The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

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

CategoryJeweller software

POS software helps small business retailer be strong competitors

November 12, 2019
2 Min read
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Choosing the right POS software can be key tot the success of any retail business, especially a small retail business.

Okay,  this seems like a motherhood statement. It is. But there is more to it than that.

The right POS software can be a proactive support for the business, I can guide business decisions, early detect employee theft, dramatically cut mistakes, guide product placement in-store and help bring shoppers back more often. These are all practical deliverables from good POS software. Indeed, these and more.

Any software can ring up a sale and track what is sold. Those steps are barely the beginning of what good POS software should do.

This is why retailers need to take time to assess software, to see how it has evolved with the needs of physical and online stores, and see what it offers in terms of helping independent small business retailers to leverage opportunities to be truly competitive.

The right POS software will also be purpose specific to the needs of a specialty retail business, serving needs inquire to the niche business channel and unique to the suppliers of the business. There are many interaction and integration opportunities that bring retailers together, that help them be smart and engaged together for mutual benefit. Niche channel specific software is the glue to make this happen.

Tower Systems offers specialty POS software for specialty retailers. We make what we sell and we ensure that each marketplace specific version of our software is finely tuned to the needs of retailers in each retail channel. This is what makes our software more useful and valuable to niche retailers than generic software.

Take our produce / farm supply /stockfeed business software. This is made specifically for these types of businesses. What we offer is made for them and made to work with their suppliers. This is very different to what you would see from general POS software. We are not general. We are specialist, deeply specialist.

How do you chooses there right POS software for your business?  Research, take your time and make sure that the software you choose reinforces, supports and enhances the specialist nature of your business.

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Shopify connects POS software solution for small business retailers

October 26, 2019
2 Min read
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Here at tower Systems we develop POS software and we develop websites. Our web development is done in Magento, WooCommerce and Shopify. In each case, our websites are seamlessly connected to our indie retail focusses POS software.

We offer fixed price quotes for web development, for beautiful sites for any type of retail business connected to our POS software.

Quoting on web development can be inexact as changes to the requirements can develop over the course of a project. In any proposal from us, we seek to mitigate risk and provide certainty on which you can rely for us to deliver the specific outcomes noted. However, the proposal is based on our understanding of your needs.

If any customer feels we have missed anything in a proposal, please advise as it will impact the quoted price.

We provide a complete written proposal that addresses all the questions we are usually asked and questions we asked ourselves when developing our own websites for our businesses and businesses in which we have a share.

While much web development for Australian businesses is done either by individuals working from home or outsourced overseas, our web development work is undertaken by our team, working full time for us, here in Australia. The challenge is, this makes it more expensive.

A web developer in an outsource location can cost as little as 10% of professional Australian developer costs. Australian developed websites are more expensive. It is why our quote comes in at the price it does. In our experience using outsource people ourselves on unrelated projects – you do get what you pay for.

Senior management of Tower Systems oversees all our web development work.

  1. Our in-house web team is led by an experienced IT professional who also has retail experience out of our head office. They are a skilled IT professional who has worked with us for three years. They come from a help desk and retail background and understands the software and how a website connected to a POS should be implemented. You will have direct access to them through this development process.
  1. Our leadership team, COO and CEO, personally oversee the web development projects for clients as we want to ensure that we deliver on our promises and that we provide our customers with a commercially valuable outcome.
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The only Australian developed software for jewellers

October 25, 2019
2 Min read
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Tower Systems offers the only Australian developed and supported jeweller POS software.

We make what we sell. Our jeweller software is 100% ours. This matters because we can offer a level of support, training and assistance beyond because it is our product, made for jewellers, made to help jewellers run more efficient, valuable and enjoyable businesses.

While other businesses sell jeweller software in Australia, from what we have seen nit is software from overseas, made by others, maintained by others and controlled by others.

Here at Tower Systems we make what we sell and we stand by it and ensure that it serves the needs of our customers.

This matters to jewellers. Our software offers a solution for local market needs. This is differentiating for us. It is also differentiating for jewellers as they can leverage tools that help them focus on delivering local solutions for local shoppers – this helps with shopper outreach and service.

The Tower Systems Jeweller POS software is innovative, flexible and deeply tailored to the needs of local jewellers. We provide a platform of tools for efficient and creative business management and marketing.

Here are benefits jewellers using our jeweller POS software tell us they love:

  1. Easily and accurately sell items by weight or length.
  2. Track serial numbers of what you sell.
  3. Include your own product care information on receipts.
  4. Buy now pay later integration for over the counter sales.
  5. Automate reminders and offers for birthdays & anniversaries.
  6. Automated workshop management tools including text message & email notifications save time.
  7. Benefit from advanced stock performance metrics and tagging.
  8. Easily bulk manage inventory.
  9. Sexy jeweller specific hardware.
  10. Portable POS software on iPad, Surface or similar to sell anywhere, any time.
  11. Reduce the headache of lay-bys with several buy now pay later options.
  12. Perform effortless stocktakes, orders and sales on your phone or tablet.
  13. Save money on bookkeeping by integrating with accounting software.
  14. Offer an online catalogue easily (Shopify, Magento & WooCommerce).
  15. Bring customers back more often with our unique loyalty tools.
  16. Load electronic invoices from suppliers.

We are grateful to the hundreds of jewellers in our jeweller POS software user community today. Their advice, support and encouragement are inspiration to us daily. Thank you.

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New POS software Q&A for small business retailers

October 23, 2019
3 Min read
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We participated win another Q&A recently where we answered questions act our POS software and its service of the needs of small business retailers.

Here is part of the Q&A, taking you further into the solutions and service of Tower Systems through our POS software.

Do you have an online strategy for retailers in a group?

Yes. We can link stores together through one or more national websites to efficiently win business for local stores. Through this, we can provide stores with a dashboard to facilitate management of fulfilment. Alternatively, we can deliver local store websites for individual group members.

Does your software link direct to Shopify?

Yes. Plus, we link directly with Magento and WooCommerce (WordPress).

Do images flow automatically to a website connected to the business?

Yes.

Does your software link direct to Xero?

Yes. We are a Xero partner.

Can we sell gift cards and can I scan them?

Yes and yes. This is easy, fast, safe and secure. Guided by CPA advice, our approach to gift cards is best practice.

Can I alter a LayBy?

Yes. This is easy. It is also safe with an audit trail maintained.

Can I discount sales?

Yes. You can discount the whole sale or individual items. You can set this to be automatic for customers too thanks to discount profiles.

Can I print my own price labels?

Yes. You can print a single label or a group, easily. Plus, you have control over the design of the label.

Can I bulk edit stock records?

Yes. Our Stock Manager gives you powerful yet safe stock record editing tools that can save you hours of time.

Can I change supplier when ordering product?

Yes. Alternatively, you can easily turn this feature off.

Can I sell by weight?

Yes.

I have customers who want quotes, can the software do this?

Yes. And, you can convert a quote into a sale easily.

Do you come to my shop to train me?

Yes.

After the system is installed can I get more training?

Yes, it’s free.

Can I add an item or items to an invoice once it is entered?

Yes. Plus, you can decide if you want this password protected.

Do you integrate with buy now pay later?

Yes. We integrate with Humm, Zip Pay and Zip Money. Watch this space for more news soon as this is a rapidly changing area.

Does your software help reduce customer theft?

Yes, we have structured tools that help you identify theft and this is the best starting point to acting to reduce theft.

Does your software help reduce employee theft?

Yes. We have hidden tracking tools that we share only with business owners. Plus, we have been used by police to help with investigations and crown prosecutors in trials.

Does your software help me compare supplier performance?

Yes.

Can I sell fishing licences and other vouchers using the software?

Yes, for the states for which electronic licences are available through Touch Networks, a company with which we integrate.

Can I share local knowledge on receipts?

Yes. We think your local knowledge and connections are assets to be leveraged for the differentiation of your business.

Does your software offer loyalty tools?

Yes. We offer multiple approaches to loyalty, offering you flexibility. We back these with business training and expertise to help you maximise return.

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POS software integrations help small business retailers

October 22, 2019
2 Min read
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The Tower Systems POS software offers small business retailers access to valuable and financially beneficial integrations that help these retailers to win more business.

Here are some of the integrations we offer. We say some as there are more that are classified, for commercial reasons. There are those who like to copy us so we figure why make it easy for them. Ha!

  1. E-COMMERCE: Magento. WooCommerce / WordPress. These are direct through partnership relationships, to the deepest level, delivering the best seamless functionality. Plus, for others, generic.
  2. ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE: Xero – this is genuinely direct. We are a Xero partner. Plus, we use Xero ourselves in businesses that we own.  MYOB. Quicken. Both of these are through a 3rdparty platform.
  3. EFTPOS: Tyro. Quest. DPS/Payment Express NZ. PCEftpos.
  4. BUY NOW PAY LATER: Humm. Zip Pay / Zip Money.
  5. TEXT MESSAGING: Message Media. Message Net
  6. OUR OWN ADD-ONS: Visual desk – smart and portable reporting.  Make My Appointment – calendar booking. Retailer Roam – sell anywhere.
  7. ANCILLARY: Federal government approved scale int.  Fuel / Postec. Touch Phonecards.

These are desktop and cloud hosted POS software integrations. For our e-commerce solutions, consumer facing websites, we offer substantially more integrations that go to a new level and deliver substantially more benefits. Our integration strategy for web is comprehensive, deep and flexible, in service off our customers who take their retail businesses online.

Integrations matter to businesses in this time of mass integration. We are on a cross platform world and POS software that integrates offers terrific flexibility to retailers working in spaces where integrations can be beneficial.

Since we develop the software we sell, lease and rent, we are in control of what we do and how we do it. We are not relying on another party to do the integration work. This makes us more flexible for and accountable to our customers.

Delivering integrations to our customers matters as we are in a  position to help them find new customers for their businesses by offering better services seamlessly across more platforms. Flexibility is key today and we are proud to be delivering this through our POS software and the POS software connected websites that we develop0 and deploy.

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Helping small business retailers comply with new Gift Card regulations

October 14, 2019
2 Min read
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New gift card laws come into effect in Australia on November 1, 2019. The fundamental changes introduced in the new laws are:

  1. a minimum three year expiry period for gift cards is required;
  2. gift cards must display expiry dates; and
  3. most post purchase fees on gift cards are banned.

The POS software from Tower Systems will help small business retailers comply with this legislation. It will do so in a worry free, safe and red tape free way for indie retailers.

Gift cards (physical or electronic) are easy with our software. Retailers can offer them with surety and speed, enabling shoppers to load cash onto a card so that it can be given as a gift.

Where gift cards are sued as a marketing tool, the legislation is different. The three year requirement in the legislation does not apply to gift cards that are:

  1. able to be reloaded or topped up
  2. for a good or service available for a limited time where the card or voucher expires at the end of that period (e.g. entry to a concert or museum exhibition)
  3. supplied to a purchaser of goods or services as part of a temporary marketing promotion (e.g. a wine voucher valid for one month that is mailed to a consumer as a free bonus with a purchased item and was not part of the purchase offer)
  4. donated free of charge for promotional purposes (e.g. a local shopping centre has a one-day marketing promotion where each visitor to the centre on that day is handed a $20 gift card that is valid for use at any store in the centre for that day only)
  5. sold for a particular good or service at a genuine discount (e.g. $50 card for salon service valued at $100)
  6. supplied as part of an employee rewards program
  7. given as a bonus in connection with a purchase of a good or service for use in the same business (customer loyalty programs)
  8. second-hand gift cards.
  9. part of a temporary marketing promotion (e.g. customers buy a certain product from Business A, which provides a $50 voucher to use at Business B).

Tower Systems serves small businesses in the requirements of the legislation, efficiently and in a whole of business way.

Our customers with our latest software will be fine come November 1, 2019. Gift cards through the POS software will be safe, easy and business building.

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Small business retail advice: how to setup a pop-up shop

October 11, 2019
4 Min read
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POS software company Tower Systems offers practical everyday advice for indie small business retailers. Our advice serves not only our 3,500+ retailer partners but many other retailers. The advice we share in this post is from our portfolio of management advice for small business retailers.

Definition: a pop-up shop is a temporary shop, one that is open for a limited period of time, usually around a month, rarely more than three months.

We have assembled our pop-up shop advice and tips into key topic areas.

WHY?!

Like any business decision, a decision to open a pop-up retail location needs to be based on good research and the business itself needs to have a purpose. So, before you begin, think about why.

Here are some reasons to do a pop-up shop:

  1. To test new product categories.
  2. To supplement your income.
  3. To help quit slow moving stock.
  4. To enhance your retail experience.
  5. To experiment with a plan b where you might land if you close your main shop.
  6. To engage in targeted, temporary, competition.
  7. To compete with yourself.

LOCATION.

With a pop-up shop you don’t have time to find your customers. The location needs to already have good traffic passing daily, traffic you can easily leverage. Even more so than in fixed-location retail, location is critical.

The best locations are shops that have good passing traffic that is of interest to you and that have been vacant for a while where a landlord might be happy with something rather than nothing.

OCCUPANCY COST.

Negotiate the lowest rent cost possible. Some landlords see pop-up offers as a reason to charge a premium. Only sign up for a price you are 100% happy with. If it is expensive and does not work financially, don’t sign hoping it works out, because in retail it rarely does work out better. In a pop-up business you have less time to see if it works out. Also, preferably, no contingency deposit.

LABOUR COST.

Staff the business with a lean roster. This shop is about selling. that means, products placed for a price proposition rather than beautiful displays that take time to maintain. Every staff member is there to sell and maximise revenue from every shopper visit. There is no room in the roster for fat.

FIXTURES AND FITTINGS.

Don’t spend a cent on fixtures and fittings. That needs to be your starting position. It’s a pop-up shop. People expect it to be  efficient, cost-effective. Using tables and boxes adds to the feel of the shop feeling low-cost and that can help drive sales. Suppliers can be a good source for loaned fixtures.

INVENTORY.

Ask suppliers to offer consignment stock or special clearance deals they’d like to move fast. Go for items that can be sold out of a box, to make display and ranging easier. In-box displays of particularly cheap items can work very well.

PRICING MODEL.

Price to sell. This means being below usual retail. Price to understandable price points. For example, you might have a $10 table, a $20 table and so on. Consider bundling items into packs, which make price comparison difficult.

PROMOTION.

Don’t spend money on sign writing or marketing. Use social media and bargain websites and anywhere similar where you can list the store and its products.

Host an opening party. List this as a local event on Facebook.

MANAGEMENT MINDSET.

Your mindset in managing the pop-up shop needs to be different to a fixed-location retail situation. Pop-up shops are about low cost, low overheads, low prices. Be ready to do deals. Whoever manages  the pop-up shop needs to be different to how they would be in the fixed-location retail business.

SPEED.

You need to move fast. From the moment you sign a lease or agreement, the clock is ticking. Ideally, you’d open within 24 hours and when you are done, closing and clearing out the shop is done in 24 hours or less. This is all about maximising the time for income-production.

TRACK PERFORMANCE.

Cultivate good data that can guide business decisions for your next moves.

Is a pop-up shop worth doing? Only you can determine that. We have seen plenty of pop-up shops work well for the retailers, contribute good GP, help move slow stock and help open to the owners category opportunities not previously considered.

Do the planning and you should expect to benefit.

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Portable POS software helps retailers sell at local markets, from trucks and elsewhere on the road

October 10, 2019
2 Min read
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Retail today is about being where the customer is … in-store, online, at local markets, in a truck delivering goods, anywhere.

Thanks to the Retailer Roam POS software product from Tower Systems, we have made our POS software accessible from anywhere, via tablet computers, using a cool app developed in house by our POS software expert team.

Retailer Roam is portable POS software. It can be accessed using an app on a tablet computer, from anywhere – including with and without an internet connection.

Being portable POS software, Roam is all about helping retailers sell from anywhere, easily, securely, safely and quickly. This includes two customer accounts, by card and more. Retailer Roam is POS software for today;’s inn ovations and engaged retailer. It is current web enabled technology, k created fresh, from scratch, by the Tower Systems software engineers who play in this leading-edge space.

We have a customer today who wants to sell from a fleet of trucks. Roam is a perfect solution in this situation, enabling transacting business on the road, live and without the overhead of double paperwork back at the office at the end of the day. Roam streamlines the business, makes business data more accurate and helps the business  grow.

Roam is a new approach to POS software, a fresh way to do business anywhere, anytime, without lugging a computer around and without the need for an always on internet connection.

  1. Retailers can sell at local markets.
  2. Bike shops can setup sales stalls on a route during a bike event.
  3. Gift shops can sell from the back of the car in a country town.
  4. Pet shops can sell at the local show.
  5. Garden centres cal sell on the back block of their large production nursery.
  6. Landscaping businesses can sell from the tray of a large truck.
  7. Anyone can open a pop-up shop and sell for days and weeks win a quick to setup and easy to run situation.

There are many more examples where portable POS software helps retailers better serve their customers.

Retailer Road is smart ad fresh POS software technology for today’s engaged retailer who wants flexibility in terms of where and when they sell, without being weighed down by bigger hardware technology. It’s from Tower Systems, the Aussie POS software company.

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Gift vouchers are easy in the Tower Systems POS software for indie retailers

October 7, 2019
2 Min read
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Selling, managing and tracking gift vouchers in a retail business is simple, safe and easy using the POS software developed and supported by Tower Systems.

Gift vouchers can be issued by the POS software easily, quickly and accurately. There is no need for a printed card or note. Alternatively, a business can create the gift vouchers externally from the POS software yet have all  of them easily tracked and managed.

Loaded with whatever amount suits a customer and fits within the rules of a business, gift vouchers are a wonderful solution for a retail business to offer where a customer likes a shop but does not know what to buy. From the moment a gift voucher is loaded with a value it is tracked by the POS software. The amount loaded is managed as a liability of the business, as is required by accounting standards.

Tower Systems has managed gift vouchers in its POS software for decades. The gift voucher facilities in the software have evolved as the needs of small business retailers have evolved. The company has ensured that its offering in this space is fit for purpose for today’s retail environment, to enable its customers to be competitive in this space.

Gift voucher setup in the POS software is easy. Thanks to not requiring pre printed cards, a business can test the appetite of its customers for gift vouchers by having computer generated vouchers. This trial can help guide whether a business should invest ini professional design and production of vouchers, which is also a service that Tower Systems offers through its in-house graphic design tools and services.

We see gift vouchers successfully used in small business retail in the channels of garden centres, bike shops, jewellers, gift shops, homewares shops, book shops, newsagencies, pet shops, toy shops and even firearms shops as well as many other types of retail business situations. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with gift retailers to help them build customer appeal.

Gift vouchers are a vital tools for small business retailers to offer, to help broaden the appeal of a shop beyond what it may have available for customers to purchase today. Tower Systems makes them financially and operationally appealing to small business retailers through its smart POS software.

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Audit tools in POS software help small business retailers find out what they do not know

October 6, 2019
3 Min read
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Secret audit tools in POS software are critical in small business retail for they provide insights into behind the scenes activity in a business that could be harmful to the business. By tracking activities including keystrokes designed to manipulate business data, good POS software is able to help a retail business compare bad behaviour including fraud.

The Tower Systems small business POS software has terrific audit tools that can only be accessed with the most secure password managed by the software, a password only given by the comp0any to business owners.

Using the smart audit tools, we have been able to help retailers to track employee fraud, supplier fraud, customer fraud and what could have been expensive but unintentional mistakes.

The Audie tools and the secret mirror data they have access to represent a valuable asset to any indie retailer as they make the POS software operational smart for and protective of that business.

This area of data curation and management is not often talked abut because it can be construed as a negative given the connection with bad things happening in a business. The reality is that knowing the tools are there creates a positive situation, a comfort, a peace of mind as the POS software is offering a set of eyes and ears watching over the business and providing the business access to insights to help reduce the negative.

The Tower Systems small business POS software provides to indie retailers audit tools that are exemplary in their service of ethical business operation. This is especially useful inn businesses that are run with owners and even senior managers not in a location full  time.

So, in addition to accurately and quickly transacting retail sales, the Tower Systems POS software offers retail business owners access to tools through which they can review data that sheds light on behaviour that could compromise the business. This is what a good audit is about.

Our POS software audit tools have been used in legal cases and by business financial auditors and forensic accountants to track potential misbehaviour. the resulting data can be a body of evidence in criminal or commercial legal action. It is data on which expert evidence can be offered as to actions taken in a business that cold be the matter of such a case.

Our hope is that the audit tools in our POS software do not find misbehaviour and that simply having the tools in a business is the most value achieved. However, should they be needed and should they uncover misbehaviour, the audit tools stand strong and tall for the business and those who own it.

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Easy to use POS software for pop-up shops

October 1, 2019
2 Min read
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Tower Systems offers Retailer Roam as an easy to setup and run POS software solution for pop-up retail shops situations.

With Pop-up retail becoming more prevalent, having a sweet POS software solution to help owners and managers of pop-up retail stores makes sense.

From selling to store management, the Retailer Roam pop-pop retail solution from Tower Systems offers an easy to setup, easy to use and easy to fund pop-pop retail management solution. Pop-up retail is easier thanks to this solution from Tower Systems.

Running in the cloud with easy to use redundancy built in should the internet be down, Retailer Roam works in a variety of situations and for a variety of businesses. It is safe, secure and accessible.

Retailer Roan is another cloud based POS solution from the web team at Tower Systems where cloud based POS Solutions have been delivered for indie retailers for years.

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

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

Pop-up retail needs to be easy, fast, safe and secure. Retailer Roam from Tower Systems is all of these things. It is a wonderful solution for indie retailers looking to expand their retail business reach into the pop-up retail space.

If you are considering a pop-up retail store, consider Retailer Roam from Tower Systems and enjoy the flexibility of selling anywhere, anytime and with safety, security and speed as benefits at your fingertips.

Tower Systems is a small business focussed POS software company serving in excess of 3,500 indie retailers in several niche retail channels.

We make and support what we sell, including Retailer Roam. For pop-up, online and fixed location high street retail. 

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Free small business retailer workshop – web connected POS software helps you win new customers and revenue

September 24, 2019
2 Min read
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A free workshop for small business retailers: How to find new customers by selling online direct from POS software for your specific type of business using Shopify and Magento.

Join us for a free workshop where we will explore Shopify and Magento direct connected POS software for specialty retailers: jewellers, garden centres, produce, toy, firearms, fishing, outdoors, newsagents, pet, gift, book, bike and adult.

At the interactive and engaging workshops we will focus on new online insights for 2020 and beyond that are relevant to indie small business retailers.

  1. Hear from current case studies what other indie retailers are doing.
  2. Find out how to use online to drive in-store shopping.
  3. Learn how click and collect actually works.
  4. Find out about the different buy now pay later options for online sales.
  5. See how stock data including images flow easily from the POS to online.

Each workshop will be live and interactive and relevant to your type of business. It could save you thousands in web developer fees. This will not be a sales pitch. We will share what we know having done this work ourselves for the retail businesses we own in the homewares, pop culture, collectible, plush, gift and games segments of retail.

We live everyday the challenges of pricing, marketing, shipping and more and we will share out learnings.

We will cover hot topics including: SEO, shipping options, free shipping, the role of social in online sales, returns, bundles, branding and a plan b for your web strategy.

Click on your preferred city below to book. Each workshop (except for online) will be in an easy to get to capital city location.

  1. Sydney. Sept. 30. 10am.
  2. Adelaide. October 1. 10am.
  3. Perth. October 2. 10:30am.
  4. Hobart. October 3. 11am.
  5. Melbourne. October 4. 10am.
  6. Auckland. October 7. 10am.
  7. Brisbane. October 8. 10am.
  8. Canberra. October 9. 10am.
  9. Online. October 10. 10am. AEST.
  10. Online. October 10. 2pm. AEST.
  11. Wellington. October 14. 10am.
  12. Christchurch. Oct. 15. 10am.

We are local. Tower Systems serves 3,500+ specialty businesses – with POS software and websites. We make what we sell. We use it ourselves too, in our own retail and online businesses.

With these workshops and all we do, goal is to help you enjoy a more successful and valuable business.

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Mental health is about more than one day of the year

September 23, 2019
6 Min read
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While it was RUOK? Day last week, the mental health challenge for businesses owners and, indeed, the whole community is a 365 day a year challenge.

Recent Bureau of Statistics figures reinforce why this is a 365 day a year challenge:

As an employer of many 15-34 year olds, the stat for suicide is horrifying. The broader suicide rate in Australia is horrifying.

We have written a few times here about mental health. Not as an expert, because we are not experts. Rather, our interest is as an employer and as someone who craves for a healthier and happier country.

We share here today a revised version of information we have shared here before on this topic, and in particular about the mental health of newsagents and those in our businesses.

Despite all the ads on TV, despite the work of R U OK?, despite the work of agencies like Beyondblue, despite the stories in the media, mental health, especially mental health within the small business community, and especially the newsagency community, is not talked about.

The challenge is that we cannot always see unhealthiness. If someone is physically unhealthy, we can usually see it, but not mental unhealthiness. For sure there are occasional signs like behavioural outbursts that don’t make sense but you can’e be sure and often you don’t want to ask for fear of making it worse.

In small business retail and in our channel there are challenges that can make things worse: bullying landlords, overbearing suppliers, demanding customers, relentless competitors. These and other factors can make someone see the road ahead through clouded eyes. For some of those on the other side, however, how they handle a situation could be driven by how the small business has dealt with it up to then.

We are all for personal accountability and often say we need to own our own situation – we sign our leases, we sign magazine contracts, we go into business. However, we do these things expecting fairness. Too often there are people on the other side of a commercial relationship who do not act with fairness.

Social media is a factor with mental health as it gives everyone a megaphone and the ability to publish an opinion without thinking it through. In schools social media is a big focus in mental health awareness, especially around bullying.

It is hard to know the mental health of anyone. That person smiling at you or joking with you could be in a dark place in their mind. This is why it is important we talk and ask colleagues how they are doing and why we all need to help when we think help could be what is needed.

In the workplace, we think being open with each other so that everyone has a shared and open experience. If there are business performance issues, rather than keeping them secret, talking about them could help ease tension: a problem shared and all that…

There are wonderful resources from government departments available. For example, The Victorian Government has a page online on this topic, which includes good practical advice:

  1. Make time to exercise each day: For example, a simple daily lunch time walk can help maintain a positive outlook.
  2. Practice mindfulness: Mindfulness means being aware of your reactions/feelings/thoughts as you have them. This helps you choose how to manage matters as they arise. Mindfulness is a great tool to help lower stress and anxiety levels.
  3. Adopt work/life boundaries: Don’t let work overtake your life. Set some boundaries to ensure you have time for both work and a social life. You might decide not to discuss work from 5pm Friday night to 8am Monday morning because weekends are for family time only.
  4. Connect with others: Find someone worthy of your stories – a confidant or mentor you can talk to about your business experiences. Make sure this person is supportive, a good listener and someone whose opinion you value.

This website also lists indicators:

  1. Physical signs: For example, a constant knot in your stomach, tense neck and shoulders, feeling nauseous, heart palpitations or chest pains.
  2. Changes in behaviour: For example, being unable to sleep, crying regularly, feeling moody or often irritable, increase or loss of appetite.
  3. Unclear thinking: For example, not being able to make decisions, not understanding directions, not being able to focus, being inattentive.
  4. Feeling sad or anxious regularly: We all have bad days – they’re a normal part of life. This flag needs attention if you begin to notice feeling like this regularly.
  5. Disconnecting from others: This may include not joining in social activities, choosing to spend time away from family and friends or stopping hobbies/sporting activities.
  6. Feeling overwhelmed: It is difficult to find solutions to problems, and in some instances it feels like they are insurmountable. Problem solving becomes difficult

And it lists useful resources:

  1. Business In Mind: Business In Mind is an online resource specifically designed to support business owners who may be experiencing mental health challenges.
  2. Beyond Blue:  beyondblue provides information and support to help everyone in Australia achieve their best possible mental health, whatever their age and wherever they live.
  3. The Ripple Effect: A resource for rural communities that addresses suicide in rural areas.(Ph: 03 5551 8587)
  4. Sane provides online information, support and connection for every Australian affected by complex mental illness through its website, peer-to-peer forums and helpline. SANE also has a range of factsheets on managing mental health in the workplace. (Ph: 1800 18 7263)

Our approach to mental health as business owners has to be continuous, on-going. It can’t be a one day of the year focus or a stunt. It has to be part of how we run our businesses, everyday.

In our experience, talking is key – offering an environment where people can talk, where they know it is safe to talk, where they are encouraged to talk and where active listening happens. While it is not always perfect and does not always achieve what is hoped for, it is documented as being valuable.

While RUOK? Day today is important for awareness, that awareness and engagement need to be year-long.

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Portable POS software App – sell anywhere, sell any time from this cloud based solution for small business retailers

September 18, 2019
2 Min read
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Retailer Roam is a beautiful piece of new software from Tower Systems that facilitates small business retailers selling from anywhere at any time.

Roam is an App that can run on any iOS or Android device. It is POS software on the road. Hence, the name Roam. Retailers really can sell anywhere. From a pop-up store, market stall, school, a truck – anywhere on the go at any time. It is easy, fast and secure, and it can trade even without an internet connection.

Retailer Roam is next generation POS software, bringing facilities engaged and transforming retailers want to their businesses, helping them reach new customers, helping them sell places that are hard to sell at today. Retailer Roam helps small business retailers transform how they sell and through this to find new shoppers for their businesses.

It is fresh software unique and made in Australia by Tower Systems as an extension to our specialty retail small business suite.

Retailer Roam is ideal for retail businesses in these retail segments: jewellers, garden centres, produce, toy, firearms, fishing, outdoors, newsagents, pet, gift, book, bike and adult.

Retailer Roam is portable POS software with all small business retailers expect from portability yet with access to the  power of wonderful data held in systems in the back office of these retail businesses. It brings to life out in the field, away from the shop, tools through which the retailer can find new shoppers and win new business.

Retailer Roam in a game changer for small business retailers looking to innovate how and where they sell products for their business. It places into the palm of retail employees on the shop floor the ability to sell to and serve customers that help ease the counter log-jam, that helps provide assistance and service to customers in the store but away from the counter.

It is fast, flexible and evolving. Retailer Roam today will evolve as more use it and provide feedback to guide further enhancement. This iterative approach to development is loved by small business retailers who like a say in the evolution of the POS software they use in their businesses.

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Helping small business retailers easily add a surcharge of credit card transactions through POS software

September 17, 2019
2 Min read
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With tight margins, tough competition, higher labour costs and higher tenancy costs, it is no wonder more retailers are charging a fee for some, maybe all, card use by customers.

Some cards, the premium cards, are especially expensive for retailers to take. These cards typically offer their customers benefits, which are paid for through higher fees for the participating retailers.

More and more retailers are applying a surcharge automatically to each card paid transaction to help defray the costs of taking the cards.

Retailers using the POS software from  Tower Systems have the tools in their software today to auto charge a surcharge for card use.

Our view as a software company is to serve the needs of our customers. They asked us some time  ago  for the auto surcharge facility and we delivered – giving our customers the flexibility to charge if they wished. There is no pressure from us, no requirement, no mandate. Rather, we have delivered through the software tools that make charging a credit card surcharge through the POS software easy.

We are grateful to our customers for their guidance as the the flexibility needed to serve their credit card surcharge needs, to ensure that the POS software levies the charge how and when they want, in a way that does not disrupt or challenge the sales counter experience.

Setting up any surcharge in the POS software, as opposed too on asn EFTPOS terminal, allows the sale total, including the surcharge, to appear on your Retailer receipts as well as your EFTPOS merchant copies. This is a better outcome for the business as well as for the shoppers.

Tower Systems customers have flexibility and ease of implementation, to enable them to use this in a way that minimises the risk or challenge for any retail business. It offers transparency, tracking and management oversight to enable a business to assess the use of and income from the surcharge and to also determine the positive or negative impact of the credit card surcharge on the broader business.

Credit card surcharges by retailers are common as they look at the costs in their businesses. By charging customers based on a cost of a specific service they can guide customers to make other decisions, which may cost less.

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Free web connected POS software workshops to help small business retailers sell online

September 16, 2019
2 Min read
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A free workshop for small business retailers: How to find new customers by selling online direct from POS software for your specific type of business using Shopify and Magento.

Join us for a free workshop where we will explore Shopify and Magento direct connected POS software for specialty retailers: jewellers, garden centres, produce, toy, firearms, fishing, outdoors, newsagents, pet, gift, book, bike and adult.

At the interactive and engaging workshops we will focus on new online insights for 2020 and beyond that are relevant to indie small business retailers.

  1. Hear from current case studies what other indie retailers are doing.
  2. Find out how to use online to drive in-store shopping.
  3. Learn how click and collect actually works.
  4. Find out about the different buy now pay later options for online sales.
  5. See how stock data including images flow easily from the POS to online.

Each workshop will be live and interactive and relevant to your type of business. It could save you thousands in web developer fees. This will not be a sales pitch. We will share what we know having done this work ourselves for the retail businesses we own in the homewares, pop culture, collectible, plush, gift and games segments of retail.

We live everyday the challenges of pricing, marketing, shipping and more and we will share out learnings.

We will cover hot topics including: SEO, shipping options, free shipping, the role of social in online sales, returns, bundles, branding and a plan b for your web strategy.

Click on your preferred city below to book. Each workshop (except for online) will be in an easy to get to capital city location.

  1. Sydney. Sept. 30. 10am.
  2. Adelaide. October 1. 10am.
  3. Perth. October 2. 10:30am.
  4. Hobart. October 3. 11am.
  5. Melbourne. October 4. 10am.
  6. Auckland. October 7. 10am.
  7. Brisbane. October 8. 10am.
  8. Canberra. October 9. 10am.
  9. Online. October 10. 10am. AEST.
  10. Online. October 10. 2pm. AEST.
  11. Wellington. October 14. 10am.
  12. Christchurch. Oct. 15. 10am.

We are local. Tower Systems serves 3,500+ specialty businesses – with POS software and websites. We make what we sell. We use it ourselves too, in our own retail and online businesses.

With these workshops and all we do, goal is to help you enjoy a more successful and valuable business.

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Secret tools help small business retailers cut the cost of employee theft

September 7, 2019
2 Min read
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The cost of employee theft in small business retail is considerable.  It is one of those costs to business that is not known until a business actually looks at the data. Most small business owners, however, do not look at the data until they are forced too. Often, by then, it is too late to recover all of what has been taken from the business.

Retailers can cut the cost of employee theft. Smart POS software makes this easier to achieve.

In the Tower Systems POS software there are secret tools that help small business retailers detect employee theft. detection is the first step to cutting the cost of theft. Knowledge is power as they say. The secret tools cannot be found by any9one unless they know the path and have access to the secret kay.l This information is only provided to business owners – if they want to know, if they want to cut the cost of employee theft.

Using POS software to cut the cost of employee theft in a retail business is, in our view, smart. It saves money, saves time and encourages the business onto a path of greater prosperity.

Tower Systems advises, encourages and guides small business retailers on cutting the cost of theft. We do this using the secret tools embedded deep within our software. We also doo it through our work with the police,  crown prosecutors, private investigators and other who9 are also working to help cut the cost of employee theft in retail businesses, especially in small business retail.

This is critical for businesses for too often we see them come to a realisation abut theft only after the money is long gone.

People can be clever and smart as to how they go abut stealing from a retail business. The secret tools in our POS software help  small business retailers to see the theft early in the cycle, before the damage is too great and in a way that enables the business owner to think about appropriate next steps to get the evidence necessary for police engagement. This is critical.

Small business retailers can cut the cost of employee theft. Tower Systems can help with this. We have people in our company skilled and experienced to help small business retailers achieve this.

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Xero connected POS software for small business retailers saves time, costs costs and helps businesses grow

September 5, 2019
2 Min read
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The Xero connects POS software from Tower Systems is helloing indie and small business retailers ro run more efficient,  enjoyable and successful retail businesses.

Thanks to the seamless integration from the Tower Systems POS software with the Xero cloud based accounting solution, small business retailers have a solution through which they can expect to achieve reduced bookkeeping costs, lower accounting costs, easier access to business performance projections, reduced data entry errors and an overall better outlook for the retail business.

Having partnered with Xero for the POS software integration for years, Tower Systems delivers to small business retailers a proven and valuable solution through which retailers have access to their P&L and balance sheet from data sales, invoice and other data flow from the POS software.

This is smart for the business and financially positive from the outset thanks to the elimination of accounting costs.

Tower Systems is a partner of Xero, listed by the company on its website. We go further, though. We use Xero ourselves, for retail businesses we own and operate, walking daily in the shoes of our customers integration POS software with Xero and overseen by our own in house CPA. This is a unique position for a POS software company – being a retailer too and using our POS software and its Xero integration for valuable advantage.

Our Xero POS software integration is one of many approved integrations provided by the software to serve the needs of retailers. Other integrations include:

  1. Tyro broadband EFTPOS, which is fast, efficient and secure.
  2. Links to all major banks through PC-EFTPOS. This includes, NAB, ANZ and CBA.
  3. Magento e-commerce. Magento is an excellent platform for website sales for small to medium businesses.
  4. Shopify e-commerce. Shopify is an excellent entry-level solution for small to medium businesses.
  5. FlyBys in New Zealand.
  6. Transactor loyalty in New Zealand.
  7. Scale integration for selling by weight.
  8. Touch networks for vending event tickets, phone recharge, fishing licences and more.

These integrations, like the Xero POS software integration, deliver time saving, cost saving and other benefits to the small business retailers with whom we happily partner.

Our goal is to help small business retailers run more successful and enjoyable businesses.

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Free POS software e-commerce workshops for small business retailers

September 3, 2019
2 Min read
F

How to find new customers by selling online direct from POS software for your specific type of business using Shopify and Magento.

Join us for a free workshop where we will explore Shopify and Magento direct connected POS software for specialty retailers: jewellers, garden centres, produce, toy, firearms, fishing, outdoors, newsagents, pet, gift, book, bike and adult. We will focus on new online insights for 2020 and beyond

  1. Hear from current case studies what other indie retailers are doing.
  2. Find out how to use online to drive in-store shopping.
  3. Learn how click and collect actually works.
  4. Find out about the different buy now pay later options for online sales.
  5. See how stock data including images flow easily from the POS to online.

This workshop will be live and interactive and about your type of business. It could save you thousands in web developer fees. This will not be a sales pitch.

We will cover hot topics including: SEO, shipping options, free shipping, the role of social in online sales, returns, bundles, branding and a plan b for your web strategy.

Click on your preferred city below to book. Each workshop (except for online) will be in an easy to get to capital city location.

  1. Sydney. Sept. 30. 10am.
  2. Adelaide. October 1. 10am.
  3. Perth. October 2. 10:30am.
  4. Hobart. October 3. 11am.
  5. Melbourne. October 4. 10am.
  6. Auckland. October 7. 10am.
  7. Brisbane. October 8. 10am.
  8. Canberra. October 9. 10am.
  9. Online. October 10. 10am. AEST.
  10. Online. October 10. 2pm. AEST.
  11. Wellington. October 14. 10am.
  12. Christchurch. Oct. 15. 10am.

We are local. Tower Systems serves 3,500+ specialty businesses – with POS software and websites. We make what we sell. We use it ourselves too, in our own retail and online businesses. If you think we could help you, please call 1300 662 957 or email sales@towersystems.com.au.

Our goal is to help you enjoy a more successful and valuable business.

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How workshop management software helps jewellers manage workshop jobs

September 3, 2019
2 Min read
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Jewellers offering workshop facilities often think of software for their business in the context of Point of Sale facilities, how the software can help the business at the front of the store. The Tower Systems jeweller software goes much further – for example, in to the repairs management / workshop management area.

Workshop management software is a specialty need, which is served by the Tower Systems software for jewellers. Using this software, jewellers can manage their workshops, repair jobs and customer contact – providing a more steamlined, efficient and valuable connection with repairs customers.

Good repairs management software helps with customer service, protecting the piece brought in for repair itself and with overall jeweller business management integration.

State of the art repairs facilities cut management time, reduce mistakes and make it easier to bill for each task in a repair job and thereby more completely cover the business costs with appropriate margin.

Here are some of the features that the Tower Systems jeweller management software provides to jewellers through its workshop management / repairs management tools:

  1. Manage customer contact by text or email.
  2. Scan receipts or job card to find a repair in the system. Alternatively, quickly find repairs based on customer details.
  3. Track repairs by customer.
  4. Support multiple repairs per customer at any time.
  5. Accommodate multiple repairers per job.
  6. Easily schedule in-house or outsource repairs.
  7. Store quotes for later reference when it converts to a job.
  8. Manage partial payments of an account.
  9. Track repairs by repairer.
  10. Track repairs by courier.
  11. Automate pricing for popular repair jobs.
  12. Allocate staff and repair instructions.
  13. Allocate existing stock used for a repair job.
  14. Print bar-coded job cards and receipts automatically.

We are grateful to the many specialty repairs services jewellers who have worked with us to craft and refine our repairs management software, to create for a better solution in our software for our jeweller POS software customers.

The sophistication now available in good repairs facilities plays out in other parts of the software. It’s like the NASA mission to the moon – there are many side benefits along the way for all.

Today’s full service retailer needs to manage every part of the business for efficiency, profit and repeat business. This is where repairs management software plays a vital part in the mission of the business.

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Tower Systems helps protect small business retailers with cloud backup service

August 30, 2019
2 Min read
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POS software company Tower Systems provides its small business retailer community with access to a secure cloud backup service.

This service provides on-location and secure off-location backups of data, giving retailers double protection in the event of an attack or major hardware crash that necessitates access to backed up data.

The benefits are clear:

  1. Time saved thanks to no more end of day backup.
  2. Fast restore in the event of a cyber attack or system  crash.
  3. Incremental backups meaning the ability to restore back to prior some event occurred.
  4. Peace of mind.
  5. No need to remember to backup.
  6. Double backups = more protection.
  7. Security of off site backups.

The best way to any business, especially any small business, to be prepared for an attack, beyond firewall and other force-field protection is to have easy and fast access to up to date backup data, of whole of systems backup data.

The Tower Systems cloud backup service is safe, secure, offsite and on site and updated regularly as each day transacts.

Our cloud backup service for small business retailers has professional redundancy built in. We will not provide details here as to do so could compromise the security.

There have been instances recently where after a crypto lock attack on a client we have had them up and running, fully restored, within the hour.

This is what professional backup looks like. It is insurance for getting over the attack quickly and professionally. Without a hefty price tag.

We monitor the backups. for no additional cost to customers This is bonus coverage beyond the notifications on your local computer about backup status.

The peace of mind is valuable and appreciated by small business retailers and people who work in small business retail and have been responsible for undertaking the daily backups. It frees them to focus on other requirements, other parts of their business.

Cloud back is, in our view, the only safe backup for small business retailers. It is what we recommend. It is what we use ourselves in our own retail businesses.

Tower Systems is proud to offer this service to its small business retailer POS software community.

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ATO warns small businesses on sales suppression software

August 29, 2019
2 Min read
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The ABC has reported the ATO is clamping down on small businesses using sales suppression software to minimise tax.

Ms Jenkins said the ATO was also cracking down on the use of sales suppression software that disguised the transactions within a company’s records.

“There is some really sophisticated software out there that is helping people avoid paying the right amount of tax.

“But whether it is cashless payments or whether it is the use of platforms or apps, it means there is really a trace of your transactions.

“We use merchant data and other sources of information to identify where things just don’t look right. Then we go and have a chat to them and say, ‘Hey, can you explain?’

In the mid 1990s there was sales suppression scam operating in the newsagency channel. I became aware of it because my newsagency software company lost businesses because we refused to offer such a facility.

There was a software program into which the retailer could enter a code and then an amount of cash they wanted to take out of the business unreported. A second set of records was maintained for the ATO and another records for the business owner.

I know because the software was demonstrated to me several times, by someone who had worked for the software company that created the software. They had approached me. I did some more checking with newsagents and discovered the facility in the software was being used.

The matter was reported to the ATO. At their then Box Hill office in Victoria they assembled a task force including representatives from the ATO, Federal Police, Federal Attorney General office. Victorian State Revenue and Victorian Attorney General office. Several of us with knowledge were brought in for a demonstration of the software. There were several follow up meetings with the ATO in Sydney.

Eventually, my software company stopped losing sales due to us not having the tax avoidance facility in our software.

Any retailer deliberately and systematically underreporting their income to avoid tax deserves what they get from the ATO and from any suppliers they impact through their actions.

  1. We refuse to help any retailer avoid tax.
  2. We will not code for tax avoidance in o0ur software.
  3. We will report it if we see it.
  4. Retailers and taxpayers need to be able to trust POS software.
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Valuable benefits from Tower Systems Jeweller POS software

August 26, 2019
2 Min read
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The jeweller POS software from Tower Systems delivers an array of bankable benefits for the hundreds of jewellers using the software. Many of the benefits are unique in the jeweller software, developed by the Tower team working closely with jewellers in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji

Here are some of the benefits in the software:

  1. Sell accurately by weight or measure – by whole numbers or
  2. Leverage you. If your knowledge is a differentiator, offer it through structured opportunities in the software.
  3. Sell easily from the shop floor, away from the counter.
  4. Easier record keeping with serial number tracking of items sold.
  5. Help customers love you for your own product care information on receipts.
  6. Help customers shop with reminders and offers for birthdays & anniversaries.
  7. Save time with automated workshop job sms & email notifications.
  8. Benefit from advanced stock performance metrics and tagging.
  9. Reduce the headache of lay-bys with several buy now pay later options.
  10. Perform effortless stocktakes, orders and sales on your phone or tablet.
  11. Save money on bookkeeping by integrating with accounting software.
  12. Offer an online catalogue easily (Shopify, Magento & WooCommerce).
  13. Business differentiating loyalty. Stand out from the crowd. Have customers coming back to youfor this.
  14. Maximise the basket with easy to use one-time shopper loyalty tools. These help you benefit from tourists and others passing through town.
  15. Easily load electronic invoices from suppliers.
  16. Easily handle special customer orders. Bring product in for a specific customer and have them notified automatically by email or text when the goods are in and ready.
  17. Group and club pricing profiles. Set pricing rules based on customer type. Leverage local community relationships.
  18. Pre-orders – Easily pre-sell a delivery so that when the stock arrives you can manage distribution and billing efficiently.
  19. Track who sold what.
  20. Sell more with a direct connect to buy now pay later services.
  21. Cut mistakes with integrated EFTPOS.

Tower Systems makes what it sells. It provides personal support 24/7 for jewellers, helloing them get the most from the software, ti use it to the fully, to unlock the benefits pitched buy the company.

The best news eve4r is that the benefits continue to evolve thanks to regular software updates by the company made available to jeweller customers.

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