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Join us on a quick walk through one of the retail shops we own, where we play with the POS software we make, to help us provide better software to our small business retail customers.

We bought our first shop in February 1996, to provide practical experience to all in our POS software company.  We’ve owned newsagencies ever since. It’s been wonderfully useful, and enjoyable.

Filmed June 19, 2024, this video is a walk through newsXpress Mount Waverley, a small format high street shop focussed on gifts.

This business used to identify as a newsagency. Not any more. Today, it’s a place where people can find hugs and celebrate those they love. What it offers is covered in the website we built for the shop: www.hugsandlove.com.au.

From Squishmallows to Jellycat to ravensberger jigsaws to awesome blind boxes to Nee Doh, this shop is packed with many categories of adorable and fun items people can buy for themselves and for others.

We have used this shop as a test bed for developing a range of software enhancements designed to help local independent small business retailers run more successful businesses.

We use our POS software in this Mount Waverley business to guide the evolution of the business, picking trends, guiding product adjacencies, determine floorspace allocation, selling online and plenty more. This everyday use of the software ourselves helps inform software development decisions – not to replace user guidance and feedback though. Our own shop sometimes helps us see first-hand what others describe and this can speed the path of enhancement.

Lots of POS software companies claim to have bene started because there was not software there to serve a need. While it’s a nice story, there is usually little evidence of the search undertaken.

Our approach of entering retail ourselves started in 1996 and continues today, beneficially for us and for our customers. We have three physical shops today and seven online businesses. Each of these helps us create better software, provide more meaningful customer service and serve our local communities.

Tower Systems is a small business focussed POS software company developing, and supporting POS software for niche specialty retailers. Jewellers, garden centres, bike shops, toy shops, produce businesses, farm supply businesses, fishing shops, pet shops, charity businesses, landscape gardening businesses, antique shops, sewing shops, haberdashery businesses, newsagents and more benefit from this software.

Find out more at www.towersystems.com.au Call 1300 662 957 or email sales@towersystems.com.au

We are grateful to have been accepted into the Auckland Gift Fair in August this year. We are looking forward to catching up with existing customers and making new connections.

This is not our first Gift Fair in Auckland. It’s been a good trade show for us over the years and New Zealand is home to many retail businesses we are grateful to serve.

This year at the Auckland Gift Fair we will be showing off new tech solutions for retailers:

• The sell anywhere anytime POS solution.
• An awesome self checkout solution.
• Our new business insights platform.
• Our new quote and invoice management tools.
• Our new POS software.

These facilities and more will feature on our stand and in our discussions with New Zealand retailers who visit the Auckland Gift Fair.

We are thankful to our New Zealand based POS software customers for their advice, and for their active participation in the constant evolution of our POS software.

From online POS software user meetings to local New Zealand user meet-ups, to trade show catch-ups (like the Auckland gift fair), to one on one contact, we offer many connection opportunities with retailers using our POS software.

And while we are an Australian company, our service of our NZ retailer customers is the same as it is everywhere. This is thanks to our extended operating hours and the comprehensive kit of resources we offer our POS software customers for learning, suggesting enhancements and  connecting with our help desk team.

We have done New Zealand specific integrations to enable our POS software to better serve New Zealand business needs. The Smart Pay EFTPOS integration was one such project. This was delivered free to our customers once we passed the rigorous certification and in-field testing. There are other examples like this – New Zealand retailer let integrations with our POS software.

If you are a New Zealand retailer keen to find a POS solution for your retail business, we’re here for you. Our toll free number is 0800 444 367.

Tower Systems is grateful to offer POS software for uniform shops, workwear shops and safety shops. Our Aussie made and supported POS software offers a range of facilities that serve these types of businesses including:

• Handling colour, size and style. for sales and inventory management.
• Having different pricing for different customers.
• Track sales back to a school for commission or some other form of contribution based on sales.
• Including care information by product on website or receipts.
• Direct interface with Shopify, Big Commerce, Woo Commerce and Magento.
• Tracking special orders for customers.
• Comprehensive awesome reporting.
• Easy pop-up shop option so you can sell anywhere. Using our Retailer Roam web add you really can sell anywhere, including places without an internet connection.
• Manage multiple locations.
• Multiple loyalty options.
• Manage seasonal catalogues.
• Electronic invoice import.
• Support for not for profit businesses with beneficial pricing compared to commercial operations.

Made and supported in Australia, this POS software for uniform shops, workwear shops and safety shops is built on core technology used in 3,500+ local specialty retail businesses. This foundational base and the diversity of the software user community means the software ro robust and flexible in service of uniform shops, workwear shops and safety shops.

We understand that there is a difference between uniform shops, workwear shops and safety shops. We’re not claiming to be right for you. Only you can decide that once you consider the software and see how it stacks up against the needs of your business. We won’t pressure you. Come to us certain about what you need from your software and we will honestly and transparently address your needs. For sure, we will say if we don’t handle a need you have.

If you are looking for software for your uniform shop, workwear shop or safety shop, Tower Systems is here to show what we offer and leave you be to consider whether this is the right software for you.

Our POS software for uniform shops, workwear shops and safety shops Conti nuts to evolve. The latest update was released this week. We are grateful to our customers for helping us understand evolving needs and thereby to keep our software relevant and current.

Pop-up retail is as popular as ever with landlords keen to fill vacant shops and retailers keen to reach new shoppers.

Keys to to successful pop-up retail are getting up and running quickly, tracking all inventory and sales and handling this with as small an overhead for the business as possible. Tower Systems can help with this because we have years of experience in pop-up retail ourselves in our own shops and through helping other retailers with our pop-up retail POS software.

The Tower Systems pop-up retail POS software solution is called Retailer Roam. Retailer Roam is a web service made for pop-up retail.

Retailer Roam is a web-based POS system accessible from any web browser on a device like an iPad or tablet. This eliminates the need for bulky hardware setups, ideal for pop-up shops with limited space.

Even without an internet connection, Retailer Roam allows processing sales. Transactions are then automatically synced when you reconnect, ensuring business continuity even in pop-up locations with unreliable internet.

Tower Systems prioritises small businesses, and pop-up shops often fall under this category. Their understanding of small business needs might translate to helpful features and customer support tailored for pop-up retailers.

We have retailers using Retailer Roam outside of traditional pop-up retail settings. For example, one client uses it on their4 fleet of trucks for selling bulk garden supplies while another uses it in the various markets they travel top sell their wares. Retailer Roam is flexible in terms of where it can be used and what it offers, it goes way beyond the traditional pop-up retail situation, making it a versatile software solution for today’s versatile retail needs.

Traditionally, POS systems restrict sales to a designated counter area. Retailer Roam empowers you to conduct business anywhere within your shop or even beyond. Imagine processing sales at an outpost within a larger market or taking payments directly from customers while they browse. This mobility can enhance customer service and potentially increase sales.

Retailer Roam offers a versatile and mobile POS solution for retailers who need to operate outside the confines of a traditional store setup. Its affordability, ease of use, and offline functionality make it a strong contender for pop-up shops,market vendors, and businesses looking for more flexibility in their point-of-sale operations.

We were grateful to discover that we can serve New Age and Metaphysical shops with software relevant to the needs of their businesses. Our POS software helps New Age and Metaphysical shops in myriad ways including:

• Selling items that cannot be barcoded, like crystals, gems and stones. These can be sold by weight, category or some code that is meaningful to the business.
• The ability to sell items by fractions. Plenty of New Age shops do sell products by length and being able to do this by fractions facilitates good management of inventory.
• Easily sell items bundled together. People may purchase a gem a setting and a chain. That can be sold as a bundle or each item sold separately.
• Easily sell services.
• Share your knowledge as part of each sale in a systemised way.
• Support a local club offering members a benefit and managing this such that it increases sales for you.
• Easily manage pre-orders where you sell and item prior to you getting it in stock.
• Produce barcode labels using micro labels like those used for jewellery.
• Attract shoppers to return with a dated reward for their next purchase. With many New Age shop customers infrequent visitors, a reward such as this could bring them back sooner.
• Implement age check for any products that have an age requirement.
• Handle a pop-up shop requirement with minimal work.
• Easily sell online via Shopify and others.
• Manage as much inventory as you have: 10,000 items, 20,000 items and more.
• Offer member pricing.

Our POS software for New Age and Metaphysical shops handles all of this and plenty more. It’s Australian made and Australian supported. We only sell to independent retailers and have a track record of service in a range of specialty retail channels.

We think our POS software is a good fit for New Age and Metaphysical shops and similar businesses. You see if it is right for you. Have a personal demonstration where each question you ask can be shown through the software. If it’s not a good fit, we will wish you all the best. If it is a good fit, let’s get started on helping you to run a more enjoyable and valuable business.

New Age and Metaphysical shops are businesses like so many retailers. While there are similarities across all retail businesses, there are differences too. This is where Tower Systems, as a vertical market POS software company, can serve beyond the average when it comes to retail business management.

There is a trend in the POS software world to charge for the POS software on the basis of a percentage of sales revenue in the business. As the business sells more, the POS software company makes more.

The thing is, the POS software company is contributing as much to the business at $100 a day in sales as they are to the business at $1,000 a day in sales yet at $1,000 a day in sales the POS software company is being paid a lot more.

Here at Tower Systems we are a POS software company. We choose to prove what we sell at a fixed price, so that retailers can budget and know for certain what the overhead is. This lets them bank more money themselves as they grow their business.

We think this is fair.

For any business owner considering a point-of-sale (POS) system, understanding the pricing structure is crucial. While percentage-based pricing might seem appealing at first glance, a fixed monthly rental cost often proves to be a more predictable and cost-effective option in the long run. Here’s why:

Predictability and Budgeting:

• Fixed Fee: A fixed monthly fee provides clear and consistent budgeting. You know exactly what your POS system will cost each month, regardless of sales fluctuations. This allows for easier financial planning and avoids surprises at the end of the month.
• Percentage-Based: With a percentage-based system, your POS cost fluctuates with your sales. This makes budgeting difficult, especially for businesses with seasonal variations or those aiming for growth. A sudden surge in sales can lead to a significant increase in your POS bill.

Cost Control and Growth:

• Fixed Fee: As your business grows and your sales increase, the fixed monthly fee remains the same. This allows you to scale your operations without worrying about additional POS costs eating into your profits.
• Percentage-Based: With a percentage-based system, growth translates to higher POS costs. This can hinder profitability and discourage scaling efforts, as a significant portion of your increased revenue goes towards the POS system.

Peace of Mind and Risk Management:

• Fixed Fee: A fixed monthly fee eliminates the worry of exceeding a certain sales threshold and incurring additional charges. This provides peace of mind and allows you to focus on running your business.
• Percentage-Based: The variable cost associated with a percentage-based system introduces an element of risk. A slow sales month could lead to cash flow issues, as your POS bill remains high regardless of your revenue.

While a fixed monthly fee offers numerous advantages, it’s important to consider your specific business needs. Take your time. Do your research.

We mention this today because a retailer we have recently spoken with is locked in on a contract for their POS software paying a percentage of sales. The business has taken off, doubling in size in a year. This means the cost of the POS software has doubled. They had not expected this increased cost. Some of the growth has come from deals and sales, making margin tight. This is where the percentage of sales approach of POS software companies does not work.

Be aware, informed and careful.