The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

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

Categorynewsagent software

TOWER SYSTEMS LAUNCHES NEW MAGENTO POS SOFTWARE LINK

March 4, 2016
3 Min read
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Several weeks ago Tower Systems launched a direct Magento e-commerce platform link, in addition to the excellent web-store link in our smart POS software.

The Retailer to Magento Link uses the Tower Advantage Link platform to allow Retailer to connect directly to Magento. The Tower Advantage Link platform is a subscription-based service that acts as an intermediary between Retailer and the Magento API.

What is Magento?
Magento is one of the world’s most popular e-commerce or webstore platforms. Being built on open source technology provides a flexible shopping cart system, giving you control over the look, feel, content and functionality of your online store. Magento offers powerful marketing, search engine optimization, and catalog-management tools. Find out about Magento at www.magento.com

How does the link work?
The link works by using the Magento API allowing the TALink platform to connect to Magento and synchronising on a periodic interval or request basis.

Stock
Retailer becomes your master stock database. You flag what stock items you want to appear on your web store. Descriptions and extended descriptions are added as your product names and descriptions in Magento.

Department and Categories
Your Retailer Departments and Categories become Categories and Sub-Categories in Magento. If you choose to link these, your existing structure will be mirrored and managed in Magento automatically. If, however, you decide not link your Department and Categories in Magento, you can allocate Categories manually to products once they are added.

Classifications
Retailers Classifications are treated as Attributes in Magento. If you choose to link these in Magento your existing Classifications will be mirrored and managed in Magento automatically. If, however, you do not want this to occur you can manually manage your own Magento Attributes.

Prices and Quantity On Hand
You have control over your webstore pricing from within the Retailer Stock Screen. Bulk updates of the webstore price can be performed in Stock Manager. Once new prices are set, your web store is updated automatically.

Quantity of hand is also managed automatically, when your sell or arrive an item into stock these adjustments are sent directly to Magento. If the quantity on hand of an items drops to 0, the item is marked as out of stock in Magento.

Images
The images you set against stock items in Retailer are automatically uploaded to your website. If images change, then old one is removed and the new one is added. You can upload as many images, as you like per stock item.

Customers
Customers that purchase off your webstore are added as customers in your Retailer database, allowing you to track what they buy and market to them if you desire. Existing customers with an email address will also be added to your web store to facilitate easy sales.

Sales
These are downloaded on a periodic basis and imported into Retailer. These are imported into our Customer Invoice Maintenance facility allowing you to place orders and print invoices. Once sales are imported it reduces your quantity on hand so you maintain accurate stock control. Sales can be allocated to a specific location or merged added to you main sales data, giving you excellent control over how you report on your webstore sales.

This is just some of the information we have to share about this exciting and leadership innovation from Tower Systems.

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TOWER SYSTEMS HELPING NEWSAGENTS NAVIGATE SIGNIFICANT CHANGE

February 29, 2016
1 Min read
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Today, Tower Systems is helping newsagents handle changes flowing from the closure of the Network Services magazine distribution business.

All newsagents covered by the Tower AdvantageTM software support service have access to everything necessary for free. Only the newsagents who opted to not be covered by support have a fee to pay. However, that fee is waived if they take up support.

Tower has made the change easy to navigate, saving many hours that might otherwise have been spend getting the necessary data work done.

No software change is necessary. The fee relates to a data conversion utility written o save man-hours.

On the Tower help desk today and all this week we are triaging calls to ensure the additional work for newsagents is not impacting work for all other retailers.

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TOWER SYSTEMS ENHANCES HOW NEWSAGENTS PURCHASE NEWSAGENCY SOFTWARE

February 27, 2016
4 Min read
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Today, we launch a new option[1] acquiring newsagency software, a pay as you go model.

The time is right given changes in the channel with newsagents sourcing new products, pursuing new traffic and leveraging higher GP. Thanks to our work with gift, homewares and other specialty retail channels, Tower Systems can help you transform your business.

$220.00 a month is all it costs to access the Tower newsagency software package. The $220 is paid by credit card. Stop paying if you want to stop using the software.

We make this offer now as we think some software companies are considering quitting the newsagency channel. You can see this through their lack of engagement with newsagency specific development, non-attendance at trade shows like the Sydney and Melbourne Gift Fairs and lack of engagement in the structural changes in the channel.

Developing software and backing it with good support for newsagents is expensive. A software company with less than 500 customers will struggle to keep up.

1,755 newsagents use our software – our closest competitor has 600.

We have experience switching from POS Solutions, Computerlink and AccessPOS to Tower.

Pay as you go customers have access to weekly online training workshops, 130+ professional training videos, software updates, our friendly help desk, our after hours support team, our theft check service and our business performance assessment service … for no extra charge.

If you have current hardware, the only up-front cost is for installation and training. This new pricing option saves capital, it eliminates the need for a lease or bank financing.

You will see from the simple agreement that you can turn it off at any time and not pay a cent more. You are in control.

Talk to one of our experts today: Please call our sales team at 1300 662 957 or email them at sales@towersystems.com.au.

Come and see the software and meet our team at our user meetings – details enclosed.

THE TOWER NEWSAGENCY SOFTWARE

For $220.00 a month you can use our newsagency software covering:

  1. Point of Sale, tailored specifically for newsagency business use.
  2. Magazine Management, scanned returns, early returns prompting.
  3. Stock control including stock take, reordering and supplier links.
  4. Customer accounts including Lay-By, book-up and statements.
  5. Home delivery including run list management, subscriptions and more.
  6. Loyalty including points accrual, discount vouchers and other facilities.
  7. Business performance reporting – printed reports you can rely on.
  8. XchangeIT support: electronic invoices and returns.
  9. Support for supplier EDI files including Sands, Hallmark and more.
  10. Theft mitigation. Tools to help you detect and stop theft.

SUPPORT AND TRAINING.

Included in the low monthly fee is access to the extraordinary Tower AdvantageTM service:

  1. Live, Australian based, help desk support with newsagency experienced help.
  2. After hours support access through an extensive mobile phone network.
  3. Software updates as released.
  4. Access to more than 130 software training videos.
  5. Access to more than 600 Knowledge Base articles with step by step instructions on how to use the software. This is better than a manual.
  6. User meetings around the country with free training and management help.
  7. Weekly online, live, training workshops.
  8. Weekly user support email with tips and advice.

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT HELP.

Tower Systems is there when you need, helping with advice, insights and guidance as much or as little as you want. These services include at no extra cost:

  1. Theft Check. A professional, police investigation quality, check of your business data to uncover potential employee fraud.
  2. Business check. An analysis of business performance as reflected in your business data – looking for growth and other opportunities for the business, helping you see what you may be missing in your business.

The time is right to make this offer as only Tower Systems has the capacity, commitment and vision to help newsagents leverage best-practice technology in a valuable and unifying way. Let us help you.

NOTE: Here is our response to any competitor who comments that this offer sounds desperate: – it would if it was coming from a company with 500 or fewer customers that is not growing. Tower Systems is strong and growing. We serve 1,755 newsagency businesses. We are making the offer because we have the capacity to and because we have a vision for a bright future.

[1] All existing purchase options remain available for newsagents installing our software.

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HELPING NEWSAGENTS WITH THE TRANSITION TO ONE MAGAZINE DISTRIBUTOR

February 26, 2016
1 Min read
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With only a couple of days to go, the Tower Systems team is all hands helping newsagents ensure a smooth transition from to major magazine distributors to one. The data shift is considerable as is the reconfiguring of back end processes. Tower Systems has made this easy for customers, to provide small business newsagents with certainty.

Our communication has been consistent in the lead up to the change and the next couple of days it comes to a head. We are excited for the results.

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FOR SMALL BUSINESS WHO FIND RETAIL IS TOUGH

February 25, 2016
3 Min read
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Yes, retail can be tough.

What are you doing about it?

Here is a letter we sent to retailers recently who have said it is tough. It is part of a confronting education campaign based on a truth that even in the toughest of circumstances, retailers can grow their businesses – yes, even small business retailers who are facing tough competition from big businesses.

We have used this letter to try and jog people to see their businesses differently…

I’d love a dollar for every retailer who has told me how tough it is in the last few years. Heck I’d retire with the money I’d have.

The thing is, retail is tough, especially small business retail like a gift shop. It’s always been tough for the little guy. I know because I own a small retail business myself.

We really do think we need to stop saying retail is tough and start challenging ourselves. Hence the question: What are you doing about it? Put another way…

  1. What are you doing to attract new shoppers?
  2. What are you doing to get your existing shoppers to spend more?
  3. What are you doing to drive down your costs?
  4. What are you doing to improve margin?

These are the four most important things for a retailer to act on. They sit at the core of every retail business failure and success.

Taking small steps in each of these areas can help you weather tough times. These same small steps can help you find success with less effort.

Tower Systems is a software company for small business retailers like you. We’re retailers too. We combine retail experience with tech smarts and a passion for small business to help our colleagues to grow their businesses. We’d like to help you.

Using our Point of Sale software for gift shops like yours we can help you

  1. Attract new shoppers.
  2. Get your existing shoppers to spend more.
  3. Drive down your costs.
  4. Improve margin.

Big claims yes … we have existing customers who will tell you that we do this.

Our system can cost as little as $7 day. Besides great software, hardware you can trust, friendly training and software support, you have access to our business skills, acumen and passion. We have your back, helping where we can with advice and ideas to help you grow your retail business.

We’re not your average software company. Tower Systems is a full-service passionate and engaged software company that wants you to succeed. We firmly believe…

In business, through our own actions we make our own success.

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GIFT SHOP SOFTWARE A HIT AT REED SYDNEY GIFT FAIR

February 23, 2016
1 Min read
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Being the only software company exhibiting at the Sydney Gift Fair has been terrific for tower Systems and we have two days to go. Already the company many new prospective customers looking at the software and even better connections with many existing customers.

The experience over the first three days is a reminder of the value of being at trade shows such as this to help small business retailers learn more abut the software and improve the returns they achieve from their IT investment.

While we are happy to have the show to ourselves, any POS software company serious about newsagents, gift shops, garden centres, pet shops or jewellers ought to be at this show given the mix of retailers we have already seen. It is good customer service to do so.

IMG_6884 (1)

 

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TOWER SYSTEMS LAUNCHES NEW SMALL BUSINESS INSIGHTS SOFTWARE

February 22, 2016
2 Min read
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IMG_6811POS software company Tower Systems is proud to announce the release last week of a new software platform for small business retailers.

This new platform is a completely new product from the Tower development team. It leveraged data cultivated by the Tower Point of Sale software and makes it available anywhere, in a stimulating visual form and in a way than encourages the discovery of business performance insights.

Introducing The Visual Deck.

Retail business performance, seen differently.

The Visual Deck is a platform through which you can see the performance of your business, visually. Graphs replace reports, making trends obvious and a path ahead clearer to follow. Graphs that change with time and through which you can dive deeper into what is happening in your business.

Why did we call it the Visual deck? It is visual because, well, your business data is presented in a visual way. It is a deck because it is a platform off of which you can see far and wide. It is a perfect place to see what you cannot see when you are on the ground.

Retailers can access the Visual deck from anywhere, anytime, and through this access their business data in a way not previously accessible ninth small business retail world. You can compare periods, graph using a broad selection of formats, dive deep into the data as well as focus on data points that matter including transactions, revenue, grow profit and more.

Better still, the visual insights can easily be shared with colleagues.

The Retail Visual Deck is a fresh approach to sharing business intelligence and business performance insights with small business retailers. It is mass retailer computing in a small business retailer’s hands. This is the tool join which you can rely to grow your business.

This is 100% Tower Systems innovation.

Having been tested with data from a range of businesses and trialled for months on many different platforms, the Visual deck is ready for small business retailers to engage, to use it to better manage and grow their businesses.

Footnote: If things go as usual, at least on competitor will claim they had this before us and that we copied them. Such a claim is not true. Prior to our launched last week we checked all our competitors in each specialty marketplace in which we live and not one has a product like this.

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SUNDAY RETAIL MANAGEMENT ADVICE: SIX THINGS EVERY SMALL BUSINESS RETAILER SHOULD DO EVERY WEEK

February 21, 2016
2 Min read
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Beyond ensuring the shop is well stocked, clean and pitching appropriate offers to customers, here are tasks you must act at least weekly on to offer a fresh and relevant pitch to customers:

  1. Change your window displays.
  2. Change the product pitch / display / offer in the first third of the shop.
  3. Reset the counter offers shoppers see.
  4. Host an inclusive and interactive team meeting to seek out ideas for improving the business.
  5. Share at least one story, insight or idea about your business and what it stands for … on social media, in a post aimed to reach beyond those who know about your business. Tell a story that humanises the business beyond overtly pitching product.
  6. Get something done that has been on a long-term list of things you want to get to for your business. No excuses, get it done.

It is important to finish a week more ahead than where you started. This is only achieved if you make it so, if you do it.

Tower Systems helps small business retailers with smart POS software. We back this with friendly live support based on your needs. We are an engaged software company, not working from overseas call centres, not focussed only on winning the next customer. We have customers for the long term, customers who love what we do and the relationships we share. This is what being an engaged POS software company is all about.

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HELPING NEWSAGENTS WITH THE CLOSURE OF NETWORK SERVICES

February 19, 2016
1 Min read
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The newsagents using the Tower Systems newsagency software are receiving best-practice help to navigate the business changes following from the closure of magazine distributor Network Services at the end of this month.

Being briefed last year on the coming changes, the Tower Systems leadership team has been able to guide decisions made by Network and others involved in these significant and structural changes.

Confidentiality was maintained until the public announcement some weeks ago. The early heads-up helped Tower Systems make full and proper preparations to help all of its newsagency customers and to do so in a structured and fully tested way.

The company has been advising newsagents on appropriate steps to undertake so they actual move at the end of the month is stress free.

This is another way Tower Systems helps small business newsagents to confidently navigate structural change.

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XERO GROWING MARKET SHARE WITH SMALL BUSINESS RETAILERS IN AUSTRALIA

January 23, 2016
1 Min read
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IMG_3466We are thrilled to be a long term development partner with the Xero cloud based accounting software and listed as this on their website.

The Australian Financial Review recently published a terrific article about Xero, reporting how the company is primed for growth in Australia. We have seen this for some time through our work with Xero and retailers using Xero and their accountants. It is excellent accounting software.

Our experience is Xero is on the move. We are grateful to be part a small of the Xero story.

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Tower Systems helps newsagents manage magazine distribution changes

January 13, 2016
1 Min read
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The leadership team of Tower Systems has been working behind the scenes since late 2015 on changes made public today to newsagents about the imminent closure of a major magazine distributor. Our work and consultation with supplier stakeholders has been around processes to facilitate a smooth transition so that newsagents are not negatively impacted.

We are grateful to the trust shown us by the suppliers to include us in the confidential discussions.

Newsagents using the Tower Systems software can rest assured in the knowledge that we are well briefed, prepared and engaged.

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Sunday retail management advice: train new employees

January 10, 2016
1 Min read
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One of the benefits of using the Tower Systems POS software in your retail business is the professional training curriculum available through the company’s website.

New retail employees can undertake training specific to their role and the owner can track their progress through the training. The training is in a multi media form including text, images and video. The quality is exceptional.

This professional approach to employee training by Tower Systems helps retailers pursue consistency in their business by ensuring all employees have undertaken the same training.

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POS software customer love helping us sell POS software

January 9, 2016
1 Min read
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We invited several customers last year to have their photo taken in-store as part of a promotional series showing happy small business customers in their shops where they use our smart POS software. We were thrilled every customer we approached agreed.

Here is one photo from the wonderful LollyBomb business in Adelaide. Some of the specialist facilities in our software help this business in smart and engaging ways.

We are grateful for their help in promoting our software.

LollyBomb_Page_1

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Newsagency sales benchmark study launched

January 1, 2016
1 Min read
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Earlier this morning we launched our next newsagency sales benchmark study. This latest study will assess the October through December quarter for 2015 against data for 2014. This same store performance comparison is key to understanding trends and uncovering opportunities.

Tower Systems has been providing these benchmark results to newsagents and their suppliers for more than ten years. This is another way we help beyond our software.

Newsagents using our newsagency software can easily participate.

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Helping retailers save time with integrated eftpos

December 30, 2015
1 Min read
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Tower Systems is using the rush of trade for small business retailers at Christmas to reinforce the commercial value of the Tyro integrated eftpos solution we offer. With 1,000 retailers connected through Tyro we have excellent data reflecting time saving, mistake reducing and other benefits for retailers that help at the sales counter as well as in the back office management of the business.

In the middle of the busy trading of Christmas, the benefits of the Tower Systems Tyro broadband eftpos integration are clear and felt on small business retail shops across a range of marketplaces:

  • Fast eftpos processing.
  • Accurate eftpos processing.
  • Reduced keystrokes at the counter.
  • No clogging of the phone line.
  • Streamlined counter management.
  • Happier customer engagement.
  • Better control over possible points of fraud in the business.
  • Reduced cash handling costs.
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Christmas hours for Tower Systems POS software help desk

December 21, 2015
1 Min read
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We have been advising our small business retail, customers our planned Christmas hours for several weeks:

CHRISTMAS HOURS.
We will close at 12 noon Christmas Eve and reopen 7am December 29. On December 31 we will close at 4pm. we reopoen January 4 at 7am. Our after hours numbers will be available for urgent system down queries.

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The most useful small business POS software knowledge base

December 17, 2015
1 Min read
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I am still amazed at what I can learn about your software and I’ve been using it for years already.

This is a customer comment to us from last week on discovering new training resources in our online knowledge base.

Our investment in regular enhancing of knowledge base content pays off this this type of customer love. It encourages us to do more.

New articles, new business advice and other new content each week make our small business POS software knowledge base a wonderful resource for our small business retailer community.

We especially love suggestions from customers on new content we can publish.

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Xero, the accounting our POS software links directly to lauded

December 15, 2015
1 Min read
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We love Xero. While we link to multiple small business accounting solutions, Xero is the one receiving most praise by experts and good press on a number of fronts at the moment.

Tower Systems is proud to be an approved authorised Xero POS software partner, listed on their website.

We are not surprised to see a POS software competition ignoring Xero when rating accounting software. Their ignorance is not unexpected.

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Great gift cards for small business retailers through POS software from Tower Systems

December 14, 2015
1 Min read
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GardenGiftCardsTSThe Tower Systems designed and manufactured gift cards are growing in popularity across a range of retail channels. We are thrilled to be of service to retailers keen to offer professional gift cards backed by professional gift card management software as they have access to through their smart and engaged Tower Systems POS software.

The latest design customer gift cards are being shipped right now – pitching fresh designs to retail partners in time for Christmas trade.

The image loaded with this post shows some of the cards we have designed for our garden centre customers.

We are grateful to have in-house graphic design capabilities through which we can promote deeper engagement with our software.

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Sunday retail management advice: basket analysis helps you sell more

December 13, 2015
2 Min read
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Basket analysis is the analysis of products purchased by transaction – shopping basket. Such analysis typically compares two trading periods overall and by day of week. It also includes this analysis by supplier comparing trading periods and day of week.

Basket analysis shows you the efficiency of product categories (departments). For example, see how many baskets include one category of item and nothing else. You can also see the numbers of times sales are single item sales.

Basket analysis underscores the value to the business of newer categories such as gifts and toys.

Basket analysis at a supplier level is equally insightful, allowing you to compare the basket efficiency and value of suppliers between two tradition periods as well as across each day of the week between two trading periods.

It is at the basket analysis level that you can determine product efficiency. A product is more efficient for you if it is purchased with other items in our view. You can drive this by careful placement on the shop floor, promotion at the sales counter and working with customers on the shop floor to guide their purchases.

It’s an example of how you can use comprehensive business data to drive your in-store actions. For example, knowing what we know about pop vinyls, Saturday is the day we really focus on them with secondary locations to do even better from the Saturday opportunity.

Basket analysis can also help you with rostering. With some category sales requiring more staff time that others, you can consider the product mix sold by day and adjust your roster accordingly. Trimming wages is an important cost saving focus in business.

The goal has to be deeper baskets (more items per transaction) and a greater spread across product categories – but with a focus on higher margin items so that also lift the overall GP performance of the business.

In the Tower Systems software the report to use for this analysis is the Basket Analysis Report. It provides an extraordinary insight into baskets.

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Smart newsagency software helps newsagents cut returns processing time

December 8, 2015
1 Min read
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Tower Systems helped another newsagent switch to our newsagency software last week by showing how to process magazine returns compared to the software the newsagent had been using.

Comparing the process step by step between our software and the other company software they were using, the newsagent soon saw the time they would save and the mistakes they would eliminate with our more professional software. This newsagent will cut paid hours by between eight and ten man-hours a month. That is a saving of close to $300.00 a month.

There is no doubt that owning a newsagency makes it easier for us to ensure our software is best-practice, that it is a solution for newsagents rather than a solution for computer programmers.

Now more than ever the difference between newsagency software packages is extraordinary. We appreciate opportunities to show off what we do and how we supplier newsagents through our software and through our support

This is another POS software Tower AdvantageTM.

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