CategoryRetail management advice

Attracting visitors to your website is crucial for business growth. Fortunately, several effective strategies don’t require any financial investment. Here are five free methods from us here at Tower Systems to boost your website’s traffic:

• Optimise Product Names: When listing products, always include your brand name, particularly if you sell branded items. This helps search engines to accurately index your product pages, making them easier for potential customers to find.

• Enhance Product Descriptions: Go beyond basic details. Craft comprehensive product descriptions that feature your brand name and relevant keywords that customers are likely to search for. Detailed, informative descriptions can significantly improve your website’s ranking in search engine results.

• Publish Regular Blog Posts: Consistent, original content is key. Aim to publish blog posts at least twice a week, ideally three times. While AI can assist with initial drafts, personalise the content to showcase your unique expertise and differentiate your business. Regular blogging enhances your website’s authority with search engines.

• Develop a Comprehensive “About Us” Page: Your “About Us” page is a crucial element of building trust. Clearly state your business’s identity, values, and local presence. Include photos of yourself and your team, along with your real names and contact details, to foster confidence among potential customers.

• Utilise Free Marketplaces: Explore free online marketplaces to expand your reach. Like www.findit.com.au. This is a platform where you can list your products, allowing your product data to be automatically displayed and linked back to your website. This provides an additional avenue for customers to discover your business.

Here are some more comprehensive advice on this points. This advice is from years of work we have done for our website connected POS software customers.

1. Optimise Product Names: Getting Found Through Specificity

Optimising your product names is about making your products discoverable. When a potential customer types a query into a search engine, you want your product to be among the top results.

How to delve deeper:

• Be Specific and Descriptive: Instead of just “Dress,” consider “Floral Midi Dress with Puff Sleeves.” If it’s a branded item, always include the brand: “Acme Brand X200 Blender.”
• Think Like Your Customer: What exact terms would someone type into Google if they were looking for your product? Incorporate those into your product name. If your product has a model number or a specific identifier, include it.
• Consistency is Key: Ensure that the product name used on your website is consistent across all platforms where it might be listed (e.g., social media, free marketplaces).
• Consider Keywords (Naturally): While you shouldn’t stuff keywords, naturally integrate terms that describe the product’s function, colour, size, or material if relevant and concise. For example, “Ergonomic Office Chair – Black Mesh.”
• Front-Load Important Information: Place the most crucial information at the beginning of the product name, as search engines often give more weight to the initial words.

By meticulously crafting your product names, you’re not just labelling items; you’re creating direct pathways for customers to find exactly what they’re looking for. We understand this approach takes time. The thing is – time spent getting your data right will help you be found y more people.

2. Enhance Product Descriptions: The Power of Detailed Storytelling

Product descriptions are more than just a list of features; they are opportunities to tell a story, address customer needs, and showcase the value of what you offer. Detailed and well-written descriptions are crucial for both search engine optimisation (SEO) and converting visitors into customers.

How to delve deeper:

• Write for Both Humans and Search Engines: Your primary goal is to inform and persuade a human reader, but remember to naturally include keywords that search engines can pick up on.
• Focus on Benefits, Not Just Features: While features are important, explain how those features benefit the customer. For example, instead of “5-megapixel camera,” write “Capture crisp, vibrant memories with the advanced 5-megapixel camera.”
• Include Brand Names and Specifics: Just as with product names, consistently include your brand name and any relevant product models or identifiers.
• Use Rich, Descriptive Language: Paint a vivid picture. Describe the texture, feel, colour, and overall experience of using the product.
• Structure for Readability: Use headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs to break up text and make it easy to read. This is especially important for longer descriptions.
• Answer Potential Questions: Anticipate what questions a customer might have about the product and answer them within the description. This reduces the need for them to leave your page to find information. If you are not sure of questions people ask – search and the search engine will show you the questions.
• Consider User-Generated Content: If appropriate, you could even subtly encourage reviews or questions within your description, which can further enrich the page content.
• Optimise Length: While there’s no magic number, longer, more informative descriptions generally perform better. Aim for enough detail to thoroughly explain the product and its benefits.

A well-crafted product description can significantly improve your search rankings by providing rich, relevant content that both users and search engines appreciate.

3. Publish Regular Blog Posts: Be an Authority

A blog is one of the most powerful tools for establishing your business as an authority in your niche. Regular, high-quality blog content signals to search engines that your website is active, relevant, and a valuable resource for information. Your content is what matters here though – give of yourself.

How to delve deeper with blogging:

• Consistency Over Quantity (But Aim for Both): While the suggestion is 2-3 posts per week, even one high-quality, well-researched post a week is better than sporadic, low-effort content. Establish a realistic publishing schedule and stick to it.
• Offer Actionable Help: What questions do your customers ask? What problems do they face that your products or services can solve? Blog posts should aim to provide solutions and valuable insights.
• Keyword Research (Free Tools): Use free tools like Google Keyword Planner (requires a Google account) or even Google’s “People also ask” section and “Searches related to…” at the bottom of search results to find popular topics and keywords relevant to your industry.
• Vary Content Formats: Don’t just write articles. Consider how-to guides, listicles (“5 Ways to…”), ultimate guides, comparison posts, interviews, case studies, or even infographics (which can then be written about).
• Optimise for SEO:
  • Catchy Titles with Keywords: Your title should be compelling and include your primary keyword.
  • Use Headings: Break up your content with clear headings that also incorporate keywords where natural.
  • Internal Linking: Link to other relevant pages on your website (product pages, other blog posts, your “About Us” page) to improve site navigation and SEO.
  • External Linking: Link to reputable external sources when citing statistics or information, demonstrating credibility.
  • Optimise Images: Use descriptive file names for images (e.g., “blue-cotton-dress.jpg”) and add alt text.
• Promote Your Posts: Don’t just publish and forget. Share your new blog posts on your social media channels, in your email newsletters, and even consider re-sharing older, evergreen content.
• Personalise and Add Value: While AI can help with initial drafts, always add your unique voice, insights, and real-world examples. This is what truly differentiates your content and builds trust with your audience.

A thriving blog positions you (through your website) as a resource to trust.

4. Develop a Comprehensive “About Us” Page: Building Trust and Credibility

Your “About Us” page is often one of the most visited pages on a website. It’s where potential customers go to learn about the people behind the business, your values, and why they should trust you. A well-crafted “About Us” page can significantly enhance your credibility and encourage conversions.

How to delve deeper:

• Tell Your Story: Don’t just list facts. Share the journey of your business. What inspired you? What challenges did you overcome? A compelling story creates an emotional connection.
• Showcase Your “Why”: Clearly articulate your mission, vision, and values. What drives your business? What impact do you hope to make?
• Humanise Your Business with Photos: Include high-quality, professional photos of yourself, your team members, and even your workspace if appropriate. Seeing real faces behind the brand builds immense trust.
• Introduce Your Team: Briefly introduce key team members, perhaps with their roles and a small, relatable anecdote. This adds a personal touch.
• Highlight Your Local Presence: If you serve a specific geographic area (which is often the case for Australian businesses), clearly state your location. Include your physical address if you have one, or at least mention the cities/regions you serve.
• Provide Clear Contact Information: Make it easy for people to get in touch. Include your phone number, email address, and a link to your contact form.
• Showcase Your Expertise/Qualifications (if applicable): If you have certifications, awards, or specific expertise that sets you apart, subtly mention them.
• Include Testimonials or Trust Signals: While not strictly part of the “About Us” narrative, a small section with a testimonial or a mention of your commitment to customer satisfaction can reinforce trust.
• Keep it Authentic: The most effective “About Us” pages are genuine and reflect the true spirit of the business.

A well-developed “About Us” page builds a bridge of trust between your business and potential customers.

5. Utilise Free Marketplaces: Expanding Your Digital Footprint

Leveraging free marketplaces can significantly extend your reach beyond your own website, acting as powerful referral sources for new traffic. These platforms are often already established and have a large existing user base.

• Research Relevant Marketplaces: Beyond general ones, are there niche-specific free marketplaces in Australia that cater to your products or services? For instance, if you sell handmade goods, look for craft-focused platforms. If you’re a service provider, investigate local business directories.
• Optimise Your Listings: Just like on your own website, ensure your product or service listings on these marketplaces are fully optimised.
  • High-Quality Images: Use clear, professional photos that showcase your products effectively.
  • Detailed Descriptions: Copy and paste (and perhaps slightly adapt) your comprehensive product descriptions from your website.
  • Accurate Categorisation: Ensure your products are listed in the correct categories for maximum visibility.
• Provide Direct Links Back to Your Website: The primary goal of using free marketplaces for traffic generation is to funnel users back to your main website. Always include a clear and prominent link to your product page or homepage.
• Maintain Consistency: Ensure your brand messaging, product names, and pricing are consistent across all platforms.
• Monitor and Engage: If the marketplace allows, monitor any enquiries or comments on your listings and respond promptly. This shows you’re active and engaged.
• Explore Industry-Specific Directories: Many industries have free online directories where businesses can list their services. Being present on these can drive highly targeted traffic.

By strategically utilising free marketplaces, like our won www.findit.com.au, you’re placing your products and services in front of new audiences who are actively searching for what you offer, thereby driving valuable referral traffic back to your own digital storefront.

Local small business retailers need to ensure that they are surcharging correctly as the ACCC has said it will act.

After years of inaction on card surcharging, the ACCC a week ago warned small business it is cracking down with potentially considerable fines.

The move comes ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s   preliminary findings on the Review of Merchant Card Payment Costs and Surcharging expected by mid-year, and after both the RBA Governor Michele Bullock and ACCC Chair suggested there may be no legal grounds to stop the high blended rates charged to small businesses.

Here’s an issue some small business retailers may find. Some have their software platform funded through their payments costs and they pass all of these on to their customers. This means their customers are being surcharged for payment costs and POS software access costs. This is likely viewed y the ACCC as outside was is acceptable.

The other aspect that may concern some is the disparity in payments costs and, therefore, surcharges. Consider two retailers in the same type of business, in the same town. One chooses a payments platform that costs them .7% and the other chooses a payments platform that costs them 1.5%. The second business has a surcharge double of the first. This business could get the lower costs payments but is too lazy to negotiate access to it. That results in their customers paying a higher surcharge than they otherwise might.

The ACCC said it is monitoring business compliance, and may take appropriate compliance or enforcement action. Our point in writing abut this today is to draw it to the attention of local small business retailers.

The maximum pecuniary penalty for breaches of the prohibition against excessive payment surcharges is: $2,135,430 (6,471 penalty units) for corporations; $427,350 (1,295 penalty units) for individuals

Where the ACCC has reasonable grounds to believe that a business has charged a payment surcharge which is excessive, it can issue an infringement notice: $19,800 (60 penalty units) for corporations; $198,000 (600 penalty units) for listed corporations; $3,960 (12 penalty units) for individuals.

While Tower Systems is payments gateway agnostic, we do offer our customers access to a low cost gateway. This saves them a ton of money.

In his 1960 book Reality in Advertising, Rosser Reeves, a respected US advertising executive, introduced the world to the concept of the unique selling proposition, or USP for short.

Reeves defined the USP in an advertising context:

1. Each advertisement must make a proposition to the consumer: buy this product, and you will get this benefit.
2. The proposition must be one that the competition either cannot or doesn’t
3. The proposition must be so strong that it changes consumer behaviour.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the concept of a USP evolved from being essential to advertising to being essential to business. Finding your business USP was considered mission-critical to businesses, especially retailers. Businesses drifted, however, and forgot about the importance of a USP.

Jack Trout tells us in his aptly titled book Differentiate or Die that a USP is mission-critical in business.

Differentiate or die. There is no doubt about the call to action in the title and no doubt about the consequences of inaction.

Yet many retailers, for the most part, have remained still in the face of an onslaught of competition.

Retail is tough today. There are fewer differences between competitors. Retailers are surrounded by competition, and it grows by the day. Yet many have remained still and have done nothing.

Smart retailers are reacquainting themselves with the writings of Reeves and Trout and learning about the mission-critical imperative of having a USP.

Differentiation could be service, product, location or a combination of these. Differentiation will most likely not be price, as anyone can easily match this.

Price is, after all, the last line of defence in any business battle. That said, there are some major price-focused success stories—Wal-Mart in the US and Bunnings in Australia, for example. This is rare in an independent retail situation.

To develop your USP, engage with your employees and other stakeholders. Take your time. Determine what you and your business stand for. Following open and honest discussion and debate, the USP, around which everyone in the business can willingly congregate, will emerge.

A good USP will not require an advertising campaign to communicate. It will become obvious through actions and decisions. By living the USP in every facet of the business, you will soon be seen as unique by shoppers, and this can drive excellent word of mouth and success for the business.

Here at Tower Systems we leverage our practical retail shop floor experience to provide advice and support for local small business retailers beyond our POS software.

Every retail business needs rules—rules everyone working in the shop is asked to follow; rules to guide behaviour.

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

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

1. Customers come first. Please treat them with respect. Appreciate them.
2. We value your opinion. If you think there is something we should stock that will sell, please tell us. If you think we’re making a mistake in running the business, please tell us. If you see a colleague misbehaving towards a work colleague, please tell us. If you see theft, please tell us.
3. This is a safe place. Thank you for helping us ensure that.
4. No staff members are permitted to serve themselves, ever. If you do purchase from the business, purchase from the customer side.
5. Any staff discount is not to be added to already discounted items unless a manager agrees.
6. If you want to buy something, you don’t take it off the shelf until you’re ready to pay for the item. NO setting items aside.
7. You’re not permitted to buy something on a staff discount for someone else.
8. No personal mobile phones at the counter.
9. No reading behind the counter.
10. No bags at the counter.
11. Don’t sit behind the counter.
12. When a sale is over, complete the sale. Shut the cash drawer. Don’t leave a completed sale on the screen.
13. Only a manager is permitted to remove money from the register during trading.
14. Never put anything aside for someone who calls, unless you know them and they are a regular shopper.
15. The computers in the business are not to be used for personal use unless approved by the owner or manager.
16. This is a retail business. Customers are our only source of revenue. Greet them with a smile. Thank them for shopping with you when they leave. This means that the shop floor is the hub of our operation. Your focus on the shop floor and our customers helps the business, and this helps you.
17. If there is anything we can do to help you enjoy working here more, please let us know.

Take a moment to consider your own rules.

Here at Tower Systems we leverage our own retail experience to help our customers, all local retailers, to run valuable ands enjoyable businesses.

One-percenters are small things—easy, small things you can do for a win in any retail business.

1. Check off invoices and price new stock on the shop floor, located to disrupt shopper traffic, so customers notice you doing it, and they can look at the new products. Pricing is part of in-store entertainment.
2. Never be out of stock of popular products. Use your software to predict sales, and order so you don’t sell out. We know from inventory / sales data that most retailers are out of stock of popular items 10% of the time and more.
3. Write the value of dead stock somewhere where all staff see it. Dead stock is stock that is not selling. The criterion for dead stock varies by business type. Update the value weekly for a whole business focus on reducing this. Dead stock has no benefit to any business.
4. Place two or three products at the counter for impulse purchase. Change them weekly unless they are selling well.
5. Have at least one product at the counter that people can touch, feel or taste if appropriate. Physically interacting with a product gets them closer to purchasing.
6. Change your front window display every week. The goal is to stop passers-by and have them notice you. If you don’t have a front window, change the front 2 metres of your shop every week.
7. Use social media to share knowledge and have fun. Show who you’re. Entertain.
8. Have a staff ‘product of the week’ in a good position, with a handwritten note from the staff member explaining the why.
9. Make sure the shop is happy, with good music, good smells, happy staff and fun product engagement opportunities.

Create your own list of one-percenters for your business—the easy wins that anyone can do at any time to improve the success of the business. The best one-percenters for your shop will depend your own situation, your own opportunities. Be sure to update the list regularly to keep it fresh and reflecting the season.

We are grateful to have local retail experience that produces us with practical ideas that can help local retailers thrive. Our retail experience is something that adds value to the POS software relationship we have with our customers.

While the real gold of what we learnt at the NRF Big Show, the largest retail / tech conference and trade show in the world, is being kept close for our internal use, we do have some takeaways to share.

The NRF Big Show 2025, organised by the National Retail Federation, attracted around 40,000 attendees and featured around 450 speakers across 200 sessions. The trade show hosted around 1,000 companies. It was a conference and trade show about tech in retail, for retailers.

This year’s theme, “Game Changer,” highlighted the pressing challenges and transformations within retail and urgent need for innovation and adaptability in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) was the hot topic in presentations and on vendor stands. Only a few companies on the trade show flow did not include AI in their key pitch. From the small and niche to the large, AI was the headline. Those without it felt out of date.

Key discussions at the event focused on the integration of AI across a range of businesses and covering a variety of uses:

1. In retail:
   1. Migrating back off functions to the shop floor.
   2. Faster and better-quality decision making.
   3. Elimination of complete manual tasks.
   4. New monetisation opportunities.
2. In software businesses:
   1. Faster development time, lower development costs.
   2. Faster, lower cost and more accessible customer service.

Conference sessions.

Workshops were packed, standing room only, often with 1,000 in attendance to hear from retailers and tech companies about their collaborative innovation and how it benefited the retailer.

AI driven inventory management was an often-covered topic. I sat in sessions on several different businesses (Dicks Sporting Goods, GAP clothing, Freedom Furniture (Australia), Men’s Warehouse, Academy Sports & Outdoors and more.

They covered how AI tools helped them cut inventory management labour costs, improve stock turn, make beneficial dynamic pricing decisions, have less out of stocks and increase sales by giving in-store associates easy access to information.

Most presentations talked about how third-party AI products were key to delivering these benefits, with the POS providing one of the data sources for the AI led innovation. On the trade show floor plenty of mid-tier POS software companies pitched embedded AI tools to help drive inventory related profitability. However, when asked two of these could not answer beyond a bland, canned, sales pitch.

The AI pitch from POS software companies to retailers in 2025 is reminiscent of the cloud pitch in the early 2000s except that the financial benefits of AI are tangible for all retailers, large and small – especially small given their limited resources and the easy access to the power of AI.

AI is more interesting to retailers today than cloud was (and maybe is) because it is ubiquitous, we see ourselves interacting with it daily.

A cohesive omnichannel solution pitch was common among all POS vendors. It was clear that integrations are key here, offering flexibility.

Ease of staff learning was also covered in several presentations with retailers noting that onboarding new staff had been dramatically reduced. At Dicks, for example, their goal was a POS UX facilitating training taking < 10 minutes compared to the previous 6 hours experience.

It was interesting hearing questions from retailers in the conference sessions. Most related to AI. These were usually from mid-size retail staff:

• What’s the labour cost saving from AI?
• How long does it take to experience saving from using AI?
• What’s the transactional cost of the AI tools?
• How hard is it to use the AI tools?

Each question has positive answers available. There was little contention or controversy. It left me with a feeling that for most AI was not a matter of if but more one of how soon can I.

…

Tower Systems was an early adopter in the AI space for small business retail. In 2022 we delivered terrific innovation and have enhanced this since. Our retailers are loving the time they save thanks to our Ai tools and the quality business decisions they can make with speed as well.

Here are 5 reasons why we think local small business retailers should embrace the Boxing Day Sale opportunity, even if Boxing Day Sales aren’t a big thing where you are:

1. Free marketing: You can piggyback on the big retailers’ Boxing Day Sale promotions without spending a cent.
2. Clear out old stock: Get rid of items you no longer want to sell.
3. Free up cash: Reclaim money tied up in old stock.
4. Customer love a bargain: Customers are always on the lookout for a good deal.
5. Retail reset: A successful sale can give your shop a fresh, motivated, and decluttered look.

There are no strict rules for a Boxing Day Sale. The only rule, my made-up rule, is about value. Make sure your prices offer genuine savings that are easy for customers to understand. The sale can start any time from the 26th through to the first week of January if you like.

Fill the front of your shop with deals, no matter what type of business you run.

Don’t waste money on fancy promotions. Simply email your customers, post on social media, and put up signs in your window. Keep it simple.

Keep your pricing simple too. Use terms your customers understand. Some might prefer half-price, while others might like fixed-price tables ($10, $25, $50, etc.) with items priced at twice the table price.

If you’re closed on Boxing Day, start your sale the next day. Don’t worry about the technicalities. Jump on the bandwagon, declutter, clean up, and make some money.

Our POS software makes it easy to run a Boxing Day Sale. It can help you:

• Create a sale catalogue with special prices.
• Track the success of your sale.
• Offer vouchers to new and infrequent customers to encourage repeat business.

A Boxing Day Sale is a great opportunity to attract new customers and boost your sales. So why not give it a go?

Here at Tower Systems we have helped plenty of our customers setup for Boxing Day this year with advice on creating and running a catalogue for the sale as well as other advice, including running a sale online through a POS software connected Shopify website – our catalogue sale settings can flow through to this.

Fast access to POS software support has been key for retailers this week. They are busy, which is terrific. We have ensured our team is available for handling calls as they come in, answering questions quickly, helping the retailers get on with doing business in the shop.

From the first calls early in the morning to the last calls late at night, our help desk team has been here helping small business retailers have a more enjoyable Christmas trading period.

While call traffic has been lower, because of Christmas in-store business, we have ensured we are ready to answer any query coming our way.

Have a terrific Christmas Eve. May your sales be the best ever!

Security is important in every business. Small business retailers using the POS software from Tower Systems have access to security settings for the management of access to business data and commercially sensitive functionality.  Here is a quick insight into some of these POS software security settings: