Spiderman is a superhero loved by generations. He is more popular today than decades ago thanks to a reinvigorating of the franchise by Marvel.
Retailers using our POS software can track the success of superheroes in their retail businesses. They can do this through a range of views, providing insights beyond what is common in POS software.
The insights can help retailers undertake more finely tuned marketing.
Spiderman, for example, can appeal to a young kid discovering their first superhero as much as he can appeal to a baby-boomer reliving memories of their first Spiderman comic back in the day.
These different customers engage with their fan driven interests in different ways. Thanks to a clever approach to viewing data, retailers are able to treat both interests differently and the same as may be needed from time to time.
This is another smart approach to inventory management from the smart software development team at Tower Systems.
Tower Systems has kicked off the New Financial Year with the launch of fresh POS software user training opportunities for retailers who partner with us.
The free online new training is genuinely new: fresh, new topics … designed to help retailers get more from their Tower Systems relationship.
Our customers can book in for the free training now from our website. We send an email with instructions on how to get online.
Tower Systems has invited its newsagency software customers to provide sales data for the June quarter to participate in a comprehensive sales benchmark study on behalf of the entire newsagency channel.
This is another small business service from the company – helping newsagents navigate and enjoy change.
Tower Systems has been helping newsagents using its newsagency software deal with the new bundled over the counter offers from News Corp.
Our support has included an email to all customers, comprehensive freely available advice on our Knowledge Base, one on one phone calls and individual business email engagement.
Thanks to early warning ages ago from News Corp. about the promotion we were able to fully prepare ourselves and our customer base of close to 2,000 newsagents.
This advice is about the best business approach to undertaking a stocktake. Please refer to other Knowledge base articles on how to actually use the software. All retailers using our POS software have access to our knowledge base.
Please ensure you have the latest version of the Tower Systems Retailer POS software installed prior to undertaking a stocktake.
For the process to be as easy as possible you will need a wireless network – vital for OH&S reasons.
The best way to do a stocktake in your business is by using a laptop (or laptops) or tablet computer with a scanner attached. This enables you to do the stocktake live with no impact on sales and absolute integrity of your stock on hand data.
While using a laptop (or laptops) or tablet computer may seem cumbersome, it is our best practice advice for speed, data integrity and the ability to address data issues you may encounter on the shop floor. It enables you to do management work to ensure completely accurate data.
The alternative is to use a PDE. The challenges with this are the many different PDEs and it is challenging to be expert in all plus the PDE counts at that time and you load the data at a later time – meaning a gap in time in which sales could have been done. While PDE software is available for live to data updates, we have seen this be problematic and so we do not use it.
Given the advances in technology, our best practice recommendation is either a laptop of tablet computer as either offers a better solution than a PDE.
We suggest you setup a Laptop or tablet and use Team Viewer or the like to connect in and count this way. This approach means you do not need to purchase an additional software licence for the laptop. Team Viewer is easy to setup.
For the physical stocktake, we suggest you approach the business aisle by aisle, counting and rearranging stock as you go.
Once you have completed your first full stocktake, our advice is you engage in a rolling stocktake, doing parts of the business, through the year. The Tax Office does not require businesses with full sock control implemented to do a stocktake at the end of the financial year. They will accept data from your system if you manage stock through the year.
The latest Tower Systems Newsagency Software is on show today at the Lottery Agents Association of Victoria conference in Melbourne. We appreciate the opportunity to be here.
We are thrilled to not only pitch terrific industry-standard software used by three times more newsagents than any other, we are proud to show off a strong and consistent corporate image.
Image is important to lottery agents and to their suppliers. Our software supports the corporate image pitch through a range of customer touch points.
The cloud backup service launched last year by Tower Systems is popular with retailers using our POS software. Backups are seamless, not taking any noticeable time thanks to the smart technology. The result is welcome double protection.
While Tower Systems has supported external and automated backup services for years, this new cloud-based service that offers excellent protection to users of our POS software.
Run on a subscription basis and backing up to the cloud real-time through the day, this is a comprehensive replacement of the old end of shift backup approach for small and independent retailers.
Cloud accounting software company Xero features Tower Systems and its retail management software on the Xero website. This privilege is for software companies which have met compliance requirements set by Xero. Tower Systems achieved this status last year. Since then, we have worked with Xero on communication with small business retailers about the benefits of our Xero integrated POS software solution.
We have plenty of retailers using our software and our automated link to Xero … saving them time and money in the management of their financial records.
We use the Xero live and automated link for our own retail businesses and can speak to the benefits ourselves.
Thank you for helping us switch to your software. I had no idea we could do what we are already doing with your software. For years I thought I had a good software program. The time saving alone pays for itself. Thank you.
We love feedback from retailers who switch to us as it encourages us to work even harder at leveraging our point of difference. This latest retailer to switch provided us with comprehensive insights into the weaknesses of the software they have switched from, insights we can leverage in our communication with other retailers in the channel.
Making good POS software is one thing. Guiding retailers to get the maximum commercial value from the software is something else. This is where Tower Systems excels.
And how can I use that information in the business?
This is a question that can stump someone working on the help desk as a POS software company as it goes beyond the what andhow and delves into the why. The answer to this question is a chink of gold that can be mined using smart POS software.
This is a questions the Tower Systems help desk team members can answer because the understand the why: why the software matters, why the data harvested is valuable, why a business owner wanting to grow the business will want to use the data.
This information is vital in small business as it is information that unlocks the real value of POS software for these small independent business users.
We can help small business owners understand data on reports as they relate to their specific businesses. Context is everything as they say and we know POS software cannot be one size fits all. A datapoint could be used by three different businesses in different ways depending on other metrics and KPIs. This is where our help desk team is smart and engaged.
Beyond the shat and how, our POS software help desk team loves to delve into the why.
Here is another fresh and free training video for employees of retail businesses using our POS software. This video explains how to se.. We have plenty more on this topic at our website including videos, advice sheets and more.
Small business retailers could have thousands of dollars of stock sitting on their shelves taking up space. If stock is not selling, it’s costing you. Once you have identified stock that is not selling you can begin to quit this stock, by putting the stock on clearance and continually reducing pricing until it’s sold out. Even if this means selling it below cost, it will save you money in the long run.
Tip: You can work out how much your shop space is worth by dividing the rent by how many square meters of space you have.
If a product hasn’t sold for six months then it’s costing you money to warehouse it. Quitting the stock will stop the cost from building up further and allow you to replace it with stock that will sell. Here is advice on quitting dead stock using our smart POS software.
NOTE: To effectively use this advice you need accurate stock on hand levels. Poor stock management will mean the results here can’t be used. You need to be able to trust your QOH figure is correct for this advice to be useful.
Finding The Stock
Use the ranked sales report with the following settings to work out what isn’t selling and put that stock on clearance.
Go to Reports > Sales Reports > Ranked Sales Report.
Set your Start date back six months from today and the end date to today’s date. Set the rest of the report settings as below.
When the report runs you will see the following:
Here you can see when the last time an item was sold (if at all) and the last time it was arrived.
Note: Items can show up that have only recently been arrived.
Ignore these items unless they haven’t sold in 4 to 5 months, then you may want to look into them.
The bottom of the report will give you a total cost of stock Inc and Ex GST. Consider this figure the value of dead stock in your store. You need to reduce this as much as possible.
Once you have the report print it out and start working through the list.
Set up a clearance table or bin somewhere in store and put product there with a clearance price. Simply advertise the area as Clearance Stock, Prices as Marked.
Keep discounting the product until it sells. Set a goal to get rid of the stock within say two weeks, if stock is still there after one week, discount further.
Now you can start filling that empty space with stock that is selling well. Use the Ranked Sales Report to show you top selling items and begin to build up those lines.
Disaster planning is vital for any retail business. Too often, the need for good disaster planning is realised after a disaster has hit the business. This advice from our POS software company offers business and computer related advice which is designed to mitigate the impact of a disaster on your business.
Insurance Protection
Insurance coverage is vital to helping a retail business overcome any type of disaster. In addition to ensuring that your insurance policy covers all disaster situations of concern to you, including flood, theft, water inundation, fire, earthquake, riot—be sure to carefully read the policy, ensure that your insurance policy / policies cover payouts for the following:
Business interruption. The amount should equal your anticipated gross profit for whatever period you choose to be covered.
Data recovery. Including the hiring of experts to recover data from backup sources or the manual entry of data which cannot be automatically recovered. It needs to ensure that you are covered to the point of recovered data being useable in transacting business.
Lost stock. This is stock stolen, lost from the business.
Damaged and unsaleable stock. This is stock which is water damaged, scuffed or dented and which will not attract full price.
Dated stock. This is stock which you cannot sell by the due date.
Glass. Many policies require explicit statement of glass coverage.
Temporary trading premises. Business interruption may cover this. Ensure that it is explicitly stated.
Key person injury and/or death. This will usually be a separate policy. Depending on the disaster, coverage may also be available through the overall business policy.
Ensure that the value of stock, fixtures and fittings covered by your policy is an accurate reflection of the real value of these items. Talk with your insurance company about the best approach to track this on an ongoing basis.
Insurance brokers can provide access to assessors who can advise on the appropriate level of insurance for your situation.
Use your Point of Sale system to track all stock movements in and out. The stock on hand in your software should be your coverage.
Ensure that your insurance policy protects for the seasonal nature of your business
Data Protection
Business data is one of the most valuable assets of the business. Like insurance, the value is often not understood until you need what you do not have. Retailers who are serious about protecting their business data in the event of any disaster follow these steps:
Backup your business data every day, at the end of the day, without fail. Our cloud based backup service is ideal.
Maintain a separate backup for each day of the week. Consider a separate backup for the last day of each month.
Remove the backup medium, usually a USB stick, from the business premises each day.
Store the backup in a safe, dry place.
Check the usefulness of the backup by restoring and checking the data.
Store original business software in a safe off-site location
Disaster Planning
Here are some general suggestions on planning for a disaster.
Keep off site copies of: Business contracts and agreements; employee contact details, business account and other passwords, insurance details, recent photographs of fixtures, fittings and stock.
Maintain a register of all employees in the business at any time.
Prepare and place in a prominent place an evacuation plan.
Maintain a professional grade OH&S compliant first aid kit.
Regularly maintain all fire extinguishers.
Ensure that the business premises is safe and maintained to the local building codes and OH&S regulations.
Each of our customers has common challenges: BIG business and online business.
We can help you compete with BIG business and online businesses.
Our POS software offers four approaches to loyalty. One, the NEW loyalty, is fresh, unique and loved by shoppers.
We are seeing small and independent retail businesses enjoy double digit growth on the back on our approach.
We back our terrific Aussie software with practical training. We even help you train your employees. Click here to see one two minute video we produced for our customers to share with their employees on our unique Discount Voucher facility (the NEW loyalty). We explain how your employees make make this work for you.
We are not your average software company. We care about independent small businesses. Our software is tailored to the needs of specialist retail channels.
Retailers are embracing the FREE POS software training from Tower Systems in End of Financial Year processes. Developed specifically to serve retailers this year in the run up to June 30, this session is an all you need to know approach to stock, business data and other factors that are vital to being prepared for EOFY.
This training is a continuation of the weekly POS software training tower Systems launched years ago, training the company happily and willingly offers to provide our customers with more free learning opportunities through which to love our software and love our company.
When we say this training is free, there is truly no cost. we even pay for the phone call to provide audio access – anywhere in the world. This is another Tower AdvantageTM .
Tower Systems CEO Mark Fletcher supports small business newsagents for equitable magazine supply. In this latest video he explains the comprehensive data available through the Tower software, data magazine distributors ignore.
A loyalty program is only as good as the over the counter pitch through which you seek to engage shoppers. Check out this brief video we created to train retail employees on what has to be the easiest to use over the counter shopper loyalty offer.
Tower Systems leads with professional employee training videos which help retail employees leverage more value for the business from our software.
Last week, Tower Systems facilitated a second comprehensive submission to the ACCC as it contemplates a request for a Pilot study into changes of the rules around magazine distribution to small business newsagents.
This latest submission is detailed in its approach, building of the considerable detail in the first submission.
Newsagents have expressed appreciation to us for our support of the channel through this process.
Policing of age-restricted products has increased this year with considerable undercover detection action in several states.
Retailers using our smart POS software benefit from being able to tag products as having an age restriction. This results in a pop-up requiring an age check prior to proceeding to process the sale.
Our age-check is a procedural intervention on which retailers can rely to reduce under-age selling mistakes by employees. It is also evidence they can provide to authorities to indicate that the business has processes to stop under-age selling.
Easily setup, the age-check facility in our software is another way business owners can establish processes and facilities through which their business can be professionally managed in their absence.
Retailers using the Tower Systems POS software have access to a training library of more than 130 training videos. These videos are professional in production and valuable in the content offered.
The videos can be accessed from any computer, anywhere and at any time.
The video training resources are comprehensive. They are also loved by our customers.
Regularly enhanced, the Tower Systems POS software video training library is a real asset to our business – allowing us to show a point of difference which wins us business.
In addition to POS software training, our library also includes training on business use of the software – covering how to engage on the shop floor. This is an area many POS software companies neglect in their training.
POS software can do more for small business retailers than they may think. Good POS software, like that from Tower Systems, goes deep into the business, away from the sales counter, helping in many ways.
Help with leveraging shopper loyalty.
Reward to drive deeper shopper engagement.
Track your loyalty liabilities to understand risk.
Track shopper engagement through comprehensive date, time and person engagement to understand the loyalty buttons to push.
Choose the loyalty offer right for you – good POS software will offer multiple loyalty offers for you.
Be consistent in your loyalty offer such that every shopper is offered a consistent pitch.
Un a loyalty program that is different to those around you. For example, if others nearby offer a points based program, go with something different.
Tower Systems has begun an education campaign for small business retailers in Australia in selected specialist retail channels outlining how they can benefit from the immediate asset write-off opportunity announced in the federal budget last night.
Retail businesses turning over $2 million a year or less can immediately write off the purchase of our Point of Sale solution.
Our software delivers the productivity benefits the federal government is keen to see small businesses access.
POS software can do more for small business retailers than they may think. Good POS software, like that from Tower Systems, goes deep into the business, away from the sales counter, helping in many ways.
Help with managing employees.
Easily create rosters and share these with employees how and where they want.
Track sales by employees.
Track sales by time – allowing shift comparisons.
How employees understand performance in the context of what they can do to help the business and themselves.
Cut time taken on everyday tasks such as end of shift.
Eliminate often frustrating tasks such as the daily backup.
Give employees information that helps them more effectively serve the business.
Bring certainty to the counter and help employees be more consistent.
Provide employees with vital information about products so they can be consistently knowledgeable.
Sometimes, POS software help desk advice is not right. It could be they did not understand the question, that you did not completely explain the question or that they got it plain wrong.
A good POS software help desk will offer a structured escalation process where you can take any concern and have it considered away from the help desk. Such an escalation process will involve senior management and have at its heart good communication.
Tower Systems has a structured escalation process with three points of escalation outside of the help desk function. Customers can use this or they can bypass a step as all contact points in the escalation process are published regularly.
Tower customers can speak directly with the owner of the business, Mark Fletcher, on 0418 321 338.
We encourage customers to challenge help desk advice to ensure that the advice is right for the actual question or problem. This can be done in a respectful way with the outcome always on ensuring the best possible customer service experience.
Retailers who actively engage with the POS software help desk process usually achieve a more meaningful and valuable outcome for themselves and their business.
Tower Systems CEO (and newsagent) Mark Fletcher speaks about the magazine supply rule changes small business newsagents are facing. This video speaks to a passion and support not only for newsagents but all small business retailers:
Spiderman is a superhero loved by generations. He is more popular today than decades ago thanks to a reinvigorating of the franchise by Marvel.
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