farm Supply. $199.00 / month.
- Jeweller. $185.00 / month.
- Gift Shop (full demo). Gift shop (brief demo). $99.00 / month.
- Sewing / Fabric / Haberdashery.
- Garden centre. $185.00 / month.
- Newsagents. $185.00 / month.
- Toy Shop. $155.00 / month.
- Pet Shop. $155.00 / month.
- Bike Shop. $185.00 / month.
- Fishing and Outdoors Shop. $185.00 / month.
- Firearms Dealer. $185.00 / month.
- Mobility Scooter. $185.00 / month.
- Music Shop. $145.00 / month.
- Computer Shop. $185.00 / month.
- Antique Shop. $185.00 / month.
- Bookshop – TitlePage integration.
- Quote and Invoice Management.
- Repairs Management.
- Software installation and setup process.
Tower Systems is not your usual POS software company. Our videos feature real people from inside our business. We don’t animate to hide or hire actors to play us. No, we’re authentic, as is our software … because local small business retail is authentic every day. This is what separates local small business retail from big business competitors.
We are sincerely grateful to only serve small businesses, independent businesses, local businesses – and only in the retail space. This specialisation helps us be better at what we do, it helps us focus.
Being Australian matters to Australian local retailers.
How the Tower Systems POS software helps local small business retailers leverage Boxing Day sales
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Local small business retailers using the Tower Systems POS software and following retail management advice from us have had access to terrific tools with which to leverage the Post Christmas sale opportunity. Our training, support and retail business advice platforms have aligned to help retailers make the most of the seasonal sale opportunity – well in advance of the big day.
This year is no different. For weeks we have been prompting and advising our POS software customers, prepping them for the opportunity.
Businesses in the city and country, mall and high street have terrific tools to leverage this traditional sale season in the retail year.
While Black Friday, Cyber Monday and other events have grown in popularity, in Australia the Boxing Day / post Christmas sales continue to be an important feature of the retail calendar. We help our retail community make the most of the opportunities.
Our focus has also included training and guiding new retailers and those who have never undertaken such sales. Owning our own retail businesses for years, we have been able to drawn on our own advice to to speak from personal experience, to help those new to the Post Christmas sale opportunity to help it work for them.
From loyalty discount facilities to inventory opportunity discovery to targeted marketing tools, our POS software is an ideal platform through which to drive additional revenue this time of the year.
POS software helps local retailers embrace pop-up retail
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Retailer Roam, the portable POS software from Tower Systems is perfect in a pop-up retail situation.
Where a pop-up shop needs to be up and running quickly, easily, with low cost and with a small footprint, Retailer Roam delivers on all these fronts and more. It is a perfect solution for pop-up retail shops.
Retailer Roam is serves retailers looking to take their business transactions to customers no matter where they are … local markets, on the farm, from the back of a truck, pop-up stores and more. Retailer Roam is truly portable POS software thanks to smart app development from the Tower systems web team working closely with the POS software development team.
This is why retailer Roam works well in a pop-up retail situation. It is POS software ideal for pop-up shops.
With pop-up retail more popular than ever, our pop-up retail POS software solution helps retailers to be up and running quickly, easily, safely and with an easy step to a m ore permanent future. Retailer Roam is made for pop-up retail … and more.
A common question we get is: Does Retailer Roam Require An Internet Connection?
Yes and No. You will need an internet connection to install the app and to obtain the base Retailer data.
If the location you’re selling from does not have internet connectivity you can use the device to transact, however, you will not receive any product updates or send sales back until the connection is re-established.
There is an ‘Offline Mode’ that can be turned on in settings for a smoother no-internet-connection experience. While in this mode the user will be limited to completing sales with what data has already been pre-loaded on the device. No API calls can be made in this mode, and sales will be stored locally until they can be synced.
There is an option to download all stock-data on the device; so, it can be used offline.
Retailer Roam is portable POS softeware for retailers on the move.
This is a wonderful solution for retail today, for businesses that want flexibility as to where and when they trade. It is continuing to evolve too as we discover more variations to the pop-up retail business model.
Check it out, on the App Store.
Christmas marketing tips for local small business retailers
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For many years, Tower Systems has published marketing tips for local small business retailers leading up to Christmas. The goal has been to present ideas early in the season to encourage local retailers to engage beyond the traditional.
Here is an edited version of Christmas marketing ideas pitched to local small business retailers this year:
- Make it easy. People often talk about how hard Christmas is. Be the business that makes it easy. The ways to do this are have bundled gifts ready to go, pre-bagged or wrapped, with some card selections that are relevant, offer easy payment options including buy now pay later, free wrapping, better shop floor help, guide buying advice or tips on perfect gifts no one else will think of. Consider making Christmas easy as being a key part of your messaging.
- Be thrilled people are in your shop. Your personal smile or greeting is something they may not see in a big business where employees are less invested in each shopper and where the owner is usually thousands of kilometers away.
- Make the giving easy. If people purchase form you to send somewhere else. Offer a one-stop shop. Save them the trip to the post office.
- Make the shop less about Christmas. Consider pulling back on the Christmas visual noise. Go for something simple, muted, respecting the season but making a calm statement. Consider declaring the shop a Christmas carol free zone – not because you hate carols but because you want to help customers take a break.
- Help people rest and recharge. Create a Christmas shopping rest and recovery zone. Offer free tea, coffee, water and something to eat. Encourage people to take a break in your shop – without any obligation for them to spend money with you.
- Let your customers help each other. Setup a whiteboard or sheets of butcher’s paper, yes keep it simple. Get customers to write gift suggestions under different age/gender groups. For example: Girls 18 – 25, Boys 55+. Encourage your customers to help each other.
- Make price comparison difficult. If you sell items people are likely to price compare with other businesses, package them so price comparison is not easy. Put items into a hamper as a perfect Boy 8 to 12 bundle for example. Or offer the item with pre packages services if appropriate for an item.
- Less is The stack em high watch em fly mantra can be wrong. Indeed, it is often wrong in retail. Shoppers can be store blind because a shop is too full or a display is too busy. Consider creating simpler less cluttered displays and window promotions. Draw attention to what you want people to see by promoting that one thing.
- Christmas season in your shop should evolve. Major change weekly is vital for people to see what you have that they could buy.
- Be socially engaged. On Facebook, Instagram, twitter and elsewhere, be the calm voice, the person people enjoy reading or seeing photos from. Provide entertainment this Christmas rather than the usual retailer shrill of come and shop here!
The key to a more successful Christmas is to be different to what people expect from your business.
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