The POS Software Blog
News from Tower Systems about locally made POS software for specialty local retailers.
Too often in local retail business we get in our head about big business competitors when the most important competitor any local small business retailer has is themselves.
Here at Tower Systems we develop and support POS software for local specialty retailers. We are retailers ourselves, too.
We’ve worried too much about big business competitors ourselves when wonderful opportunities can be seen when we look at ourselves as our own competitor.
This short video speaks to this opportunity.
Not all point of sale systems are the same. Indeed, the differences between point of sale systems are considerable, from software function, to ease of use, to support, to price, to inclusions.
Our advice to local small. business retailers considering point of sale systems for their business is do your research, take your time, choose the software that BEST serves your needs, the software backed with the type of service that you want. The company providing the type of training and support you know your need. Then company with the software upgrade and enhancement commitment that suits how you see the needs for your business evolving.
Take your time. There is no rush.
Be sure what is important to you. Your needs come ahead of the needs of the point of sale system software company.
Compare apples with apples. Some point of sale system software sales people are good at playing smoke and mirrors. Be in control of how you compare software. Your needs matter.
Know the true price. Some play games with the total cost of ownership. Get to a true understanding of this before you commit.
Shop local. If you want your customers to shop local, shopping locally yourself is a good position to take.
Here at Tower Systems we are a transparent business, offering you easy access to the software before you make any decision. Plus, we will record the demonstration with you and make this available for you to share with others in your team. This helps you bring others in your business on the journey of point of sale system software with you – which is important.
So, yes, take your time, be in control, be sure that the choice you make is the choice you want to make, the choice that is right for your retail business and those who work in the business.
You know your needs better than an accountant or a consultant. Back yourself.
Tower Systems is grateful to serve thousands of local small business retailers. We have been doing this for many years. We’d love to support you with our years of experience. But, we promise, we will not pressure you. We will be here when you are ready …
Thanks for stopping by.
How much does a POS system cost? This is a common question from local retailers considering POS software for their business. It is often the first question asked: how much is your POS software?
Let’s get to it. here at Tower Systems, our POS software can be rented. Rental provides access to the software, updates, 24/7 support and other valuable assistance.
You can rent our gift shop software for $99.00 a month.
You can rent our garden centre software for $185.00 a month.
You can rent our jeweller software for $185.00 a month.
You can rent our bike shop software for $185.00 a month.
You can rent our toy shop software for $155.00 a month.
You can rent our pet shop software for $155.00 a month.
You can rent our newsagency software for $185.00 a month.
You can rent our fishing and outdoor business software for $185.00 a month.
You can rent our firearms dealer software for $185.00 a month.
You can rent our farm supply and produce software for $199.00 a month.
You can rent our adult shop software for $155.00 a month.
These prices include GST.
For sure, you can purchase outright, or lease, too. rental, though is the most popular approach. There is no locked-in contract. You can cancel at any time and the next month;’s billing stops.
So, how much does a POS system cost? Probably not as much as you thought when you consider you get the software, software updates, support access as well as access to an extensive online documentation platform of hundreds of articles guiding you in ow to use the software.
Tower Systems does not provide software to all types of retail businesses. Our software varies marketplace by marketplace. Each version of the software is fine tuned to serve the needs of the retailers in that marketplace. This is why the price varies by marketplace, it reflects the complexity for each type of business.
How much does a POS system cost? In addition to the software, there is the hardware. Tower Systems can help with this as a supplier or through advice you can take to a local computer shop or a friend for alternative supply.
Our goal is to help you find the answer to the question of how much does a POS system cost and to do so in a way you are happy with.
Footnote: for billing purposes, at Tower Systems a month is each 30 days.
There was a time when talking about a POS system was enough to put someone to sleep. It was a snooze that only techies and their ilk would talk about. Now, in this corona world, the POS system has come into its own. It is central to any business that is trading well through corona.
A good POS system is a system in the true sense of the word. It is more than software, more than most would expect. It is a system for doing business, and in this corona world it is a system for doing business in-store on the high street as well as online. It is holistic in approach … this is in the form of the software, training, advice, processes and more packaged by the supplier to help small business retailers leverage the POS system to full advantage.
So, a good POS system is a good whole of business solution. It is about more than learning which button to push to do what. It is about learning the systems and processes to facilitate maximum benefit of the POS system for the retail business.
Here at Tower Systems, see the system in our name, we are focussed on delivering a systematic solution. Our approach is whole of business from in-store to online, from sales counter to back office, from the register to the supplier relationships, from product to how the products are used by customers.
We understand the value of systems and have embedded in our software, our training, our support and our additional materials information that is all about the system, the POS software, in service of successful, enjoyable and efficient retail business.
In the corona world of 2020, our POS system is helping retailers by supporting contactless retail, easy curbside pickup, more efficient home delivery, easy integration with Shopify and Magento for online sale, easy links to accounting software and suppliers to reduce even digital contact points.
And, like any good system, a good POS system evolves to the needs of the marketplace, it evolves to better serve as the needs themselves evolve. This is critical, that your POS system evolves with needs as they do evolve.
Seeing POS software as being about more than the software itself is a good and helpful thing.
What is a Point of Sale system? This is a good question that many specialty retailers ask. Often, they know they want to improve the operation of their business, transact safely and to connect with others platforms such as MYOB and Xero.
The thing is, a Point of Sale system, POS software, Point of Sale software, a POS system, a Point of Sale solution or a POS solution are all the same thing, a solution, system, software package that serve the data and operational management needs of a retail business.
Yes, a Point of Sale system is the same as these other buzzwords, the same as POS software, Point of Sale software, a POS solution and the like. They are all the same in business goal. These solutions serve the business need, through software, running often time on specialist hardware, to help the businesses run more successfully, efficiently and with fewer mistakes.
So why can it be called a Point of Sale system? That’s because way back when software was called a system. So, the term harks back to older times when terms were more about the technology.
The reality is that a Point of Sale system is a solution to needs in a retail business, especially a small retail business where there is limited time to run the business. the right software, system or solution will help the business run competitively and efficiently so that the business can thrive and serve the local community as well as online shoppers buy connecting to online selling platforms such as Shopify, Magento and WooCommerce – the best e-commerce platforms in the world.
The Tower Systems Point of Sale system, software, solution, is all of this – tailored to the needs of specialty retailers, connected to Xero and MYOB, integrated with Shopify, Magento and Woo Commerce. These and other integrations and connections offer solutions to Tower Systems retailer customers that help underscore successful business operation, they sit at the heat of business growth opportunities.
So, while the term system can sound old school, the solutions delivered are current and relevant to the future of engaged small business retailers.
With a future in physical retail as well as online, having a software system that is flexible yet specialty focussed is key to the business being able to deliver on the deals and hopes of the owners.
Here are some questions we are often asked about cloud based POS software. Below each is our answer.
Does your POS software run in the cloud?
Yes.
Is your POS software cloud based?
Yes.
I read that your POS software runs in the clouds. can I run it on the desktop?
Yes.
How can your POS software be cloud based and run in the desktop?
We designed it for both. You choose what is right for your needs.
I have your software on my desktop. can I switch to the cloud?
Yes.
I want to run your software in the cloud but on my own server. can I do that?
Yes.
How long has your POS software run in the cloud?
For many years. We setup our first hosted cloud based POS software more than ten years ago.
We share these answers here for the record, to ensure that our answers are on the record.
Our POS software can run on the desktop or in the cloud. Our small business retail customers choose where and how they host the use of our software. We believe in choice and that is what we offer.
We have many customers running in the cloud. Some run on servers they organise while others use the secure server farms we provide access to.
Retailers who want a 100% cloud hosted POS solution that is fully maintained for them can find satisfaction with our tower systems POS software solution.
Using a Tower hosted cloud based POS software solution means that our customers have automatic, safe and secure perpetual backup, up to date software, access from anywhere and security with state of the art security measures in please protecting vital business data.
The Tower Systems cloud based POS software solution is supported by one of the most respected server farm operations in the country, ensuring strong protection and fast access for small business retailers of a level and power that is what big businesses expect.
Our approach to cloud based POS software offers our indie small business retailers security, certainty and competitive focus in a competitive retail environment.
If you want to run our POS software in the cloud, the answer is yes – through us or on another server you prefer. The choices are 100% yours to make. We will support you as much as you want.
When you do a Google search for our company, Tower Systems, POS Solutions comes up high in the results. This is unfortunate as it misrepresents our company.
We have nothing to do with POS Solutions. They are a different company with different owners, thankfully, in our opinion.
Tower Systems has a proud tradition of serving small business retailers in Australia and New Zealand with awesome POS software that we have 100% developed. yes, this is local POS software for local retail business needs.
Our support is local too. The support is provided by humans working in our Melbourne head office, in the inner suburb of Hawthorn. You can come visit us and see for yourself the wonderful team we have here providing human based support for small business retailers.
We are proud of our software and our support and grateful that is is very different to what POS Solutions sells. This is why we say be careful when you do a Google search for us and see POS Solutions in the result. They are not us.
Our POS software serves a bunch of different retail businesses. We have different versions for each type of retail business. We dive deep into the needs of each retail business as we try and make sure that our specialty software is genuinely special for the needs of our customers.
Here are some of the things that matter to us and through which we serve the needs of our customers:
When you go into Google and search for Tower Systems, here is what comes up:
A small competitor of ours, POS Solutions, is paying Google to have their ad placed in the search results when people search for us. You can tell it is a paid ad because of the AD box next to their listing. Each time someone clicks on the ad, it costs POS Solutions money.
This year we have switched plenty more customers from POS Solutions to us.
Outside of the usual POS software help desk support, Tower Systems helps small business retailers navigate lease negotiations by providing accurate sales and traffic data that can help landlords approach negotiations more fairly.
Serving many retailers in many lease situations, we are able to drawn on excellent experience and through this help retailers approach the challenges with care and a broader view than is often the case. This helps the retailers to look at lease negotiation and renewal from a broader perspective.
The work we do in this area is pro-bono, another service we offer small business retailers to help them run businesses with greater financial viability.
We posted this at 6:20am yesterday: https://blog.towersystems.com.au/2015/12/29/massive-fail-in-pos-software-loyalty-offering/ POS posted this at 4:25pm yesterday: http://www.possolutions.com.au/blog/so-why-settle-for-good-when-better-is-available
We think it is funny when we see them write about what we write about here first.
Good software comes from genuine innovation not inly in the software but the agenda-setting through commentary about the software.
We know the discount vouchers generated by our POS software work well based on feedback from hundreds of retailers using them. We know they drive traffic, revenue and profit. We know they fund themselves. You can see the benefits in the P&L.
One competitor, POS Solutions, has on their company blog published extensively criticising discount vouchers. Having now compared their facility to ours we can understand why.
The Tower Systems discount voucher facility is completely different to the POS Solutions discount voucher facility. We have counted twenty key differences between our facility and the facility POS has. This comparison was undertaken on documentation POS published on their blog recently. Their settings documentation enabled us to compare facility for facility.
The twenty differences demonstrate greater flexibility and power in the Tower discount vouchers facilities. This could be why our customers love them and why we are able to leverage discount vouchers for profit in our own retail businesses and why POS Solutions talks discount vouchers down.
Our opinion is we would talk the facility down too if we only had access to the settings POS has documented.
There are some similarities – in six areas. 23% of the available comparison points. While the two software companies call their facilities discount vouchers, they are clearly not the same thing.
UPDATE (8pm 27/4): We note POS Solutions ‘responded’ today – but what they wrote is not really response. They use obscure and unrelated quotes from others and say nothing about the specific comparison we have made what what is in the document they published about their own software and what we know is in our software. That they have responded as they have indicates they have no response other than to try and divert attention from the difference in response retailers get from their software versus ours. Retailers love our discount voucher facilities and the outcomes they achieve.
They have reproduced a screenshot from our software and used it incorrectly and inaccurately. Their time would be better spent serving their customers with better software.
UPDATE: (10:30pm 28/4): Garth Brennan a POS employee has commented on their blog saying we don;t detail the 20 differences. We have learnt our lesson of not being specific about differences between our software and POS – so as to not show them what to fix. The document we used was a comprehensive document by POS detailing how to use their software and all of the settings opportunities in their software.
The Director of POS talks down discount vouchers as not being viable, to working. What that may be the case for his software, it is not the case for us. The evidence of success is strong despite their wishes that it would be otherwise.
UPDATE: (7:05pm 30/4): Garth Brennan now says their comparison was about the cost of our voucher program. It cannot be as they have no idea of the cost. They claim there is a cost of 4.6% The problem is they are making assumptions on how their system works. Our cost is considerably less as retailers using the facility know. Their system is not our system thankfully. This is why so many customers love our system. Bernard Zimmermann the support director of POS weighs in too trying to walk back his own document we compared with. We took the document he made public and compared with the equivalent document for our software. Each document outlines the settings available. This is where the differences emerge. POS users wanting to use a successful discount voucher program are discovering this for themselves. I think this is what is driving their comments about this post.
We understand POS wants to talk discount vouchers down. We suspect we would if our software had only their settings.
The Tower Systems stand at the 2015 Melbourne toy Fair has been a hit this first day of the fair. Our Toy Shop Software is proving to be popular with toy shops and our POS software more generally is appealing to other retailers. As the only specialist software company integrated with Australian retailers and suppliers at the fair we are having a terrific time.
Toy retailers are loving what we have done already to serve channel specific needs.
Australian POS software company Tower Systems was well represented at the NRF annual concern in New York this past week with active attendance at conference sessions and plenty of time and connections on the floors of the Expo. There is no doubt that active networking is a real benefit of getting away from the office and exploring how others do things today and talking with them what we are planning for the future. Discussions were very much two-way.
From hearing former head of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, speak through to hearing how independent retailers use social media to playing with retail product of the future prototypes, our representatives soaked u a tremendous experience and made any new connections which will serve the company well into 2015 and beyond.
Sharing experiences with colleague specialist software companies in another market has been valuable for Tower Systems as it has lead retailers in a number of vertical market channels in Australia. This latest trip to the US continues these experiences.
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