Jeweller software Archives - POS software News

Software made and supported in Australia, for local Aussie jewellers

August 5, 2026

3 Min read

A local jeweller is a different business to a chain jewellery store, and everyone in town knows it. You made the engagement ring for a couple who now bring their daughter in for her 18th. You have served some families across three generations. Being local is a superpower, and we think POS software should help a jeweller lean into it rather than flatten it into something generic.

Our jewellery software is made in Australia and supported from Australia and New Zealand.

We compete with software made overseas, that’s often supported overseas.

Being Australian made is a point of difference for our Tower Systems jeweller software.

We have served local jewellers for decades, and that shows up in practical ways.

Call our help desk and you speak with our own people, in your time zone, who know Australian retail. Second-hand goods record keeping is handled. Xero is connected. You choose your own EFTPOS provider. The software was built around how jewellery shops here trade, which is a different thing to software written for shopping malls in another hemisphere and adapted later.

Occasion marketing is where localness pays most directly. You already know your customers personally. The software records the anniversary, the birthday, the wedding date, and prompts you to reach out at the right moment. Customers notice when a jeweller remembers. They tell people about it too, which is marketing money cannot buy.

If you run a workshop, repairs are tracked from intake to collection, with notes, status updates and customer contact along the way. Repairs deserve more respect than they sometimes get. People hand over pieces that matter to them, and a repair handled well often earns more loyalty than the original sale did.

The inventory side is built for jewellery. Stone details, metal types and certifications sit against each piece. High-value items are tracked by serial number. Rings and designer collections are managed by colour, size and style, and special orders let you sell a piece before it arrives. There is also club pricing, so you can give a local sporting club or community group their own pricing. Small thing, strong tie.

When the town show or a local market comes around, the Retailer Roam app takes sales away from the counter with stock kept in sync. The Shopify integration keeps the web store and the shop on the same data, which matters when a piece is one of a kind. Selling it twice is not a mistake you get to make quietly.

The AI tools handle the tedious parts. Supplier invoices import automatically from almost any PDF, product descriptions for the web store are generated from your stock data, and reports explain themselves in plain English, so understanding your own business does not require an evening with a spreadsheet.

We also do business the way local businesses tend to prefer. Monthly rental, cancel any time, and we take no fee from your transactions.

If you are local independent jeweller keen to leverage your localness, consider our locally made and supported software for jewellers.

Book a demo and we will show you the software with your shop in mind: towersystems.com.au/pos-software-free-demo.html, or 1300 662 957 (AU), 0800 444 367 (NZ).

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Advice for Small Business Retailers: Here’s Why Vibe Coding Your Own POS Software Probably a Mistake

May 16, 2026

4 Min read

Let’s talk about vibe coding and vertical market software.

Hi, I’m Mark Fletcher. I founded Tower Systems back in 1981. Back then I was a programmer. My languages of choice were Fortran (for more technical application) and PL/1 (for more commercial coding). The last programming I did was in the very early 1990s.

I also have owned retail shops for decades. Today, I have one physical shop and four online retail businesses. That retail experience is relevant to this. You can check me out on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-fletcher-tower/

Early this year, I vibe coded a couple of applications. It was exciting, fun. One was a possible commercial project. I deployed a test version. It was very cool. But, it wasn’t commercial, certainly not to a standard I’d want money for.

I mention all that for perspective for what I want to say in this comparison of vibe coding versus buying commercial software. I should also note that I sold Tower Systems to Vela APX, a Constellation Software company. I’m still in the business and loving it by the way.

How does vibe coding compare commercial vertical market software?

Vibe Coding is a mainstream topic thanks to social media content pitching it. Plenty of people are making money selling courses and workshops about vibe coding and while vibe coding is cool, there are reasons that businesses need to be careful in approaching it.

Retailers read about vibe coding, about anyone being able to spin up an app in a weekend, and they start wondering: why am I paying for software when I could just build it myself?

It’s a fair question. But most of the time, the answer is: don’t.

Here’s the thing about commercially released software: it’s been through a process. Think of it like food from a licensed kitchen. Before it reaches you, someone has checked it, tested it, made sure it does what it claims. When you vibe code something yourself, you might end up with something that looks right and feels right. But unless you’re a developer, it probably has gaps.

Where does commercially released vertical market software differ to vibe coded software?

I spoke recently with a retailer who’d done exactly this. They’d built their own tool, and it handled some of what they needed. But not all of it. There were steps at the end of key processes that the software couldn’t complete, and so they completed them manually. Two to three hours a week, every week. When we looked at Tower Systems software covering the same ground, it handled the whole process end to end. Our software costs a few dollars a day. Their manual workaround was costing them hours.

There’s another reason to go commercial that doesn’t get talked about enough: collective knowledge. Software used across hundreds of businesses accumulates feedback that a single-user build never can. Every retailer using Tower Systems is, in a sense, contributing to the product. Their experience, their edge cases, their suggestions, that all feeds back into what gets built next. Retailers benefit from that even if they never submit a single support ticket.

The latest Tower Systems release is a good example. A meaningful chunk of the enhancements came directly from retailers. Not from our team guessing what might be useful, from people actually running shops telling us what they needed.

What is the value difference between commercial and vibe coded software?

When you’re weighing up vibe coding versus commercial software, think about what you’re actually comparing. On one side: something built quickly, for free, by someone who isn’t a software developer, with no QA process and no community behind it. But, since it’s personal you may feel more love for it. On the other: software built over decades, tested before release, shaped by hundreds of retailers across Australia and New Zealand, and updated regularly. But, since it is commercial it has a cost.

The food analogy I shared earlier holds. You wouldn’t buy a meal from a home kitchen that hasn’t met basic health standards. The same logic applies to software running your business.

Tower Systems builds specifically for specialty retail: bookshops, farm supply businesses, gift shops, bike shops, pet shops, jewellers, newsagencies, garden centres, toy shops, music shops, and more.

If you want to talk through whether it’s right for your business, reach out: towersystems.com.au, sales@towersystems.com.au, or call 1300 662 957.

Yes, this post is a sales pitch. It’s also true. And, it’s written by me: Mark Fletcher. Someone with decades of experience in software development and decades of experience owning and running retail businesses.

Oh, and, yes, these are all my own words.

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Beyond Generic: Why Vertical Market Software and AI Define a Bright Future for Specialty Retail

March 13, 2026

4 Min read

Local independent retailers in Australia and New Zealand face a unique challenges. It’s always been thus. Small vs big. Main Street vs shopping centre. Physical vs online. Capital poor vs capital rich. tenants vs landlords. We could go on.

Whether you manage a garden centre, a bookshop, a sewing shop, a produce business a jewellery store, a bike shop, or a newsagency, your business does not operate like a supermarket or a big business. You have specific supplier relationships, unique inventory requirements, and specialized customer service workflows. Using generic, off-the-shelf point of sale software often forces you to “dumb down” your operations to fit a one-size-fits-all model.

Vertical market software is designed to solve this problem. It is built specifically for your industry, embedding best-practice workflows and features that generic systems simply do not offer. At Tower Systems, we have spent over 40 years developing software that serves the distinct needs of specialty marketplaces.

The Power of Specialisation

A vertical market system understands the nuances of your trade. For a jeweller, this means the ability to print specialised labels with multiple sections—parts for the ring itself that will not cause damage, and sections for the packaging. For a garden centre, it means weatherproof labels that can withstand the elements outdoors.

Specialisation also extends to how you sell your products. Many specialty retailers do not just sell by the unit. Our software allows for selling by fractions, such as length or weight. Integrated scale functionality, which is NMI approved, is essential for spice shops, butchers, and health food stores. These are not “add-ons” but core components of a system built for your specific type of business. When your software handles these industry complexities, you are free to focus on what makes your shop different from the average retailer.

Practical AI for Small Business

While large corporations talk about artificial intelligence in abstract terms, here at Tower Systems we have integrated practical AI tools directly into our specialty retail POS software. This is not about futuristic theories; it is about saving time and improving your bottom line today.

We have made AI tools accessible and understandable.

One of the most significant advancements is AI-driven invoice processing. In the past, a retailer receiving a large shipment—such as a fishing tackle shop with an invoice of 200 items—would spend hours, or even a full day, manually entering data. Our embedded AI tools can now process that same invoice in a few minutes.

Unlike some systems where you must export data to an external spreadsheet or a tool like ChatGPT and then re-import it, our solution is seamless. It happens within the software. One retailer reported saving between seven and eight hours of costed labour per week just by using these tools. This represents a weekly saving of $250 to $300, which often exceeds the cost of the software itself.

Better Data, Better Decisions

The phrase “what gets measured gets managed” is a cornerstone of retail. However, many retailers avoid complex reporting because it is time-consuming or difficult to interpret. Our software now includes AI analysis for end-of-shift and inventory reports.

Instead of scrolling through pages of raw data, you can receive a concise AI summary. This summary analyses sales trends, looks for potential theft patterns, and even considers local weather impacts on your performance. It provides an “at-a-glance” understanding of your business health, allowing you to make informed decisions without needing to be a data scientist.

Protecting Your Business Asset

Choosing professionally developed, peer-reviewed software is also an investment in your business’s future value. Some retailers attempt to build their own tools using basic bot technology. While this might serve a temporary need, it creates a liability when it comes time to sell the business.

A new owner needs a system that is supported, documented, and maintained by a professional team. By using a vertical market system with built-in AI, you are building a scalable asset. We provide the help desk support and online resources to ensure that as your business evolves or changes hands, the technology remains a source of strength rather than a point of failure.

The retail landscape is changing rapidly. By leveraging software that is built for your specific industry and enhanced with integrated AI, you can move away from manual admin and spend more time on the shop floor where it matters most.

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Our jeweller POS software helps local independent jewellers thrive

February 3, 2026

3 Min read

Independent jewellers across Australia and New Zealand face a set of management challenges that are specific to their craft. From managing delicate repairs to tracking inventory by weight and grade, the requirements of a jewellery business differ significantly from those of a standard retail outlet. At Tower Systems, our commitment to supporting these small, independent businesses is built on decades of experience and a genuine understanding of these unique needs.

Our history in this space began in 2000 with the acquisition of Red Software, an established name in jewellery business management. Since then, we have focused on evolving those foundational tools into a modern, comprehensive jeweller specific point of sale platform. Today, over 300 jewellers rely on our software to manage their daily operations.

The software is designed to handle the intricate details that matter to a professional jeweller. One important feature is the repair management system. This allows businesses to track pieces as they move through the workshop, ensuring clear communication with the customer and accurate record-keeping. The system also produces professional valuation certificates, which are essential for high-value items and insurance purposes.

Managing inventory in a jewellery store requires precision. Our software supports stock management by weight and grade, allowing for the accurate tracking of precious metals and gemstones. For businesses that deal in vintage or pre-owned pieces, the platform includes specific facilities for handling second-hand goods, ensuring compliance with local regulations.

Customer relationships are the heart of independent retail. The software includes loyalty tools designed specifically for the industry. It can track important dates, such as anniversaries and birthdays, enabling jewellers to provide a personalised service that encourages repeat visits. Our special order facility also ensures that when a customer requests a specific item not currently in stock, the system tracks the request from the initial enquiry through to the final sale.

We believe in the power of local, independent businesses. Our software is developed with direct input from the jewellers who use it, ensuring that every update adds real value to their operations. We do not design our tools for large franchises or massive chains. Our focus remains 100% on the independent retailer. By providing robust, modern, and user-friendly technology, we help local jewellers focus on what they do best: providing exceptional craft and service to their communities.

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The right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business. Tower offers POS software made specifically for local small business retailers in a selection of retail channels. To see if we might help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today.

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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The insights dashboard: Finding time to grow your business in POS software

February 2, 2026

3 Min read

For many small business retailers, the daily grind can be all-consuming. There is a significant difference between being busy and being profitable, yet finding the time to bridge that gap often feels impossible when you are managing a lean roster and a physical shop floor.

At Tower Systems, we understand this challenge because our team includes people with lived, current retail experience. We know you don’t always have an hour to walk the aisles looking for gaps or analyzing spreadsheets. That is why we developed the Insights Dashboard – a free facility built directly into our POS software that constantly monitors your business performance in the background.

Turning data into actionable steps

The Insights Dashboard is designed to provide immediate value, even if you only have thirty minutes to spare. It curates data and translates it into plain-speaking insights that help you make informed decisions quickly.

Two of the most impactful features within the dashboard include:

“What am I missing out on?” This tab identifies specific, actionable steps you can take to improve sales and boost profit based on your current data.

“What’s not working?” This provides a direct look at underperforming areas of your business, allowing you to address issues without having to manually hunt for them.

More than just a cash register

It is one thing to use POS software as a replacement for a cash register to process payments and work out change. It is another thing entirely to use that software as a tool for success. The Insights Dashboard acts as a starting point for your daily operations, offering a clear view of how to improve your business performance right now.

Because we build, support, and train our users on this software ourselves, we are personally invested in ensuring these tools work for the local, independent retailers we serve. Our goal is to help you run a more efficient and successful business by making your data work for you.

If you have a spare window in your day, we encourage you to explore the dashboard. It is a powerful resource for any retailer looking to move beyond “busy” and toward genuine growth.

At the heart of Tower Systems is a commitment to the success of local, independent, specialty retailers. We recognise that your time is your most valuable asset, which is why our Australian-based team focuses on creating tools that provide clarity instead of complexity. Whether we are helping you bridge the gap between your shop floor and a Shopify store or providing the data-driven insights needed to make 2026 your best year yet, our goal remains the same: to empower your business to thrive.

We are grateful for the opportunity to serve the shops that anchor our communities and look forward to continuing that partnership through innovation and honest, local support.

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Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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Enhancing independent retail with vertical market POS software

January 25, 2026

3 Min read

Selecting the right point-of-sale system is a critical decision for any independent retailer. In this video, Mark Fletcher, founder of Tower Systems, discusses why vertical market software is often a superior choice compared to generic, one-size-fits-all solutions. He explains how specialised technology can help local businesses maintain a competitive edge in an increasingly crowded marketplace.

Tailored solutions for specialty niches
Generic software often lacks the nuanced features required by specific industries. For instance, jewelers require non-adhesive labeling for delicate inventory, while garden centres need labels that can withstand the elements. Similarly, stores selling products by weight or length, such as fabric shops or butchers, require precise fractional calculations and scale integration. Vertical market software is built with these unique requirements in mind, ensuring that the technology supports rather than hinders daily operations.

Driving efficiency through automation
Modern retail management now relies heavily on automation to save time and reduce errors. The software discussed uses artificial intelligence to monitor inventory levels and predict future stock requirements. By automating supplier invoices and reordering processes, business owners can step away from the back office. This shift allows staff to focus on customer service and floor sales, which are vital components for the success of any specialty shop.

Strategic data utilisation
The video also explores how specialszed software turns raw transaction data into actionable business intelligence. Rather than just recording sales, the system tracks specific customer buying patterns and seasonal trends relevant to the particular industry. This data allows independent retailers to make informed decisions regarding marketing and stock selection. By leveraging these insights, business owners can create more personalised shopping experiences that build long-term customer loyalty.

Supporting the local retail community
Beyond the technical features, the value of a specialized system often lies in the support behind it. Tower Systems provides localized assistance tailored to the Australian and New Zealand retail landscapes. This ensures that help desk staff understand the specific challenges and supplier relationships unique to local newsagents, pet shops, and bike stores. Choosing a partner that understands the local context can be as important as the software itself.

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Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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The question small business retailers ask online: “How can I reduce operating costs without losing customers?”

January 14, 2026

5 Min read

Many retailers are working harder for less profit because they are trapped by old pricing habits and manual labor. We’ve worked with thousands of specialty businesses and found that the path to lower operating costs is about optimisation. This post covers how to reclaim 3–5% of your revenue from theft, how to automate your way out of manual data entry, and why your shop’s convenience might be worth more than you’re currently charging.

How can I reduce operating costs without losing customers? This is a common question small business retailers are asking. It’s a question rooted in higher power prices, rising rent, rising labour costs and increases in the cost of products they sell.

Before we get to talking about opportunities for reducing costs, it’s useful to consider opportunities for increasing prices. In our experience serving thousands of small business retailers in Australia and New Zealand for decades, they tend to hold back on price increased that, if done, would not impact sales.

We were working with a group of retailers in a specially retail channel a couple of years ago. We compared priced for products in a popular product category for their type of business. The diversity in pricing was considerable. While some applied a 100% mark-up on wholesale cost, some were as low as 80% and some as high as 125%.

We recommended everyone move to 125% mark-up. Two thirds of the retailers we were working with increased their mark-up. A year later we checked in and found what we expected, sales volume had not fallen. As a result, these retailers were banking more gross profit from each sale.

Our advice, based on this experience and years of experience helping small business retailers is: review your mark-up approach. Charge what you can. Do this based on why people shop with you. If it is for their convenience, you are likely able to charge more than is common for the same product.

Now, let’s get on to answering How can I reduce operating costs without losing customers?

Leveraging our experience helping small business retailers across many retail channels through supporting our Australian made POS software for jewellers, garden centres, bike shops, newsagents, bookshops, pet shops, music shops, toy stores, produce businesses, fashion shop, fishing bait and tackle businesses, firearms dealers, Christmas shops, sewing shops, repairs businesses, haberdashers businesses, Asian supermarkets, here are 5 ways small business retailers can cut costs without losing customers.

Save time = lower labour costs. Stop entering supplier invoices manually. Import them direct. AI tools in our POS software make this easy, fast and accurate. Use auto replenishment tools, based on Agentic AI tech, to have orders created ready for your approval – bypassing multiple labour steps.
Reduce dead stock = less money wasted on what’s not selling. In a typical local independent shop around 25% of stock underperforms. That’s dead money, a cost to the business. Use your POS software properly and well to stop loading your shop with stock that won’t sell.
Automate everyday bookkeeping tasks. Turn on the flow of data between our POS software and Xero. Shift from regular paid bookkeeping work to less frequent and less expensive work.
Stop paying for analysis at your fingertips. Use your POS software business performance insights that you can access any time and at no additional cost instead of hiring a consultant or paying your accountant to do this.
Cut theft. Theft cost a typical local retail business an amount annually equal to between 3% and 5% of revenue. Use the theft tracking and mitigation tools in your POS software to attack the cost of theft.

You can do these five things today without having to spend more money. Each of them saves money. The thing is though, plenty of business experts don’t talk about these things because when they do talk about ways you can cut costs they are pitching for you to spend money with them.

Here at Tower Systems we are not trying to get you to spend more money with us. The facilities in our software covered in this list of five things are there in the software today, accessible for no extra cost. Use them and you will cut costs in your retail business.

Reducing your operating costs starts by making your business smarter. The tools we’ve discussed are likely sitting in your POS system right now, waiting to be used.

Take a moment this week to audit your mark-ups and look for one manual task you can automate. You don’t need a high-priced consultant to find more profit, you just need to leverage the technology already at your fingertips. If you’re a Tower Systems customer and aren’t sure how to switch these features on, give our team a call. We’re here to help you keep more of what you earn.

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Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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What’s the best website platform for a small retail business Wix, Shopify, Woo Commerce or Squarespace?

November 25, 2025

6 Min read

We are often asked this question by small business retailers: What’s the best website platform for a small retail business Wix, Shopify, Woo Commerce or Squarespace?

We have years of experience developing websites for small business retailers using Shopify, Magento, Big Commerce and WooCommerce. The advice we provide in this article is based on our years of experience serving thousands of small business retailers.

The best e-commerce platform for your business will depend on your technical experience, your budget, your position in your online journey and the goals you have for your website. Each of these platforms offers different benefits. from the outset, though, in our experience, Shopify is the best solution for easy of use, ease of change without technical skills, the ability to scale and ease of winning shoppers from the already considerable Shopify customer ecosystem.

Wix offers easy drag and drop, which can see like a big time saver for the novice. In reality, Wix websites can often become messy, overloaded. It can be a good platform to figure out what you want but our experience is that it’s not ideal once you are up and running and building your online business. We think it’s unlikely you’ll find hero websites for small business retailers based on Wix. If you need a site up in an hour and want total freedom to drag things around the screen, Wix could be a good choice today.

WooCommerce is a plugin for WordPress. It’s made for use by technically skilled people. You do the work, and once you;’ve done that you will tend to have to do more work. This tech work can distract you from running your retail business. Woo is terrifically flexible, which comes as a labour cost for you or for the web developer you hire. If you already have a WordPress site and want to avoid monthly subscription fees, this offers the most freedom, provided you have the technical skills and truckloads of time to manage it.

Squarespace is offers beautiful looking websites with an easy to use back end for adjustment. It’s heavily image-focused. You can’t “break” a Squarespace site as easily as a Wix site because the editor forces you to stay within a grid. Squarspace lacks some of the finesse of Shopiufy for businesses that need more, especially when it comes to shipping flexibility. fI selling “the vibe” is as important as selling the product, Squarespace might be your answer.

Shopify is the best solution for local small business retailers in our experience. Shopify themes make it easy for you to change the look and feel of your website without hiring a web developer. Shopify integrates with terrific local shipping options (Sendle, My Post Business etc) and Shopify validates Australian addresses incredibly well at checkout, which saves you money on “return to sender” errors. It is the industry standard for a reason. If your goal is to grow, Shopify handles the “boring” stuff (hosting, security, checkout compliance) better than anyone in our experience.

We have years of experience using Shopify ourselves – when we offer advice to retailers on e-commerce, it comes from a place of personal experience as well as extensive technical experience and years building Shopify websites for so many different retailers.

Now, we’re not saying Wix, Squarespace and WooCommerce are bad. What you choose for your business needs to be what you want/need.

What we are saying is do your research – choose the ecommerce platform that serves your technical skills, budget, business plans and how you see your business living online.

Low cost websites may be low cost because of the work you have to do to manage and modify them.

Fast to setup websites may be fast because they don’t go as deep within your business.

Key to success is you knowing what it is that you want / need for yourself and for your business. Saying you want a website is not enough. What do you want from it?

Take your time. Figure out what you need, want and can afford. Look at examples of websites for your type of business. Consider web developers local to you, people who understand your business, people you can speak with. Ask why they recommend what they recommend.

We recommend Shopify for speed to launch, ease of change, non technical back end management, ease of scale, wonderful integrations and access to a huge ecosystem of shoppers. It’s what we use and what many of our local small business retail customers use.

Web development is unregulated. Be careful. There are some who know the words to say to dazzle less technically literate folks into spending money with them only to never deliver what the business wants / needs. Get any promises in writing – including delivery timing and website functionality.

Be sure you know the business you are dealing with. Often, we developers are not local as they may pitch.

Do your due diligence before you sign any contract or pay any money. We’ll say again: take your time.

This decision rests entirely on your business’s ultimate ambition. If you view your online store as a serious, scalable retail channel, one that you need to easily manage alongside your physical operations, integrates effortlessly with local logistics, and provides a reliable, secure foundation that won’t require a developer every time you want to make a change, then Shopify is our recommended investment.

While Wix and Squarespace offer beautiful simplicity for the start-up, and WooCommerce offers technical control, Shopify is purpose-built for the commercial rigor of a growing retail business, offering the best balance of ease-of-use, power, and a vast ecosystem of apps and support designed to help Australian retailers move more stock with less technical overhead.

Shopify is a good small business e-commerce solution, which can grow as you grow. We had one customer using Shopify go from $50,000 in their launch year to $2.5 million by year four. The growth came from their smart business decisions. Shopify made it easy to manage the growth.

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If you are considering a website for your retail business, consider Tower Systems. Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. If we feel we are not right for you, we will say so.

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Retail Automation: Why the Tower Systems & Xero Link is a “No-Brainer” for Business Owners

November 22, 2025

4 Min read

Okay, yes, for sure, we are biased. This is a blog post pitting our POS software Xero integration. We think it’s awesome. We made it to be awesome, for local small business retailers. We first made it back when we had our own shops and used our POS software ourselves and our in-house CFO needed to save time and gain access to accurate data. That was years ago. The Xero POS software link we have today are as good, as useful – and solely made for local small business retailers.

Running a retail business often means wearing multiple hats. One moment you are on the floor serving customers, and the next you are in the back office trying to make sense of spreadsheets. In a recent discussion between Mark and Michael from Tower Systems, they explored how the Tower Systems POS integration with Xero is changing the game for retailers—specifically by removing the headache of manual bookkeeping.

Here is why this integration is rated an “11 out of 10” by the experts.

1. Tested in the Real World

Michael isn’t just a software trainer; he’s a former retail business owner who managed his shop remotely from another state. He relied entirely on the data flowing from his POS to his accounting software to run the business.

For Michael, the integration wasn’t just a feature; it was a necessity. It allowed him to trust that the financial data being used for BAS and tax reporting was 100% accurate without him needing to be physically present to check the till every day.

2. Accuracy Over Manual Entry

The biggest takeaway from their conversation is the elimination of human error. When you manually enter daily sales figures, mistakes happen. By automating the flow of data between Tower Systems and Xero, you ensure that your books are pristine.

As Michael notes, “We didn’t have to pay someone else to input any of our data manually… it was just there”. This automation frees up business owners to make better decisions based on accurate, real-time data rather than fixing data entry errors.

3. It’s Included (Yes, Free)

A common pain point in the software industry is the “hidden cost” model, where essential features like loyalty programs or accounting integrations cost extra.

Mark highlights a key advantage of the Tower Systems approach: the Xero link is included at no extra cost. Whether you are a small startup or an established store, you get the same professional-grade integration without paying for an additional module.

4. The “Golden Rule” of Setup

If you are ready to set this up, Michael offers one crucial piece of advice: Wait until you have been trading for a week or two.

It might seem counter-intuitive, but it is impossible to test a data link if there is no data to export. By waiting a short period, you can perform a “catch-up” export for those first few weeks, ensuring everything lines up perfectly.

Furthermore, always bring your bookkeeper or accountant to the setup meeting. While the software is easy to use, having a financial professional present ensures that your tax codes, liability accounts, and ledger mappings are compliant from day one. As Michael explains, he can translate the “software speak” into “bookkeeper speak,” bridging the gap so you don’t have to.

Summary

If you are still doing your retail books manually, you are losing time and risking accuracy. As Michael puts it, why wouldn’t you use a tool that saves you hours of work and helps you sleep better at night knowing your data is correct?

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The right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business. Tower offers specialty retail business software made for local small business retailers. To see if we might help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today.

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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AI: Levelling the Playing Field for Small Business Retailers

November 3, 2025

3 Min read

You might have seen the news this past week that Coles is rolling out an enterprise-wide partnership with OpenAI. When we saw that story at Tower Systems, our first thought wasn’t about the competition. It was: “This is fantastic news.”

This move by a retail giant validates what Tower Systems has been focused on for some time: AI isn’t just a gimmick for the big end of town; it’s a genuine “competitive game-changer” for independent, local retailers, including jewellers, bike shops, gift shops, produce businesses, newsagents and other small businesses we serve. It’s leveling the playing field. And the best part? You don’t have to wait. While Coles is just announcing their plans, local, independent retailers are already using powerful AI tools every single day.

We recently made a video discussing this, where we highlighted how Tower Systems has been embedding AI tools from OpenAI, Google Gemini, and others directly into our point-of-sale software for a long time now. It’s not about “future tech”; it’s about practical tools that solve real problems for small business owners.

In the video, we discuss how our customers are already using AI to:

Save hours of admin by automatically analyzing and importing virtually any supplier invoice, with no special setup required.
Market smarter by generating unique product descriptions and blog posts that speak in their business’s authentic voice.
Boost profitability with plain-English reports that identify what’s not selling, what’s overstocked, and even potential theft, long before it becomes a major issue.
Prevent lost sales by getting alerts on popular items you’re about to run out of.

As mentioned in the video, we rely on these and more AI tools in our own retail shop – to save time, make better-informed decisions, and run a smarter, more efficient shop.

This technology is here, it’s accessible, and it’s already making a fundamental difference for local businesses. The Coles announcement is a great signal for the entire retail sector and all who serve it that AI is no longer an option; AI is an essential part of modern retail.

We encourage you to watch the video to see a full breakdown of what this means for local small business retail and how you can leverage this power in your own independent business today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwRHiHlWcVg

As you can probably tell, we’re excited about AI. It makes accessible to small business retailers opportunities for more effectively competing – as plenty are already finding. It’s a terrific opportunity for efficiency and growth.

And, when you’re researching AI, get to the facts. Some software companies say they have AI tools, when they don’t. It’s important you see for yourself what’s available today as this matters

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The 5 steps to finding the right software for your shop

October 30, 2025

5 Min read

Finding the right software for any shop is vital for the right software can add tens of thousands of dollars to the bottom line of your business. The wrong software, on the other hand, can cost a retail business tens of thousands of dollars.

The right software is the software that best serves your needs for a cost that is genuinely affordable and is flexible for you as the business evolves.

Here are our recommended 5 steps to finding the right software for your shop.

Step 1: be sure of what you need.

Make a note of everything you want to use the software for, with sub notes as to the detail. Make notes about the service expectations you have – for example, how easy is support to access, what are the hours of availability, what additional training options are there, is there a process for suggesting software enhancements.

The more detailed your approach before engaging any company the better the outcome for you. This is not something to wing.

Choose the software and the team behind it and not one individual.

Step 2: know your budget.

How much do you want to spend monthly all up for all terminals in your business and any additional facilities you want to use? Is the contract a lock-in or can you quit at any time? How do you pay? Are there any additional costs – some software companies require you to use a specific payments platform for transactions in the shop, which can have a cost beyond average.

Total cost of ownership is a thing – be sure you fully understand this for each POS software package you consider.

Good software companies are transparent about their pricing.

Step 3: see it for yourself.

Have the software demonstrated to you, completely to your satisfaction, covering every area of the software you request. Ask many questions. Get them to record the demonstration and give you a copy – their response speaks to their transparency.

If you are not sure, see it again. A good software company will welcome demonstrating the software to you again.

Each demonstration is an opportunity to learn more about the software company as well as the software itself.

Step 4: do it yourself.

Don’t outsource this. Do the work yourself. Treat it as the big decision it is. Take your time. Raise every doubt you have. Get every promise in writing. The more thorough your approach, the better the outcome for your business.

Consultants can be helpful. But, they are not the ones who will use the software, and, sometimes they can bring a bias to consideration that is not in the interests of your specific business.

Step 5: get to it.

Okay, you’ve made your decision. Now work it, get the most from it. Learn it well and make sure all in your business do too. Use it. Push it. Treat it as an asset that needs to deliver a return. Prove through your approach that your homework paid off.

A bonus step: be in control.

Take your time. Make the decision when you are ready. Beware tricks and manoeuvres designed to get you to make a decision when you are not read.

This is your decision to make, when you are ready.

Choosing your software is not just a one-off purchase; it’s the start of a long-term relationship with the software provider. The company you choose will become a key partner in your business operations. Their approach to service, their culture of innovation, and their understanding of your specific retail needs will directly impact your ability to grow and adapt. This is why Step 1 (being sure of what you need) and Step 3 (seeing it for yourself) are so critical—you are not just assessing a product, you are assessing a partner.

The advice provided here will stand the test of scrutiny. Our approach here at Tower Systems is to provide transparent advice on which you can rely. If at any time in our discussions with a prospective customer we feel we are not the right fit for a business, we will say so.

Our ideal POS software customer is a local independent small retail business, a specialty retail business with no more than 10 retail outlets. Most of our customers have one shop. Our focus on small businesses gives us a customer community where all are equal.

As a company based in Hawthorn, Victoria, we are situated to serve Australian and near by businesses well. We are grateful to count plenty of shops in New Zealand as customers.

…

While the right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems was built to serve Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today.

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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Streamline Your Jewellery Business with AI and Marketing Power!

October 13, 2025

1 Min read

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An easy way for retailers to apportion the cost of freight across products on a supplier invoice

September 23, 2025

2 Min read

From Frustration to Efficiency: Simplifying Freight Cost Allocation

Handling the cost of freight can be a significant challenge for any retail business. For some, a substantial freight charge on an invoice can be a source of frustration. For others, the practical struggle lies in accurately apportioning that single cost across all the different items in the shipment.

Let’s start with the frustration. The simple truth is that every single item you receive has a freight cost associated with getting it to your store. Sometimes this cost is clearly itemised on your invoice; other times, it’s hidden within the cost of the goods themselves. But either way, it is always there.

The second challenge is the practical one: how do you accurately assign a portion of a $150 freight bill to hundreds of individual products on an invoice? This is where our Tower Systems POS software can help make the process easy.

In our software, you can take the total freight charge shown on an invoice and have it automatically apportioned across all items received. This ensures the landed cost of each product is accurate. The system is flexible, too. If you feel a specific product should carry more or less of the freight burden, you can easily adjust it manually. Plus, if your invoice has more than one freight charge, you can add them all in to be spread across the items.

Handling freight costs accurately and quickly is essential for maintaining healthy margins. Our software is designed to save you time on these crucial back-office tasks. We believe that every minute saved is valuable. Labour has a cost, and the more we can do to help retailers reduce this, the better.

Our software provides independent small businesses with a framework for consistency in their operations. By simplifying processes like freight allocation, we help you establish a reliable and accurate method for reflecting the true cost of your goods, paving the way for smarter pricing and better business decisions.

We love helping local small business retailers thrive. We do this for bookshops, sewing shops, music shops, garden centres, pet shops, toy shops, produce businesses, stockfeed businesses, jewellers, firearms dealers and more – all specialty retailers, all with unique needs, yet businesses with common needs when it comes to managing freight costs.

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We imported a PDF of a 16 page invoice with 480 stock items into our AI enabled POS software in no time at all with 100% accuracy

September 19, 2025

2 Min read

Manual data entry is the silent thief of productivity in local small business retail. Every business owner knows the feeling: a thick supplier invoice lands on your desk, and you know that hours of tedious, soul-destroying typing lie ahead. It’s a process prone to errors, where a single misplaced decimal or incorrect product code can lead to stock discrepancies, pricing mistakes, and ultimately, lost revenue.

We decided to put a definitive end to that.

We took a real-world, complex challenge: a 16-page supplier invoice containing 480 individual stock items with a freight charge and including some stock items not stocked before. The kind of document that would typically take a staff member hours to process, with a high likelihood of human error.

The result? Our AI-powered POS software ingested, read, and processed the entire document in moments. Not minutes, moments.

Pages processed: 16
Line items: 480
Time taken: Seconds
Accuracy: 100%

How is this possible?

This isn’t simple Optical Character Recognition (OCR). Our Tower Systems small business POS software AI has been trained to understand the structure of an invoice. It doesn’t just see text; it identifies columns and comprehends data, intelligently mapping product codes, descriptions, quantities, costs, and taxes directly into your inventory system.

What this could mean for your business:

Reclaim your time: Free up yourself and your staff to focus on what truly matters—serving customers and growing the business, not acting as data entry clerks.
Eliminate costly errors: 100% accuracy means your stock levels are correct from the moment goods arrive. No more pricing errors or chasing phantom inventory.
Get stock on shelves faster: The delay between receiving a delivery and having it available for sale is drastically reduced. In a fast-moving retail environment, this speed is a competitive advantage.
Improve staff morale: Removing the most tedious tasks from your team’s plate is a guaranteed way to boost job satisfaction.

The days of manually processing supplier invoices are over. Technology should work for you, simplifying complexity and giving you back your most valuable asset: time.

The Tower Systems AI enabled POS software is proving to be a game changer for local and independent small business retailers. Find out more at www.towersystems.com.au or call 1300 662 957 or email sales@towersystems.com.au.

We love helping local small business retailers thrive!

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The power of a $2 Discount: Unlocking bonus revenue you didn’t know you had

September 15, 2025

4 Min read

In a shop using our Tower Systems POS software the other day, we saw first-hand the valuable difference $2 can make. A customer completed their planned purchase and received a discount voucher on their receipt offering $2.00 off their next purchase. They glanced at the voucher, paused, turned around, and picked up a leather purse for $99.95.

“Why not treat yourself,” they said almost to themselves.

This single, small moment perfectly illustrates the powerful psychology of a simple, tangible reward. The $2.00 wasn’t just a discount; it was the permission the customer needed to indulge. It transformed a completed transaction into a brand-new, high-value sale.

This is something we have seen and heard about from retailers since we first launched discount vouchers in our POS software twelve years ago.

This powerful sales-driving tool isn’t a future feature or a costly add-on. Discount Voucher facilities are built into our Tower Systems POS software right now. They are easy to set up, effortless to manage, and continue to deliver bonus revenue for a minimal, often zero, cost.

Why these simple vouchers work so well

The effectiveness of this feature lies in its straightforward and honest approach. In a world of complex loyalty schemes, the direct discount voucher cuts through the noise.

Transparency is key: We all know what a dollar is worth. When you offer $5.00 off, the value is immediate and universally understood. This clarity is more compelling than abstract points systems. Who knows how much a point is worth? The customer has to do mental gymnastics, recall the rules of the program, and wonder about the true value. A dollar discount is instant gratification.
It feels like ‘found money’: A voucher printed on a receipt feels like an unexpected gift. This positive emotional response creates goodwill and encourages the customer to spend their newfound “cash” immediately, just as our purse-buyer did.
It drives immediate action: The voucher creates a compelling reason for a customer to either return to your store soon or, even better, to continue shopping right there and then. It turns a single purchase mission into a browsing and discovery session.

Putting vouchers to work in your business

Your Tower Systems software provides the flexibility to tailor voucher campaigns to your specific business goals. You can set them up in minutes to:

Reward every customer: Set up a simple “catch-all” voucher that prints on every eligible receipt, offering a small discount on their next purchase. This is a brilliant way to encourage repeat business.
Drive larger sales (spend & get): Configure vouchers to be issued only when a customer spends over a certain amount. For example, “Spend $100 and get a $10 voucher for your next visit.” This incentivises customers to increase their basket size.
Move specific stock: Need to clear out last season’s items or promote a new product line? Create vouchers that are only valid for specific departments or categories (e.g., “$5.00 off any purchase from our new giftware range”).
Re-engage lost customers: Use your customer data to identify shoppers who haven’t been in for a while and send them a targeted “We Miss You” email.

The setup is simple, the impact is real

Activating this feature is straightforward. Within your Tower Systems POS software, you can easily define the voucher’s value, set an expiry date to create urgency, specify a minimum spend for redemption, and control when and how it is issued. The POS automates the entire process—from printing the offer on the receipt to tracking and redeeming it—ensuring it’s a seamless experience for both your staff and your customers.

Don’t underestimate the power of a small incentive. The story of the $2.00 voucher and the $99.95 purse is not an anomaly; it’s a repeatable strategy. We have seen this ourselves.

Explore the discount voucher facilities in your Tower Systems software today. Start turning every transaction into a compelling opportunity for your next sale.

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Are you looking for an alternative to Shopify POS?

September 14, 2025

6 Min read

If you are looking for an alternative to Shopify POS for your shop, our Tower Systems POS software could be worth considering.

Now, to be clear, what we are talking about there is POS software for a physical shop.

Shopify started life as an e-commerce platform and that remains the core focus of their business. The Shopify POS app or service is an add-on for the physical shop.

Like many POS software companies, years ago we went through an approval process with Shopify to be an approved integrated POS software solution for Shopify – to offer in-store POS that’s integrated with their e-commerce platform. we continue to offer this today with many of our POS software customers using this.

What’s different about our POS software offering and how we compare to Shopify POS is that we are an in-store first solution, a physical retail first solution. That’s our specialty. In our software we go deep into serving the needs of retail businesses, workflow needs, operational needs, business growth needs. We also go deep into the needs of specific vertical retail channels: jewellers, bike shops, music shops, bookshops, pet shops, firearms dealers, camping shops, gift shops, newsagents, produce businesses, farm supply businesses, garden centres and many more.

This deep specialisation in our POS software matters because it addresses unique, real-world workflows that generic systems cannot. For a bike shop, it means seamlessly tracking serialised inventory from purchase to sale and managing workshop repairs. For a jeweller, it involves handling intricate repairs, managing consignment stock, and tracking precious metals. For a garden centre, it could be integrating scales to sell bulk landscape supplies by weight or it could be managing price changes to products when repotting or it could relate to producing product labels on weatherproof labels. These are not edge cases; they are the core, daily operations for these businesses, and our software is built from the ground up to make them efficient and profitable.

The needs of a physical shop are different to online, especially a retail business in an area of specialisation.

We think that a physical shop will be better served by something made first for their type of business and that any online business they have will be better serves by software made for the online business. That’s why we see our Tower Systems POS software as a viable alternative to Shopify POS for a physical store.

Make your own decision though. Do your research. Be sure to test all of your business specific needs against any POS software you are considering, including Shopify POS. And when you are dong the research, talk to the company, see how they handle your queries – some POS software companies are hard to talk to, you can’t pick up the phone and speak to someone. If personal contact will matter to your and your business, the availability of it should be a factor in your consideration as to the best POS software for your business.

When looking for an alternative to Shopify POS be clear about any doubts you have re Shopify POS (if any) and ensure the software alternatives you are considering do adequately address these doubts.

If you are looking for an alternative to Shopify POS for your retail business, consider Tower Systems. Our POS software might fit your needs. We’d be grateful for an opportunity to do this.

Now, here are some features and benefits with our Tower Systems POS software that customers tell us they love:

The transparent approach to suggesting software enhancements.
Easy access to support.
Easy sales processing.
Smooth counter workflow.
Specialty retail functions for a range of specialty business types.
Built-in AI tools.
Loyalty tools customers love.
Easy customisation options.
The ability to sell anywhere, including on the road.
Theft mitigation tools.
Built in business insights.
Scale integration.
Selling by fractions.
Selling products in kits.
Comprehensive local delivery / dispatch tools.
Roster integration.
The ability to suspend sales.
Easy import of supplier invoices without needing to use some EDI tool.
Tracking and leveraging customer events.
Integrated with Xero for accounting.
No locked-in payment platform requirement.
No cost based on each transaction.
No lock-in contract.

Our POS software is about much more than this list.

Our extensive feature set is a direct result of our ‘in-store first’ philosophy. Functionality like direct scale integration for selling by weight, tools to handle fractional quantities for items sold by length, or the ability to seamlessly suspend a sale to serve another customer are born from decades of working directly with retailers on their shop floors. These are not just items on a checklist; they are robust solutions to real-world, physical retail challenges. While an e-commerce platform may eventually add such features as an afterthought, for us, they are foundational because the success of your physical shop is our foundational purpose.

Tower Systems in-store POS software solution integrated with Shopify for e-commerce gives you the best of both worlds with a single source of truth as to inventory and all transactions. While we integrate with Big Commerce, Woo Commerce and Magento, the majority of our online retail businesses integrate through our PSO software with Shopify for e-commerce.

We’d be happy to connect you with existing customers so you can talk retailer to retailer about the Shopify integration. We can also connect you with retailers who have switched from SHopify POS to our Tower Systems POS software. They can speak for themselves as to why and how it has gone for them.

If you are looking for an alternative to Shopify POS, Tower Systems might be a good choice. Let’s talk to explore that for you. No pressure. If there is anything you need that we don’t cover, we will tell you.

Before we go, here’s what we don’t have that Shopify does have when it comes Shopify POS – a huge marketing budget. We’re not paying to come first in search listings or to run billboard ads on social media. Most of our business is won by word of mouth – local small business retailers pitching us to their fellow retailers, for which we are sincerely grateful.

When we see someone ask the question what’s the best POS software for my business? or the question what’s a good alternative to Shopify POS?, we say: hey consider us here at Tower Systems. We will gladly show you what our software offers and let you experience the personal service we provide.

We’re not right for everyone, we know that. We might be right for your business. Let’s find out.

…

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au.

#SmallBusiness #Retail #POSsoftware

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Your business, your POS, your way: flexible software for Aussie small business retailers

September 2, 2025

3 Min read

In the diverse landscape of Australian local small business retail, a one-size-fits-all approach rarely works. A boutique on a bustling city laneway has different needs and technical realities than a hardware store in a regional town, and different needs to a produce business in a rural setting. At Tower Systems, we understand this. That’s why our Point of Sale software offers genuine flexibility, putting you in complete control of how you run your business.

We believe your POS system should adapt to your business, not the other way around. Ask any of our thousands of local small business retail customers. They can speak to flexibility, the ability to conduct retail their way.

Love the Cloud? We’ve got you covered.

If you want the freedom to access your business data from anywhere, at any time, you can choose to run your Tower Systems POS software 100% in the cloud. This setup is perfect for the modern retailer on the move, allowing you to manage stock, run reports, and keep an eye on sales whether you’re at a trade show, at home, or on holiday.

Prefer to keep it local? No worries.

For many retailers, the top priority is rock-solid stability at the counter. If the internet goes down, you still need to serve your customers. We get it. That’s why you can run our POS software entirely on local computers in your shop. Your sales, stock management, and day-to-day operations continue seamlessly, completely independent of your internet connection.

Got sketchy Internet? We’ve built for it.

This is where our commitment to Australian small business shines. We know that internet reliability can be a challenge, especially outside of major metro areas. If your business operates with a less-than-perfect internet connection, our software provides the perfect solution.

You can run your core POS functions locally, ensuring the till is always operational, and have the software sync your data to the cloud, if thats’s what you want, whenever a stable connection is available. It’s the ultimate safety net, offering the resilience of a local system with the convenient backup and remote access benefits of the cloud. No more stressing when the internet drops out during a busy Saturday rush.

You choose.

Your business is unique, and your POS software should reflect that. Whether you want a pure cloud, strictly local, or a hybrid setup that gives you peace of mind, Tower Systems provides a flexible solution that is appropriate for your specific needs.

We empower you to run your business, your way.

Now, if all this sounds a bit shiny, let us show you. We love talking one-on-one with local small business retailers. We’d also love to connect you with some of our customers.

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Your voice, our code: how our small business retail customers shape our POS software

September 1, 2025

4 Min read

Having the right tools is crucial for success, especially in local small business retail. At Tower Systems, we believe that the best people to help us shape our Point of Sale (POS) software are the ones who use it every day: our customers. That’s why we’re proud to showcase our groundbreaking Software Ideas platform, a revolutionary tool that puts you in the driver’s seat of our software development.

Back in 2009, inspired by Jeff Jarvis’ book What Would Google Do?, we embarked on a mission to open up our software development process. The result was the launch of Software Ideas, a proprietary platform we created that empowers our Tower Systems POS software customers to suggest and vote on software changes. This world-first in the POS software space continues today in 2025 to be a cornerstone of our commitment to genuine and transparent cooperation with our small business retail customer community.

The Software Ideas platform is a simple yet powerful tool for collaboration. Here’s how it works:

Suggest: Have an idea for a new feature, function, or report in our Retailer software? Submit it through the Software Ideas platform.
Vote: Browse the ideas submitted by other users and vote for the ones you’d like to see implemented. Each customer has one vote, making every voice heard.
Collaborate: Add your own notes and comments to existing ideas, fostering a community of innovation.

Our software development manager reviews every submission, combining similar ideas, contacting customers for further input, and putting them up for public voting. This transparent process allows us to prioritise the features and functions that are most requested by you, our valued customers.

We are proud to say that every update to our POS software includes enhancements suggested by our customers through the Software Ideas platform. In fact, our latest update, currently in the final stages of quality assurance, contains eight enhancements that originated from this very process. We make sure to identify these user-suggested enhancements in our update notes to demonstrate the power of your engagement.

Every idea is thoroughly costed and evaluated, and the list of live ideas is considered for each software update package we create. This is not just a suggestion box; it’s a dynamic and influential part of our development cycle.

The Software Ideas platform is more than just a feature; it’s a testament to our belief in a two-way partnership with our customers. It’s a unique service that encourages retailers to join our community, knowing that their voices will be heard and their needs will be met.

We are committed to acting on the will of our customer community, within the development budget funded from support fees and sales revenue. We are also committed to complete transparency. If a change request is not feasible for technical reasons, we will explain why.

Sixteen years on from its launch, we are proud to point to the valuable success of Software Ideas. It has not only enriched our POS software but has also strengthened our relationship with the retailers we serve. We want our customers to tell us what to do, to help us make our software better. The launch of Tower Systems Software Ideas is a direct result of trusting our customers to help us innovate and grow.

If you have an idea for how we can improve our software, we encourage you to visit our website and become a part of the conversation. Together, we can continue to build a POS system that is truly by retailers, for retailers.

Thank you to our customers for their ideas and encouragement – their engagement is the heart of Software Ideas.

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Is changing your POS system worth the effort for a small business retailer?

August 28, 2025

3 Min read

It is easy to feel handcuffed to a POS software, especially if the company you are using makes it hard for you to switch systems. Some software companies make it difficult to export your sales, product and other data. Some charge heavily for this and related services. Some even make talking about switching software difficult.

Here at Tower Systems we think the extent of difficulty in switching from a POS software solution could speak to the confidence that software company has in their product and service.

Some POS software companies actively make it hard, and expensive, to switch thinking that keeps you their customer for longer.

Recent experience tells us that the bigger the push-back from a company, the more motivated some small business retailers are in switching POS software.

Here at Tower Systems, we see your data as valuable asset, and it belongs to you. Our commitment is to provide easy access to your own information, without hidden fees or intentionally difficult processes. Our confidence lies not in providing a solution so valuable and a service so responsive that you won’t have a reason to. For us, the freedom to leave is the most compelling reason to stay.

Our belief in freedom is backed by our commitment to delivering tangible value every day. From specialist features designed for unique retail channels to our accessible, Australian-based help desk support, we focus on providing the tools that actually help you run a better business. We are confident that by empowering you, we build a partnership you will choose to be in for the long term.

Retailers should use the software that best serves the needs of their business, that helps the business succeed. Sticking with software because switching too hard could be a bad decision, encumbering the business with costs that hold the business back.

if you are using POS software that is hard to switch from, research the cost of staying with what you have versus the cost of switching. next, consider the benefits of making the search, and place a value on this. This simple exercise may show that short term cost has a longer term gain, or not. The key is that you do the research, so you can make an informed decision.

We will say it again: the extent of difficulty in switching from a POS software solution could speak to the confidence that software company has in their product and service.

…

While the right POS system for an retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems was built to serve Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today.

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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Omnichannel, or unified commerce, helps independent retailers thrive

August 13, 2025

3 Min read

Unifying a bricks-and-mortar store, a high street store as some call it, and a Shopify website for that same store can be a challenge. Not all POS systems make this unification easy.

Historically, software businesses have referred to this unification of as omnichannel. IT people love a buzzword.

The label doesn’t matter: unified commerce or omnichannel. They mean the same thing. What matters is that retailers have the toolset necessary to meet their customers where and when they want. This is the flexibility that retailers need from their POS system.

A unified solution is a POS system directly integrated with Shopify or one of the other e-commerce platforms like Big Commerce, Woo Commerce or Magento. This integration provides the business with robust deep retail management features in the POS system as online tools and flexibility in the Shopify platform. each has their area of specialisation.

The best approach is for the POS system to own and manage inventory and to feed sales and other business data through to an integrated accounting solution. In this world, Shopify captures online sales and these are reported real time to the POS system. The POS system, likewise, provides inventory data such as pricing, images and product descriptions to Shopify. This is all done non the background, seamlessly.

This unified approach to a bricks and mortar store and a Shopify website beings to the business the ability to manage inventory in one place, to accurately share sales transactions and to capture sales where it is mist suited by the customer,

A good POS system will make the link easy, seamless, with appropriate data flowing in both directions to avoid duplication of labour. This is where you need to research POS systems to ensure that you only consider those with the dynamic live link described, that works the way you want it to work for you.

If you have a question about whether a POS system does deliver a seamless Shopify integration it’s best you ask the question, ask them to show this to you. See it for yourself. This is vital. Make sure the connection works how you want it to. Not all POS systems link with Shopify in the same way.

Unifying a bricks-and-mortar store with Shopify is easy with the right POS system partner and with the right approach, mindset and business processes on your side.

With the right POS system, local small business retailers can easily sell in-store and online. Tower Systems solves this challenge for Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today.

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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Locally made POS software is more suited to local retail needs

August 8, 2025

3 Min read

POS software made offshore is less likely to serve local retail business needs in Australian and New Zealand. And, for sure, local small business retailers in Australian and New Zealand have needs unique to their situation.

How’s a developer in India, Russia, Indonesia or Bulgaria going to understand and serve local retail needs. It’s unlikely they will since they are more likely developing software for the world market.

Oooh, the world market. It feels grand and something to lean into. In reality, the world market is generic, safe, average.

Local retail serves the local community. It is unique, local. It has local language and supports sharing local insights, such as product care information relevant to locals

If you look at your needs as a local retailer and then at software that may suit you, we are sure that you will find locally made and supported POS software more financially beneficial for your business than something made offshore, far away from your business and likely not tuned to the local needs of your shop.

Local software developers have an intimate understanding of market nuances. Locally developed POS software is purpose-built to address these.

Locally based software companies have an ability to provide more responsive support and quicker updates to address local market shifts, regulatory changes, or customer feedback.

When you choose a POS software, you are choosing a partner for your business, a partner for your business. The choice is It’s about a business that understands your business and its needs and the way you do business.

By supporting a locally based software company, you’re investing in a partnership that will grow with your business and the local economy. So, before you commit to a generic, one-size-fits-all solution, take a moment to consider how a truly local software can empower your shop to thrive.

Local retail businesses like yours are unlikely to be generic, so why go with generic software.

Take your time. Understand what matters to you. Look around. Don’t be pressured. Consider whether your localness matters to the future of your business.

…

While the right POS system depends on the specific needs of your retail business, Tower Systems was built to solve these exact challenges for Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today.

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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Buying a business with POS software? Here’s advice on how to get the most out of this in-place asset

July 15, 2025

2 Min read

If you are buying a retail business that has POS software there are steps you can take to leverage the asset already in place, to easy your tradition into the business an to find early and easy wins for the business.

We see new owners sometimes want to change the POS software to something they know. What that can make sense, it could be that learning the POS software in place provides a faster pathway to making the business your own, to leverage for you a quicker return on the investment you have made in the business.

Learning the existing software makes it easier for you to make money from the existing data in the business – even is the data is not as well looked after as it may have been.

Our advice is to assess the software, and the data. Make an informed business decision as to whether they are good for how you want to run the business and what you are looking to achieve with and from the business.

Here at Tower Systems we offer new business owners with easy access to wonderful self-serve training resources as well as access to personal one-on-one training. Training is the key to unlocking the best value possible from any POS software. We know that someone trained by us will get far more utility of our POS software than someone not trained by us.

The FREE option is our library of 150+ training videos. These are organised by topic, making it easy for your to learn different parts of the software at your own pace and in your own location and without spending any money.

Our POS software for local small business retailers has many cool business building opportunities cities. Leveraging these takes knowledge of the software tools. This is where good training comes in.

The POS software you inherit could be a treasure chest of business intelligence waiting to be unlocked. It holds the secrets to your customers’ buying habits, seasonal trends, and most profitable product lines. Proper training acts as the key, transforming this raw data into actionable strategies. By investing a little time in learning the system, you empower yourself to not only continue operations seamlessly but to also quickly identify and act on these valuable insights, driving growth and ensuring your new business venture is profitable from the outset.

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EDI is dead, you can import just about any invoice into our POS software thanks to our AI tools

June 24, 2025

3 Min read

For years, retailers needed EDI (electronic data interchange) told to import supplier invoices. These were specialist tools that helped POS software read unique supplier invoices that were presented in a specific format. Those days are pretty much over thanks to the AI tools now embedded in the POS software from Tower Systems. Now tested on 500+ supplier invoices, the POS software from Tower Systems assesses a supplier invoice and imports it accurately and quickly – saving time, cutting mistakes and setting the retail business up for data based success.

Yes, EDI is a thing of the past thanks to the AI tools in the Tower Systems POS software.

Jewellers, garden centres, bike shops, newsagents, pet shops, music shop0s, produce businesses, stockfeed businesses, toy shops, computer shops, homewares shops, bookshops and plenty of other retailers are able to use these POS software embedded AI tools to accurately and easily import supplier invoice.

We have retailers telling us of savings of three and more hours a week. That’s actual labour cost saved. It’s money back into the business for more valuable use elsewhere. It is also a chunk of mistakes eliminated.

The power of this embedded AI lies in its ability to learn and adapt to the nuances of various invoice layouts, eliminating the rigid formatting requirements of old EDI systems. This means less time spent manually correcting entries or wrestling with incompatible file types. Instead, your team can focus on higher-value tasks, confident that your inventory and financial data are accurate and up-to-date. It’s a leap forward in efficiency, transforming a historically tedious task into a seamless, automated process that directly contributes to your bottom line and improves overall operational flow.

If you have questions about data security and privacy in the use of our POS software integrated AI tools: the AI tools aren’t “learning” from your sensitive customer data in a way that exposes it to the public internet or shares it inappropriately. Instead, they are designed to process your supplier invoices locally and securely, within the confines of your existing software, much like how your current accounting software handles sensitive financial data.

AI is trained to recognise patterns in invoice layouts and data points, not to extract or store personal customer information for external use. It’s about enhancing efficiency through intelligent automation of a specific task, not about intrusive data collection. Tower Systems understands the critical importance of trust in retail, and our AI integration prioritises robust data protection measures, ensuring your business operates not only smarter but also with complete peace of mind.

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What is scanned based trading and how does it help retailers, especially small business retailers?

June 23, 2025

2 Min read

Scanned based trading in retail is where a supplier supplies product to a shop based on sales of the product in the shop. The POS software in the retail shop feeds sales to the supplier and the supplier triggers a top-up order based on settings agreed with the retailer.

Scanned based trading is a time saver for retailers. This is useful in today’s retail settings where retailers are time-poor.

With popular items being out of stock too often, scanned based trading can help retailers to not be out of stock of items they need.

Our Tower Systems POS software has the data feed necessary to supply suppliers with sales per store, thereby feeding into suppliers ready themselves to engage in scanned based trading with local small business retailers.

In some scanned based trading models, retailers only pay for inventory they sell.

Reduced inventory costs: Retailers don’t have to tie up capital in inventory that might not sell.
Lower financial risk: They are not stuck with unsold or expired products.
Increased product variety: Retailers can experiment with new products without significant upfront investment.
Reduced shrink (loss of inventory): While the exact split of shrink liability is negotiated, SBT can reduce losses from operational errors as suppliers have more incentive to manage their inventory effectively.
Improved cash flow: Payments are made only when sales occur.

These are just some of the benefits that POS software facilitates scanned based trading has delivered from our experiences in retail.

While the benefits for retailers are clear, scan-based trading offers significant advantages to suppliers, fostering a closer and more aligned relationship.

Suppliers gain real-time visibility into sales data, enabling more accurate forecasting, optimised production, and efficient inventory management. This direct insight allows them to better understand consumer demand and tailor their offerings accordingly, ultimately leading to increased sales and reduced waste from overproduction.

By taking on the inventory risk, suppliers often secure broader distribution channels as retailers become more willing to stock a wider variety of their products, even new or niche items. This collaborative approach, where both parties benefit from shared data and aligned incentives, transforms the traditional buyer-seller dynamic into a more strategic partnership focused on mutual growth and efficiency.

Retailers love scanned based trading because of less out of stocks, increased revenue and time saves.

Suppliers love scanned based trading because of increased sales and more value from retailer relationships.

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Jeweller software in 2025

June 14, 2025

3 Min read

Check out this short video highlighting some of the features of our jeweller software. From Ai to jeweller specific tools, this Aussie made and supported jeweller software is helping hundreds of local jewellers every day.

For independent jewellers, success is a delicate balance of artistry, exceptional customer service, and savvy business management. We are incredibly proud that our specialised jeweller software continues to be the platform of choice for growing businesses, and we’re thrilled to have welcomed 14 new customers to our community already this year.

They, like our many long-term partners, are discovering how the right tools can help evolve their customer mix and drive real business performance. If you’re looking to run a more valuable and enjoyable business, here’s a look at how we can help.

Our commitment is entirely to you, the local jeweller. Our software is designed from the ground up to handle the unique, intricate details of your trade.

We understand that you’re managing more than just sales. You’re managing precious inventory, detailed repairs, and lifelong customer relationships. Our software brings it all together:

Jeweller-Specific Inventory Control: Track everything from loose stone details to finished pieces. Manage product variants (colour, size, style), sell by fractions or by length, handle secondhand goods, and easily import supplier invoices.
Seamless Repairs Management: Our dedicated repairs module allows you to track and manage every job with precision, keeping your customers informed and your workshop efficient.
Special Orders and Lay-bys: Cater to your customers’ unique requests by selling items in advance of having the physical stock, and manage special orders with ease.
Dynamic Sales & Marketing Tools:
- BOGO & Bundling: Increase your average sale value with “buy this, get that” offers.
- Club Pricing: Attract members of local community groups with exclusive pricing.
- Targeted Marketing: Create contact lists based on purchase history, anniversaries, birthdays, and other life events to send relevant, timely offers.

One of the features our customers love most is the highly tuneable loyalty program. You can configure it to suit the specific needs of a jewellery business, creating compelling incentives that encourage your shoppers to return sooner and build a lasting connection with your brand.

Your time is valuable. That’s why our software works seamlessly with the tools you already use to nurture productivity across your entire business:

Accounting: Xero
E-commerce: A seamless, official integration with Shopify and Big Commerce.
Staff Rostering: Tanda, Deputy, and Planday
Customer Convenience: Slyp for smart digital receipts
Content Creation: ChatGPT for intelligent product descriptions and RemoveBG for clean, professional product photos.

We believe in empowering business owners, not locking them in.

No Lock-In Contracts: Our software is provided on a simple rental basis that can be cancelled at any time. There are no annual payment commitments.
EFTPOS Freedom: You have the choice of EFTPOS provider. We don’t lock you in, and we don’t charge any financial penalty or per-transaction cost from our end. We also make it simple for you to add a surcharge based on the card presented.

Getting started is simple with our one-on-one training. This is backed by an awesome, searchable knowledge base and a library of training videos – both available to you.

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CategoryJeweller software

How does vibe coding compare commercial vertical market software?

Where does commercially released vertical market software differ to vibe coded software?

What is the value difference between commercial and vibe coded software?

The Power of Specialisation

Practical AI for Small Business

Better Data, Better Decisions

Protecting Your Business Asset

1. Tested in the Real World

2. Accuracy Over Manual Entry

3. It’s Included (Yes, Free)

4. The “Golden Rule” of Setup

Summary

Step 1: be sure of what you need.

Step 2: know your budget.

Step 3: see it for yourself.

Step 4: do it yourself.

Step 5: get to it.

A bonus step: be in control.

Why these simple vouchers work so well

Putting vouchers to work in your business

The setup is simple, the impact is real

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You choose.

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