We are grateful and proud. This is us:
Aussie POS software for local Aussie specialty retail businesses
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Marketing tips for small business retailers
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Here at Tower Systems, through our work with our specialsist retail POS software, we get to see many different types and sizes of retail businesses. we are grateful for the insights they share and the inspiration they provide.
We have put together this collection of local small business retail every day marketing tips. These are tips that could work in almost any business situation. We hope you find it useful.
- Always unpack and price products on the shop floor and not in the back room or outside of shopper view.
- Always have a value-proposition offer just inside the entrance to the business. This should be a double-sided offer, one they see as they enter and as they leave. Ensure it is:
- Easily understood.
- Easily purchased.
- Broadly appealing.
- Something people will talk about.
- Fun, ideally.
- Always have an appealing impulse purchase offer at the counter. Change this weekly. Use the opportunity to learn more about what your customers will purchase on impulse.
- Always know your top selling items in the store and always place products next to the top selling item thoughtfully, to leverage the eyeballs looking for and at the top selling product.
- Run a generous loyalty program where the value is understood. This probably means not using points, because points have a questionable value thanks to the trashing of loyalty programs by big retailers.
- Create stunning window displays people would not expect to see in your type of business.
- Offer multi-buy opportunities unlocking savings for people purchasing more than would be usual in a single visit.
- Be brief in talking to customers about your products on social media: a single product per post. Two sentences. Short sentences. Make the post appealing beyond you trying to promote your business. Entertain them.
- Send customers a card for special occasions, a personal card to reinforce the personal relationship you have with them.
- Change the front two metres of your shop weekly, keep it fresh for your customers and your staff.
Our goal with this list is to give you ideas you can use right away as well as ideas that will get you thinking of your own ideas.
Go for it. Remember, if you do next week what you did this week you cannot expect any growth. Growth only comes from change.
Small business retail advice: beware web developers and consultants offering to create a website for your retail business
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We urge small business retailers to take care when selecting an individual or business to undertake Shopify web development. Inside the Shopify web developer ecosystem there are people who take the money, do the bare minimum and run – failing the retail businesses that paid them.
How do you spot a Shopify web developer who is not likely to serve the needs of your retail business? Here is our advice …
Look at their quote. Is it professionally laid out? Is it well written? Is it understandable? Is it complete? If it is none or only some of these things they may not be the developer for you for if they take this approach representing themselves what approach will they take representing you?! we say … be particularly concerned about text based quotes.
Look for understanding. In their words there should be indicators that they understand your needs and that they want to understand your needs. The website is all about you and your business after all.
Speak to them. We have seen shonky web developers void this at all costs. Speak to them. Talk with them. Engage in conversation. You are looking for someone you can trust your business with. Speak to them.
Look at them. Ask for a Zoom meeting, so you can meet face to face. Ask them to show you sample Shopify sites in this meeting and to explain why each is a good sample site for you to consider. Sometimes we see web developers avoid Zoom meetings so they can hide behind typed words. face to face can be revealing.
Say you don’t understand. Tell them you don’t understand some or all of their pitch. Test their patience. See if they meet you at a tech jargon level that you are comfortable with. Challenge them. test them. It is vital they use words and terms you understand. They have to meet you, not you them.
Be in control. You are the customer. You choose the web developer you go with. Decide whether you accept their quote and their terms. You do these things when it suits you. Do not succumb to pressure as anyone pressuring you on timing may be serving their needs and not yours.
Website development right now is like the 1800s gold rush – fast, unregulated with a lot of people being negatively impacted along the way and only a few finding gold.
Take your time. Be sure of what matters to you. Choose the business you want to work with, they business you think can hell you achieve what you want.
Know that you get what you pay for. by that we mean … some web developers under quote as a business model either because they will cut corners or because they know they can charge extra for what they did not know at the start. Again, take your time, be sure of your needs, and remember the carpenter adage: measure twice, cut once. Time spent before you make a decision on your Shopify web developer could ensure that the outcome is better for you and your business.
If you are looking for a Shopify website for your retail business: Email sales@towersystems.com.au or call us on 1300 662 957.
Recently released websites we have developed for Tower Systems customers.
www.backobourkecollective.com.au
www.inspiretasmania.com.au
www.brindabellastockfeed.com.au
www.heavensabove.com.au
www.loavesrobe.com.au
www.masterjewellersonline.com.au
www.chitchatgifts.com.au
www.eidsvoldrural.com.au
www.forevergiftsandmore.com.au
www.funporium.com.au
www.goulburnstationery.com.au
www.rehfisch.com.au
www.merimbulaextra.com.au
www.morganpark.com.au
www.nextragiftsorange.com.au
www.northsideproduceagency.com.au
www.pamperedpetz.com.au
www.www.paperplayonline.com.au
www.parkesnewsandgifts.com.au
www.rivercitypets.com.au
www.smithstreettraders.com.au
www.sprengersruraltraders.com.au
www.hefeedshop.com.au
www.shop.newcastle.edu.au
www.toyworldcanberra.com.au
www.toyworldwauchope.com.au
www.reasureboxgifts.com.au
www.uncletomspps.com.au
www.warragulpetemporium.com.au
www.welbygardencentre.com.au
www.wollongongbikehub.com.au
Insights help local toy retailers benefit from Toy Shop software
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We are grateful to have been provided a copy of a comprehensive report into global and Australian toy sales in 2020 comparing to 2019. The data assessed in the repot is pulled from a large pool of toy and toy related retailers in Australia and globally. The assessment itself is undertaken by the NPD group.
The results are extraordinary. While we won’t share the report itself here, we can share high level data. we have shared even more with our customers.
Tower Systems is grateful to serve local toy shops with toy shop POS software made for their specific business needs. Our toy shop software is comprehensive. It is also connected to the Shopify e-commerce platform for selling online – offering local toy shops a true omnichannel retail opportunity and enabling them to compete effectively with much bigger businesses.
Deeper in the report is a list of top performing brands, some of which plenty of newsagents stock. This information and other information nearby is what we can leverage to further grow the toy category in our businesses.
Of particular interest are the Christmas results and the move, in 2020, to toys and games of >$50 in value. This is the fastest growing sub-category for the Christmas season. It interests me because too many newsagents focus on low price point toys while shoppers are happy to spend up on higher price point toys.
Looking at the results more broadly …
- Global Trends
- 8/13 Countries grew sales revenue.
- Australia achieved strongest growth: 22% as shown above.
- Q4 growth was excellent.
- Australian Market
- +22% Growth.
- 12out of 13 super categories grew revenue.
- Unlicensed Toys Grew +21% .
- Licensed Toys Grew +26%.
- 10 months of consecutive growth (adding $256m to Toy Industry).
- Consumers move to bigger box items > $50 items
- Christmas performance
- +16 grow revenue/
- Unlicensed Toys grew 19%.
- Licensed Toys grew 11%.
- 12 out of 13 super categories grew.
– 5 categories grew faster than the total category.
- Looking ahead into 2021 and considering early indications.
- Toys / games remain strong.
- Online in toys and games is growing faster.
- Movie licences are back.
- Puzzles and Games need to be watched / managed / promoted.
- Collectibles are showing a strong start to the year.
- Shoppers are looking for newness.
The toys / games / puzzle and related categories are good for plenty of retail businesses, not just toy shops. They can make a terrific contribution. I know of non toy shops doing more than $150,000 a year in these categories and achieving a 50% or more gross profit – making the GP value of the categories considerably greater than the contribution from products more traditional for a non-toy retail channel.
Proud to launch more Shopify websites for small business retailers
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We are grateful to have launched more POS software connected Shopify websites for small business retailers in our community. These sites, all developed by us here in Australia, deliver terrific new customer acquisition opportunities for our shoppers, helping them to sell 24/7 and sell as far afield as they would like.
Here are some of the recently made live websites from our web team:
www.backobourkecollective.com.au
www.inspiretasmania.com.au
www.brindabellastockfeed.com.au
www.heavensabove.com.au
www.loavesrobe.com.au
www.masterjewellersonline.com.au
www.chitchatgifts.com.au
www.eidsvoldrural.com.au
www.forevergiftsandmore.com.au
www.funporium.com.au
www.goulburnstationery.com.au
www.rehfisch.com.au
www.merimbulaextra.com.au
www.morganpark.com.au
www.nextragiftsorange.com.au
www.northsideproduceagency.com.au
www.pamperedpetz.com.au
www.www.paperplayonline.com.au
www.parkesnewsandgifts.com.au
www.rivercitypets.com.au
www.smithstreettraders.com.au
www.sprengersruraltraders.com.au
www.hefeedshop.com.au
www.shop.newcastle.edu.au
www.toyworldcanberra.com.au
www.toyworldwauchope.com.au
www.reasureboxgifts.com.au
www.uncletomspps.com.au
www.warragulpetemporium.com.au
www.welbygardencentre.com.au
www.wollongongbikehub.com.au
If you are interested in a POS software connected website, please reach out to our sales team: sales@towersystems.com.au.
USEFUL, EVERYDAY WEBSITE ADVICE FOR SMALL BUSINESS RETAILERS.
Regardless of who you choose to create your website, here are tips we offer to help make setting up a Shopify site successful for you.
- Know why. Knowing why you want the website can answer plenty of other questions. For some it is to win new customers, for others it is revenue growth, while for ithers it is better service of existing customers.
- Know your narrator. Every website has a narrator, the person behind the scenes writing the text, responding to queries. Think about that person, how they speak, words they use, their manner. Think of this person as a character you create.
- Look at competitor sites online locally and overseas as it is beneficial to see what someone else is doing and learn from that.
- Only use unique images. If you use supplier supplied images, they may be on other sites and Google will know this. Google likes fresh content.
- Write your own product name / title. Use search keyworks in the name – that is, what people are searching for. Google likes fresh content.
- Write your own product description and think about what shoppers search for.
- Do not load everything. Too much stock makes a site hard to navigate.
- Consider using a website name that is different to your business name. Online can benefit from a different brand to your in-store situation.
- Be open to additional sites. You may make more money from having multiple.
- Support the site with active social media engagement.
- Promote the site with an email monthly at least, through MailChimp or similar.
Grateful …
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Retail business advice on POS software integrated websites
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We make POS software integrated Shopify websites for a fixed price: $6,600.00 (inc. GST).
Too often we see small business retailers pay a web consultant anything between $5,000 and $15,000 for an awful website, one not connected to your POS software.
A retailer called us just recently in tears about money wasted on a site that looks like it is from the 1990s … thousands down the drain.
We are seeing too many WooCommerce / WordPress websites that businesses want to switch from. Web developers recommend WooCommerce as it guarantees income for them. In our experience, this is an expensive platform to maintain, a platform we moved from ourselves for e-commerce years ago.
If you want a website for your business, please ask us. You have nothing to lose and much to gain by getting us to quote.
See some of the beautiful websites we have created: www.towersystems.com.au/Websites-we-have-created
Before we start creating a beautiful website for your business, we want to know about what you need from the site, your competitors and how you’d like to handle things like shipping, payment methods and more.
We also share details of our experiences with the consumer facing websites we run ourselves as well as experiences from the websites we have developed for others.
Here’s where to start: contact one of our sales people, please call 1300 662 957 or email sales@towersystems.com.au.
Australian made.
We make websites for our customers ourselves. We do not outsource this work offshore. There is something to be said for locally made websites for local retail businesses that, themselves, want local people to shop locally.
At the core of what we do, we create websites that we would want if we owned your business. Each website is a calling card, something we want to show off to win business for you and to win business for us.
Website Q&A.
Can I run multiple Shopify websites from the one business? Yes
Can Retailer POS software connect to a website? Yes.
Where is the best place to manage stock description and price data? Retailer.
Can I have a different price online to in my shop? Yes.
Can I have a different description online to in my shop? Yes.
Does Retailer store photos for what I sell? Yes.
Can these flow to the website? Yes.
Do I have to put everything I sell in my shop online? No.
Where do I start? Do our online questionnaire.
After I do the questionnaire, what’s next? Sign up with us and we will guide through a structured process designed to get the best website possible for your business.
Money is tight. I can get a website cheaper elsewhere. You should go with the web developer that best suits your business. Remember, you get what you pay for.
Let us show you what we can do in creating a website for your business.
We’d love to show some of the beautiful, functional and flexible websites we have created for our customers. Let’s talk …
A website of itself will not drive success. What’s needed is a beautiful website with the right tech and connections to help you reach more customers than you do now.
Web development for small business retailers
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Local small business retailers are benefiting from the local web development that we offer here at Tower Systems. Our POS software connected web development is tuned to the needs of local retail businesses in Australia and New Zealand.
By doing our web development locally and within our own POS software develop0ment community, we are able to deliver a more whole of business solution, something tuned to the needs of the physical and online businesses.
Our web development work is done in Shopify, magenta or WooCommerce. Our customers can choose, which is often done based on the types of needs they have.
Here is a list of what we deliver in our fixed price web development solution for local small business retailers:
- Pre development consultation. This will cover what is needed from you, the data, decisions and more. This is thorough and very much driven by your needs.
- A live Shopify site as per the facilities and functionality outlined in this document – see below, including pre-development consultation. As the site evolves, there will be discussions by email and phone to ensure that the site is meeting the expectations you laid out at the start. The development, previewing and further enhancement of this is an interactive process involving you and following your needs.
- Shopify theme choice. Included in the price is the selection of a paid-for theme up to the cost of US$250.00.
- Shopify link. The Tower Systems Retailer POS software to link with Shopify. This link transfers to the Shopify site the following data points for each inventory item:
- SKU
- Name
- Qty
- Web Description
- Web Price
- Department
- Category
- Images
- Up to 2 hours of personally tailored hand-over training once the site is live, so you can be confident administering the site yourself.
- Three months of phone-based assistance (but not software changes) following delivery of the site.
- A comprehensive pre-prep / handover document that provides support, written training and guidance on your next steps. This is the same for all our Shopify site customers. i.e. it is not document written especially for you.
Developing beautiful websites is something we are proud to offer here at Tower Systems. Helping local small business retailers transact online is wonderful and fulfilling. The joy they experience from their first sales is a thrill for them and for us, too.
Small business retailers beware POS software comparison websites
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Do a Google search for POS software and most likely ad from several POS software comparison websites will list first.
Do a search for Tower Systems in Australia and, again, most likely ad from several POS software comparison websites will list first.
These Marketing companies are paying for the POS software and for the Tower Systems keywords.
There is no law against it. But … and it’s a big but … there is a law against misrepresentation.
If a software comparison website claims they have done the research for you, if they claim to offer to suggest to you the best businesses, if they pitch anything indicating any research into the products they list, ask for the evidence, ask for proof of the research they undertook not only of the companies they recommend but the companies they do not recommend.
Tower Systems has not been evaluated by any POS software comparison website. They have not seen or used our software, they have not experienced our training. They have not experienced our support services.
No POS software comparison website can speak with authority as to how Tower Systems may compare with any other POS software company in the marketplaces in which we offer our specialty retail POS software:
- Bike shops.
- Jewellers.
- Pet shops.
- Gift shops.
- Toy shops.
- Newsagents.
- Garden centres.
- Produce businesses.
- Farm supply businesses.
- Homewares businesses.
- Fishing and Outdoors businesses.
- Firearms dealers.
- Music shops.
- Bookshops.
- Fabric businesses.
… and more.
Having looked at POS software comparison websites, we can’t see any we recommend, any we would trust to provide valuable help or guidance as to this software or that.
In our opinion, the comparison websites are merely marketping platforms paid by software companies to effectively advertise their businesses.
We suspect this is why some POS software comparison websites pay for keywords that match the names of successful POS software companies.
Our advice: be curious, ask questions, ensure that any claim as to research undertaken has actually be undertaken.
Tower Systems is a local POS software company making POS software for specialty retailers in New Zealand and Australia. We research each retail channel in which we operate thoroughly to ensure that our specialty retail POS software is specialty in function.
Retail business advice: disaster planning today can save you tomorrow
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No one wants to plan for disaster. It’s a negative activity, easily put off for more happy and optimistic pursuits. The reality is that most business owners will confront some form of disaster at some point in their business life. This advice is far-reaching, designed to act as a broad list of steps you can undertake to be prepared. Do it all or some, but do something … otherwise when you need good planning you will not have a plan on which to fall back.
Too often, the need for good disaster planning is realised after a disaster has hit the business. Our retail business advice here offers business and computer related advice which is designed to mitigate the impact of a disaster on your business.
Insurance Protection
Insurance coverage is vital to helping a retail business overcome any type of disaster. In addition to ensuring that your insurance policy covers all disaster situations of concern to you, including flood, theft, water inundation, fire, earthquake, riot—be sure to carefully read the policy, ensure that your insurance policy / policies cover payouts for the following:
- Business interruption. The amount should equal your anticipated gross profit for whatever period you choose to be covered.
- Data recovery. Including the hiring of experts to recover data from backup sources or the manual entry of data which cannot be automatically recovered. It needs to ensure that you are covered to the point of recovered data being useable in transacting business.
- Lost stock. This is stock stolen, lost from the business.
- Damaged and unsaleable stock. This is stock which is water damaged, scuffed or dented and which will not attract full price.
- Dated stock. This is stock that you cannot sell by the due date.
- Many policies require explicit statement of glass coverage.
- Temporary trading premises. Business interruption may cover this. Ensure that it is explicitly stated.
- Key person injury and/or death. This will usually be a separate policy. Depending on the disaster, coverage may also be available through the overall business policy.
Ensure that the value of stock, fixtures and fittings covered by your policy is an accurate reflection of the real value of these items. Talk with your insurance company about the best approach to track this on an ongoing basis.
Insurance brokers can provide access to assessors who can advise on the appropriate level of insurance for your situation.
Use your Point of Sale system to track all stock movements in and out. The stock on hand in your software should be your coverage.
Ensure that your insurance policy protects for the seasonal nature of your business
Data Protection
Business data is one of the most valuable assets of the business. Like insurance, the value is often not understood until you need what you do not have. Retailers who are serious about protecting their business data in the event of any disaster follow these steps:
- Backup your business data every day, at the end of the day, without fail.
- RECOMMENDATION: use a cloud based backup service that undertakes the backup as the day unfolds without you having to every do anything to cause a backup to be taken.
- Maintain a separate backup for each day of the week. Consider a separate backup for the last day of each month.
- Remove the backup medium, usually a USB stick, from the business premises each day – outside the business property.
- Store the backup in a safe, dry place.
- Check the usefulness of the backup by restoring and checking the data.
- Store original business software in a safe off-site location.
- Check the backup every three to six months – to make sure the backup is actually backing us current data and can be read. A backup you cannot read is a waste of time and money.
- Change your passwords regularly.
- Do not share passwords widely.
Disaster Planning
Here are broader suggestions on planning for a disaster in your business property.
- Keep off-site copies of: Business contracts and agreements; employee contact details, business account and other passwords, insurance details, recent photographs of fixtures, fittings and stock.
- For records you cannot easily copy or that may change as the trading day unfurls, consider having a go bag ready for you to grab if there is a risk to the premises such as a bushfire.
- Maintain a register of all employees in the business premises at any time.
- Prepare and place in a prominent place an evacuation plan.
- Maintain a professional grade OH&S compliant first aid kit. Have this checked regularly.
- Regularly maintain all fire extinguishers – check with your local fire brigade about this.
- Ensure that the business premises is safe and maintained to the local building codes and OH&S regulations.
- Have a trained first aid officer in staff. Your local St Johns or similar will be able to provide training.
- Use government resources such as the emergency planning kit at the federal government website: http://www.business.gov.au/business-topics/templates-and-downloads/emergency-management-template-and-guide/Pages/default.aspx
Retail business advice: choosing the POS software that’s best for your business
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How do you choose the POS software that is best for your retail business? Here is our advice based on years helping small business retailers.
Note, while we are a POS software company, our advice here is not specific to our product. rather, it is general and couple apply to any retail business considering POS software.
There is no short-cut or easy way to choose POS software for your retail business for if you do take a short-cut it is likely to hurt you. It’s kinda like the carpenter mantra, measure twice, cut once. For choosing POS software for your retail business, research, research again before you decide.
This is not something to outsource. It is your business, you need to own the decision.
Technology knowlkdge is not required. If a POS software company representative speaks in tech speak tell them to stop. It is likely they would do this to dazzle you into a possibly wrong decision.
But let’s take a step back. before you can start the process of choosing the right POS software for you business you need to know what you want and what all those in your business who will use the software will want from the POS software. Get your requirements right first and your process of selection from there will be easier for you and better for the business.
So, let’s get is a list of what we think you need to do to choose the right POS software for your retail business …
- Own the process of choosing the right POS software for your retail business yourself.,
- Know what you want.
- Be sure of what you need.
- Prioritise these list. And, yes, they are two lists.
- Keep conversations away from tech jargon.
- Take your time.
- Look at the software.
- Talk to others using the software.
- Get claims made by any POS software company in writing or recorded – so you have a record. A good POS software company will want to do this for you.
- Make a decision when you are ready.
- Don’t be pressured by a pricing deal.
Choosing the right POS software for your retail business is something to approach seriously, in a structured way and with the needs and wants of you and your business paramount at all times.
Remember, you are choosing a relationship with tech ology and not the person selling it to you.
Web development for small business retailers in Australia
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Tower Systems offers local professional POS software connected web development services for small business retailers in Australia.
Our web development work is done locally, by people you can speak with, people who will understand your business and its needs. This matters because too often web development work is sent offshore and that’s not good for the local narrative or for local IT jobs.
Our web development work is done primarily for small business retailers using our POS software and through this and our web development services connecting to Shopify, Woo Commerce or Magento websites.
Finding the right web developer for your retail business can be a challenge. Our advice is …
- Do your homework.
- Ask plenty of questions.
- Speak to those doing the development.
- Understand how and when you pay.
- Look at recent developed sites.
- Be sure to understand how the proposed website would connect to your POS software
- Get everything agreed in writing.
All of our web development work is done on the basis of an agreed quote. This quote is prepared following a consultation with your about the needs of your business.
Our fixed price quote includes an outline of the work to be done and the outcome delivered for the quoted price.
Key to successful POS software connected web development for a retail business is having a complete understanding of everything that is expected to be delivered with the resulting website. It is essential this is known from the outset.
Since all of our website work from sales through to development and support is done out of our Australian based offices, we provide a local perspective and context for all we do. This delivers better outcomes for locally focussed businesses.
Our web development work is done from scratch, for each specific business. This takes care and time and is built on a thorough understanding of the business needs.
We are grateful to the many different retail businesses that we have helped already to bring them online. Every new site we develop adds to our experience and that helps us to continue tis evolve our approach and the outcomes we can deliver. This is a fascinating part of our work, something we love.
5 reasons we love our Toy Shop POS software for local Australian toy shops.
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We love our Toy Shop POS software and here’s why. In fact, here are 5 reasons we love our toy shop software …
As retailers ourselves, we’ve owned and run retail shops in the toy / collectibles / gift niches since the late 1990s, here are 5 reasons we love our software:
- Local matters. Local toy shops make a vital contribution to local communities and families. Our software helps you leverage your localness, to genuinely differentiate your business from big competitors.
- You are a key asset. Only your business has you and your people. You can leverage you through our toy shop software, to easily share your knowledge in ways big businesses cannot match.
- You can bank on loyalty. Points don’t reward loyalty. What is a point worth anyway? In our toy shop software, you have fresh loyalty tools you can bank on to drive a deeper visit value and bring shoppers back sooner.
- The unseen can reveal opportunities. Knowing for sure what sells with what, knowing how suppliers compare knowing return on investment and return on floorspace … knowledge is power.
- Not every shopper will walk past your door. A smart and seamless connection between your software and a beautiful website can help you easily and with low overhead sell to people you will never meet.
Local toy shops are vital in local communities. We are committed to helping you run a more enjoyable and successful business.
Our Toy Shop Software can be rented for a few dollars a day. This offers access from as many computers as you have in the business.
There is no long-term contract. You can cancel at any time. There is no finance application.
We can help you bring across existing data. Plenty of MYOB Retail Manager users have found this helpful.
Locally made and supported and able to be run in the cloud or on the desktop, this toy shop software is made to serve locally owned independent retail businesses. It is designed to help local toy shops actively and successfully compete against the chain stores and the online posters. This toy shop software empowers local and helps to make them great in a. competitive retail world. This is software that can make a genuine and positive difference in the success experienced by a local toy shop.
Updated toy shop software helps local toy shops compete
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What makes our toy shop POS software special? It’s kind of an arrogant question to pose here. It’s real though. It is a question often asked in the sales process. Toy show owners want to know how we see ourselves. Well, let’s try and answer that today. We’d like to do this through the prism of service of local toy shops, because service of local retailers is core to our business.
We are sincere in our interest in and focus on local retail. Local matters. Local shops matter. Walk down any Main Street in any town and you can see it. We’d much prefer to shop these shops than a national chain any day. This is one reason we are so focussed on local retail here at Tower Systems.
But, back to toy shops and our toy shop POS software. we thought about what makes our toy shop POS software special in terms of a top 5 … because who doesn’t love a top 5?
The top 5 reasons our Toy Shop software is ideal for local Australian toy shops.
In developing this list, we thought about it as retailers. We’ve owned and run retail shops in the toy / collectibles / gift niches since the late 1990s.
- Local matters. Local toy shops make a vital contribution to local communities and families nearby. Our software helps you leverage this, to differentiate your business from big competitors.
- You can bank on loyalty. There is excellent data revealing the lifetime value of a family and those they purchase for. Leveraging this through smart loyalty tools and marketing tuned for toy shops helps you maximise the opportunity.
- Safe decisions make for a better P&L. While following your gut can see you catch wins, safe decisions, those based on the data, are bankable. From data feeds from suppliers through your POS to accounting software, we help you nurture data for the safe decisions.
- Not every shopper will walk past your door. A smart and seamless connection between your software and a website can help you sell to people you will never meet. This should be easy, certain and financially rewarding.
- You are a key asset. You and the people in your business are a differentiator to big business competitors. Too often we see toy retailers not leverage themselves. Our software helps correct this … because you and your knowledge are an asset.
Our locally made and supported toy shop POS software is more than this top 5, much more. We’d love to show it to you, to let you see it first-hand, to see if it might serve your business needs.
The big news is that we have released an update to our toy shop software. It’s out now, fresh and ready for service.
Beware POS software comparison websites as they are unlikely to have compared the software they pitch to you
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There are websites that claim to be software comparison websites. They claim to have done the work for you, comparing software. They offer to suggest several vetted software companies for your consideration.
In our experience it is unlikely the comparison websites will have compared the software they pitch to you.
It’s our opinion that software comparison websites are purely an ad platform for the businesses that pay to have their software pitched as worthy of consideration by prospective customers.
There is no comparison. We say this based on our own first-hand experience. Our software was not looked or assessed. They wanted money from us per lead. That was it. This makes the comparison website an ad platform plain and simple.
Online they pitch as offering a service, something of value, to the software shopper. The reality is the comparison website businesses offer a commercial service to the software companies – the software companies are their customer.
We dug deeper, presenting as a business looking for software. Sure, they pitched us to three software companies. There was little in the way of filtering. Knowing what we know from when we assessed them as a software business, they charge 3 businesses $100 each for the leads. That’s an easy $300 made for having a slick website that looks like they have done the assessment fork for you when they have not.
Our advice, based on our experience is do not use a comparison website to consider software.
It’s worse than this though and here’s why …
Having considered a comparison website, trying them for a couple of weeks and then saying no thanks, they started paying Google for our business name as an ad keyword. You search for us and their ad comes up. They then contacted us and said he you should do business with us because we have leads for you. These are leads they got by paying Google money to run ads when people type Tower Systems into Google.
Our company lists first in the natural results. The software comparison company and several other similar companies come up ahead us, with ads.
Software comparison website ads claim to offer quotes from leading companies, trusted companies, the most reliable companies. How can they make these claims when they have not themselves assessed the companies? They cannot.
One company claims we compare all the big brands and more. No, they do not.
One company claims that by using them they can provide access to 20-40% saving. No, they cannot as they do not negotiate on price.
One company claims that they let you compare the best-suited products. No, they do not. They don’t look at the software. They have no experience to make an assessment as to what is best.
The only service the comparison website businesses offer from our experience and research is to advertise on Google and provide their partner software companies with leads if a query falls into an area directly or vaguely covered by the software company.
Buyer beware. Comparison websites we have looked at do not compare. They act as a front for ad dollars, being paid for leads they give to partner software companies, that may not offer the best software in their field.
Retail business advice: If you are considering new POS software for your business
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Here is some advice for your consideration if you are thinking about new POS software for your retail business.
For any demonstration of potential POS software, come to the demonstration fully prepared.
- Make a list of what you want to see. Remember, you are in charge.
- Have the right people there from your business. The decision makes. Those most knowledgable. Anyone who will have a say in the decision you make.
- Make sure you are not interrupted. We know retail can be busy. If it works better for you, we can schedule the demonstration outside trading hours.
- Please speak up during the demonstration if anything said does not make sense.
- Ask questions. Keep asking questions. Ask questions until you have no more questions.
- Ask for another demonstration for any follow-ups.
Ask for the demonstration to be recorded and for a copy to be provided . We will happily do this for you here at Tower Systems.
Once you have had a demonstration, if you have questions or are not sure of anything, ask for another demonstration. Take your time. be sure. Look at the software as much as you want.
This is an important decision, a big decision, one you want and need to get right.
Remember, you are in control. The moment you no longer feel in control of the decision or its timing is the moment you need to pause.
Take your time.
Choosing POS software and a POS software company for your business is an important decision. It can have a significant impact on business performance and your enjoyment, and the enjoyment of others, of the business.
The right POS software is a valuable tool for any retail business. The right POS software company is a valuable partner for any business. We understand these things.
Thank you for considering Tower Systems, we sincerely appreciate it.
We won’t pressure you. Nor, will we offer an inflated price so we can discount.
You are welcome to see our software as much as you want as you evaluate it and us.
Let us know your timing needs and we will do our best to respect these.
Thank you for considering Tower Systems.
How to choose the right POS Systems for your retail business
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Choosing the right POS System for your retail business takes time. There is no short cut, no easy way to do it. Take your time and get it right.
Choosing the right POS System for your business is 100% up to you. It’s your business. You will use this tool every day. it needs to feel comfortable and be genuinely useful., Relying on someonee not in the business to tell you what is right could lead to a wrong choice being made.
Choosing the right POS System for your business needs to be based on your experience not only with the software but with the people who work for the business that makes the software. That’s right, buy from them, buy direct as they are the folks responsible for supporting and enhancing this software on which you will rely.
Choosing the right POS System for your business starts first with your needs. Any system you look at that does not serve your needs may not be a good solution for your business. This really is your decision. You have to choose what is right for your business and for you. Take your time. be sure of your needs. test, test and test – until you feel comfortable.
Choosing the right POS System for your business is also about understanding the cost of the system. The cost can be in the software costs, support costs, training costs and transactional costs. Weigh them all up to see if they are right for you and your needs.
There are plenty of POS Systems out there claiming to be the best. here at Tower Systems we know that only you can know what is best for your business, because it really does start with you, what you need, what you want. We rely on you knowing these things and being focussed on them as you consider POS Systems to work in serving your needs. We would be grateful to show you what our POS System can do. However, in terms of decision making, that is 100% your choice. We will not pressure you or push … we will answer all your questions and let you play as much as you like, so you can assess whether our POS System fits as comfortably as you hope for.
Choosing the right POS System for your business is an important decision. Take your time. It’s a long-term relationship worth getting right.
Beyond the POS software, here is how Tower Systems helps small business retailers
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Good POS software is key in any retail business. A good POS software company is even more important is it is the people in the POS software company who help bring the POS software to life for any retail business. Their training, advice and support can make or break the POS software experience.
So, thinking about beyond the POS software, here are some of the ways Tower Systems serves its small business retailer community:
- We are local. Local matters in local communities. The Tower Systems software is locally developed to local needs. This facilitates the local narrative of small business retail in local communities.
- Our POS software training is personal, for your business. We think people learn better from personal training.
- Unlimited free training. Long after you install the software, ask for free top-up training and all we will organise it.
- Help beyond the software. With tracking and dealing with theft, engaging =with suppliers and more. Our business management experience is there to help when you want.
- New customer care. All new customers have a separate specialist team with which they connect, to ease settling-in. They are intuitive, offering help often ahead of when you are in key need, helping you to be prepared.
- Customers guide our software enhancement. We offer a transparent, democratic, process for guiding software update content.
- Pet shop business specific.This software is developed for your type of business.
- In the cloud or in-store. You choose where the software runs.
- Rent or buy. While most rent our software, you choose how to acquire and fund the software.
- We help with business performance analysis and theft checks, services where we take a deep dive into your data and provide confidential insights.
- Easy contact when you need / want. Every customer has the direct contact details for our leadership team for easy and safe escalation of any query.
- No pressure. You buy when you are ready.
- Retail group engagement. Groups and members of groups have opportunities for group level customisation website sales and more.
- It’s personal. Retail is personal. This is why we prefer to train you in your shop. Yes, we said this above. We say it again as it is a differentiator.
Tower Systems is a personally engages POS software company. We don’t hide behind walls. Our customers know us by name, from the first contact because, like in retail, it is personal.
Our team here at Tower Systems is proud to offer locally made POS software
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Zippay merchant POS software connection helps small business retail
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The thousands of small business retailers using the POS software from Tower Systems have access to Zippay merchant facilities embedded in the POS software. Using these the retailers are able to offer access to the Zip buy now pay later facilities across the counter.
Using the Zippay merchant facilities in the Tower POS software, retailers able able to enjoy a commercially valuable alternative to LayBy. It is better for them and better for their customers. indeed, customers love Zip.
Thanks to a thoughtful and compliant integration, Zippay merchant facilities in the Tower Systems software are proven, valuable and commercially enjoyable in retail businesses of many different types. Tower Systems did the integration early in with Zip, bringing the Zip opportunity to life for the first time in many retail niches.
Using the Zippay merchant facilities, retailers have reporting and other tools for the accurate and prper management of their businesses.
Give your customers the power to pay later, interest free and watch your sales grow. Tower Systems and Zip have teamed up two years ago to provide a seamless, interest free payment solution for your customer, allowing your business to benefit from:
- Increased sales volume
- Increased average order values
- Increased customer repurchases
- Now, with a seamless integration with Tower Systems, you can accept Zip payments as soon as you are accredited. Simply enter your credentials.
Get started!
Our Zippay merchant facilities are robust, best practice, useful and enjoyable act the counter and in the back offer. They are true total solution for a business wanting to bring to life a buy now pay later option.
Tower Systems is grateful to the folks at Zip for their engagement and encouragement. It’s a partnership relationship that we value and have learned from.
The Zippay merchant facilities integrated with our POS software bring to life opportunities thanks to the way Zip promotes their retail business partners. The Zip community is strong and growing. Zip shoppers love their service and this can help small business retailers to find shoppers they may otherwise not have found. It’s an example of a valuable mutual relationship.
Tower Systems is grateful to offer Zip as part of a quite of integration solutions with its POS software. This suite of integrations is growing in 2021, which is terrific news. More soon…
Using POS software to make 2021 the year of shop local
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In 2020, out of necessity, many Aussies rediscovered the value of shopping local.
2021 is our opportunity as local retailers to build off that, to make this the year shopping local is the preference, the year shopping local comes into its own.
We say our opportunity since we are retailers too. In addition to owning the Tower Systems POS software company, we own and run six retail businesses.
We have experienced first-hand the new love of shopping local.
In our POS software you can easily leverage local in ways that can guide deeper baskets and encourage shoppers back sooner.
We have built into our POS software these opportunities and more, to help you shine lights on what makes your business more appealing in today’s circumstances.
You can easily identify and tag locally sourced products.
You can easily share local knowledge and insights.
You can easily ‘make’ your own local products to differentiate from others.
You can easily support and leverage local community group members.
You can easily take your local pitch to the world through a Shopify website.
Our POS software is a start. Our local retail business experience can help you make the most of the POS software opportunities.
May your 2021 be healthy, happy and filled with profitable.
We are a POS software company 100% focussed on serving local small business retailers. Our software is developed to serve niche specialty retailers in selected retail channels. It is make to be fit for purpose for each of these retail channels.
Our specialty approach sets us apart from many other POS software companies. In each of our marketplace specific products you will find facilities, connections and tools that connect us with each in a deep, meaningful and commercially valuable way. This is what being specialty POS softwares is all about.
On top of marketplace specific facilities in our POS software there is our local focus, our local tools and opportunities through with our retail business partners are able to leverage shop local, buy local and support local opportunities.
Beyond the traditional POS software we go deeper into business opportunities, providing platforms from which local businesses can leverage their differentiators to shoppers, to get them spending more and to bring them back more often.
This is smart retail POS software in 2021 … a complete solution backed by training and support to bring shoppers in and guide their connection for the long term.
Comprehensive approach to POS software onboarding helps small business retailers
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Aussie POS software company Tower Systems offers a structured, comprehensive approach to POS software onboarding.
Onboarding is the process of bringing on new POS software customers. It involves software installation, setup, tuning and training.
The Tower Systems onboarding approach is whole, complete and solely focussed on helping each small business retailer to achieve their goals for use of the POS software.
Onboarding is the process of installation, training and advice related to getting our new customers up and running with the Tower Systems POS software in your business.
With many new customers joining our POS software community each month, it makes sense that we have a structured process through which we deliver personal and consistent service in pursuit of you happily using our software.
Onboarding includes software installation and training experts at Tower working with you to help you achieve this goal of you happily using our software. It also includes a scheduling expert to be with you at each step of the way.
Our approach to POS software onboarding includes a team of transition experts who will help once the software is setup and the training done. These folks help you transition from high contact training to everyday help desk support access.
As an off-the-shelf software product, the Tower Systems POS software is what it is. By this we mean, it is not bespoke, not written specifically for you. However, there are many options in the software where selections can be made that determine how the software works for you. This is another reason structured onboarding matters.
The pathway we follow to guide you to be live is based on years of experience with thousands of small business retailers like you.
We follow a pathway that works. We understand some of what we suggest may frustrate, especially if you are moving from other software. Please be patient. We are grateful for your joining our community.
While our approach is structured for each specialty retail channel, it is also flexible to ensure we have time to address queries unique to each business. We understand the importance of personal service and seek to deliver a personal and appreciated experience to our customers each time.
The Tower Systems approach to onboarding of new POS software customers is comprehensive, mature and loved by customers. It continues to evolve, too.
Our locally made POS software for specialty retailers
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Sound on. Click play.
January 2021 will be unlike any recent January for Aussie small business retailers
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January will not be normal for local Aussie retailers.
January has traditionally played out in different ways for small business retailers in different parts of Australia.
In some parts of the country, retail is usually so slow that many shops close for several weeks. In other parts of the country, towns swell with tourists and trading hours are extended.
What has been consistent about January for small business retail in Australia is that it has been prdictable.
I don’t think January 2021 will play out in a predictable way.
People are not travelling overseas. But, they are motivated to travel, to shake off 2020 and to start 2021 with new memories, from more local travel.
With plenty of annual leave not taken in 2020, I suspect more will start 2021 taking leave.
Businesses will start 2021 earlier than usual, working on new approaches to business, including on-going working from home for some, which will open opportunities locally.
Places that have not seen many tourists over the years are likely to see some. Tourist destinations will fill early, encouraging people to look elsewhere.
In short, the usual January slowdown we have been used to in small business retail in most parts of Australia is less likely in 2021, in my view.
Locals staying local will be looking to embrace optimism about 2021. Local retailers can lean into this, nurture optimism and offer opportunities for engagement with the local community. In our shops we can make January fun and feed into the desire for a good start to the year.
Be ready. Make sure the shop is fresh, that you have new product and that ou provide an entertaining retail experience. Think about your hours. Find ways to leverage the changed situation.
I mention this today so you can plan. January will be different. How it plays for you depends on you.
Supporting shop local with pet soap gift from our POS software co
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Two weeks ago, we posted 1,000 gift packs featuring pet soap handmade in Australia. each pack was carefully assembled y us and posted to a thoughtfully collated database of small Aussie specialty retail businesses.
ww bought the handmade, ethically made, soap direct from the maker, in support of their local Aussie small business and to provide a connection for our message that we are a local Aussie business supporting local Aussie businesses.
It is a campaign that we planned several months out. Choosing the right soap was important, as were the words on the locally printed card that we included with each gift pack of soap.
We shared the story about being local, that we liked to support local and that we loved connecting with retail businesses that, too, loved supporting local.
This soap gift pack campaign is our way of practically showing what local can look like.
Interestingly, we sent the free pet soap to businesses outside the pet retail channel. It’s soap pet lovers will use and that is what matters most here.
What local looks like can vary by retail channel. In our POS software, we help small business retailers to pitch local, connect with local and demonstrate support for local in myriad ways. Within our POS software retailers have levers they can pullet pitch local without being overt or shouty with there shop local pitch. For us, in our software, when it comes to supporting local, we help retailers with a show, don’t tell approach. They love it. They love that they have ways they can show their local connectivity without being noisy about it.
Tower Systems is proud to serve more than 3,500 small business retailers across multiple retail channels. We are connected with each of the retail channels in different ways and support each with nuanced software, which is tailored for them.
It’s what we do … develop and support POS software for local specialty retail businesses, serving needs unique to their retail channel.
We are grateful for the opportunity to ourselves support shopping local in the execution of a marketing campaign that has at its core a shop local message.
Next time you look for pet soap, look for a locally made product. Your pet will love you for it.
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