POS stands for Point of Sale. It’s an acronym. Computer people love acronyms.

POS, or Point of Sale, usually refers to POS software, Point of Sale software, software used in retail … you guessed it, at the point of sale.

Some people call it Point of Sales, but they are mistaken, it’s Point of Sale.

Tower Systems is a POS software company. We make POS software for specialty retailers in Australia and New Zealand.

Our POS software integrates with Shopify for seamless online sales.

Our POS software integrates with Tyro for seamless fast and safe EFTPOS processing.

Our POS software integrates with Xero for easier and more accurate bookkeeping.

Our POS software integrates with Magento for easy online selling.

Our POS software integrates with WooCommerce for low cost easy online selling.

Our POS software integrates with Linkly (PCeftpos) for EFTPOS with the major banks.

Our POS software integrates with OzBiz that connects stores with MYOB.

Our POS software integrates with with many suppliers and many other useful tools that serve small business retailers.

Using our POS software, small business retailers can transact sales at the point of sale. They can also manage their businesses through data gathered by the software, they can. plan, make decisions and look to the future.

Tower Systems offers POS software that goes beyond the POS, software that helps small business retailers compete locally as well as online.

We only sell to small businesses because we prefer to work with them, to strengthen them, that big businesses.

Being a local POS software company matters to small business retailers because it means that their support for us supports the local economy. It also means that our people will understand their local business needs. Offshore help desk people will struggle with local retailer needs and local nuances.

So, we like to support local retailers because local retailers support us. This is the circular relationship that is good for the local economy, of which we are a part.

Our POS software does not stand still. It is updated regularly, often every 6 to 8 weeks, with our customers in control as to when they update the software. They are iin control,. which small business retailers like.

We are grateful for our customers and the opportunities they present us with.

Tower Systems is grateful to offer its Australian designed and made POS software to sewing shops and retailers of sewing machines and supplies for sewers … POS software for haberdashery businesses.

Several sewing goods retailers have shown us how our POS software is suitable for the needs of these businesses. From handling special orders, to serial number tracking, to repairs management to selling by fractions, it turns out our POS software is good for sewing businesses and sewing machine and goods retailers.

Here is a video we made last week in which we discuss our POS software for sewing shops and demonstrate some of its facilities.

It is our work in similar specialty retail channels such as bike shops, jewellers and similar that has seen us develop tools and facilities in our POS software that works for sewing shops. We are so happy to be able to serve these businesses.

Since we make our own POS software, we are able to evolve the software to serve evolving needs, and we are able to fine-time our support of the software to ensure that it serves the needs of sewing shops and related businesses that decide the software is a good fit for their needs.

Take the selling of items by decimals or fractions. This is how fabric is sold. We make it easy and accurate. We even handle pricing that can vary based on the length of a fabric purchased. In other words, play less per metre the more you buy. This is handled by the software based on the settings created by those running the sewing shop.

Plenty of POS software solutions do not handle selling items by decimals or fractions.

We are not saying that our software is perfect for any sewing shop. That decision must 100% be up to those making the POS software decision in the business. We will demonstrate the software and answer questions, so that the necessary assessments can be made, to determine if our Tower Systems POS software is a good fit for the needs of a sewing business.

Our POS software for sewing shops and sewing machine businesses is already in use. We have people to whom we can refer. It is their innovation that set us on this path. Hence, our gratefulness.

To see the Tower Systems software first hand, please contact us direct. Email is good at sales@towersystems.com.au.

We make, sell and support our POS software.

We are grateful to be able to continue to help small business retailers who are working from home or who have some of their team working from home.

Due to compromised health situations, local movement restrictions and other factors, there are still many people working from home.

The help we are providing in these circumstances varies from free, no cost, access to additional software licences, easy access to an awesome cloud based data insights platform from us as well as access to our Retailer Roam^TM sell from anywhere POS software solution.

Add to these tangible software benefits our on-going unlimited training offer, we are helping small business retailers where they are, helping them to run successful businesses without having to leave their businesses. We are thankful to our own team members for the work they do every day to hell our customers in these ways, to run their businesses remotely, thereby minimising the impact of Covid on their businesses.

Helping small business retailers work from home also includes helping them to sell online. We are doing this through a beautiful and seamless link to Shopify and the creation of beautiful Shopify sites on a fixed price basis. Our POS software connected Shopify solutions have seen small business retailers connect with more shoppers from outside their usual catchment area. It is a thrill to see.

Other help we are providing small business retailers who work from home is easy access to our local help desk resources. This is through our expanded help desk team – we have added two more people to this team, two new hires in the last 2 months. We are grateful to be in a position to need to too this – thanks to terrific growth in our customer base.

We think the work from home situation is here for the long term. Our support for it is long term. We arenhelp to help small business retailers to work from home, and their team members.

Our small business POS software is flexible in this regard, helpful to these businesses with people working from home.

2020 has been a wonderful year of learning for us, delivering wonderful insights and providing excellent opportunities. Working from home is one of them. We appreciate being able to help.

We have move to beta an update to our POS software for small business retailers. This latest update has been made available to customers following comprehensive testing, including beta release, to ensure it is stable and capable.

Developed in consultation with many of our POS software users, this latest update includes enhancements suggested and voted on by them – through a transparent process in which all customers can engage.

The update also releases Tabcorp Connect, a platform for connecting our POS software to data collected through the sale of lottery products on behalf of Tabcorp’s TheLott. This integration work has been delivered as another integration solution from Tower Systems. It is in addition to direct integrations already delivered by the company for:

• Tyro.
• ZipPay.
• ZipMoney.
• Humm.
• Specialised. FlyBys NZ.
• PayPal.
• All major Aussie banks.
• Xero.
• Shopify.
• Magento.
• WooCommerce.
• Scales.
• Fuel dispensing.

… and more.

Tower Systems customers can choose when they want the update.

Retailers are loving that they can rent the POS software from Tower Systems without having to pay to own the software.

Tower Systems introduced rental as an option over a year ago, in 2019, with the daily cost sitting at a few dollars a day for most marketplaces.

POS software gently is every 30 days with no long-term contract lock-in. Customers can end their rental through the month, prior to the start of the next month.

This provides small business retailers flexibility and ease of access.

There is no finance check, no debt check, no finance agreement. POS software rental is easy and fast to organise. Rental can be stopped. It can also be paused in the need arises.

This is a cash flow beneficial solution for small business retailers, enabling them to preserve capital for other purposes in the business.

By renting the Tower Systems POS software, small business retailers have access to, at no extra cost:

• Software updates. These are released regularly and offer an evolutionary path for the software.
• The opportunity to propose software enhancements. There is a public forum through which this is done, where all users can vote on suggestions.
• Software help desk support. This is office based and staffed by humans who know the software well.
• After hours support. This covers you for those urgent situations.
• An online knowledgeable with more than 600 articles advising how to use the software.
• Software training videos. Our top subjects are covered on easily accessed videos – learn at your own pace.
• Group training workshops. These are on topics our customers suggest.
• One on one training after the system is installed and initial training provided.
• Theft check service.
• Backup check service.

All of these facilities as well as the software itself are bundled into the low 30 day rental cost.

Making POS software rental even more appealing is that there is no cap on the number of terminals on which the software is used in a business. A shops cold run 7 terminals and the low cost per day is the same as it would be if they were running it on one terminal. This is another differentiator for Tower Systems and its POS software rental arrangements.

Tower Systems is grateful to serve customers in a diverse spread of retail business channels. It only services locally owned independent small business retailers.

Not all POS software is the same. Thank goodness for that! There are companies, like Tower Systems, that invest in creating unique POS software to serve niche needs of specialty retailers. In doing this, for example, for jewellers, we have created facilities that serve the needs of other specialty retail channels.

No, not all POS software is the same. There is generic, off the shelf and, then, there is specialty POS software for specialty retailers.

Here are 5 unique ways the POS software from Tower Systems helps small business retailers to run more successful and enjoyable businesses:

1. A no overhead, easily understood and sales driving loyalty solution that you can turn on in seconds and have delivering sales results today. This is smart loyalty, innovative and designed for today’s shopper. It does not leverage legacy loyalty that shoppers are sick of and that supermarkets continue to use.
2. Seamless online with easy flowing inventory detail and image data between the POS software and Shopify thanks to smart and engaging integration for in-store, online and click and collect sales supported by many payment options including several buy now pay later options.
3. Sell anywhere thanks to Retailer Roam^TM, the on the road POS solution from the shop floor, at local markets, from a truck or from the roadside. This innovative, cloud based, solution is smart, engaging and ready for the new normal of 2020 and beyond.
4. An access from anywhere insights platform that is your own personal business insights tool, shining a light on a pathway of data that reveals insights into your business andkopens you to considering opportunities ahead.
5. A leverage-me platform that allows you to leverage intellectual property unique to your business, through which you can pitch your knowledge to shoppers and thereby differentiate your offer over the offers of others operating in a similar marketplace. This is a genuinely differentiating opportunity as it is about you.

In the POS software from Tower Systems retailers have access to many opportunities, many more than the 5 listed here, opportunities through which the businesses can more efficiently operate and can reach more new traffic shopper opportunities.

It’s all about business growth for growth is the lifeblood of any retail situation. Pursuing this consistently and professionally through the POS software is key to success in 2020 and beyond.

The POS software from Tower Systems is helping small business retailers through COVID-19. It is doing this through flexible facilities, which are backed by easy access to training.

Retailers are leveraging the POS software to help them pivot in response to what they are seeing in their communities as COVID-19 impacts are better understood.

Small business retailers are using the POS software to pivot in myriad ways including:

• Moving online.
• Taking on new product categories.
• Adding more services.
• Offering safe click and collect.
• Offering home delivery.
• Bundling products for more efficient shop[ping.
• Including COVID-19 care and advice information with products.
• More carefully tying the business needs to match changed shopper engagement.
• Dealing with suppliers remotely and ordering based on sales history.
• Trading contactless.
• Operating a secondary business online that leverages the physical space in a different product category.

COVID-19 has challenges many retail businesses and those that have done best have embraced change, embraced opportunities revealed through change. The POS software from Tower Systems has tools and facilities that help small business retailers with this.

If we have learnt one thing from 2020 it is that what you think may happen is unlikely to happen. hence, the need to have POS software that allows the retail business to respond to change, to pivot.

Tower Systems backs these facilities up with personal one on one training for its POS software customers. We help them understand their options and then to implement these through the software, to help retailers make the most of the road in front of them.

This is smart POS software but for specialty retailers in the independent small business retail space.

We see the changes continuing, into 2021, with retail being different, forever changed in some areas and in some marketplaces. This is where the flexibility of our software, from our service across multiple marketplaces, comes into play. It is what helps us help the retail business today be a cafe tomorrow and something else down the road. We can do this without the business having to purchase additional software.

We are grateful to serve small business retailers in this way.

While 2020 is challenging;loenging, it is also exhilarating and exciting for what we have learned and how we have evolved.

More and more organic produce retailers are choosing the POS software from Tower Systems for managing their organic produce businesses.

The organic business POS software from Tower Systems has facilities that serve the needs of organic produce retailers well. Using this Aussie developed and supported POS software, organic produce businesses  can easily:

1. Sell by weight thanks to government approved scale integration.
2. Sell by fractions.
3. Sell by bundles: singles, 4, 8, 8, 12 or a box – you choose.
4. Bulk food sales are easy.
5. Managing making your own goods is easy with multiple raw materials combining to create new product.
6. Include product use and product care information on receipts.
7. Reorder based on sales – tracing current sales to inform tomorrow’s purchases.
8. Include product source information on receipts and product labels.
9. Focus on locally sourced products and shine a light on this consistently.
10. Sell on the road, at markets and elsewhere easily using our Retailer Roam App.
11. Link direct for fast EFTPOS processing.
12. Link to Xero and reduce bookkeeping costs.
13. Receive electronic invoices from suppliers.
14. Link to Shopify for online sales.
15. Leverage local community groups with club and similar pricing.
16. Special customer orders are easy with the software letting customers know when your order is in.
17. Sell by scanning items or using a touchscreen – that you lay out to your needs.
18. Use TAGS to easily group items by sales season, special interest and other criteria that could be useful to you in managing the business.

This organic business POS software is flexible beyond traditional thanks to the Tower Systems work across a range of specialty retail channels. We leverage knowledge and experience from them to create better software for each.

We are grateful for opportunities to demonstrate our POS software for organic produce retailers, to show as much detail as wanted, to offer the opportunity for retailers to determine for themselves if our software serves their needs.

Tower Systems serves more than 3,000 specialty retailers in Australia and New Zealand. We only sell to independent retailers, maintaining our focus on the small business end of commerce.

We make what we sell. This gives us control over the product and through this we continue to evolve the software and the services that support it.

With organic product businesses growing, Tower Systems is grateful for the opportunity to serve and be part of this growth.

See this software made for toy shops in a live online demo: please call 1300 662 957 or email sales@towersystems.com.au.

The Camping and Outdoors retail business POS software from Tower Systems is another example of locally made POS software serving specialty local retail needs.

Camping and outdoors businesses have unique needs in their service of folks who enjoy camping and the outdoors life. Our POS software is fine tuned to help these businesses serve local needs and add value to the shopping experience by consistently sharing local knowledge.

Using  this POS software, camping and outdoors businesses are able to track sales, reward regular shoppers, encourage one time only shoppers and connect with suppliers in ways that benefit the local campaign and outdoors business.

Let’s look at how we help in the one time only shopper situation. Thanks to smart and differentiating loyalty tools, using our software you are more likely to encourage / guide / reward these shoppers to spend more in their one time only visit with the camping and outdoors business.

We have seen this plenty fo times in retail. A one time only shopper visiting for a specific need and walking out buying 2, 3 and 4 times more than they intended … because the smart loyalty tools open them to that opportunity.

From a customer service perspective, this smart POS software offers campaign and outdoors businesses opportunities to share product care and product use information that isn unique to those businesses. This is an opportunity for the business to differentiate and that equates to commercially valuable branding. This is about leveraging intellectual property for the value of the business and in service of customers.

Tracking sales by time, day, employee, supplier and more, camping and outdoors businesses can better understand what is working in the business and where there are opportunities for improvement. This can be great news, especially in a seasonal business that relies on excellent customer service to maximise each customer visit opportunity.

Tower Systems interest the camping and outdoors business opportunity having served in the fishing bait and tackle marketplace. It was a natural progression for us to serve campaign and outdoors businesses. We are grateful for the lead in and the experience it provided.

We are a specialist POS software company making, selling and supporting POS software for specialty retailers in Australia and New Zealand. We serve thousands of small business retailers with more join ing our community each week.

We have discovered that our POS software is ideal for cleaning supplies businesses. Hmm, that’s not completely accurate. We did not discover this, some of our customers discovered it … for which we are sincerely grateful.

It turns out that some specialty facilities in our POS software serve unique needs of cleaning supply businesses, meaning that we now have POS software for cleaning supply businesses. Tada!

We are grateful for the cleaning supplies businesses using our POS software already. Their insights are helpful as we grow into this niche business channel.

Using our POS software, cleaning supply businesses are able to take care of key needs in their businesses, including but not limited to:

• Product use information, to ensure customers have correct use information for cleaning products as and when required.
• Serial number tracking. Tracking large items by serial number from dat of arrival through to sale.
• Quote and invoice management. Creating quotes for customers, invoicing these and managing the data and associated processes.
• Producing picking slips.
• Handling multiple shipping locations per customer.
• Special orders. Managing orders of items for specific customers.
• Product storage information to ensure safe storage of cleaning products.
• Bundling products together for easy purchase – this is especially useful for infrequent shoppers.
• Age check for items that need to be sold with this description.
• Customer billing including the billing of services where appropriate.
• Tracking repairs is a cleaning business offers repairs of cleaning equipment./
• Customer marketing follow up through email and similar campaigns.
• Advice to customers by text message of special order arrival.
• Click and collect.
• Buy now pay later integrations.

Our Australian developed and supported POS software is rich in functionality and is regularly updated to take the software even deeper into specialty needs. This is what niche businesses look for in software, something that can evolve further to serve their needs. It’s why we call our business a vertical market POS software co – be cause vertical represents specialisation and that’s what cleaning supply businesses are, niche and specialty.

Using our POS software, cleaning supply businesses are able to manage their business and the products they sell in ways that are useful operationally and beneficial to the planning for the future. Our installation and training folk can help bring business goals to life through training in specialty parts of the software that serve cleaning supply businesses.

From stock control to insights reporting to accounting integration to website integration, what we offer is comprehensive. But, don’t take our word for it. See the software live in an online demonstration that is one on one, where your needs are explored and your questions are answered. It starts with a reach out to our sales team: sales@towersystems.com.au.

Portable POS software

What makes the Tower Systems POS software specialty POS software in service of specialty retailers. While the answer to that varies by retail channel, here are some of the specialty facilities in our POS software that play to our service of specialty retailers:

1. Age check – helping to systemise your approach to ensuring that you sell age restricted product to eligible customers.
2. Chemical notification. When you sell some items for which you are required to include a care notice based on chemical make-up.
3. Scale integration. We have the government credentials.
4. Supplier electronic invoice integration.
5. Loyalty platform integration influencing FlyBys in New Zealand.
6. Greeting card company systemised product categories and codes to facilitate deeper reporting.
7. Gem and other jeweller specific gemstone data point recording and tracking.
8. Outdoor product labels that are weatherproof.
9. Secondhand goods customer tracking.
10. Firearms customer detail tracking.
11. Shopper postcode tracking.
12. Pet care follow up date information so you can remind customers.
13. Pet microchip details.
14. Quote from POS – the ability to scan items on the POS and turn these easily into a quote for formal submission.
15. Tracking delivery details separate from customer details.
16. Text message to advise a customer their special order is in.
17. One-off product make management tools tracking deposit, customer details, labour and materials.
18. Special customer orders tracking orders places for customers.
19. Product label personalisation so you can reflect your business style and approach on product labels.
20. Smart receipts that include information you deem vital to share with customers about your business and products purchased.
21. Birthday and anniversary reminders for customers.
22. Bundling where people can purchase complete packages while you continue to track individual item sales.
23. Serial number tracking.
24. Colour / size / style product sales tracking.
25. Direct Xero cloud based accounting integration.
26. Direct Shopify integration.
27. Direct Magento integration.
28. Direct WooCommerce (WordPress) integration.
29. Direct Tyro broadband EFTPOS integration.

This list is by no means complete. It is a glimpse into what specialty POS software looks like for specialty retailers. It shows the depth of specialisation in our POS software, built in to serve the needs of retailers keen to run software that serves their needs today and into the future in their specialty retail businesses.

Tower Systems is grateful to its customers for their service and insights that guide what we do every day here to gulp small business retailers do well.

last week Tower Systems released another POS software update, providing access to enhanced facilities and other benefits for retailers who partner with is.

This update is part of our regular software enhancement program. This latest POS software update delivered almost 50 enhancements to our software, many of which were suggested by customers through our transparent Software Ideas process.

In the advice to our customers about the update, we listed the enhancements and provided further information.

The POS software update was commercially released following a comprehensive alpha and beta test release process, ensuring that what we delivered passed all necessary QA processes to provide our customers with a software update they will value and appreciate.

By providing our customers with the details of what is in the update, we provide them the opportunity to decide whether they want the update. We do not force POS software updates on our customers. Nor do we automatically install updates as we believe that our customers have the right to choose. They appreciate this, too.

Like each update to our POS software, our advice email has installation instructions as well as advice on how to contact us for help by phone, email, Facebook, chat and more. We make contact as easy as possible to help people be in contact with us.

2020 is proving to be a significant year for our Tower Systems POS software user community with major software enhancements and changes already delivered and more under development. This is serving our specialty retail channels els, helping retailers to work on their businesses to drive efficiency, profitability and enjoyment.

With small business retail playing an enhanced role in serving local communities we are proud to help these vital local businesses with better software, more finely tuned POS software that is even more reflective of the specific needs they tell us of.

Our customers have access to us to discuss change requests. There is no wall between us. From the development team to the support team to the leadership team, our customers have access to Tower Systems team members for discussion about software enhancements and usability as we know that this dialogue helps us make better software and that benefits our customers, and us.

Through our Tower Systems POS software small business retailers have access to two buy now pay later platforms that they love.

Humm, which is part of the Flexirent group and ZipPay / ZipMoney that are part of the broader Zip platform. These two buy now pay later offerings are integrated with our POS software and retailers love them. Both are viable alternatives to Afterpay.

Sure, Afterpay has brand recognition. However, Afterpay has a cost to retailers, which can fall as a cost to consumers, that is higher than the cost of Humm and ZipPay for retailers.

The lower the cost of the buy now pay later platforms the better it is for a retail business.

Afterpay works fine. Shoppers love it. Humm and ZipPay work fine too and shoppers using them love them too.

Thanks to smart POS software integration, Humm and ZipPay offer good and viable solutions for over the counter retailers looking to replace the old-school LayBy with something that works better for them and their customers.

We have experience integrating with Afterpay and feel no ill toward the company. The purpose of this blog post is to note for retailers that there are alternatives that offer similar services, that help shoppers make purchases today that otherwise might be delayed and could leak to other retailers.

On our own retail business websites we offer solutions across Afterpay, Humm and ZipPay. That’s right, all three are available and in serving of customers based on their own preferences. We have the experience and accounting data through which we can determine the viability for the business of Afterpay and its costs versus those of Humm and ZipPay.

Like anything in business, do your homework, determine what works best for you and for your customers.

Buy now pay later is a boon for shoppers and retailers, helping drive purchases at a time when retailers are keen for these. The integration brings to life another payment method that is easy to transact at the counter and useful for a local business in service of its local community.

Replacing LayBy is something small business retailers have loved about the buy now pay later movement. We are glad to be part of this.