The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

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

CategoryPOS Software

Advice for small business retailers on serving local shoppers

November 2, 2019
2 Min read
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Being local matters in small business. As a small business focussed POS software company, we understand. Here are ways for any local retail business to be more locally engaged.

  1. Be visable locally: at community events, cafes, restaurants, pubs, schools, walking, clubs and markets.
  2. Understand local. Learn the local terms, speak the lingo.
  3. Buy locally. It sends the wrong message if you pitch shop local yet you purchase stationery online and have it delivered or if you buy your pet food online and have it delivered. Source locally as much as possible and be obvious about it.
  4. Facilitate local connections. Have a local community noticeboard in-store.
  5. Provide local receipts. Use your receipts to share local information. This could be local advice relating to what you sell or other local insights that add value to the relationship with your business.
  6. Talk local. Where you source locally, show it with products. Note that local can be a flexible term. For example, you may have a product sourced from Australia that some would consider local if the alternative is an imported product.
  7. Give locally. Five local charities priority with your time and money ahead of non-local charities.
  8. Hire locally. When you place a notice looking for a new team member, note preference given to local candidates.
  9. Share local knowledge. If you sell provides the use of which would benefit from local knowledge, have that served automatically by your POS software on shopper receipts.
  10. Share local on your Facebook page. Talk about local activities on your business Facebook, show your local connection.
  11. Explain why local matters. When you pitch on your Facebook page or noticeboard your support for a charity, explain that it is through local community support that you are able to help the local community.
  12. Offer a locals only discount.

Too often small business retailers call for people to support local businesses. It can be more valuable if you show what local looks and feels like, so people in the community understand the benefit for them from supporting you.

To Tower Systems, local is small business. We only sell our software to small businesses because we believe in the importance of small business in any economy. Small businesses are our local community.

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Xero connected POS software helps small business retailers save time

October 15, 2019
3 Min read
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The direct link between the Tower Systems POS software and the Xero cloud based accounting software is a dream for retailers.

Two-way data flow between POS software and Xero offer retailers many benefits including:

  1. Time saved through data sharing.
  2. More accurate data since less keystrokes are used.
  3. More up to date accounting data.
  4. Easier and more beneficial audit tools thanks to touches data sharing.
  5. Better decision making thanks to more accurate and up to date data.
  6. Better financial planning … flows from better business data.
  7. Money saved on bookkeeping and accounting fees.

The POS software Xero link from Tower Systems is beneficial for retail businesses from day one. We know because we use it ourselves in Nour own shops that we run. We see the benefits. Our in-house CPA lauds the benefits from an account ting perspective.

Linking to Xero from the POS software sets the business up for tremendous savings and benefits that are especially appreciated in small business retail situations where capital and time are in high demand.

Tower Systems helps retailers  make the most of the Xero connected POS software. We deliver practice and useful support to help our customers appreciate what they can achieve through this mutual pairing. Our training team members are skilled as are our help desk team members, to make the most of the pairing, to bring practical benefits to our indie retailer community.

As a Xero partner, we are committed to this awesome small business accounting platform.

The most effective ways small business retailers can compete with big businesses and online is through efficient operation, accurate data and customer service touch-points that add appreciated value.

Tower Systems only sells its POS software to small business retailers.

We believe in small businesses, their importance to local communities and their broader economic value.

Through our software, our personal in-store training, 24/7 human and locally based help desk service, regional user meetings, weekly online workshops and other touch-points we help small business retailers beyond what is usual for POS software companies.

Our company motto is we’re here to help. We take this seriously. Everyday, out motto challenges us to help our customers in ways they do not expect, ways beyond the software itself.

Founded in 1981, Tower Systems has evolved as technology has evolved. The software we sell today is generations away from where we started. We are proud to have served some of our customers for decades.

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Free POS software workshops in Wellington and Christchurch ext week

October 11, 2019
2 Min read
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POS software company Tower Systems is offering indie retailers free access to a terrific and valuable  workshop for small business retailers: How you can find new customers by selling online direct from POS software for your specific type of business using Shopify and Magento.

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

  1. Wellington. October 14. 10am.
  2. Christchurch. Oct. 15. 10am.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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How is the Tower Systems POS software different to Vend from VendHQ?

October 8, 2019
3 Min read
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From time to time, we are asked how our small business POS software compares to software from a competitor.

Since we have not used competitor software we cannot know. This is the same reason a competitor cannot know about our software.

Sure, we have insights, but we do not know for sure.

What we do know, is what we do and what our  software does. What we do know is what we do with and for our indie retail customers, to deliver to them commercially valuable outcomes. This is what we can speak to.

So, when we were asked recently how our POS software compares to the Vend POS software from VendHQ, here is what we said…

Hey, thanks for asking how we compare to the Vend POS software. We have not used their software ourselves and so cannot speak to what it does from first hand experience.

We have switched people from Vend to our POS software and we could put you in touch with those retailers so they can speak to their experiences with the two different software products. Pleased let us know if that is what you would like us to do.

Always, we prefer customers to want us more so than rejecting another company. We prefer the positive take, the optimistic outlook. It is how we have always been in this business. We don’t want to win business by bagging a competitor.

What we can speak to is what our software does. In fact, let us show you in a demonstration driven by you, where you tell us what you want to see. At this live and unrestricted demonstration you are in control, we are your servant.

We can also speak to how we operate as a company, our transparency, accessibility and service of our customers. Through our weekly customer service email, our unlimited free one-on-one training, online knowledge base and live human driven help desk, we provide personal service that always starts with listening to you.

We can show you how our customers are our best asset when working out how were can enhance the software. We’d love to show our our democratic approach to determining software enhancements, based on suggestions from our customers.

This is us, Tower Systems, a POS software company serving 3,500+ specialty retailers in New Zealand and Australia. We’d love an opportunity to optimistically engage without disrespecting your interest in other products like Vend.

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New POS software / e-commerce workshops next week

October 5, 2019
2 Min read
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A free workshop for small business retailers: How to find new customers by selling online direct from POS software for your specific type of business using Shopify and Magento.

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

  1. Auckland. October 7. 10am.
  2. Brisbane. October 8. 10am.
  3. Canberra. October 9. 10am.
  4. Online. October 10. 10am. AEST.
  5. Online. October 10. 2pm. AEST.
  6. Wellington. October 14. 10am.
  7. Christchurch. Oct. 15. 10am.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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POS connected Shopify site helps drive pre-orders and lock in revenue

October 3, 2019
2 Min read
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Tower Systems is proud to have helped deliver excellent Christmas ornaments orders for the www.myornaments.com.au website.

This POS software connected Shopify site is one of many created by the company for retailers, to help them achieve terrific online revenue.

What makes the My ornaments off interesting is the handling of pre orders two months prior to good arriving in Australia. This enabled the business to book  substantial revenue and bank payment months ahead of the goods being shipped and even longer ahead of goods being paid for.

This business model of prepayment of purchases, in a pre order situation, is valuable to any retailer keen to evolve their model and achieve cash flow benefits for what will be highly sought after items with limited release numbers.

Managing this through POS software connected Shopify helps the business maximise cash management and streamline packing and shipping once the goods arrive.

The seamless link between Shopify and the Tower Systems POS software helps save time, reduce mistakes, streamline business operations and discover new shoppers. Indeed, it is the reaching of new shoppers not within the local pool of shoppers for the business where the Shopify integration becomes really valuable in that a business shipping to another state helps expand the shopper reach.

As a Shopify partner, Tower Systems is positioned to deliver to indie retailers wonderful Shopify connected POS software solutions, helping these retailers leverage in-store and online for maximum benefit.

This pre order solution helps retailers sell what they do not have but will have once stock arrives. This is a smart solution that is good for nimble and flexible small business retailers.

Here is part of what we deliver to our POS software connected Shopify customers:

  1. A pre-development over the phone Q&A meeting.
  2. Shopify link. This is a facility in the Retailer software to link with Shopify.
  3. Live Shopify site as per the facilities and functionality outlined in this document – see below, including pre development consultation.
  4. Up to 2 hours of hand-over training.
  5. Three months of phone-based assistance (but not software changes) following delivery.
  6. A comprehensive handover document that provides support, written training and guidance on your next steps. This is the same for all our Shopify site customers. i.e. it is not document written especially for you.
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POS software helps small business retailers add a surcharge for credit card use

September 26, 2019
2 Min read
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Credit cards cost retailers money. Some more so than others. Indeed, some cards can cost a retailer three times as much as the lowest cost card. This is a real cost to business, a cost that retailers are seeking to m mitigate, especially in situations where they are unable to adequately cover the cost due to the fixed price nature of what they sell.

This challenge is especially real in small business retail, where economy of scale is not available and where leverage to push down other overhead costs is not an option.

Here at our POS software company, we have helped retailers for years to have options for charging a surcharge automatically through the software, tracked, managed and collected to help the businesses defray these cards costs.

While the charging of a surcharge is contentious, credit card fees are a real cost of business that is hidden, and that is why big businesses like it we think, because they have negotiating power to keep costs low and therefore not need to recover the card costs they are hit with by banks.

In charging a surcharge, small business retailers are being transparent about real costs and showing customers how they can help businesses to transact on a more equitable footing.

Tower Systems makes it easy. manageable and changeable for indie retailers to charge a credit card use surcharge, which is in line with ACCC requirements, through the software with transparency and tracking through the business and into Xero, MYOB and more through POS software integrations.

Whether you charge a surcharge or not is 100% up to you. For what it’s worth, we do not in the shops we own because they are in competitive Westfield centres and we’d rather not be that business that charges a surcharge.

Tower Systems serves indie specialty retailers with POS software designed specifically for those niche businesses, software tuned to their needs and that help businesses manage more efficiently and safely in a rapidly changing retail environment.

What we offer in the area of a credit card surcharge facility is a small part of a bigger and more valuable offering for indie retailers.

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POS connected Shopping web development for retailers in Australia and New Zealand

September 25, 2019
4 Min read
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Tower Systems is a skilled POS software company that also develops awesome Shopify sites connected to its POS software for indie retailers in niche retail  channels like: jewellers, garden centres, produce, toy, firearms, fishing, outdoors, newsagents, pet, gift, book, bike and adult.

Included in  our fixed price Shopify work is:

  1. A pre-development over the phone Q&A meeting.
  2. Shopify link.This is a facility in the Retailer software to link with Shopify.
  3. Live Shopify site as per the facilities and functionality outlined in this document – see below, including pre development consultation.
  4. Up to 2 hours of hand-over training.
  5. Three months of phone-based assistance (but not software changes) following delivery.
  6. A comprehensive handover document that provides support, written training and guidance on your next steps. This is the same for all our Shopify site customers. i.e. it is not document written especially for you.

However, what we do is far more comprehensive than this. We work hard to deliver beautiful websites that serve the needs of our customers. This work includes:

  1. Template / theme selection. We will step you through template / theme options included in the price and with you and choose one for the site. We will then make the selection for you and set this up. Note: there are some themes (not developed by us) that you can purchase outside our package price for more specialist options. These can cost up to $400.00 extra.
  2. Overall design to be applied to the template selected to customise the look and feel of the site. The design process is not priced to be a back and forth process. We would consult prior to doing the customisation. We will listen to your brief and provide a design. Minor adjustments can be made within the quote but any diversion from the original brief would add to the cost.
  3. A functioning live website for your businessthat works and can be accessed from different devices – computer, phone, tablet – with auto detect of the device so the site looks good. With the website to be based on Shopify with the following:
    1. Homepage. Including text, images, button. With you providing g us with the text you want.
    2. Home page links to any business accounts you have for: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
    3. A home page feed of your business blog if you have one and it is published through Shopify that allows data feeds.
    4. Admin page for your management of the site. This is not seen by the public. There is a range of settings you can control for proper management of the site.
    5. About page. Where your business is described. You will provide the text for this.
    6. Privacy Policy page listing a good privacy policy we have developed – that you can modify.
    7. Terms and conditions page listing terms and conditions we have developed – that you can modify.
    8. Contact us page showing location on a map and making contact easy.
    9. Up to two additional pages where you provide exact text and images for those static pages. By static, we mean information only pages.
    10. A shopping cart facility for managing the products you sell. This is the guts of the site, the most important part. This specifically includes facilities you would use to manually load products or import products and product images direct from Retailer.
  4. The setup of auto-loading of products into the site via a live link to the Tower Systems Retailer software. You need to have this data in Retailer already.
  5. Interfacing to one or both payment gateways: Stripe and Paypal.
  6. Interfacing to buy now pay later payments methods you wish. You will need to create accounts for each.
  7. Defined to Google and Bing so search engines know about the site.

This list is not complete. We do much more in service of our retail business customers who want to get live and selling online with Shopify.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Free POS software training for all small business retailers using the Tower Systems POS software

September 8, 2019
2 Min read
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A week ago, Tower Systems announced that all users of its POS software have access to free one on one training in the use off the POS software regardless of the version of the software they are using.

There are no strings to this free POS software training offer for small business retailers.

This is a genuine offer by the POS software company to help indie retailers using the Tower Systems software to get more from the software, to unlock tangible benefits for their businesses and for themselves.

It is rare that a POS software company provided free training to any customer, especially those who might have bought the software years ago and not paid for software support for many years. But that is what Tower Systems has delivered with this offer. That is what the company now has available for its customers.

To book for a free training session, all Tower Systems POS software customers need do is email bookings@towersystems.com.au and our training booking team will find out the topics you would like covered in the training, determine the best person to co9ver these areas of the software for you and arrange a time for the free training session.

This is a serious, structured and complete free opportunity that we have created to invest value into the businesses of our POS software customers. This is us investing not only in them but in small business retail more broadly.

Our hope its to drive business efficiency, business profitability and business enjoyment for all involved. We know that these are common outcomes from the POS software training that we have provided and can provide in a variety of business situations.

We create, sell, support and enhance POS software for specialty retailers: jewellers, garden centres, produce, toy, firearms, fishing, outdoors, newsagents, pet, gift, book, bike and adult. The free training offer is for retailers in these retail channels, regardless of the age of their POS software, regardless of whether they are covered by a software support agreement.

We are grateful to be in a position to make this investment in our small business user community.

If you know a business using our POS software, please let them know about  this free offer from us. Everyone is welcome!

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POS software connected Christmas ornaments website

August 25, 2019
2 Min read
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www.myornaments.com.au is another e-commerce website connected to out POS software. Int offers an excellent range of Hallmark Keepsake ornaments.

This direct POS software connected site is another from our team bringing online sales from around Australia to a local suburban business. reaching a pool of shoppers in the millions compared to the tens of thousands in the suburb surrounding the business.

A hero product is the musical (with light and sound) ornament from Hallmark celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Lion King. This very special ornament has been a hero since the website launched the 2019 range just over a week ago.

Promoted through an integrated social media, email and SEO campaign, the My ornaments Christmas ornaments website is popular with search engines and shoppers, delivering access to hard to find, limited edition keepsake ornaments from Hallmark and others.

Here is what makes The Lion King ornament  so special:

Press the button on this fun Christmas tree ornament to play a clip of ”Hakuna Matata” and see the scene light up as Timon Pumbaa and Simba strut their carefree attitude across a moss-covered log.

Fans of ”The Lion King” will treasure this commemorative decoration for the 25th anniversary of the Disney animated classic. Light and sound features are battery-operated. | Magic Light and Sound Christmas tree ornament.

Press the button on the ornament to see the scene illuminate and hear music from ”Hakuna Matata.” Battery operated. Requires three (3) LR44 batteries included. | This artist crafted Christmas tree ornament comes pre-packaged in a box for easy gift giving preservation and storage. Dated 2019 in copyright.

With data flowing automatically from the Tower POS software as well as images, management of e-commerce sites for small business retailers using the Tower Systems POS software is easy thanks to integrations direct with Shopify, Magento and WooCommerce. The time  saved for retailers is appreciated and valued.

Through a growing portfolio of best in breed websites, Tower Systems is helping more and more small business retailers find and serve new shoppers online from their regional and rural shops. This is bringing revenue often from the city to country towns. It’s good for the local business and the communities relying on the businesses.

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Awesome small business POS software update in beta release

August 10, 2019
1 Min read
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Earlier this week, Tower Systems commenced beta release of an awesome POS software update for its small business retailers. Plenty of the content in this update was suggested by small business retail customers who asked for enhancements based on in-store experiences. Each new facility and each enhancement of an existing facility adds value to what we offer our customers through our specialty retail POS software.

Once the beta release cycle is complete and feedback processed, we will commence commercial release.

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Humm buy now pay later helps small business retailers compete

August 9, 2019
2 Min read
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Tower Systems was the first POS software company to offer direct in integration between POS software and the Humm buy now pay later product.

Today, years on, many of the Tower POS software customers are Humm users, winning retail sales thanks to offering easy and safe access to an interest free finance model that customers love.

Accessible direct from within the POS software, Humm is another payment method accessible from the counter,. seamlessly, with few keystrokes, offering indie retailers easy payment surety that is better than LayBy can be. It is a terrific solution in this space, one small business retailers are enjoying and appreciating.

Tower Systems works with Humm to enhance  the solution and evolve wth marketplace needs.

Give your customers the power to pay later, interest free and watch your sales grow. Tower Systems and Humm have teamed up to provide a seamless, interest free payment solution for your customer, allowing your business to benefit from:

  1. Increased sales volume
  2. Increased average order values
  3. Increased customer repurchases
  4. Now, with a seamless integration with Tower Systems, you can accept Humm and Zip payments as soon as you are accredited. Simply enter your credentials.

Getting up and running with Humm is the easy.

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POS software that helps retailers sell by measure and sell by fractions

August 1, 2019
2 Min read
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The POS software from Tower Systems is powerful in ways specialty retailers like.

In addition to awesome and government approved scale integration, the software also allows sales of items by fractions. This is important when you sell a portion of something, like a length of fabric or a length of wire or a weight of something but don’t have scales integrated.

Not many POS software programs let you sell 1.25 of something or .75 of something. They usually want to deal only in whole numbers. Selling by fractions is important to many retailers. Tower Systems has the answer.

Thanks to our with in fishing businesses where they sell bait by fractions and in bike repair businesses where a component can be to several decimal places in measure, our software its proven and able to help in this area.

Selling by fractions is just one of a bunch of terrific facilities that we have built into our POS software for specialty retailers, facilities that help them run more efficient businesses, enjoy more accurate trading and better control the inventory investment in their business. This is what good software does, it is first for purpose in serving the needs of a business.

Tower Systems is a well established POS software company with thousands of small indie retailers in Australia and New Zealand. We have attracted customers through cool facilities such as being able to sell by measure, including selling by fractions.

This is what we do, it is what we are known for. That we sell what we make helps us deliver on the provided that we make to those we do business with.

While Tower Systems offers POS services for all retailers, our core business is the provision of specialist software packages for gift shops, newsagents, jewellers, pet shops, garden centres, firearms shops, adult shops, bike shops and toy shops.  We are the leading Australian company supporting these markets and our software is directly developed for their unique needs.

Tower Systems understands these needs because it owns and manages its own thriving retail businesses.  Our staff have retail experience and our software is informed by what happens in real world business – not from what happens behind a desk.

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POS software loyalty 2.0 for small business retailers

July 24, 2019
3 Min read
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Loyalty systems have been around in retail for decades. Too often, small business retailers copy big business, and fail.

A good loyalty system will get shoppers spending more, doling more than is usual, and doing this at little or no cost to a retail business.

A good loyalty system will be loved by shoppers.

A good loyalty system offers shoppers flexibility.

A good loyalty system has little or no management overhead.

A good loyalty system reveals insights about your business that are helpful, impactful and revealing.

A good loyalty system helps you grow your business, helps you make your business more valuable.

This is about Loyalty 2.0 – a fresh approach to shopper loyalty for small business retailers.

Discount vouchers have been in our POS software for more than six years. They are one of several valuable shopper loyalty tools designed to drive revenue and return shopper visits.

Yet, discount vouchers are the most misunderstood.

Setup is easy. It takes a few minutes. Change is easy, with changes taking effect immediately. Management its easy thanks tp three awesome reports. Pitch is easysince you can call them whatever you like, what is appropriate to your business.

The mistake most retailers make is overthinking. Stop that! Set Discount Vouchers up and see how your customers respond. Adjust accordingly.

In our experience, on average, only 20% of vouchers handed out are redeemed. Those offered with the least rules achieve the best commercial outcome for the retailer.

Remember, the $$$ opportunity on the discount voucher is a good reason to review pricing, to factor in the cost of voucher redemption.

So…

  1. Choose what you want to call them: Discount Voucher; Bonus Bucks; Thank You Gift; Come Back Again Gift; Appreciation Voucher; Pass It On $$$.
  2. Set your settings. Know they can change as you learn more.
  3. We suggest a 28 day expiry.
  4. Have the voucher value show as $$.
  5. Let vouchers be redeemed for as many different products as possible.
  6. Go!

ADVICE ON PROMOTING DISCOUNT VOUCHERS.

Every time a voucher prints, present it to the customer by placing it on the counter facing them with your finger next to the amount and say, while maintaining eye contact, hey you have a voucher here for $x.xx that you can use in store in the next 28 days. Well done.

Make sure that everyone working at the counter knows that the success of vouchers depends on their pitch.

Now, if they complain about the low voucher value have a response like hey it’s appreciation that almost no other business around here will show you.

Guys are more likely to spend the voucher right away.

Girls are more like to collect vouchers and put them together, which we recommend you allow.

What you want to see when you have out a voucher is for them to lift their hear and turn to look back into the shop, thinking of what they could buy.

GOOD LUCK!

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To find out more about our awesome POS software and support fir indie specialty retailers, please call our sales team on 1300 662 957 or email them at sales@towersystems.com.au.

Tower Systems is an Australian POS software company serving 3,500+ specialty retailers in Australia and New Zealand.

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Better than LayBy, POS software helps small business retailers better serve customers

July 12, 2019
2 Min read
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Thanks to the well-established and deep integration of the Tower Systems POS software with Zip Pay, Zip Money and Humm (through Flexi group), we are able to offer small business retailers valuable and wonderful alternatives to LayBy.

The beauty of our buy now pay later offers is that our customers, the retailers, can demonstrate better flexibility.

We were the first POS software company to integrate with Humm, delivering excellent results for our partner retailers. Humm is fast, easy and backed by the massive Flexi group. This is good news for retailers.

Our pitch for retailers on our buy now pay later integrations is simple:

Give your customers the power to pay later, interest free and watch your sales grow. Tower Systems and Humm /Zip and others have teamed up to provide a seamless, interest free payment solution for your customer, allowing your business to benefit from:

  1. Increased sales volume
  2. Increased average order values
  3. Increased customer repurchases
  4. Now, with a seamless integration with Tower Systems, you can accept Humm and Zip payments as soon as you are accredited. Simply enter your credentials.

Getting up and running with Humm and Zip is the easiest.

We do remind our retailers, however, to be informed. ASIC has released a report into buy now pay later businesses and their model. Retailers could benefit from reading this and understanding that the spotlight is increasing on this type of funding. While we see that buy now pay later helps retailers get business today, we suggest you don’t become dependent on it as tighter regulations are coming for this area of finance that is essentially unregulated.

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Produce business software / farm supply POS software helps local businesses serve local communities

July 5, 2019
3 Min read
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Our POS software for produce stores, farm supply businesses, rural supply businesses and related is having an awesome year thanks to software enhancements supplier connections that help these businesses thrive.

From managing the sale of bulky goods to respecting risks of hazardous materials to providing meaningful delivery dockets to managing special orders, the rural supplies / produce business software from Tower Systems is tailored to serve.

An asset of your business is that you are a local expert on local crops, common local farm animals and more. You canpromote your expert local knowledge through local notes on receipts.

Automatically, receipts, invoices and delivery dockets can include locally relevant information. This free information pitches your business as different to an online shop or a big business that is less focussed on personal service.

Another way we can help maximise sales is with smart shopper engagement. This is where you easily leverage customer data to reach out with reminders.

We create software for very specific retail business niches, like produce / farm supply / rural supply businesses. We do the regular POS stuff, and we serve produce business POS software requirements, such as the following list (which is not complete)…

  1. Invoicing and account management – you can manage accounts in a way tailored to your business. You can produce picking slips, manage accounts, feed data to Xero and MYOB, accounting for freight.
  2. Pre-orders – We make it easy for you to pre-sell a delivery so that when the stock arrives you can manage distribution and billing efficiently.
  3. Bagging up feed – Easily manage bagging up a bulk feed delivery into smaller, saleable lots, while keeping accurate stock on hand data.
  4. Selling from the truck. easily. Accurately. On the spot with professional remote access tools that work even if the Internet is not available.
  5. Selling by weight. Including government tested and approved scale integration.
  6. Selling by measure. To decimal places.
  7. Pre-orders. Make it easier for your customers.
  8. Special orders. Including easy notification when orders come in.
  9. Making your own feed mix. We help you track managing bulk quantity ingredients and mixing these into saleable packs of your own brand of seed mix. What an awesome point of difference for your business!
  10. Special orders. Bring product in for a specific customer and have them notified automatically by email or text when the goods are in and ready.
  11. Pricing profiles. You can set pricing rules based on types of customers.
  12. Seasonal reordering. Easily reorder inventory based on seasonal sales.
  13. Buy now pay later. Give people terms yet be paid right away yourself.
  14. Website Integration – Our software connects with Shopify, Magento & WooCommerce.  Sell online, easily.
  15. Accounting Integration – Have your sales and purchase information automatically flow into Xero, MYOB & Reckon.

Talk to one of our experts about an obligation free personal demonstration: please call our sales team on 1300 662 957 or email them at sales@towersystems.com.au.

Our training is one-on-one, in your business. Our help desk support is personal, based out of Melbourne, and personal too – because we know personal service matters in small business retail.

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