We won more new retail customers this week for our POS software because of our beautiful and trustworthy Shopify link.
Our software packages for jewellers, garden centres, bike shops, gift shops, sewing shops, toy shops, pet stores, firearms dealers, newsagents, produce and farm supply businesses, knitting shops, game shops, vape shops, adult shops, music shops, antique shops and charity / op. shops like to Shopify through a direst Shopify link.
It’s a two-way link.
We are a proud Shopify partner.
Our Tower Systems POS software manages the inventory, the text, the images, the videos. Plus, in-store, it transacts the sales. Shopify manages the sales online. And, Shopify and our tower Systems POS software sync – so you always have accurate stock on hand data.
Our Shopify connected POS software is helping many local retailers safely, efficiently and accurately sell online.
We won the business this week from the new clients once they compared the operation of ur link live to what they had using other POS software. This direct comparison resulted in quick decisions given the importance of online sales for their businesses.
I can’t believe how much better this is. You are going to remove a massive pain point for us. The time it’s going to save!
We were thrilled to hear this.
Okay, we know our POS software Shopify integration is good because we use it ourself in a couple of gift / homewares related retail businesses we also own. But it is wonderfully validating when someone using other POS software, well known POS software, shows us where we shine.
We felt pretty good.
But we’re not resting on this. We continue o tune there Shopify integration, just as Shopify themselves tune their own platform. This is what good software companies do. Change is daily, and important.
If you run a physical store and you sell online, the Tower Systems POS software and Shopify integration marriage could be the productivity and performance move you have been looking. We;’d be happy to show it to you free, without obligation. You can make up your own mind.
We are a no-pressure POS software company. Ask for a demo and we’ll give it to you. We won’t call or chase you. We trust local small business retailers to make business decisions in their own time. The last thing they need or want is sales people chasing them.
Now, if you have 50 minutes or so, you could watch this video from one of our Tower Systems POS software experts and one of our own Shopify experts. It’s packed with free advice you could find useful:
It’s fascinating what you learn working with specialty retailers. While we like birds, except swooping magpies, we’d never thought much about the Tufted Titmouse. That is, until we saw this adorable ornament in the Hallmark Keepsake range.
It’s a product item in our POS software and being sold online, too, through a website we created.
It caught our attention as our advice on keywords helped it be a Google page 1 find for people looking for the Hallmark Keepsakes as well as bird lovers interested in the Tufted Titmouse.
Bird lovers are especially interested since this is the 18th in the series of birds by Hallmark.
We get pretty involved with our customers – as much as they want, with the usual POS software help and support as well as business advice on how to leverage the software at attract new shoppers and encourage existing shoppers to spend more.
It’s why we love working with local indie small business retailers. It’s personal. #Grateful #ShopLocal #SmallBusiness #Happy #Weekend
These Hallmark Keepsakes are beautiful Christmas ornaments. Crafted with care.
Our roles are to provide the software for the shop and there website for online sales. By providing both and ensuring they are seamlessly integrated we are able to help the retailer to sell in-store and online with surety and certainty. The two-way data flow between the website and Tower Systems POS software save time, improve data accuracy and offer a comfortable shopper experience.
Our POS software manages the images and product information – allowing these to flow to the beautiful Shopify site that we created. It saves so much time for the retailer.
If you go too the My Ornaments website you can see a large range of products – the data for which flow from our POS software. Look at the data that flows across for the Tufted Titmouse product:
Add nature’s splendour to your holiday celebrations with this handsome Tufted Titmouse Christmas tree ornament. Gem details and metallic gold embellishments pair with a dangling holly branch, sure to delight bird enthusiasts.
Key Features: 18th in the Beauty of Birds Keepsake Ornament series.
Additional Details: Artist crafted by Edythe Kegrize and Emma Leturgez-Smith. Plastic Christmas tree ornament.
Includes: One 2022 Keepsake Ornament in gift box for easy gift giving, preservation and storage.
Ornament Size: Approx. 3.57 x 7.07 x 9.16 cm
Product Code QXR9063
All this, plus the photos, and videos too if that is available for any product.
The integration between the Tower Systems POS software and Shopify sites is something we are proud of and grateful to provide to many indie retailers.
If you choose POS software for your business that is made overseas, sold by an overseas company or supported from overseas, how will that go when you want to talk with someone about your situation?
Local businesses, like local POS software companies, understand local needs. They have local context. they are more likely to be easily contacted. They serve your local business needs.
We had a customer recently contact us with a business question that was not directly related to our software. One off the folks in our company with recent retail experience was able to have a conversation with them, live and in the moment, that helped our customer make progress on an issue worrying them. This type of off-book service and help is what local POS software companies can do.
But, most of all, a local POS software company is likely to care more about your business and this is what matters most … that they care. caring flows from understanding.
No offshore POS software company can understand your needs or care about your business in the overall context of their business.
We had a customer switch to us last month because they were tired of their support queries not being responded to. They had to put each query in writing, which did not work if the query was urgent and business impacting.
Here at Tower Systems, we are local. Our customers can call us, email us, send a message through our website or contact us via the socials. We are here, real, contactable and accessible. We are also available to our customers through Zoom meetings and other group chat platforms – making ti easy for our customers to connect with us where it suits them the most.
Whole comparing software products is important, comparing the contact points and methods of contact are important. You need to go with a tech partner that can prove themselves as reliable in the way you need them to be. If could be that an overseas company ticks those boxes. The key is to know what you want and then go with the company that best serves your needs.
More than 97% of all Australian businesses are small businesses. The number of small businesses continues to rise despite recent challenging conditions.
Many of these businesses are in the retail sector. Small and medium-sized enterprises make up 96% of the retail sector in Australia.
Retail in Australia is highly competitive. One way you can give your business an edge is with your point of sale (POS) system. Retail POS can help you manage your inventory, employees, and customers more effectively.
Learn more about retail POS and how to choose the best system for your company.
What Is a Retail Point of Sale System?
A point of sale system is the hardware and software that let you process transactions and accept payments. Modern POS systems go beyond managing payments, though. They can help you analyze sales, manage inventory, and store customer information.
The newest point of sale tech provides a single source of truth across many facets of your business.
Retail POS Hardware
To accept payments in a retail store location, you’ll need POS hardware. Hardware can include:
Computer monitor and/or tablet
Cash register
Barcode scanner
Card reader
Receipt printer
Cash drawer
Your business may also need specialized hardware. This could include a scale for selling products by weight or a label printer for ticketing items for sale.
Look for a system that accepts many types of payments. Your business is more competitive if your customers have payment options beyond the standard cash, credit, or debit cards. Gift cards and mobile payments like Apple Pay are some other choices to consider.
If you’re planning to use hardware and software from different vendors, check to ensure they’re compatible.
Retail POS Software
POS software is the operating system that lets you process sales. It helps you manage your store, products, customers, and staff. A modern POS system for retail optimizes your ability to sell in-person and online.
On-Premise POS vs Cloud POS
Retail POS software can either be installed in-house or cloud-based. An on-premise system works through your internal network. This type of legacy POS stores your data on your local database.
It doesn’t rely on the internet. However, it can be expensive to implement. It’s only accessible from the terminal(s) where you installed it.
A cloud-based system uses remote servers. You can access the software over the internet from any compatible device. The system can sync your data in real time.
Cloud solutions are scalable as your business grows. They can be more cost-effective. They rely on the internet, though, so a stable and reliable internet connection is essential.
POS Payment Processor
A retail point of sale system includes the hardware and software to help you accept payments from customers. The actual payment processing is a separate service.
Some retail POS systems bundle payment processing into their service package. You may also have the option of adding it as an extra feature. Otherwise, you’ll need to find a third-party processor compatible with the system you want.
What to Look for in a Retail POS System for Small Business
Every retail business has its own specific requirements for a POS system. Before you start looking at POS for retail, take some time to determine your company’s needs. This will help you avoid paying too much for a system with features that aren’t relevant to your operations.
Ease-of-Use
Retail businesses often have high employee turnover. Choosing a POS system that’s intuitive and easy to use is especially important. Employees should be able to use the software effectively soon after training.
Sales Reporting
Retail POS can generate sales analytics to help you make better business decisions. The software can create reports based on factors like:
Products sold
Employee sales
Total retail amount
Net profit or profit percentage
A POS system that presents data in an accessible way will be more useful. A finer level of detail can give you better insights.
Inventory Management
Robust inventory management capabilities help you track products more efficiently. You know when you need to order a certain product or if a product has excess inventory on hand. Retail POS should have features like:
Digitally scanning and counting products
Creating product variations like size or color to manage stock
Identifying items with unique serial numbers
Tracking inventory levels in a multi store environment
Good inventory management helps you meet your customers’ expectations. It helps combat retail theft.
Customer Relationship Management
A retail POS system can help you track your customers’ data with customer relationship management (CRM) features.
For example, you can attach a transaction to a customer and track the customer’s purchase history. CRM capabilities simplify your email marketing. Some retail POS systems let you create a loyalty program.
The right POS system lets your store associates personalize the in-store experience for customers.
Employee Reporting and Staff Management
Your employees have a very large impact on the success of your store. Retail POS software lets you see who your top performers are. You can see any employees who may need extra coaching.
Other staff management features include:
Creating and modifying employee schedules
Emailing schedules to employees
Tracking employee hours
You can stay on top of this important part of your business activity more easily.
Integrations
Point of sale technology should integrate seamlessly with your other business systems, like accounting and marketing. It should integrate with your e-commerce site. Integration ensures that your applications share data automatically.
Retail POS integration with your enterprise resource planning (ERP) program is a high priority. It lets employees access back office functions like replenishment and inventory reports.
For example, an associate could see that an out-of-stock item is due to arrive in two days. The associate can put the customer’s information into the system, set the product aside when it arrives, and notify the customer that it’s ready for pick-up. You can capture more sales.
Customization
You can tailor retail POS to meet your needs. You can set limits on what data store associates can access. You can restrict employee access to certain tasks. For example, you may decide that only store managers have authorization to give refunds.
The top retail POS systems will give you customization options regarding system features as well as employee access within those features. These types of controls are another tool for combatting retail theft.
Tower Systems Retail POS
Retail POS can bring many benefits to your business. You can better manage your inventory. You have a better management system for customers and employees.
A retail POS system from Tower Systems is a personalized solution for your business. We specialize in helping small and independent retailers in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. We design our retail POS systems for the specific needs of your industry and your company.
Schedule a free demo today to see if Tower Systems POS software is the right fit for your business. We look forward to getting to know you!
There is a trend among POS software companies to get you signed up without looking at the software, their chasing a rooftop without first ensuring that the software and the retail business are a good match.
Here at Tower Systems, our preference is to demonstrate the software to you – once we understand your business requirements and what you personally want to achieve from POS software. It really does start with understanding your needs because it’s possible we are not a good fit for you.
Every one of our prospective customers has access to a personal live demonstration of the software. We do this at a time to suit. And, we record the demonstration and provide a copy of the demonstration to the prospective customer for them to share with others in their business.
We also offer access to pre-recorded demonstrations of the software. These are on our website and can be watched by absolutely anyone – without the need to login.
But, it’s the personal one-on-one demonstration that works best, that offers conversation about business needs and the exploration of these needs through the software itself. It is best to show an answer to a query rather than telling – anyone can tell, showing shows the real solution.
Anyone considering the Tower Systems POS software has access to a live demonstration without obligation or cost. Indeed, they have have 2, 3, 4 live demonstrations because we want to ensure that anyone choosing Tower Systems POS software makes an informed choice, a choice based on certainty that our POS software is a good fit for the needs of their business.
if you are considering POS software and the supplier is not keen for a live demonstration with you, if their approach is sign up and see if you like it, we suggest you pause and consider whether this approach serves your needs.
What is it you want? That is what matters most to your business. Signing up and using software through trial and error makes it harder for you. It makes you discover for yourself. It shows you what to expect from the POS software company down the track.
Here at Tower Systems we prefer a more personal approach, an approach that is rooted in the personal service we provide.
Through our POS software for toy shops, POS software for newsagents and Shopify connected POS software we help retailers sell many products, including these fun and joyful Squish-A-Boos from Ty.
These soft, cuddle and squish toys are a treat that plenty are loving right around Australia.
Howe the Tower Systems POS software helps sell these Squish-A-Boos is a story about software integration and software smarts that help the retailers to do better at serving the needs of customers, through serving product use and care information.
The link between the POS software and multiple Shopify websites as well as though to a professional and multi retail business connected Magento website makes these plush and squishy toys easily available right around Australia.
It’s our smart technology that enables this for retailers.
In addition to developing and selling POS software, we offer a tech. bridge to websites, awesome websites for immediate and easy selling by local small business retailers.
What’s key here is that we make it easy for people to find products and to purchase them, saving retailers time and hassle – by using best practice tech. like Magento and Shopify, platforms far superior to other platforms out there. More cost effective too.
Some software businesses think that selling online is all about putting products online, and that’s it. They are wrong. It’s about the words, the flow of data on a two-way basis, the ease of navigation of the website, the speed and accurate transacting of the purchase and the post-sale followup, through to fulfilment. This is where a smart POS software integration matters considerably to retailers.
We are often asked by retailers about POS software connected websites. here are some common questions, with our answers:
What’s the typical cost for a website? Tower offers a fixed price of $6,600.00, or $550.00 a month paid for 14 months.
How long does it take to get we website setup? If your data (stock descriptions and images) is all setup, it could be live in a few weeks.
Do I have to sell online or can the website show what I have in the shop? It’s easy to have the website show what you have in the shop but not sell online. Plenty of retailers do this.
Do I have to sell online what I have in the shop today? No, you can sell anything you want online, as long as it is legal.
Why Shopify? It’s easier to use ands maintain than WooCommerce and other platforms. But, WooCommerce developers will disagree as they make money maintaining sites. With Shopify it’s that easy that you can do it yourself.
How can I get my website to be ranked high in Google? Hard work, consistent hard work. There is no shortcut.
How much can I expect to make online? That all depends on your niche and the time (and money) you invest. We know retailers making $300,000 a year online, others easily making $50,000 a year and others making nothing.
Retailers selling cute online, like the Squish-A-Boos mentioned here, can find it easy and accurate with our smart webstore integration.
Retailers are loving the latest POS software update from Tower Systems. Here is some of the announcement email sent to customers weeks ago:
Insights Dashboard.
This new dashboard focuses on 6 critical areas of retail to assist you on making key decisions by representing data in a graphical & easy to understand format. We think these 6 metrics are among the most important metrics that Retailer should be focusing on to import the profitability of their businesses.
Where Are We Today – Gives you a snapshot of the overall sales & liabilities as it stands Today, this powerful tool can also be expanded to a desired time period.
What’s Not Selling– This gives you a visual understanding of what is not performing in your business. Deadstock in any business is lost cash. This report gives you the ability to make decisions on this underperforming stock whether it be discounting or other stock reductions strategies to unlock this lost cash.
What Am I Missing Out on – This give you a list of items that have sold out and potential missed opportunity. The visual sales history will assist in ensuring the right items are restocked to ensure future revenue is not missed out on.
What Sells With What – This gives you an insight to consumer basket analysis. Through this you will see exactly what stock items sell with other stock items and from this you will be able to leverage upsell opportunities, co-location and promotion opportunities. This also shows the sold alone percentage so you can see item upsell efficiency.
Is Theft An Issue– This provides a in-depth visual overview of all the retailer audit log records by reason, number of occurrences by time day. This will assist in identifying staff theft/training issues that may need to be addressed within the business.
When Are We Busiest & Quietest – This is a visual overview detect any quiet or peak times in your business by displaying over the week as well as detailed by hour
Reports Enhancements
As part of our upgrade to reporting we have significantly increased the performance and added addition properties to the following reports.
– Sales – Detailed Takings Report
– Sales – 10 x 10 Stock Item Analysis Report
– Sales – Stock Listing Report
– Stock – Supplier Stock Listing Report
– Stock – Write off Report
This update is the result of many man-months of software development work, testing, tracking results, adjusting, testing some more. It is a time consuming process that is rewarded with joy from our customers.
Making POS software is one thing. Helping local small business retailers leverage this for success in their businesses is another.
Tower Systems does this every day by going beyond the usual POS software training, by providing context for why this or that is done, bu explaining the business reason for data points and how they may or may not serve the needs of a business.
The new Insights Dashboard released recently in our POS software is an example of merging our business advice and support with awesome POS software to provide local retailers with easy and ready access to visually represented data they can leverage.
Showing a retailer opportunities lost could make a massive difference in a retail business.
The Tower Systems POS software does this. It shows what a shop could have achieved has they had access to the stock that might have sold.
Showing a retailer possible theft situations could be revealing.
Too often small business retailers don’t catch theft early because they do not want to see it, they do not what to, for a second, think it could happen to them.
What’s not working?!
Stand in your shop and look around and ask yourself that question, ask what’s not working. What you see could be constrained buy how you view your business, by what you want to see. Software will not edit what it sees. The Tower Systems Insights Dashboard shows good and bad, it shows the truth, revealing what you need to know about the business. The what’s not working tab is revealing to the businesses we tested it on. Some were truly shocked to discover what they did not know about their business.
Good retail management is about making the right decisions for a business at the right time. This needs to be done without emotion, without fear, without bias. There is where good POS software can play a role and where the new Insights Dashboard is a true help for local retail businesses.
So, what’s our Friday advice for local small business retailers? Use your software, work it, leverage it, feed of the insights it provides. Revel in the facts is provides access to and make business decisions based on these facts. Doing this, rem moving emotions and feelings from plenty of the decisions you make in your retail business will make a difference.
Of course, we are biased. As an Australian POS software company we want to see Australian businesses thrive over overseas competitors, especially if their tax arrangements do a disservice to everyday Australians by minimising their contribution to government revenue.
But that aside, here is why we think Australian made POS software is important to local Australian retail; businesses and Australia more broadly …
Software is like storytelling. It helps retail businesses craft and serve their narrative. Local Aussie businesses craft and serve an Aussie narrative. Our software, being Australian made and supported, does this well, with focus. Software made overseas with have that focus – from simple terminology used through to retail strategic focus. retail is different country to country.
Retail in Australia is different, especially small business local retail. Software from a big US company is less likely to have the focus a local retailer will want, less likely to care about that shop turning over $300K – $500K a year when the software company itself counts its revenue in hundreds of millions of dollars. Local retail is about personal service. here at Tower Systems where we only focus on local specialty retailers, we understand personal service too.
Be heard. Retailers using the Tower Systems POS software have direct and easy access to our leadership team, to the top. It’s rare any POS software company offers this and even less so for big overseas POS software companies.
Retail is changing. And, the nature of change and pace of change varies country to country. This further reinforces that the needs of Aussie retailers will vary to those of overseas retailers.
Your voice matters. if you use software from a local Aussie software company you will matter more to them than if you use POS software from a massive overseas company. With the local company you can make suggestions that are more likely to make their way into the software.
Local software companies support local skills development. Software programmers flourish from real world experience and there is nothing like a local Aussie software company for gaining this. We have seen this at Tower Systems many times over the years.
Aussie taxes pay for education, health and infrastructure. Every dollar of revenue sent offshore diminishes the resources of federal and state governments.
Because you care. If you want your shoppers to shop local, it starts with you and the purchase choice you make for your business.
We could go on since there are many reasons for local Aussie and Kiwi retail businesses to use local Aussie and Kiwi made and Aussie and Kiwi supported software in their businesses.
Tower Systems makes world-class specialty retail POS software for selected marketplaces. We are not offering POS software for everyone. If we’re not right for you, we will say so and wish you all the best. If we feel we are right for you, we will make an offer and 100% leave the choice to you to make, in your own time.
We are proud to be a local Aussie POS software company with our supported locally by people who understand d local Aussie and Kiwi retail.
Local music shops have POS software needs beyond what is traditional in plenty of POS software solutions. For example, they provide repairs, undertake regular, programmed, servrvicing of instruments, work with local music clubs, and more.
Local music shops benefit from musing POS software tuned to their music shop needs.
This modern POS software has facilities included (without extra cost) music shop owners and team members tell us is important, like:
Easy selling. Instruments can be bulky or small. selling either and all in between is easy.
Service / repair management. This includes tracking parts and labour for in-house repairs as well as tracking outside of the business repairs.
Easy management of instrument service reminders. You can suggest a customer return for a free tune or some other service.
Club / group fundraising / discounting .. encourages engagement. If a community orchestra or music school community trades with you it can benefit your business and their organisation through easy tracking of their purchases.
Integrated EFTPOS.
Xero integration – cut keystrokes and mistakes.
Shopify integration for selling online.
Auto serving product care instructions.
Easy to setup and run LayBy.
Easy use of buy now pay later.
Customer special orders.
Pre-sell inventory.
Rare visit loyalty. The customer visit cycle for a music shop is often infrequent. Embedded in this software are loyalty tools that nurture these shoppers to provide more value from each visit.
All these facilities and plenty more are included in this software. But, we don’t link to APIC, created and managed by the MusiPOS folks. We have approached them without success several times.
You can rent this software for $145.00 a month, which you can cancel at any time. This includes:
Specialty music shop POS software developed in Australia.
Software updates as we release them.
Unlimited licences for your retail location.
Support – help desk access, unlimited training, updates and more.
User documentation. Access to our searchable knowledge base.
There is also a modest up-front cost to cover personal one-on-one training and software setup – so that you get the most out of the software.
Tower Systems offers local Australian support for this software as well as local training and easy access to up to date user documentation.
Music shops using the software can speak to its usefulness in their business.
Rare visit loyalty. Customers visit a doll shop infrequently. This software offers subtle loyalty tools that encourage more value from each visit.
Pre-orders. Easily manage selling products before you have them in-stock. Collectors love these facilities.
Buy Now Pay Later and LayBy. Through our software you can have both.
Repairs management. If you do repairs, track them from the moment they arrive – for repairs done in-house and externally. Track parts and labour and easily advise customers when the repair is complete.
Club / collector marketing and support. Leverage clubs and collectors with offers and pricing. Nurture the love of collecting and showing dolls and connecting to this community, and growing the size of the community.
Special orders. With some dolls made to order or some ordered in for a customer request, managing these types of orders helps the business to manage opportunities and to capture revenue in advance.
Serial number tracking. Yes, plenty of collector dolls have serial numbers. Tracking them from within the software offers a service that doll shops can leverage.
Anniversary marketing. Collectors love their dolls. To many, they are a member of the family. Remembering anniversaries can help a doll shop maintain a connection with their collector customers.
Our Australian made and supported doll shop software does much more than this. Be sure to see it for yourself, live and obligation free, to see if it could serve you and your business.
What’s interesting is that a doll shop owner found us and educated us about how our software could work in their business and other doll shops in Australia. It was a wonderful discovery, for which we are truly grateful.
Our Doll Shop Software costs $155.00 for each 30 days. The $155.00 is for access from as many computers as you have in the business. There is a modest on-boarding fee to cover one-on-one training and setup support and assistance.
We understand the importance and value of local specialty retail like local doll shops …
Local matters. Local doll shops make a vital contribution to local communities and families. Our software helps you leverage your localness.
You are a key asset. Only your business has you and your people. You can leverage you through facilities in our doll shop software.
You can bank on loyalty. Points don’t reward loyalty. What is a point worth anyway? In our software, you have fresh loyalty tools you can bank on.
The unseen can reveal opportunities. Data, good data, is evidence on which you can expect to make better business decisions.
Not every shopper will walk past your door. A seamless connection between your software and a beautiful website can reach them.
There aren’t many doll shops in Australia. We are grateful to serve them, to help them prosper.
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