CategoryPOS Software

When people think of “self-checkout,” they often picture the major supermarket chains. Unfortunately, the approach taken by the “big two” in Australia has given the technology a bit of a bad name—often associated with intrusive cameras, a lack of trust, and a reduction in shop floor staff.

Here at Tower Systems, we see it differently. We believe self-checkout can be a powerful tool for service and flexibility, specifically designed for the unique needs of local independent small business retailers.

We’re a POS software company focussed on local small retail businesses, specialty retail businesses, businesses where the use of self checkout may be different to what you’ve seen in supermarkets.

We initially developed our self-checkout module in response to specific customer feedback. We work with many large-format small businesses, such as Garden Centres and Farm Supply businesses. In these environments, the main trade counter can be a long walk from where customers are loading heavy goods into their cars or vans. That’s what we mean by large-format.

We realised that a small-format self-checkout kiosk located near the exit or loading zone could save staff from running back and forth and offer customers a faster exit.

However, once the software was developed, we trialled it in a standard suburban gift shop, a setting we hadn’t originally considered a prime candidate for self-checkout. It worked a treat. Customers started using it. They did this if the counter was busy, for a bit of fun or because they didn’t want to show what they were buying. And, as people started using it of their own accord, we learned how they used it and adjusted the software as a result. This live and in-store experience helped us further evolve our self checkout POS software solution.

Our self-checkout solution is not about replacing staff; it is about smoothing out the peaks in shopper traffic, giving customers a choice when they want it, helping with high traffic seasons like Christmas.

We know many retailers experience intense rushes for brief periods. During these times, a self-checkout terminal acts as an “express lane,” allowing customers with just a few items to scan, tap their card, and go. This reduces queue frustration and frees up your team to help customers who need genuine advice or assistance.

Key benefits include:

• Increased Efficiency: Reduces wait times during peak trading hours.

• Better Staff Utilisation: instead of being stuck behind a counter scanning barcodes, staff can be on the floor adding value through customer service.

• Space Efficient: We use small-footprint hardware that is easy to install, even in shops where counter space is at a premium.

• Full Integration: It is the same powerful Tower Systems POS software, just in a different mode. It handles loyalty points, receipts, and coupons seamlessly.

In offering this self-checkout POS software solution, we have leant into the evolving needs of retail. Whether you need a payment point at a distant nursery exit or a queue-buster next to your main counter, this is a practical, efficient tool designed specifically for the independent retailer.

If self checkout might be for you, let’s talk. We’d love to understand more about your needs and take you through the self checkout tools that we offer.

Final note: don’t think about this as a supermarket self checkout solution. They are built for volume in supermarkets. What we have built is quit different.

Tower Systems Serving local independent retailers. www.towersystems.com.au. Call us on 1300 662 957 or 0800 444 367 (NZ) or email sales@towersystems.com.au.

For many independent retailers, bundling products is a smart strategy to increase average transaction value and to differentiate the business to others. Whether it is a Christmas hamper, a “starter pack” for a hobbyist, or a bulk-buy special, selling groups of items together is great for business.

We see hampers in fishing and outdoors shops, garden centres, bike shops, jewellers, gift shops, homewares shops, toy shops and others in the local specialty retail space.

A logistical challenge has always been inventory management. How do you track the stock of the individual items inside the bundle without creating a mess of your data?

Here at Tower Systems, our POS software offers a specific facility designed to solve this problem: Kits.

What is a Kit? A Kit in the Tower Systems Retailer software allows you to add multiple items to a sale by scanning a single barcode. Think of a Kit as a “virtual container” or a parent item.

When you scan that one Kit barcode at the counter, the system automatically expands it, listing every individual component on the receipt.

Crucially, the Kit item itself does not hold a quantity on hand. Instead, stock levels and pricing are always managed at the component level. This means if you sell a “Gardener’s Starter Kit,” the system immediately deducts one pair of gloves, one trowel, and one packet of seeds from your inventory.

The difference between kits and manufactured goods We often get asked how Kits differ from Manufactured Goods. Manufactured Goods is another way we handle some bundling – it’s been in our software longer. While they share similarities, they serve different purposes:

• Manufactured Goods are for items you build and stock on the shelf (like a computer you assemble or a sandwich you make). Creating the good consumes the components at that moment.

• Kits are flexible containers. The consumption of the stock happens at the moment of sale. Pretty cool huh?!

Why retailers value the kits facility The Kits module offers flexibility that standard bundling often lacks.

1. Flexibility at the POS: Real-world retail is rarely rigid. A customer might want the Gift Pack but asks to swap the blue coffee mug for a red one. With Kits, you can allow alterations. This lets you swap or upgrade components right at the point of sale, ensuring the correct item is deducted from stock and the price is adjusted if necessary.

2. Granular reporting: Because a Kit breaks down into its components during the sale, your sales reports reflect the reality of what left the store. You retain full visibility over the individual items sold, which makes reordering much easier.

3. Pricing control: You have the choice to sell the components at their standard retail price, or set a special “Set Price” for the Kit (e.g., buying the bundle saves the customer $5).

Seamless eCommerce integration For our customers selling online, Kits are a powerful tool. Kit items can sync directly to Shopify as a “Bundle” (provided you are using our new Shopify GraphQL connection).

When set up correctly, the available quantity of the Kit on your website is calculated based on the availability of the components. If you run out of the specific components that make up the kit, the website automatically knows the Kit is out of stock.

How to access kits The Kits feature is available to Retailer users on the Advanced or Ultimate rental levels.

To check if you have access, go to Help -> Register in your software and look for the Kits tick-box. If you are on a standard plan and would like to unlock this feature to handle your bundles and packages more professionally, please reach out to us.

Need help setting this up? Setting up a Kit involves selecting a parent item and assigning components via the Stock Screen. You can set rules for whether staff are allowed to alter the kit at the counter, giving you control over your margins.

If you would like a hand configuring your first Kit, please contact our support team.

Tower Systems Serving local independent retailers. www.towersystems.com.au

.We’d love to see if we offer POS software useful to your retail business: 1 300 662 957 or 0800 444 367 (NZ). Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au.

If you are looking for an alternative to Epos Now POS software, Tower Systems is well worth considering and here’s why. But first, yes, we are Tower Systems. We are biased, of course. We have switched retailers from Epos Now. We have experience. We’re not the best alternative to Epos Now POS software, and if we are not in your situation we will say so. Thankfully, though, we have been a good alternative plenty of times.

So, after all that if you are looking for an alternative to Epos Now, Tower Systems is well worth considering and here’s why.

Awesome software. Deep and solid functionality for specialty retail. facilities included for who extra cost. Money making facilities. Pathways to you making more money. Backed by customer service from us that helps you understand and leverage the money making tools.

Humans. Call us, and we answer. Our help desk is local people with retail experience and terrific knowledge of our software. It’s not a call centre. Not offshore. Not driven by rigid scripts. Call us and see, and hear, for yourself. In sales, support and management, we are here, available, contactable.

Locally made and supported POS software for local business. Retail in Australia and New Zealand has unique aspects. Software made locally serving local needs may well be a better solution than something made overseas, thousands of kilometres and culturally removed from local.

Knowledgable help desk. We are grateful here at Tower Systems to offer access to wonderful and skilled help desk people. They have retail experience and they know our software well. They are not reading a manual to answer your questions. They know.

No lock in contract. We back our software and our customer service by NOT locking you into a long term contract. We trust what we offer and we trust the choices we make as to customers we bring on. Think about it. A lock in contract can be expensive if the software turns out to not be right for you. You can cancel software rental at 30 days notice.

No surprise charges. Our software rental price is our software rental price. There are no surprise extra costs. Things like your Xero integration, Shopify integration, awesome loyalty tools and more are all included in the software.

No extra charge per terminal. Have as many computers as you want in one location for one price.

No lock-in EFTPOS requirement. Use the payments platform that works best for your business. We integrate with all the banks and a bunch of other payment platforms.  You choose the payments gateway that works best for you.

No cost per transaction. You keep 100% of what you take in a sale. We don’t want any percentage off that.

We’re not saying all these points relate to Epos Now. We mention them though so you do consider them when selecting POS software.

If you are an Epos Now customer looking for an alternative, we’d love to explore with you whether Tower Systems could be that alternative. If you’re comparing Epos Now with other POS software, consider Tower Systems.

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The right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business. Tower offers specialty retail business software made for local small business retailers. To see if we might help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

Buying software for your local small business or specialty retail business is one of the important decisions you will make. The websites all look the same. The sales pitches all sound the same. Everyone promises to save you time and make you money.

But how do you know what the software actually looks like before you sign on the dotted line?

At Tower Systems, we believe in radical transparency. We don’t hide our software behind a “Request a Demo” wall or slick, over-produced marketing trailers that show zero actual functionality.

We put it all out there.

If you head over to the Tower Systems YouTube Channel, you will find hundreds of videos that show exactly how our software works and how we support it, warts and all. No fancy editing. No Hollywood production. All made in house by us tech geeks who love helping small business retailers.

You can see it without telling us who you are. This is what we mean by radical transparency.

Here is what you will find (and what you won’t)

1. Full, Uncut Demonstrations We don’t just show you the “cool” bits. We have full-length demonstration videos for specific industries. whether you run a Garden Centre, a Jeweller, a Newsagency, a Bike Shop, or a Pet Store, you can watch a deep-dive video that shows how we handle the messy, complicated parts of your specific retail niche.

2. Real Training Advice You will see videos featuring our expert trainers, like Michael, walking through real-world scenarios. We recently uploaded a series on our Xero integration, showing exactly how to automate your bookkeeping. No fluff, just “click here, do this, save time.”

3. The New Stuff (AI and Automation) We are constantly updating our software, and we prove it with video. Check out our recent videos on AI tools built right into the POS. We show you how to use artificial intelligence to write product descriptions, import invoices from suppliers like Asmodee or Hunter Leisure, and clean up your data.

4. Zero “Paid Influencers” You won’t find paid actors pretending to be shop owners. You will find Mark (our owner) and our team discussing the real challenges of local retail. We talk about profit, efficiency, and the reality of running a shop in Australia.

Why we do it

We want you to be an educated buyer. We want you to see the buttons, see the layout, and see the workflow before you talk to us.

If you like what you see, great, let’s have a chat. If you watch a video and think, “That’s not for me,” that’s fine too! You have saved yourself a sales call.

So, if you are tired of guessing what a POS system actually does, stop reading and start watching.

Click here to visit the Tower Systems YouTube Channel.

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The right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business. Tower offers specialty retail business software made for local small business retailers. To see if we might help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

In local small business retail, every minute counts. From managing inventory to serving customers, business owners are constantly juggling multiple tasks. One area that often consumes valuable time is bookkeeping – specifically, reconciling daily sales and invoices. Automating these tasks saves time and money, and it sets the business up for better business decisions.

Tower Systems offers with a seamless Point of Sale (POS) software integration with Xero accounting software. In a recent video featuring Mark and Michael from Tower Systems, they demystify this powerful tool, highlighting how small business retailers can revolutionize their financial management.

At its core, the Tower Systems Xero integration is a direct link, designed to transfer vital financial data from your POS directly into your Xero account. What makes this particularly appealing to small business owners?

• No Extra Costs: Unlike many solutions that charge for integration modules, Tower Systems includes this Xero link to its small business focussed POS software as a standard feature for all its customers. This means no hidden fees or third-party expenses to worry about.

• Effortless Data Transfer: Imagine finishing a busy day and, with a few clicks, having all your sales, invoice, and even inventory data automatically populate in your accounting software. The integration handles cash taken,invoices generated, and more, ensuring a comprehensive transfer of financial information.

One of the most impressive aspects discussed in the video is the speed and accuracy of the integration.

• 30-Second Daily Updates: Michael demonstrates how quickly a day’s worth of financial data can be exported to Xero – in about 30 seconds or less! This means what once took manual entry and reconciliation can now be done in the blink of an eye.

• Weekly Batches Made Easy: For those who prefer weekly reconciliation, the system is equally efficient. A full week’s data can be transferred in under three minutes, providing flexibility for different business workflows.

• Eliminate Human Error: Manual data entry is inherently prone to mistakes. By automating the transfer, the Xero integration significantly reduces the chances of human error, leading to more accurate financial records and greater peace of mind.

While the daily process is incredibly simple, getting the integration set up correctly is crucial. Tower Systems emphasizes the importance of a collaborative approach for the initial configuration.

• Bring Your Bookkeeper/Accountant: This is perhaps the most critical piece of advice from Michael. Having your bookkeeper or accountant present during the initial setup ensures that the integration aligns perfectly with your specific accounting practices and tax requirements. They can guide on mapping accounts, setting up liability accounts for things like gift vouchers, and ensuring compliance.

• A Team Effort: The ideal setup involves the Tower Systems trainer, the retail business owner, and the bookkeeper/accountant. This triumvirate ensures that all perspectives are considered, leading to a robust and perfectly tailored integration that serves your business needs from day one.

In a world where efficiency is king, tools that save time and enhance accuracy are invaluable. The Tower Systems Xero POS integration stands out as a powerful solution for small business retailers looking to modernize their bookkeeping,reduce administrative burden, and focus more on what they do best: serving their customers and growing their business.

Ready to see how you can reclaim hours and gain better control over your finances? We’d love to help.

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The right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business. Tower offers specialty retail business software made for local small business retailers. To see if we might help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

If you’re a small business retailer and feel people working for you may not understand the business numbers, here’s something you could put up in your back room, or your relevant version of it at least. Work your numbers. be accurate. help everyone working in the business understand your numbers.

Sometimes, retail staff think you get to back the thousands in sales revenue you take in, in a day. Sure you do get to bank it. But out of that comes so much. That’s why we created this when we ran shops ourselves.

Here it is, the advice we provided to our own staff, in our shops back then. It’s relevant today.

WHERE THE MONEY GOES.

Where every dollar we get from our customers goes.

Every dollar paid to us by our customers and put in the til or through the credit card terminals gores somewhere and quickly. Some of it goes right away, some of it in a few days and most of the rest by the end of the month.

Some of the money we are paid goes before we get it – like for stock we pay for before it arrives in the shop.

This graph shows where every cent of every dollar we earn goes.  The stock cost is the average cost of items we purchase. Some items cost us 90% of what we sell them for while others cost us 20% of what we sell them for. This is why we are using the overall business average for this illustration.

Based on our current numbers our profit is 4%. But we don’t get to keep that: we have borrowings to service, we don’t receive a salary for our time and any profit is taxed by the government.

We buy stock for the best price possible but with the price of many products we sell controlled we need to work elsewhere to improve things. This is why we look carefully at the roster. Even one hour saved can be like selling $100 in stock.

The best way to help the business achieve better results is for us to sell more of our stock to existing customers and for us to attract new customers.

We’d love your help in encouraging customers to buy more. You can do this with excellent displays, helping customers on the shop floor and giving customers awesome customer service.

We’d also love your ideas on attracting more shoppers.

Please don’t think we’re putting this notice up to cry poor. We share the information to give you a better understanding of what happens to each dollar we get from our customers because we believe that the more information anyone has the more informed their actions can be.

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As noted, we created this for shops we owned and ran a short while back. You are welcome to use it, or your version of it, to help bring your own people on your ride with you.

We’re a POS software company passionate about local small business retail, specialty retail.

Our ideal customer is a small business with anything from 1 to 10 shops, operating in a specialty retail area in which we have experience. We don;t serve big businesses, or franchises.

While the right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems serves local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

The Xero accounting link in our Tower Systems POS software delivers terrific benefits to small business retailers like garden centres, jewellers, newsagents, pet shops, music shops, bike shops, toy shops, camping and outdoors businesses, produce businesses, irrigation supply businesses and feedstock businesses.

Our Xero link to our POS software was developed following Xero’s requirements. We are listed in their App Store, for which we are grateful.

Using our POS software Xero link, small business retailers reap terrific benefits.

Reconciliation & reporting focus from our Xero link:

• Automatic daily sales sync: This is an easy win – daily sales, payments, and GST figures flow automatically.
• Payment type breakup: Another win – reporting makes bank reconciliation easy by separating payment types (Cash, EFTPOS, Credit Card, etc.) to match bank deposits.
• Supplier invoice & inventory stock on hand (dept. level) data: Our POS software offers these – key for any business for Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) reporting.

The Xero link in our POS software is loved by many small business retailers.

Best of all, access to our Xero link is included in Nour low monthly rental cost. That’s right, there is no extra charge to access this.

Back when we owned and ran local small business retail shops we used the Xero link regularly, to manage the accounting side of our businesses. Our CPA at the time relied on this for accurate data with which to assess business performance. These years walking in the shoes of our customers paid off as we delivered benefits for our customers and ourselves in the same moves.

Our message for local small business retailers is simple: save time, eliminate bookkeeping costs, cut mistakes and make better business decisions sooner with the Tower Systems POS software Xero integration.

If you are an accountant or bookkeeper and would like to see our POS software and talk our Xero link, we’d love to connect with you and talk, obligation free. If we we feel we are not right for the needs of your customers, we will let you know. If we think we are a good fit, we will demonstrate this to you, live – so you can see for yourself.

The POS software Xero link we offer is robust, proven and ready to be of service to more small business specialty retailers in Australia and New Zealand.

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The right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business. Tower offers specialty retail business software made for local small business retailers. To see if we might help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

Okay, we’re an Australian POS software company, based in Australia. We are grateful, though, to serve plenty of retailers in New Zealand, small business retailers, independent retailers, specialty retailers.

Our software for jewellers, garden centres, bike shops, farm supply businesses, toy shops, bookshops, music shops, gift shops, homewares shops, nurseries, convenient fence stores, our software for these and other specialty retailers can serve the needs of New Zealand based retailers.

Contact with us is easy out of New Zealand. Our customers can call is direct on 0800 444 367. They can email us on sales@towersystems.com.au for a sales query or on support@towersystems.com.au for a customer service query. But we love phone calls too.

While we are an Australian business, our folks are spread across Australia and New Zealand. At the time of writing this, November 2025, one of our help desk folks lives just outside Christchurch, a beautiful part of New Zealand. One of our software programmers lives in Auckland, another wonderful city.

If ours is a small retail business in New Zealand, consider Tower Systems.

There is no lock-in requirement on payments processing.

We link direct to Xero.

Customer service is easy to access.

Best of all, though, is our software – it’s awesome. See for yourself though is it might serve your needs.

• Easy and accurate selling including by weight and length.
• Money making business insights.
• Search products by title or author.
• Special orders for customers.
• Club / group pricing to win more sales. Some retailers are using this powerful facility to turbocharge sales.
• Free integration with FindIt local marketplace.
• Easy online selling thanks to seamless SHopify, Big Commerce and WooCommerce integration.
• TitlePage integration.
• PacStream integration.
• Time saving supplier links.
• Sales winning loyalty facilities.
• Dispatch management including Allotrac integration.
• Easy bulk material management.
• International barcode direct connect forfor easy lookup.
• ChatGPT integration for smart product descriptions designed to help with customer searching.
• Returns management. Returning unsold products can be time consuming. Using our software, you can identify titles that can be returned based on arrival in-store, sales and current quantity on hand.
• Weatherproof product labels.
• Personal training.
• Locally based human delivered support.

There is so much more to this software.

As well as answering the phone when you call, our customers have access to regular online customer forums – genuine open Q&A sessions to which all customers are invited. These are recorded so those unable to attend can watch.

We understand that running an independent specialty retail business in New Zealand comes with unique challenges and opportunities. The features listed above, from our powerful loyalty and club pricing tools to seamless Shopify integration and smart supplier links, are more than just functions. They are practical, money-making, and time-saving tools, built over years of close partnership with retailers just like you. Our software is designed to help you reduce busywork, delight your customers, and give you the data you need to grow your business with confidence.

We don’t just serve specialty retailers; we understand them. Whether it’s managing by-weight items for a garden centre, handling special orders for a jeweller, or tracking titles for a bookshop, our software has the deep, specific functionality your unique business actually needs to thrive.

We back the software with helpful retail advice, based on the experiences of many here at Tower Systems who have worked in and run small retail businesses. Those lived experiences provide empathy, a solid grounding for engaged customer service of our POS software customers.

If you are a small business retailer in New Zealand looking for POS software for your business, consider Tower Systems.

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The right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business. Tower offers specialty retail business software made for local small business retailers. To see if we might help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today.

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au.

We asked retail experienced people in our POS software company for good retailer to retailer advice and this is the advice considered the most popular, vital and useful for local small business retailers – our target retailers.

Plenty of us here have lived the retailer experience personally. This gives us a perspective that is closer to our customers than most POS software companies. It also gets us working with other retailers.

It’s that personal experience that prompted us to share this advice about stock holding and, in particular, the significant risks of being overstocked.

The Obvious Truth We Sometimes Ignore

Let’s start with a fact that, while obvious, is too often ignored:

Stock in boxes in the back room, in a garage, or under tables in the shop will not sell unless it is displayed.

While this will be obvious to most, there are retailers who don’t get it. If you have boxes of stock you’ve not opened for six months or more, you have too much stock. If your back room, garage, and under-display space are filled with boxes, you have a problem.

Do You Know Your Number?

If you don’t know the current value of the stock in your business, it’s highly likely you have too much.

So, what’s the value of your current stock on hand? Start there.

Next, look at your non-circulation product revenue (everything except magazines and newspapers) for the last year. The numbers will support what you currently see in your shop.

As a reasonable first-step guide, I’ve tested this benchmark in a few businesses:

If the value of your non-circulation product stock right now is more than 20% of the total revenue you will make from it in a year, you probably have too much stock.

There will be some who say the 20% figure is inaccurate and unhelpful. Of course, the actual percentage will vary by product category. But as a starting point, it is a reasonable guide to flag a potential problem.

Why We Overbuy (And Who Helps Us Do It)

Spending for the wrong reasons is not helpful to the business and not helpful to you. Some retailers buy friendship through their purchasing. Others like to look busy with a shop bursting with stock. Others buy simply to feel better about themselves.

Then, there are the sales reps who know they are selling stock to a business that does not need it.

Shame on them. Shame on them for putting their own financial rewards ahead of the evidence of an overstocked and financially stressed business. Salespeople doing this are no friend of the business owner.

The Black-and-White Solution

If you have stock in boxes and no room to display it, you must consider pausing your spending. Give yourself time to convert those purchases to cash.

The best way to address being overstocked is to stop buying and sell down what you have, and to do so without emotion.

The alternative is that you do nothing, and your ability to pay bills is impacted.

The alternative is that you do not address the issue, and the issue swamps you and your business.

It’s your business. You choose when to spend and when to not spend. The choice is black and white—in your numbers and in your business.

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While the right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems was built to serve  Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

It’s natural to look for the best of something, especially when looking for software for your retail business. We equate best with being good.

Who decides what’s best though?

If you search for the 5 best POS Systems in Australia in 2025, you will see lists put about by businesses that claim to compare software, claim to provide you with a considered list.

What you actually get when you search for the 5 best POS Systems in Australia in 2025 is a list of companies that may to be on the list. Yes, that’s right, the results are an advertising list. Typically, there has been no assessment of the software, no consideration of software not on the list, to determine the best POS software.

This is what we say be careful when searching online for the best of something because the list presented in the results is like a paid advertising list that speaks to money spent by the companies to be on the list.

The best software for your retail business will be the software you choose after you have done your research. The choice is yours. Only you know what you need for your business. Given the value you can derive from the right software for your business, it’s worth investing your time in making that right decision.

Consider any best of list as paid advertising content, no more. Too often we have seen good software left off such lists because the companies developing that good software refused to pay to be on the best of list.

What makes the best POS software for a retail business?

1. The software the needs of the retail business.
2. The software is within budget.
3. The software is well supported with support access available when you need it.
4. The software continues to evolve.
5. You can easily speak to someone from the company about the software.
6. You can see how using the software can improve the value of your retail business.

How do you work out your needs for POS software.

1. Create a list of what’s essential.
2. Document what you think is unique about your business.
3. Now, create a subset list of what’s essential, not negotiable.
4. Figure out the amount you’re willing to pay for the software you want / need.

Beware free POS software and here’s why.

1. Free POS software almost always has a cost somewhere, even if it is not obvious to you.
2. It’s true, you get what you pay for.
3. Software development is expensive. You want software that is continued to be developed.
4. As a retailer you know what happens if you give what you see away for free. That’s right, it’s not viable.

If you are looking for the best POS software for small business retail in 2025, our advice is stay away from. lists that claim to have these. They are likely paid advertising.

If there’s one thing tech companies like it’s a buzz word or phrase, especially if it sounds shiny and appealing, and even more so if you never really know exactly what it is or can be different things for different companies.

That’s how the phrases omnichannel, unified commerce, connected commerce came into being, as tech companies wanted phrases to match the evolution of e-commerce connected POS software solutions.

years ago, omnichannel was the big thing. All retailers were told they needed it. Today, some tech companies are pushing unified commerce, as if they invented it. They are pushing it to keep more tech spend with them.

That’s what all these phrases like omnichannel, unified commerce, connected commerce are about – getting you to spend in a certain way, with particular companies.

The focus for an retail business when it comes to tech has to be value for the business, like real value, value you can bank.

Try and not bet drawn into the buzzwords because, in our experience, bright and shiny buzzwords have a cost associated with them, a cost that may not serve your own business needs.

Instead of getting caught up in glitzy marketing terminology, focus on the specific problems you need to solve in your business. Ask direct questions: How will it manage my inventory accurately across all channels in real-time? How will it simplify my reporting so I can make better decisions? The right technology partner will answer these questions with demonstrable functions and clear value, rather than trying to sell you a fashionable, and often expensive, abstract concept.

Now, if you think we’re writing this because we behind in the tech company buzzword race, we’re not. Our Tower Systems small business focussed POS software has offered direct e-commerce integration for more than ten years. We’ve kept up, too, evolving as the e-commerce solutions evolved. Our solution is unified offering reduced keystrokes, fewer mistake opportunities and AI facilitated business insights that help you make money, We’d rather focus on the benefits to you than using some brings shiny buzzword.

Ultimately, what matters is not the label a tech company uses. What matters is the tangible outcomes the software, and the company, deliver for your business.

True unified commerce isn’t a marketing slogan; it’s the seamless operational reality of your inventory, sales, and customer data working together effortlessly. Judge any solution by that standard. The goal is to invest in technology that serves your business with practical, everyday value, not one that simply ticks a box for the latest industry trend.

Here at Tower Systems we serve local small business retailers, independent retailers, specialty retailers. Our POS software is tuned to the needs of each off the retail channels in which we serve. Our geographic focus is Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and nearby.

If you’re a big retail business, you’re not for us.

While the right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems was built to serve  Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

Yes, here at Tower Systems we have software for nuts and bolts businesses that allows you to sell by barcode, by SKU, by some other code, by selections on a touch screen, by weight and by length. You can sell your nuts and bolts the way you choose.

Selling nuts and bolts is easy with software from Tower Systems, and accurate, which is vital in any business setting.

7 ways you can sell nuts and bolts with POS software from Tower Systems.

1. Sell by barcode, if you can have a barcode on what you sell.
2. Sell by SKU – a code you assign to each product.
3. Sell by making a selection on a POS software touchscreen menu that you setup.
4. Sell by weight, including to fractions.
5. Sell by length – if you have related items that sell by the metre or fractions of a metre.
6. At a high level like a department level sale.
7. Selling a pack of completed items for mini bulk sales.

7 ways our POS software for nuts and bolts businesses can save time.

1. Easy adding of new stock thanks to our smart AI invoice import tools.
2. Linking seamlessly to Xero and cutting bookkeeping time.
3. Smoothing workflow for customer quotes through to sales.
4. Report on what’s working and what’s not working without the need for time to create reports.
5. The seamless Shopify link makes selling online a breeze.
6. Billing to customer accounts is fast, easy, and accurate.
7. stock replenishment so as to not be out of stock when a customer may want to purchase.

Our POS software for nuts and bolts businesses does more than this since it is built on the back of POS software already being used by thousands of specialty retailers in Australia and New Zealand. This breadth of use helps us deliver software capable of serving the needs of nuts and bolts businesses.

How AI is changing retail business management in specialty retail businesses like nuts and bolts businesses.

1. Save time. There are real time saving benefits for retailers using POS software with AI tools embedded. So many manual processes can be cut and done so much more quickly: invoice importing, creating marketing text, price comparing and more.
2. Better quality business decisions. Going beyond business data alone and considering other data points can be the foundation of decision making that is better for the business.
3. Make more money. By cutting mistakes, doing less of what’s not working and more of what is working is at the heart of any business making more money.
4. Uncovering the unknown. The AI tools in our POS software are revealing to retailers things they didn’t;t expect to know or could not have known. They truly are a game-changer.

All of these savings and benefits are valuable since they free time for shop floor engagement. retail is personal after all and the more time you have for personal service and engagement the more your shop benefits.

Now, this may sound a bit weird for nuts and bolts businesses. It’s not. Because retail is retail.

Our goal is to help local independent retailers thrive. This includes nuts and bolts businesses.

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While the right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems was built to serve  Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

For local independent clothing shops in Australia and New Zealand, finding the right Point of Sale (POS) software is crucial for success. Tower Systems, a specialty retail business-focused POS software company, offers a feature-rich solution designed to help fashion and apparel retailers not just survive, but thrive in a competitive market.

We only work with small retail businesses, local businesses, specialty businesses. All of our customers have an equal voice, which we think is important.

Our POS  software is a comprehensive business management system that helps fashion and clothing retailers streamline operations, leverage insights, and nurture shopper engagement.

One of the key challenges for fashion retailers is managing inventory with multiple variants like colour, size, and style. The Tower Systems POS software handles this with ease, allowing for granular tracking of stock levels and sales performance. This ensures you always have the right products in stock to meet customer demand.

The software also offers flexible and powerful reporting as well as AI facilities business performance insights. You can analyse sales data by supplier, brand, or custom tags, giving you a deep understanding of your business performance. This data-driven approach allows you to make informed decisions about purchasing, pricing, and marketing.

Building a loyal customer base is essential for any independent retailer. Our POS software for fashion and apparel businesses provides a suite of tools to help you connect with your customers and keep them coming back. You can track customer preferences and purchase history, allowing you to offer personalised recommendations and targeted marketing campaigns via email or SMS.

The software also includes an “awesome loyalty” program that rewards repeat customers and encourages them to spend more. It’s unique and ideal for indie retail businesses. Our software also supports traditional lay-by options, which are seeing a resurgence in popularity, alongside modern “buy now, pay later” integrations like Afterpay and others.

Beyond core POS functionality, the Tower Systems software offers a range of features to streamline your daily operations. These include:

• Alterations and repairs: A dedicated workshop facility helps you manage alterations and repairs, tracking time, materials, and costs for each job.
• AI-powered product descriptions: Save time and create more engaging product descriptions for your website with the integrated AI writer.
• Image background removal: Easily remove the background from product images for a clean, professional look on your e-commerce store.
• E-commerce integration: Seamlessly connect your physical store with popular e-commerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, and WooCommerce.
• Supplier invoice import: Simplify your accounting with tools that import supplier invoices directly into the system.

The Tower Systems POS software is available for a modest monthly rental fee. This all-inclusive price includes:

• Software licences for unlimited computers in your location.
• Easy to access help desk support via phone or email.
• Access to a comprehensive online knowledge base.
• After-hours support for urgent system-down queries.
• Integrations with Shopify, Xero, and other platforms.

Our POS software is constantly evolving, with regular updates and enhancements driven by feedback from the active user community.

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While the right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems was built to serve  Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

For years, Tower Systems has supported local small business retailers in New Zealand. We provide specialised point of sale software tailored for a diverse range of specialty retailers. Our clients include jewellers, bike shops, farm supply businesses, gift and homewares stores, toy shops, dairies, bookstores, and many others. We are proud to serve a growing network of satisfied customers throughout the country.

Our software is developed specifically with the needs of small businesses in mind. It offers a powerful suite of features designed to save you time, streamline operations, and improve your financial results.

Our own experiences gained from years of owning and running specialty retail shops continues to inform us today. This along with tight relationships with plenty of local retailers helps us in our service of local small business retailers with PSO software in New Zealand.

We know that reliable local support is critical. Our customer service team is available via a toll free number during New Zealand business hours to provide prompt and professional assistance. With team members based near Christchurch and in Auckland, you have a familiar point of contact. We also regularly host face to face training and networking sessions for our customers in New Zealand.

Our POS software integrates seamlessly with popular e-commerce platforms, including Shopify, Magento, Big Commerce, and WooCommerce. This allows you to effortlessly manage your online and physical store sales from a single system. Furthermore, we offer native integration with Xero accounting software to simplify your financial management.

Tower Systems’ POS software provides a complete toolkit to enhance your retail operations.

• Detailed Sales Tracking: Monitor sales by colour, size, style, or any other attribute relevant to your business.
• Age Checking: Easily manage the sale of age restricted products with integrated prompts.
• Club Pricing: Foster loyalty and attract community groups with targeted pricing and special offers.
• Repair Management: Simplify the entire repair process from tracking and customer communication to final invoicing.
• Flexible Sales Options: Sell products by weight, by fractions, or create custom units of measure.
• Advanced Loyalty Programs: Move beyond basic points systems with innovative and engaging customer loyalty solutions.
• Promotional Tools: Drive sales with powerful promotional options like buy one get one free offers.
• Warranty Tracking: Improve customer service by efficiently managing all product warranties.
• Targeted Marketing: Re-engage your customer base with automated campaigns for birthdays, anniversaries, and other key dates.
• Mobile Sales: Use our Retailer Roam mobile app to process sales anywhere in your store or at events.
• Special Order Management: Efficiently track and manage all customer special orders from deposit to fulfillment.
• Customisable Labels: Design and print product labels and receipts that align with your brand identity.

Our low monthly rental fee provides a comprehensive POS solution for your business. This single fee includes unlimited computer licenses for your retail location, all ongoing software updates, access to our full range of integrations, and personalised one on one training to ensure you get started successfully.

If you are an independent retailer in New Zealand looking for a reliable and feature rich POS software partner, we can help. We are committed to the success of your business.

Contact us today to learn more about how our software can benefit your operations. We will begin with a conversation to understand the specific needs of your business.

Phone: 0800 444 367

Email: sales@towersystems.com.au

You get what you pay for. It’s true. Free is rarely free. In fact, free can be for more expensive.

Square POS is pitched as free from time to time. Is it really free? We suspect now. But, we suggest you do your own research.

POS systems offering their software for free rarely make it free once you understand how it works, the whole process.  The allure of a “free” system can be powerful. But as with most things in business, it pays to look a little closer.

On the surface, a POS system with no upfront software cost, free like we see from Square POS sometimes, seems like an unbeatable deal. However, the true cost often lies in the details, specifically, in the transaction fees. Many popular “free” platforms build their business model around their integrated payment processing. With every tap, swipe, or insert, a percentage of the sale goes to them.

Over time, these non-negotiable, built-in rates can quietly chip away at your margins.

We’ve seen these fees run significantly higher than what a retailer could secure by shopping around for a competitive EFTPOS rate. When you do the maths, that “free” system can end up costing you thousands of dollars a year.

This is where a different conversation about value begins. Instead of asking what the software costs upfront, a better question might be: What is the total cost to my business over the long term?

When we look at it this way, the picture changes. Our analysis shows that a typical independent retailer, by pairing our Tower Systems POS software with a competitive EFTPOS rate, could save thousands of dollars annually compared to a fee-based “free” system.

But value isn’t just about saving money on transaction fees. It’s about what your system gives you. It’s about having the right tools built-in, not bolted on as expensive extras.

here at Tower Systems we see our POS software as a viable alternative to the Square POS software solution.

• Building loyalty, not monthly bills: A great loyalty program encourages repeat business and makes customers feel valued. We believe this is a core function, which is why it’s included in our software at no extra cost. Many other POS systems  charge a recurring monthly fee for this essential feature. Not us.
• A human on the other end of the line: When something goes wrong during a busy Saturday service, the last thing you want is to navigate a complex support bot or wait for an email response. We offer 24/7 support from a team that understands retail. We answer the phone because we know that sometimes, you just need to talk to a person.
• Software that grows with you: Your business isn’t static, and your POS shouldn’t be either. Our software is constantly evolving, with enhancements and new features suggested and voted on by our community of users, the people who use it every day.
• Serving specialty retail needs. If you see your business as specialists, look for software that serves your specialist needs.

Here at Tower Systems we understand the challenges and the triumphs. We believe value is a combination of a financial benefit and an emotional one: the money you save and the peace of mind you gain knowing you have a partner committed to your success.

Choosing a POS is about finding the right fit for the business you’re running today and the one you hope to build for tomorrow.

If you are looking for an alternative to Square POS software, consider us: www.towersystems.com.au.

If you use the Retail Express POS software in your shop and are looking for an alternative, our Tower Systems POS software could be worth considering.

Awe are not always the best alternative. If we think we’re not a good fit the case based on your needs we will say so.

So if you’re in the market for an alternative to retail Express, check us out: www.towersystems.com.au.

Finding the right tools for your business is critical. Here at Tower Systems, we find our home in the heart of local communities, serving the independent specialty retailers who make our towns unique.

Our partners are small and independent specialty retail businesses: garden centres, bike shops, jewellers, newsagents, pet shops, and so many more. We focus exclusively on the needs of small, local businesses, which is why we don’t supply to large corporations or franchises.

If you are exploring your options and have wondered how our POS software compares to a system like Retail Express, we’d like to share our approach.

We focus on you

You might notice that we don’t publish direct comparisons between our software and others. This is a mindful choice. We believe our energy is best spent nurturing our software and supporting our retail partners, rather than analysing other products on the market.

We’ve not used Retail Express ourselves. We have used our software though.

The comparison that matters is the one you make for yourself, the one that reveals which software feels right for your unique business.

If you are looking for a new path and considering an alternative to Retail Express, we invite you to explore Tower Systems at your own pace. We may be a good fit, but we encourage you to take your time and find the solution that brings you peace of mind.

A gentle and transparent approach

We want you to feel comfortable and informed as you consider your options. That’s why we make it easy to see our software in action. You are welcome to browse our Tower Systems YouTube channel anytime, with no sign-ups or commitments needed, to get a feel for how it works. Compare our approach to others. The transparency we demonstrate speaks to our approach.

For a closer look, we are always happy to provide a personal demonstration. In this quiet, one-on-one setting, we can walk you through our system. If it’s helpful for you, we can even sit with you and conduct a gentle, function-by-function comparison with Retail Express, helping you see clearly how each platform might serve your specific needs.

Your needs come first

We want to support your success as that is key to our success. From our very first conversation to help desk support, we  listen and place the needs of your business first. You won’t find any pressure or hard sales pitches here. If our Tower Systems POS software isn’t the right fit for you, we’ll be the first to say so and sincerely wish you the best in your search.

The right software should feel like a partnership. Our features and enhancements are inspired by the suggestions from the community of over 3,000 local businesses we serve. This means our software is always evolving to meet the real-world needs of retailers like you.

Good decisions are calm and informed ones. We would be grateful to be a part of your research.

Our new video shows you how. See our POS software’s built-in AI instantly import supplier invoices for a garden centre, saving time, money, and eliminating errors.

Tower Systems is an innovator in POS software made for local small business retailers. We are dedicated to delivering competitive advantages to specialty small businesses.

This video showcases one of our innovations: AI-powered supplier invoice importing.

As demonstrated with real-world invoices from garden centres, our integrated AI tools make processing supplier documents effortless. This technology is a direct result of our commitment to genuine, practical support for local retailers—a commitment we began over three years ago with the first release of AI features in our POS software.

The impact is significant. Retailers using these tools report considerable savings in time and money, alongside a marked reduction in costly mistakes. Ultimately, this technology is about resource reallocation. It automates tedious data entry, empowering business owners and their staff to dedicate their energy to core activities like customer service, stock management, and strategic growth.

Described by many of our customers as a “true game changer,” this feature is not limited to the horticultural industry; it benefits any retailer on our platform.

At Tower Systems, we practice a “show, don’t tell” philosophy. Our publicly available YouTube videos provide transparent demonstrations of our software’s capabilities. We invite you to view this video and contact us for a personalised demonstration to see how our POS software can work for you.

Now, here are key advantages of our integrated AI tools:

• Boost Efficiency: Our garden centre clients report massive time savings by automating what was once a manual data entry chore.
• Enhance Accuracy: By removing manual keying, the AI drastically reduces costly human errors.
• Drive Profitability: Save time and cut mistakes to improve your bottom line.
• Focus on What Matters: Free your team from back-office tasks to concentrate on customer care, stock management, and business growth.
• Pioneering Technology: Tower Systems has been an innovator in this space for over three years, continuously developing our AI tools with each software update to support small business retailers.

This powerful feature is a core part of our POS software and is available for all specialty retail types, not just garden centres.

How easy it is to move from a POS software solution could indicate whether that software is right for your business

Some software companies make it hard to switch from their software to something else.

They may do this by not allowing easy access to your business data, a valuable asset for any business.

They may do this by locking you into a long contract.

They may do this by not offering any advice on how to switch.

We have seen software companies do these things to reduce the ease with which someone can change from their software. We think it is a weak move for if they trusted their software and their customer service they’d make it easy to switch, knowing customers want ato stay with them because they like the service, they value it.

Tower Systems makes it easy for people to move from our software because we back ourselves, every day.

Your choice of POS software is a strategic decision that impacts the future agility of your business.

Being locked into a POS system that no longer serves your needs can stifle growth, prevent you from adopting new technologies, and leave you at the mercy of unexpected price increases.

A software provider that offers a clear and simple exit path is demonstrating that they view you as a partner, not a prisoner. They are betting on their ability to continually earn your business through excellent service and innovation, giving you the freedom and control to always make the best choice for your company’s future.

If you are considering POS software for your business, take your time, investigate, be sure to ask about ease of access to your data should you decide at some point two switch software.

Also, make sure you understand the contract term and what termination may look like.

These are vital things to know in advance, so you can make a more informed decision.

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While the right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems was built to serve  Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au.