The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

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

Categoryretail

A website for your retail business could be a perfect plan b

October 4, 2024
3 Min read
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Too often retailers think a website connected with their shop needs to reflect what they sell in the shop. While this can often work, it is not essential.

There are plenty of retailers, including local small business retailers, who run websites from the back of their shop, using the resources of the shop without additional overheads.

There are retailers who started this way, with a website as a completely different business, who then discovered that the products sold through this other business could also sell in their shop.

We know of one retailer who stumbled across the opportunity when unpacking goods for the website they ran from the back office. A customer noticed the items being unpacked, items you’d never expect to see even in an innovative retail business. Soon enough this retailer had a section for these products in the shop and attracted a whole new range of shoppers as a result.

We know of another retailer who let a friend use spare space at the back of the shop to run a new online business. Soon enough the two were working together offering the online products in the shop once they discovered that something they never considered would work worked a treat.

A website connected with your retail business could be a perfect way to explore what you could sell. That a website can easily reach many more times the people your shop reaches, it is easier to experiment. That it is new means you can experiment outside any boundaries you impose upon yourself in your shop.

This approach of experimenting completely outside what you do in your shop today is what we call a plan b., It’s you experimenting in pursuit of fresh traffic and revenue for your business, through which you might find a financially rewarding path beyond what the physical shop currently offers.

Websites are easy to setup and run, they can evolve too, as you learn more of what can sell.

By all means offer what you have in your shop online. Think, too, about the opportunities of playing completely outside what you do today and through this attracting revenue from shoppers you will never see and from products you thought you would never carry.

Connecting your website to your retail business software is easy, offering one place for managing all inventory and all sales. This is time and labour efficient. It also protects against theft.

Tower Systems creates beautiful POS software connected websites for retailers in all sorts of local retail situations.

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Plenty of local small business retailers report strong sales in Jan-Mar 2024 quarter

April 14, 2024
3 Min read
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While news outlets report bad news in terms of retail business insolvencies at the start or 2024, here at Tower Systems we are grateful to share the news that plenty of retailers in local small business specialty retail channels have reported an excellent start to 2024.

We have seen 2024 versus 2023 sales comparison data for many businesses reporting double-digit sales growth. For many, this is on the back of strong growth in 2023 over 2024.

There is a common thread among the businesses reporting terrific growth and that is good use of business data informing good business decisions.

This good news for local small business retailers is not something news outlets will report. They remain fixated on big businesses, names people recognise. In towns and cities, on the high street, it is local retail that matters more, shops owned and run by locals, shops that make a difference in the local community.

One retail business reported growth of 22%. They achieved this by entering a whole new category for their business, one they discovered after analysis of business performance reports from our POS software being used in the business.

Smart POS software plays a role in helping local retail businesses to do well.

We work with retailers who want to engage, assessing their business data, sharing insights we see in their business evidence. We don’t tell retailers what to do. rather, our approach is top share what we see and leave the rest up to them. The insights offered by our POS software are comprehensive and specific to each business.

So while news outlets preference negative news, there is this good news out there for local small business retailers that have had an excellent start to 2024, with double-digit sales growth. Newsagents, jewellers, pet shops, gift shops, homewares shops, garden centres, produce businesses, fishing shops and plenty more are trading against the trend you read about in mainstream media.

The news is good for plenty of local retailers and here at Tower Systems we are grateful to play a small role in good news for 3,500+ local small business retailers.

Let’s shine a light on a few inspiring examples.

One local retailer saw a 15% increase by analysing their Tower Systems POS software data to identify understocked products. By reducing out-of-stocks they had been missing they increased sales.

Another local retail shop leveraged POS software data insights to expand an already strong category into new niche areas. This proved a hit with several thousand dollars in new shopper traffic revenue.

Another local retail shop leverages their POS software data to quit dead stock and use the freed capital and space to expand two product categories that POS software data revealed as having greater demand opportunities than the business was satisfying.

Plenty of local retail businesses are thriving! By embracing data and prioritising their communities, these small shops are not only surviving but flourishing.

So next time you need that perfect gift, a delicious treat, or something to spruce up your home, skip the big box stores and seek out your local gems. You’ll be surprised by the selection, the service, and the positive impact you’ll have on your community. Shop local, celebrate local, and be part of the local success story!

Tower Systems proudly supports independent local retail businesses with POS software that is made and supported locally.

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Why have big retailers ramped-up their loyalty pitch in 2023 and what could this mean for you?

February 10, 2023
2 Min read
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The major supermarkets, several other retailers and non-retail businesses are spending big pitching their loyalty programs already this year.

Their pitches tend to cast their loyalty program as key to unlocking value for shoppers. Value in this context should read as lower prices.

We think their increased focus on loyalty is their response to inflation and consumer sentiment associated with this.

Shoppers are concerned about prices, especially in must-purchase settings. From data we see, with want purchases, discretionary purchases, price is less of a concern.

We have found the best way to pitch value is through an easily understood loyalty program that does not compare to the poor-value over-hyped programs from the supermarkets and similar.

Seriously, what is a loyalty point worth anyway?

While our specialty retail POS software has a good loyalty points facility in it, it’s the discount voucher loyalty program that many hundreds of our customers prefer. I use it in my own shops.

Each voucher has a dollar value. People understand $$ more than %.

On average, 19% of vouchers are returned and of those returned, a third are redeemed the day of, a third within 7 days and the last third within 28 days.

Guys are more likely to redeem right away whereas girls are more likely to redeem a week or more later.

In settings where shoppers don’t want the vouchers, there is an opportunity for a local charity connection, which extends the reach of the discount vouchers, better connects the business to a local charity and helps leverage that charity’s community to support you.

My advice, if you’re interested, is to take note that the major retailers are pitching loyalty more this year already. Consider what you can do in your business to engage with shopper interest in value.

We can help if you are interested.

Find out more:

Thanks for reading.

We serve local specialty retailers across a range of product channels and are grateful to serve beyond our POS software, with retail advice and inspiration – to help local small business retailers compete and enjoy their businesses more. This is where local value can be nurtured and shared.

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Why we choose to serve local small business retailers with our POS software

February 1, 2023
2 Min read
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Tower Systems was created many years ago to serve small business retailers and we happily remain focused on that mission today.

We love small business retail for the people, their passion and the contributions they make to the communities in which they are situated.

Indeed, it is the contribution that local businesses make to their local communities that matters to us. We see it in many ways from supporting local community groups to local education, offering locally products unavailable elsewhere and offering places for local, makers to sell their wares.

While our Point of Sale software can be used by retail businesses of any size, it is in the small business retailer community where we are most comfortable.

So, why do we like small business retailers?

This is a question we confronted recently in an interview about our history.

Small business retailers play a vital economic role, often punching above their weight in terms of economic contribution.

Small business retailers play an important social role locally, holding, sharing and even adding to the narrative of communities around the world as well as providing practical support for community based endeavours.

Small business retailers help local shoppers with a level of personal service which leads to better buying decisions.

We like these points, especially that small businesses and small business retailers in particular are more like to uphold and carry forward local customs, beliefs and stories.  Small businesses support the local voice.  This is why small businesses are important in countries like Australia and New Zealand.   

So, yes, we enjoy serving small businesses and remaining modest in size ourselves.  This is where we think we can actively contribute and do the most good.

The value of a business is not only about financial performance.  Its contribution to community is, in our view, equally if, not more, important.

Local small retail businesses rock! We are grateful to serve so many 0of them.

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