The POS Software Blog

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

CategoryPOS Software

POS software company says no and loses a sale

April 24, 2015

1 Min read

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We lost a sale recently because we would not give a sales prospect exactly what they wanted. What they wanted and what we do here at Tower Systems through our POS software were not aligned.

We are a specialist retail channel software company, offering software highly tuned and tailored for a specific selection of retail channels. We do this well. We don’t offer bespoke software unless enhancements developed could benefit one or more of our specialist retail channels.

In the instance we are writing about today, a sales prospect wanted something specific to their business which had no value to any other customer. While we could have done the work it would have taken attention away from commitments to existing customers. It was for this reason we said no thanks.

While it is never easy to walk away from revenue, we appreciate the long term relationships we have in our select group of retail channels and feel we are better served serving them than investing too much time serving the needs of one customer.

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POS software which stops working if you do not pay software support fees discredits POS software companies

April 23, 2015

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Not all POS software companies are the same when it comes to software support fees.

At Tower Systems, paying a support fee is optional. If you do not pay, you can continue to use the software unhindered.

We have competitors who block access to their software if a hefty mandatory annual software support fee is not paid. We think this approach reflects a lack of trust that their customers will love their software enough to want to pay for support.

We think this type of fee is unethical as it is not explained in their pre sales process. Retailers purchasing access to their software pay too much for the first year and are then hit with an above average fee for subsequent years. By then, they feel locked in.

Shame on this other company for what they do.

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POS software help desk outbound calls demonstrate thoughtful customer service

April 22, 2015

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The Tower Systems POS software help desk is not your average POS software help desk. One way this is demonstrates it its outbound call strategy, reaching out to businesses using our software to offer advice and assistance when not asked.

This proactive approach to providing a service is all about delivering unrequested assistance and helping small business retailers achieve unexpected beneficial results from their POS software investment.

Part of a structured program put in place by senior management and executed operationally through our help desk professionals, the outbound quiet customer call strategy is is much appreciated. We love the appreciative reaction from some when we call to offer help.

Too often we year of POS software help desks which struggle to get to inbound calls for days. resourcing the service so we are able to get to inbound calls quickly and have capacity for our exclusive outbound service is a point of difference we are thrilled to leverage.

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POS software reports on KPIs for small and independent retailers

April 21, 2015

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Few small business POS software products report on return on investment, stock turn, return on floor space and return on shelf space. The Tower Systems POS software delivers on reporting on these and other KPIs, enabling retailers to have a better understanding of business performance and through this the opportunity to make better quality business decisions.

Return on investment, stock turn, return on floor space and return on shelf space are the most vital of retail business Key Performance Indicators. That retailers using the Tower software can access these for themselves and easily demonstrates a valuable point of difference.

Since some small business retailers don’t understand the KPIs, the Tower help desk and business management teams offer assistance in understanding and guidance on decisions which can be made as a result of tapping into the KPIs.

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When comparing POS software companies, visit their offices for a tour

April 20, 2015

1 Min read

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Your success with POS software is often more dependent on the people behind the software than the software itself.

Good POS software is a moving thing.

What it does for you today will be different to what it does for you tomorrow.

What it does for you tomorrow will depend on the people behind the software.

When comparing POS software from different companies, compare the people in the companies, visit their head office and meet the team. See for yourself if the team has what it takes to make you confident they can deliver for you over the long term.

Companies which suggest you don’t need to visit are those less likely to have the team you will want and need.

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Sunday retail business management advice: leverage your top sellers for more value

April 19, 2015

3 Min read

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Every retail business can sell more to every customer. This is easy when you have good business data and use this to make good business decisions.

Making more money from every sale starts with you understanding shopper behaviour today.

Get a report from your Point of Sale software listing your top ten selling items, by unit sales for the last three months. Do not look at dollars. Unit sales is the far more valuable count since this is a discussion about leveraging volume.

In the Tower software the report is a 10×10 Report. This lists the top 10 items and the ten items selling with those 10 items. (You can set the number to anything besides 10.)

In a typical retail store, the top ten selling items will account for between 30% and 50% of revenue of the business.

Look at your top sellers report and concentrate on the top selling items. Consider these questions about the top selling items:

Do you have appropriate impulse purchase products located on either side of each top item?
Are the top items spread through the store, to maximize customer throughput?
How often do you move the top items?
Do you have the top ten items in multiple locations?
What impulse purchase items do you have at the counter which will appeal to customers who purchase any of the top ten items?
Has the list of top ten sellers changed in the last year? If so, how have they changed and what can you learn from this.
Are there products which you do not currently carry which you could add to the store to sell with the top ten sellers?
Do customers who purchase the top ten sellers ask for any other items?

The idea embedded in these questions is very simple. Use the top ten sellers, or top twenty or top thirty, to focus your attention on items with which you can work to achieve more sales in your business.

By focusing on the top sellers and what you can sell with them you can increase the size of the average shopping basket.

If you can’t see opportunities for achieving more sales by placing products next to or with the top sellers then speak with your team and speak with trusted customers. Don’t rest until you unlock suggestions to try.

There is plenty of additional money to be made from your top sellers. Invest time and attention on this project and get ready to bank the results.

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POS software helps small business retailers with targeted marketing

April 18, 2015

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Small business bike shops, jewellers, garden centres, gift shops, pet shops, homewares shops, newsagents and more are using the targeted marketing facilities in the smart POS software from Tower Systems to more closely engage with shoppers.

Our targeted marketing tools leverage shopper details including purchase history to facilitate selective highly-targeted marketing to attract known shoppers back into the business. These smart POS software tools are vital to small business retailers keen to be noticed in a crowded marketplace.

Tower Systems is hosting another free training workshop on targeted marketing for retailers using its software on May 6. This is part of the weekly free training workshops run by the company for many years now. These workshops are a true point of difference for Tower Systems, they are a benefit retailers love.

Linked with loyalty facilities including discount vouchers, the targeted marketing tools in the Tower software are unique to Tower, they offer a genuine point of difference on which small business retailers can rely. We have case studies which offer evidence of engagement growth as a result of using the facilities.

Targeted marketing is another part of the Tower Advantage^TM.

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Aussie POS software helps small business retailers grow

April 18, 2015

1 Min read

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Small business retailers want to grow, who doesn’t? With rent and labour costs increasing each year, growth is mission critical. POS software company Tower Systems helps its customers grow by providing advice on how to use the software to grow.

As retailers ourselves we can provide practical advice on how to use the software to more than transact sales, we can help retailers use the software to grow their businesses. We do this every day on our help desk, through our consulting services, through our knowledge base and through our business mentoring assistance.

We encourage, guide, educate and support our small business retailer customers in their desire to grow their businesses. it’s something we take serviceably.

Even on the weekend. Take today, Saturday … we have been helping one business owner understand opportunities in their slow selling inventory pool to unlock cash and space for more productive use.

We are serious in our commitment to small business retailers from our software through to the practical advice and support we provide.

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POS software helps gift shops, small business retailers handle special orders

April 17, 2015

1 Min read

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The POS software from Tower Systems has excellent facilities for handling special orders, pre-orders and other forms of orders for customers that are unique to the customer and a point of difference for the business to offer.

Special orders and customer pre-orders are a point of difference for small independent retailers over big businesses. Being bale to do this with consistency and certainty can help these businesses more successfully compete.

Thanks to years of refinement and working with retailers in a wide variety of retail situations, Tower Systems offers a competitive advantage from the recording of customer details, tracking an order,k advising its arrival and handling a range of payment options including time payment.

We have retailers today transacting valuable business in pre-orders of highly valuable product as a result of these tools in the software. They are financially better off today and over the long term as special order customers tend to return for more orders.

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Xero features Tower Systems POS software

April 16, 2015

1 Min read

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Cloud accounting software company Xero features Tower Systems and its retail management software on the Xero website. This privilege is for software companies which have met compliance requirements set by Xero – which tower did early in 2014.

Today, we are thrilled to have plenty of retailers using our software and our automated link to Xero … saving them time and money in the management of their financial records.

We use the Xero live and automated link for our own retail businesses and can speak to the benefits ourselves.

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Small business retailers appreciate support in making the locally made pitch

April 13, 2015

1 Min read

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The free marketing collateral we released for small business retailers is being appreciated. Retailers love that the collateral is available without strings, is free and is unbranded.

We are thrilled with the feedback and are working on adding to the suite of free collateral available from our website.

We are grateful to be in a position to give back to small business retailers.

Covering a range of themes, the example included with this post is most popular as it promoted LOCALLY MADE – a very strong message in any retail situation.

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Sunday retail management advice: success today is important for tomorrow

April 12, 2015

2 Min read

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Too often we see small business retailers running their businesses thinking that they will make their money when they sell. Our experience working with thousands of retailers is that focusing on today, on the right now, will ensure the best outcome for the future of the business.

Our strategy – Make every day your pay day – is simple and effective. It’s made up of basic points:

Run with the leanest roster possibl Just about every newsagency business I review has capacity to lower labour costs.
Have your best people working the floor, helping customers spend more.
Stock what sells.
Get rid of stock which is not selling.
Have stunning displays that attract people from outside the shop.
Have compelling displays in-store that encourage people to browse beyond their destination purchase.
Always have impulse offers at high traffic locations.
Charge more every time you can. Review your prices for products people come to yoo because of convenience.
Buy as best you can.
Grab settlement discounts every time you are able.
Use your business data to guide your decisions.
Promote outside your store.

Be responsible for the profitability of your business. Don’t blame your suppliers, your landlord, your employees or some other external factor … it all comes down to you – the decisions you make and the actions you take.

If you relentlessly pursue profit with a clear focus you’re likely to see profit grow. That’s better than waiting to make money when you sell because that’s less likely to happen in this market.

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Expanded POS software beta program to help small business retailers

April 10, 2015

1 Min read

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Tower Systems has overhauled its POS software beta release program, with an open call to all customers to apply to be considered for the beta program.

Retailers in the program will receive early releases of software enhancements in return for feedback on changes delivered.

Through the open call to all customers Tower Systems is ensuring a wide pool of participants. This is important as diversity in the test community helps ensure diversity in the software testing and this results in better software.

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POS Solutions makes inaccurate claims about discount vouchers

April 9, 2015

3 Min read

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Not all discount voucher facilities in POS software programs are the same it would seem. The experience we have in our own retail shops and the experiences we hear about from our customers are different to what others report with whether call discount vouchers in their software.

POS Solutions, a competitor of Tower Systems in the newsagency space has made claims about loyalty and discount vouchers which we challenge here in the interests of accuracy and robust competition.

At their company blog, POS Solutions publishes this:

Firstly i actually do not like discount vouchers as they are an incredibly costly programs, see here for numbers.

They link to an article of theirs from a year ago where they use a report from our software to claim that discount vouchers are expensive. There is no evidence in the Tower report or elsewhere to support their claim.

Our experience in our own retail businesses and the experiences reported to us others using our discount vouchers facilities is that they are not costly. We say POS Solutions makes the claim in a marketing effort to divert attention from a successful loyalty program.

It is important to note that the Tower Systems discount vouchers approach is sophisticated and exclusive to us. The calculations in our software are secured and encrypted. While we have no copyright over the term discount vouchers, we do have copyright protection over our code and protect this with care for us and our softwares.

The POS Solutions website and blog publishes this statement:

Additionally what type of a person will you be attracting, those that like perpetual discounts. I have seen a report that people whose first purchase is induced by a price reduction are 50% less likely to want to make a second purchase. This I can believe as what your discount is doing is attracting consumers hunting for a bargain, this is scarcely prone to instil shop commitment.

The evidence is that discount vouchers attract a valuable shopper delivering bonus margin dollars at the high GPO end of the range offered in the business.

They refer to a report but no link – leaving the reader to question the source of the report.

POS also publishes this about discount vouchers:

Also it has no chance of reaching those people that do not buy in your store in the first place. If they have never ever purchased something in your store, just how will you provide them with a voucher?

This statement demonstrates that POS Solutions has not researched the marketing opportunities in the Tower Systems discount vouchers facilities.

POS has previously stated that it offers discount vouchers. This was published around the time we released our facilities. In recent times they have taken to criticising discount vouchers. In the meantime, our discount voucher offering delivers for newsagents using them commercial benefits which we say provide them a terrific commercial advantage.

In the Tower software there are several loyalty options which can be used separately or together. Our discount vouchers facilities are unique to our software. They are a key factor in driving double digit sales growth and double digit gross profit growth.

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New POS software update for small business retailers

April 7, 2015

1 Min read

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Retailers using POS software from Tower Systems have been briefed on the next update which will be in beta release this month. The company is releasing information about features in the update as part of its weekly customer communications.

Feedback from customers is terrific about this next update. Several new facilities are direct user suggestions.

Tower Systems operates a transparent approach to encouraging user suggestions and welcoming other users to comment on these suggestions. The process is unique to Tower and part of the Tower Advantage^TM program.

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POS software company provides more help to small business retailers reducing theft

April 4, 2015

1 Min read

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Tower Systems has been helping more retailers using its POS software POS software to deal with employee theft situations. We have a structured process for independently checking evidence without being influenced by stories. The process has been praised by police and prosecutors. It has been on show in court rooms where we have provided expert witness evidence.

Employees in retail businesses using our software are on notice. We have tools you will never find which can uncover behavior which indicates without a doubt that theft is occurring. This evidence has stood up scrutiny and resulted in successful action.

Our advice to retailers is to use the facilities in our software for theft reduction. If you have a concern, ask us for a free Theft Check service.

We’re here to help. That’s our motto. When it comes to employee theft, we’re in your corner and there to help you deal with it and get through the emotional and operational challenges of discovering a theft situation.

Our theft related work is undertaken at senior levels within the business. It is highly confidential. Our most cases are never discussed until completely closed and even then only ever without identifying details.

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POS software help desk Easter hours

April 2, 2015

1 Min read

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Tower Systems offices will close this afternoon at usual time for a four-day Easter break. We will re-open at 7am on Tuesday April 7. During Easter our after hours numbers will be available for urgent calls. Our emergency numbers will also be available as a backup to the after hours numbers. Plus our Knowledge Base will remain open 24/7 as well as our video streaming library with more than 130 training videos. We’re here to help.

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33% of retail customers embrace reward me now opportunities in POS software loyalty offer

April 1, 2015

1 Min read

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A retail expert from Europe speaking at a high-profile retail conference in Sydney last week declared traditional loyalty is dead, people want instant gratification. In the Tower Systems POS software retailers have the opportunity for instant gratification.

Data from a range or retail businesses using the Discount Voucher facilities within the Tower Systems POS software report 33% engagement on the day of issue. Most often, these customers are not regulars, they are infrequent visitors who look for opportunities to leverage the value of the reward in that visit.

Tracking shopper behaviour we can see that those spending the reward tend to spend equal to or more than the initial purchase value. A further 20% spend on a third item or basket, further extending the value of the reward.

We are thrilled to see retailers enjoying double digit year on year growth as a result of their use of the Discount Voucher facilities. The voucher reports, sales data and business P&Ls we see show this approach is profitable and valuable for the longer term prospects of the business.

The Discount Voucher facilities fit with the model of loyalty promoted by the recent retail experts speaking in Sydney.

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POS software company helps small business retailers connect with the community

March 31, 2015

1 Min read

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Tower Systems has released additional marketing collateral for free use by any small business retailer. Available from the company’s website without the need for a log-in or password, this latest collateral reinforces the local community connection of independent small businesses.

Developed in hour by our own designer, this collateral is designed to offer retailers options through which they can better connect with their local community – through social media, online, in print and elsewhere.

The marketing collateral is offered without strings and for free.

This is another way POS software Tower Systems helps businesses and lives its motto: We’re here to help.

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POS software company helps retailers respect Easter

March 30, 2015

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Easter is an unusual season in retail in Australia. There are religious observances to respect, the fun for kids with which to engage and chocolate to sell for people who love Easter chocolate.

Thanks to terrific analysis tools, retailers using the Tower Systems POS software are able to serve a variety of needs. Messages on receipts can be tailored to customers based on the items being purchased. This allows for different messaging appropriate to products purchased.

Another assistance for retailers relating to Easter is the ability to easily compare Easter seasons year on year. Thanks to date flexibility in reporting it is easy to compare Easters even though the season occurs at different times in the year. Easter is one season where past behavior can guide planning for the next year. At Tower Systems we help with this analysis for any customer wanting us to.

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Sunday retail management advice: cut keystrokes, cut mistakes

March 29, 2015

1 Min read

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Every keystroke using POS software at the counter is a possible mistake. Eliminating keystrokes at the retail counter ought to be mission critical for retailers.

The fastest way to sell is to scan a barcode. If that is not appropriate for a product, you need alternatives appropriate to the product, the frequency of sale and the traffic flow of the business.

Our retail management software offers options via which you can sell for the fewest number of keystrokes possible. Whether the items are high end jewellery selling for tens of thousands of dollars, a collectible piece, a magazine or pet food, we have rapid and accurate sales recording options to suit.

In one case recently we showed a retailer how they could eliminate close to 1,000 keystrokes. That is 1,000 possible mistakes eliminated, time sale and business performance and efficiency approved.

Look at your keystrokes on any given day and consider whether you could benefit your business by eliminating keystrokes.

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POS software offers small business retailers choice on loyalty

March 28, 2015

1 Min read

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There is loyalty software and then there is loyalty software. The Tower Systems approach to loyalty software in its POS software for small business retailers is broad, flexible and shopper-focussed.

With options from the more traditional points based approach through to an immediate benefit engagement offer and the ability to blend the two, the Tower Systems software provides retailers with tools they can use appropriate to local needs.

Feedback from retailers using the Tower Systems loyalty facilities is thrilling. Stories of growth, shopper engagement and terrific bottom line results. This really excites us.

While many businesses like points based programs, evidence indicates the immediate benefit engagement offer is more valuable in many retail situations. The results on a P&L and elsewhere in business reporting are compelling.

Beyond the software, Tower Systems is engaged with its retail partners to help them choose the right mix of loyalty offers which work best in their circumstances.

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Using POS software to help small business retailers and their suppliers help each other

March 27, 2015

1 Min read

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Tower Systems has commenced another project to help a group of small business retailers to connect electronically with a supplier – through our POS software.

Building stronger ties between retailers and suppliers is a key objective for Tower Systems as through this it can help small business retailers save time and reduce inventory investment. Suppliers benefit through reduced labour costs for serving their retailers.

The Tower technology plays several roles. These roles are tailored to the needs of partnering suppliers and retailers. The detail is usually quite unique as experience has shown that connecting suppliers and retailers is not a one size fits all approach.

We have been able to draw on experiences from one particularly engaged retail channel to help in others. Having the runs on the board helps us to show what can be achieved for all stakeholders.

We are not being specific about this latest project here for commercial reasons.

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POS software helps small business retailers with cloud backup option

March 26, 2015

1 Min read

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The cloud backup service launched last year by small business retail management software company Tower Systems is proving to be popular with retailers. The backup process is seamless, not taking any noticeable time thanks to the smart technology engaged. The result is double protection offering peace of mind to small business retailers.

While Tower Systems has supported external and automated backup services for years, this new even more hands-off cloud-based backup service that offers excellent protection to participating small retail businesses users of our POS software.

Run on a subscription basis and backing up to the cloud real-time through the day, this is a comprehensive replacement of the old end of shift backup approach for small and independent retailers.

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Why retailers replace VEND with POS software from Tower Systems

March 26, 2015

1 Min read

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We love replacing the VEND software in a retail business with our POS software. While people make the switch for a range of reasons, the key benefits we offer are a depth of engagement with selected specific retail channels, the ability to deal direct deeply within our business, excellent mature reporting and a lower total cost of ownership.

While we see a place for VEND in some retail businesses, in our specialist retail markets there is no substitute for channel specific software backed with channel specific knowledgable support.

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