CategoryPOS Software

Local small business retailers are time-poor.

Too often, wholesalers steal more time with old-school practices, and then they complain when they don’t achieve the sales they want.

Our POS software company, Tower Systems, helps local wholesalers and retailers to work together for mutual benefit.

• Retailers love electronic invoices for their accuracy and time saved. They also love loading stock files and product image files – saving more time.

• Wholesalers love the reorder trigger. Retailers love this too when they see revenue lost by not reordering sooner based on projected sales.

• Wholesalers also love the sales data feed, providing faster feedback on product performance.

• Retailers love being able to compare supplier performance, side by side.

• Retailers love loading a catalog without having to key in each item and the special price for the timing of the catalogue.

• Retailers and suppliers love automation around product returns.

While there are plenty of POS software products in the marketplace, few offer deep and mutually beneficial connectivity for suppliers and retailers.

Here at Tower Systems we understand the value of both sides of the supplier / retailer transactional relationship.

We love helping suppliers grow business from retailers using our software.

We love helping retailers cut suppliers who are not paying their way in the business.

This is all about business after all.

If you are a supplier to local indie retailers, think about your processes and the time commitment you expect from retailers.

If we can help, reach out. We are proud to serve 3,500+ local retailers in Australia.

If you do not provide electronic invoices or an electronic stock file with images, you are costing retailers time. We can help you create electronic invoices to world class standards for not only our POS software but other POS software too.

How retailers feel about a supplier goes beyond the success of the products they supply. The ease and cost of doing business is a key factor. It’s vital you work on that, to make your business more useful, more valuable to retailers.

We own shops and know these things from our own experience. We pursue efficiency and accuracy, hallmarks of local retail success.

Not all POS systems are the same.

The POS system from Tower Systems is Australian made for Australian retailers. It is backed by local support, delivered by humans who don’t push you through a rigid script.

This POS system is small business friendly. It is local business friendly.

Better still, the POS system from Tower Systems does not lock you into a payments platform, it does not require you to use specific EFTPOS. There is no fee relating to payments.

Tower Systems believes retailers should profit from their sales, not software companies. This is why the POS system from Tower Systems is unencumbered with fees and charged you see from other POS software companies.

The Tower Systems POS software pricing is transparent and small business friendly.

There is no extra charge for extra terminal or computer licences. Nor is there an extra charge for advanced reporting or loyalty facilities.

The modest monthly software rental cost includes software licences for unlimited computers in the location, help desk support (by phone or email) 6 days a week (incl. Saturday), access to a comprehensive support knowledge base, after hours support call access for urgent system down queries, access to our Shopify, Xero and other integrations, access to our supplier invoice import tools.

Save time with electronic invoices from suppliers.

Differentiate with you. Share your product use and care information.

Easy special customer orders. Smart tracking and customer notification.

Make money from pre-orders – Easily pre-sell before release.

Community group pricing. Set pricing rules based on customer type.

Ensure compliance when required with structured age checking.

Then, there are the awesome loyalty tools in this POS software. With many retail businesses running points based loyalty programs, differentiating is key for businesses that want to stand out. This is why our discount voucher loyalty program is loved by plenty of our POS software customers.

First up, while we call them discount vouchers, you can call them whatever you like. We have customers who call these receipt-based vouchers Our Thank You Gift or Bonus Bucks or Customer Reward..

Discount vouchers have been shown to deliver terrific sales boosts. Comparing sales over Christmas 2019 and New Year 2020, we have seen businesses achieve 12% sales growth through the active use of discount vouchers.

Typically, guys will want to spend the vouchers right away while girls keep them and often use them before they automatically expire.

Discount vouchers are easy to setup and run. Our support team can help with this. You can be live in minutes. You can easily change the settings too. The control you have is terrific and the shopper engagement reporting excellent.

Tower Systems is a small business focussed POS software company developing, and supporting POS software for niche specialty retailers.

Transaction fees make POS software more expensive for retailers. They are a hidden cost of ownership of POS software.

Tower Systems does not charge a transaction fee. Tower Systems does not force you to use any specific payments platform. We think this is what makes the total cost of ownership(TCO) of the Tower Systems POS software so low, and so loved by retailers.

The total cost of ownership (TCO) of POS software is the sum of all direct and indirect costs associated with the purchase, implementation, maintenance, and support of the software over its entire lifespan. This includes:

• Initial purchase price or the monthly rental cost summed over time: The cost of the software license and any associated hardware costs. Tower Systems has a simple monthly rental cost with no requirement to pay a year in advance.
• Implementation costs: The cost of installing and configuring the software, as well as training staff on how to use it. Tower Systems offers optional training (onboarding).
• Maintenance and support costs: The cost of ongoing maintenance and support, such as software updates, security patches, and technical support. The cost of support for the Tower Systems POS software is included in the monthly rental price.
• Other costs: Other costs that may be associated with POS software include credit card processing fees, integration costs with other systems, and downtime costs. Tower Systems does not charge any processing fees or any payments fees.

The TCO of POS software can vary depending on the size and complexity of the business, as well as the features and functionality of the software. For example, a small business with a single retail location may have a TCO of a few thousand dollars per year, while a large enterprise with multiple locations may have a TCO of millions of dollars per year.

Tower Systems keeps the cost of the software simple, easy to understand and manageable for the local specialty retailers on which it focuses.

Here are some tips for reducing the TCO of POS software:

• Choose a software solution that does not charge transaction fees.
• Choose a software solution that does not lock you into a specific payments platform.
• Take advantage of free training and resources offered by the software provider. Tower Systems offers plenty of these.
• Use the full features of the software to maximise financial return for the business.

By carefully considering all of the costs associated with POS software, you can choose a solution that is right for your business and your budget.

Epos Now is a UK based software company that has a track record of spending big on Google to come up in search results when local small business retailers are looking for software.

We are grateful to have welcomed Epos Now customers over to our Tower Systems POS software platform.

We’re different to Epos Now. We encourage retailers to compare – but before do that, be sure of what matters most to you.

Here’s a video a couple of our team members made talking about Epos Now and Tower Systems.

If you’re happy using Epos Now, we encourage you to continue to do so. This post and the video are for local small business retailers looking for an alternative.

We released a major software update around 10 days ago following a comprehensive beta release program. This update delivers net new facilities in our POS software, across a range of vertical markets in which we serve.

We are grateful to the many customers who engaged with us through the pre development consultation process and those who submitted their businesses to the beta release program. Your help has resulted in a wonderful product.

It is a buzz seeing how many of our customers have loaded this update already and started using it.

Retailers in local small business shops can feel alone sometimes when working on their business. They can sometimes get lost in a cave of thoughts without seeing a way out.

We thought about this and considered the thousands of different retailers in our POS software user community, and we developed the Insights Dashboard in our POS software, to deliver easy access to local small business retail insights that any retailer could leverage, regardless of size, location, specialty area or setting.

We wanted to ensure that what we delivered would be useful regardless of level of business management literacy and financial management literacy. We wanted to deliver the insights without the retailer having to seek them out. We wanted to genuinely add value to what a local small business retailer could gain from using our POS software.

So, via the Insights Dashboard in our POS software, we provide insights in business critical areas – with the insights delivered visually.

WHERE ARE WE TODAY 

Like every day here, we are writing today for local small business retailers, independent retailers, specialty retailers.

As a local independent small business retailer in Australia, you know that you need to be on top of your game in order to compete with the big competitors. One way to do this is to invest in a POS (point of sale) system. A POS system can help you to streamline your operations, improve customer service, and boost your bottom line.

Here are some of the things that local independent small business retailers in Australia can do with POS software from us, from Tower Systems:

• Streamline your operations. A POS system can help you to streamline your operations by automating many of the tasks that you currently do manually. For example, a POS system can easily track inventory from when it arrives to when it sells, provide guiding insights, and process payments. This can free up your time so that you can focus on other aspects of your business, such as customer service.
• Improve customer service. A POS system can help you to improve the customer experience by providing a more efficient process for transactions at the counter. From keystrokes eliminated to processes streamlined, good POS software guides efficiency and this can boost sales.
• Boost your bottom line. A POS system can help you to boost your bottom line by providing you with accurate data about your sales and inventory, and packaging these items in an insightful and decision-guiding way. This information can help you to make better pricing decisions, identify trends, and optimize your inventory levels. This can lead to increased sales and profits.

In addition to these benefits, POS software from Tower Systems offers other features that can be helpful for local independent small business retailers in Australia. These features include:

• A user-friendly interface that is easy to learn and use, something retailers rely on.
• Payment options, including cash, credit cards, and contactless payments.
• Integration with popular e-commerce platforms, such as Shopify and WooCommerce.
• A robust reporting system that can help you to track your sales, inventory, and customer data. Better still, an insights platform to guide decision making.

If you are a local independent small business retailer in Australia, consider the POS system from Tower Systems. Call 1300 662 957 or email sales@towersystems.com.au.

Take care:

• Do your research. Choose the one that is right for your business.
• Consider your needs. Know what matters to you.
• Talk to other business owners. Talk to other local independent small business retailers who have used a POS system and get their recommendations.
• Get a free demo. This should be tailored to your needs.

Here at Tower Systems we make and support what we sell. We’d love to find out more about your needs.

Every retail business needs rules of this business, rules everyone working in the shop is asked to follow, rules to guide behaviour.

Business without rules can function okay, until that one time when someone behaves in a way that is unacceptable.

here are some suggested rules that we have used in our shops over the years. they include some rules we have seen others use successfully in their local small business retail settings.

1. Customers come first. Please treat them with respect. Appreciate them.
2. We value your opinion. If you think there is something we should stock that will sell, please tell us. If you think we are making a mistake in running the business, please tell us. if you see a colleague misbehaving toward work colleague please tell us. If you see theft, please tell us.
3. This is a safe place. Thank you for helping us ensure that.
4. No staff member is permitted to serve themselves, ever. If you do purchase from then business, purchase from the customer side.
5. Any staff discount is not to be added to already discounted items unless a manager agrees.
6. If you want to buy something you do not take it off the shelf until you are ready to pay for the item. NO setting items aside.
7. You are not permitted to buy something on a staff discount for someone else.
8. No personal mobile phones at the counter.
9. No reading behind the counter.
10. No bags at the counter.
11. Do not sit behind the counter.
12. When a sale is over, COMPLETE THE SALE. Shut the cash drawer. Do not leave a completed sale on the screen.
13. Only a manager permitted to remove money from the register during trading.
14. Never put anything aside for someone who calls unless you know them and they are a regular shopper.
15. The computers in the business are not to be used for personal use unless approved by the owner or manager.

This is a retail business.

Customers are our only source of revenue.  Greet them with a smile. Thank them for shopping with us when they leave. This means the shop floor is the hub of our operation.  Your focus on the shoo floor and our customers helps the business and this helps you.

If there is anything we can do to help you enjoy working here more, please let us know.

Every day we try and help our 3,000+ POS software customers beyond the software itself. We know that the stronger our own retail community the stronger we are as a company.

We have been told by Lightspeed POS customers they have received an email advising higher costs if they do not wish to use the Lightspeed Payment platform.

Tower Systems does not retailer its POS software customers to use specific payment processing, EFTPOS processing platforms. There are no charges with any platform chosen.

Here is what one Lightspeed POS customer in Australia said a few days ago:

We have just spoken with LS regarding their new, unfair charges if you opt out of their payment platform, and when we asked what they were offering for this $240 fee, they could not actually provide an answer….despite the disruption it will cause, we will probably move to another POS system. We have also taken this to the ACCC here in Australia as I’m sure they will see this as the simple money grab that it is.

Here is another example from a Lightspeed POS customer in Australia:

The customer received an email from Lightspeed noting that the terms of the contract have changed. They’ll now be paying $700 per month extra if they continue using Tyro (and don’t switch to LS payment).

Retailers are unhappy with the email from Lightspeed outlining new charges should the retailer choose to NOT use the Lightspeed Payments platform.

Tower Systems stands ready to help retailers if they want to partner with a POS software company that does not force such a move.

Of course, it is critical retailers ensure they choose the right software for their business in terms of functionality. we are happy to demonstrate this, answer questions, learn more about your business and demonstrate the functions that are critical to you.

If, based on the information you share, we feel our POS software is not a good fit for you, we will say so.

Lightspeed has to own the decision they have made about Lightspeed Payments. We do wonder if the decision is a representation of what they look for in customers. Their May earnings presentation outlined for about what the ideal Lightspeed POS customer looks like.

Here at Tower Systems we love service locally owned independent small retail businesses in a variety of specialty retail markets.

Here are our POS software marketplaces:

• Bike shops. $195/month.
• Fashion retail. $195/month.
• Gift shops. $165/month.
• Garden centres. $165/month.
• Produce / farm supply businesses. $210/month.
• Fishing and outdoors businesses. $165/month.
• Jewellers. $165/month.
• Pet shops. $165/month.
• Toy shops. $165/month.
• Health Food shops. $165/month.
• Newsagents. $195/month.
• Firearms dealers. $195/month.
• Game shops. $165/month.
• Sewing shops. $195/month.
• Pool Supplies and Maintenance. $195/month.
• Charity / op. shops. $105/month. (Giving back)
• Doll / Bear / Collector shops. $165/month.
• Antique Dealers. $195/month.
• Music shops. $165/month.
• Mobility Scooter businesses. $195/month.
• Computer Shop / repair businesses. $195/month.

Here’s what’s included: software licences for unlimited computers in the location, help desk support (phone or email) 6 days a week (incl Saturday), access to a knowledge base, after hours support call access for urgent support, Shopify, Xero and other integrations, access to our supplier invoice import tools.

Again, there is no payments related cost – we encourage retailers to choose the payments solution that is best for their needs.