The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

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

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5 ways retailers can use the POS software from Tower Systems to pitch value to shoppers

May 9, 2023
3 Min read
5

Plenty is being written about the economy at the moment and it is negatively impacting consumer confidence. There are things you can do with the Tower Systems POS software to show your business offering value to shoppers, and thereby nurturing more value for you.

And here in this post, value means the value shoppers perceive in dealing with your business. You could also use the term savings.

While value can be about price, it is often not as straightforward as that. Something could cost more but it could last longer or you might get more pieces than if you pay a lower price or there may be some other add-on that drives value.

While our POS software offers many ways retailers can pitch value to shoppers, here are 5 ways retailers can use the POS software from Tower Systems to pitch value to shoppers:

  1. Discount vouchers in Retailer are a perfect way to pitch value. A dollar amount discount is better understood than points. You can set the vouchers up in a way so costs are covered by benefits. Show your shoppers what they can save.
  2. Offer to fund raise for local charities, community groups and clubs. They could give their members a card that gets them, say, a 5% discount off purchasing from you while also earning for the charity a 5% donation. The goal here is to bring new shoppers into your business.
  3. Offering a coffee card type discount of, say, buy 9 and get your 10th free for habit-based purchases, like coffee, pet food, cards, magazines, fertilizer etc. can help nurture shopper stickiness to your business.
  4. Bundling products together into something that only your business offers can pitch a value proposition unique to your business.
  5. Volume pricing, where the cost of an item decreases as the quantity purchased increases, can help shoppers save and you sell more.

Your software offers more ways of pitching value to shoppers than these, and it helps you systemise pitching value. Being consistent about this is key to it working for you.

Consider this list of 5 a starting point, a jumping off point for exploring other ways for your business.

Tower Systems offers business management advice like this to all of its POS software customers, taking the POS software help desk experience beyond the technical and onto the shop floor, to help our local small business retailer customers to themselves get more value from their use of our POS software.

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7 ways retailers can use POS software from Tower Systems to help improve the value of their business

May 8, 2023
3 Min read
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When we talk about the value of a retail business we mean what the business is worth when it comes time to sell, which is dependent on the profitability of the business as reflected in the profit and loss statement.

Value is the key business measure here and while there can be non-monetary value perceived by the owners and other stakeholders, it is the value as seen by others, as through P&L results that is the common measure.

Using POS software from Tower Systems, retailers can drive value. Here are 7 ways they can do that:

  1. Dead stock. In the average indie retail business, dead stock is equal to around 3% of turnover and often around 12% of total current inventory investment. Using our software, it is easy to identify dead stock. That’s the first step to converting it to cash.
  2. Stop running out of stock. Selling out of items that will sell costs the business  money.  In a small retail business we looked at recently, sell-outs cost more than $3,000 in a year, or $1,500 in gross profit, all because of poor re-ordering management. Your Insights Dashboard has this information.
  3. Bloated roster. Some prefer to spend money on people, so they have time to themselves for relaxing, golf or to sit in the back office, where no customer purchases from. We often see a bloat cost equal to around 10% of the roster.
  4. Wrong trading hours. Some stay open too long while others are not open long enough. Either way has a cost to the business.
  5. Being blind to theft. Theft in local indie retail costs on average 3% – 5% of turnover. Our software can help you see it, track it, and mitigate against it.
  6. The wrong product mix. GP% is a key measure of retail business performance. Often, we see retailers chasing transaction volume and not watching and chasing GP%. Growth in business GP% is often more valuable than transaction growth.
  7. Reordering. Ordering based on data reduces mistakes. It’s better, too, than letting a supplier order for you. The software can help you with reordering, so there are fewer mistakes, fewer sell-outs, less dead stock.

This list is incomplete as our POS software can help cultivate value in plenty of other ways. We created this list to provide our customers with a starting point, some low hanging fruit.

We shared the advice with our customers via our regular customer email and our regular print newsletter. This is another example of the proactive approach we take to guiding our customers to achieve more from their use of our POS software.

While, for sure, our help desk answers support questions and helps with technical queries, we often go beyond with business advice that crosses the intersection of the technical; aspects of the software and the use within a retail business of the software to better serve the business and its owners.

7 ways retailers can use POS software from Tower Systems to help improve the value of their business is all about showing our POS software user community ways they software they already have can be used to help cultivate business value.

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Your local newsagency will be the best place to buy Mother’s Day cards this year

May 6, 2023
4 Min read
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We are grateful to serve more than 1,700 local Aussie newsagents with our newsagency POS software. This small business community of retailers is dear to our heart. Right now, they are offering wonderful Mother’s;s Day cards.

If you are looking for a Mother’s Day card this year for sure shop your local newsagency because there you are likely to find the best range of Mother’s Day cards.

There’ll be cards for mum, mother, grandma, nan, granny, and more. There’ll also be cards for people who have been like a mum to you. And, there are likely to be cards from the cat or the dog.

If you like to see the best Mother’s Day cards around, if you want a range from which to choose, your local newsagency is the place to shop.

Now, if you are thinking a text message might do, mum can’t put the text message on the mantlepiece, she can’t keep it with her other cards to look at every few years. A card is a keepsake that lasts, it nurtures memories she will love. And the cards at your local newsagency give you choice to get it right.

The range of Mother’s Day cards out now at your local newsagency really is good. There are many new designs, many cards to brighten mum’s day.

We understand you have a range of shops from which to choose when buying a Mother’s Day card. Your local newsagency is the card specialist. You’re not pressured. The cards are not mixed in with groceries. Browsing is easy and you know, for sure, that you have many wonderful cards from which to choose.

Once you have the awesome card, from a newsagency of course!, here are 10 text ideas for what you could write in the card. Consider them prompts to kick off your own thinking:

  • Happy Mother’s Day to the most amazing mum! Thank you for being there for me, for your love and support, and for teaching me so much.
  • Dear Mum, on this special day, I want you to know how much I appreciate you. You are my role model, my friend. Thank you for the sacrifices you made for me, and for the ways you show me your love.
  • Mum, you hold our family together and for that I love you. I have learnt from your kindness and your wisdom. Thank you for being an amazing mother, and for being such an inspiration.
  • Happy Mother’s Day to the woman who gave me life, and who continues to shape my life in so many ways. You are my safe haven. I love you.
  • Mum, you are my superhero! Thank you for someone I can always count on. I hope your day is as amazing as you are.
  • Dear Mum, thank you for everything. I would not be me, today, without you.
  • Mum, you are the sunshine in my life. I am grateful you are my mum, and I wish you the happiest of Mother’s Days.
  • Happy Mother’s Day to the queen of our hearts! You have taught us love, and you have shown us how to live life. We love you more than words can say.
  • Mum, you are a true blessing in my life. Thank you for being my rock, and my friend.
  • Mum, I am so lucky to have you. Thank you does not feel like enough appreciation for what you mean to me. I love you.

Remember, what you write will last for years. Mum will look back on your words and the warmth you share today will matter in the future.

Newsagents understand Mother’s Day. We’re local retailers serving local communities and as such we are close to our shoppers. You buying a Mother’s Day card from us, from any newsagency, means so much to us.

Now, get out there and buy your mum an awesome Mother’s Day card, from a newsagency of course!

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Why we don’t claim our POS software is the best POS software

May 5, 2023
2 Min read
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It’s funny seeing POS software companies claim their software is the best. They could not know. We for sure do not know if our Tower Systems retailer POS software is the best PSO software, and here’s why:

Only someone who has used in real life and over some time all the software to which it is compared could really know.

We have not used other POS software. We’;re sure our competitions have not used our software, or other software, too.

A retailer who has used two or three software products could not know how a product they have not used may or may not serve their business.

The thing is, when it comes to POS software marketing, there is too much hype in our view, a lot of businesses saying their software is the best.

It’s why we don’t say our Tower Systems POS software is the best and the same reason we do not say it is perfect for you.

Only you can know what POS software is right for your business.

Here’s what we do know though, as retailers ourselves (currently 3 physical shops and 4 online retail businesses), we know that our POS software is a good fit for our needs, and they are complex needs. As retailers ourselves we use our software every day, at volume, in several specialty niche retail areas.

So, we can certainly speak to our own experience, about how our POS software is serving our needs, and we can show prospective retailers how our POS software works, we can show them in any of our shops. We welcome people to work in the shops and use the software first hand before they make a decision if they want.

We’re not aware of any other Australia POS software companies in our specialty retail; channels who own and run retail. businesses as live labs for testing and enhancing their software and for offering prospective customers a live business in which they can experience the software first hand.

We reckon our Tower Systems Retailer POS software is good. It’s up to you to see if it right for you. We are happy for it to be compared to anything. We welcome such comparison and with co-operate in any way we can to help you do this.

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What are the benefits for gift shop owners from the gift shop POS software from Tower Systems?

May 4, 2023
3 Min read
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Benefits are what matter the most when choosing POS software for your gift shop for its is the benefits that pay for the software and the time you invest in and with it.

Here are key benefits gift shops owners and employees tell us they gain from using our Tower Systems gift shop software:

  • Sell easily and accurately at the counter, tracking everything.
  • Bring in and price new stock quickly and accurately thanks to many electronic invoice links with suppliers.
  • Easily add value from your own knowledge and therefore personalise your business. Your products knowledge is differentiating. The software makes it easy to do this.
  • Make decisions based on facts curated for you by the software as it collects data from transactions. Evidence based decision making has been proven to help gift shops thrive.
  • Seamlessly share data and collect sales with and from websites is Shopify, Big Commerce and Woo Commerce.
  • Easily manage the business remotely.
  • Save money by more quickly identifying theft situations.
  • Easily, without extra keystrokes, have sales data flow across to Xero.
  • Easily identify shoppers for marketing campaigns based on what they have purchased form you.
  • Business differentiating loyalty. Stand out from the crowd. Have customers coming back to you for this.
  • Maximise the basket with easy to use one-time shopper loyalty tools.
  • Trade, club and community group pricing profiles. Set pricing rules based on customer type.
  • Make money from pre-orders – Easily pre-sell a delivery so that when the stock arrives you can manage distribution and billing efficiently.
  • Differentiate with informative receipts. These can include product care, use and safety information based on what customers buy.
  • Differentiate with bundles. Selling items bundled together makes price comparison hard.
  • Track who sold what.
  • Sell more with a direct connect to buy now pay later services.
  • Cut mistakes with integrated EFTPOS.

This software made for gift shops is delivering these benefits and plenty more to gift shops of all sizes and in a variety of settings from shopping centres to the high street to regional and rural businesses.

Come and join 3,000+ local small business retailers who already use our software.

It costs $159.00 a month to rent (inc. GST). This includes the software, help desk support (Melbourne based), half a day one-on-one setup and training and access to an awesome knowledge base of advice and help.

You can cancel the rental at any time. There is no lock-in contract, no requirement for you to pay up front for a year. Pay as you go, monthly.

There is no requirement that you use a particular EFTPOS service. We mention this as some POS software companies lock you in on a service with a high price.

Find out more at www.towersystems.com.au/gift.

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Advice for local retailers on how to deal with EFTPOS fees

May 3, 2023
5 Min read
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It’s an easy complaint for a retailer to make – my EFTPOS merchant fees are too high, it’s not fair, time for me to consider another supplier or to consider charging customers a surcharge.

Customers hate surcharges, especially if there is another retailer selling what you sell who does not charge a surcharge.

Every method of payment has a cost, including cash. In my experience working with retailers, the cost of cash is higher because of theft. However, it is not easily seen, especially in retail businesses that do not research or teach theft.

Here are some business ideas for addressing the cost of EFTPOS:

  1. Promote cash payment – if you want the costs associated with cash of course.
  2. Be clear as to the cost of using a card. You could apply a surcharge, which I think is a ridiculous idea though.
  3. Price knowing that cards will be used by customers. Build the cost into your pricing model. Keep the bump under 1.5% and it is less likely to be noticed.
  4. Lower a cost elsewhere to cover the cost. Shaving a hour of employee rostered time can save you around $30.00, that’s equal to purchases of $3750.00 on a card – depending on the type of card used.
  5. Increase sales. While you should be focussed on this anyway, increasing sales helps you address the EFTPOS cost and more in the business.

If you are annoyed/upset/angry about EFTPOS fees, I’d like to gently and respectfully suggest you look at parts of your business over which you have control and that offer a better return from your physical and emotional attention. These are things that I regularly see ignored in favour of complaining about someone or something else:

  1. Dead stock. A problem not seen is not a problem to too many. In the average indie retail business, dead stock is equal to at least 3% of turnover.
  2. Stop running out of stock. Manual process for stock reordering, by retailers and suppliers, regularly result in sell-outs, and, therefore, missed sales. Every time that happens it is a cost to the business. In a retail business I looked at recently, the cost of sell-outs was more than $12,000 in a year, or $6,000 in gross profit, all because of poor re-ordering management.
  3. Bloated roster. Some prefer to spend money on people so they have time to themselves for relaxing, golf or to sit in the back office, where no customer purchases from. I often see a bloat cost equal to around 10% of the roster.
  4. Wrong trading hours. Some stay open too long while others are not open long enough. Either way has a cost to the business.
  5. Being blind to theft. Theft in local indie retail costs on average between 3% and 5% of turnover. Not watching for it, tracking it and mitigating against it has a cost to the business.
  6. The wrong product mix. GP% is a key measure of retail business performance. Increasing yours beyond what is traditional for your channel provides you with a buffer. For example, transaction count / sales can decline and you can be okay. Measure GP%. Set a goal. Chase it. The air is cleaner in above average.
  7. Ignorance. No, it’s not bliss. There are insights in your software that can guide better decisions, faster decisions, more financially rewarding decisions. Yet, too many in retail don’t want to know. That failure costs them plenty.

The items on the above list are all on the retailer to address. The benefit is that addressing these results in a stronger, leaner and more valuable retail business.

Adding a surcharge to each EFTPOS transaction is an easy step, but the wrong step in my view as doing that could shield you from more important and valuable business moves you can make.

…

One of us here at Tower Systems ate at a Melbourne restaurant recently while in the city for the Comedy Festival. The bill was $195.00. They only took payment by card. They presented the EFTPOS terminal. After navigating the tip screen on the EFTPOS terminal a message appeared: If you proceed a surcharge may apply. There was no option but to proceed. The surcharge was $2.14.

What was annoying was that paying by card was the only option and that they control the prices of what they sell.

Maybe we are ignorant about restaurant management but this place could have charged 10% more on each item and not charged a surcharge and customers would be happier than with them now. In fact, customers would probably have been more likely to return than now.

We think EFTPOS fee question is more one about acting on what we can change rather than what we cannot change.

We worry too much about price in local indie retail. A retailers we know selling a range of products widely available increased their price by 10%. Unit sales continued on their upward trajectory. This business now makes more GP from each item sold. The owner does a back of the envelope calculation about the value and tips the additional GP into a bucket, a buffer if you like, for when they see something not going their way.

…

In the Tower Systems POS software you have facilities for addressing the 7 points listed above. If you’d like help navigating these, please reach out.

We are keen for you to maximise value from your Tower software.

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Software made for local clothing and apparel shops saves time and guides good business decisions

May 2, 2023
2 Min read
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There was a time when the only software clothing shops could use was expensive and cumbersome, made for big businesses, retail chains, software packed with ERP tools and workflow management.

We know that local clothing shops, small business clothing shops, want an easy way to manage stock by colour size and style, a successful way to report on sales by fashion brand, a certain way to track seasonal sales and a way they can trust to bring shoppers back.

The Fashion retail POS software from Tower Systems is designed to help local clothing shops do these things and more. This is software made only for local clothing shops, software designed to equip them for competition.

And, at $185 a month, this POS software for clothing shops is affordable. There is no lock in contract. This is software with facilities clothing retailers tell us they want:

  • Colour, size and style: Easily track sales at a granular level by these variants.
  • Tracking sales by brand. This is in addition to suppliers and other reporting points.
  • Quickly identify what’s working and what’s not working.
  • Community group pricing: Helps you attract community group members.
  • Repairs: If you do alterations, this helps manage that for you.
  • Bundle pricing: easily put a package together to encourage value shoppers.
  • LayBys. While we offer Afterpay and Zip, old fashioned LayBy is growing again.
  • Bring them back: Market to shoppers based on past purchases.
  • Sell anytime: With our Shopify / Big Commerce / Magento / Woo integrations.
  • Awesome loyalty: Guide them to spend more.
  • Seasonal reordering: Reorder inventory based on seasonal sales.

Made and supported by Tower Systems, this fashion shop POS software is feature rich and designed to equip local cloths shops to perform well. It’s packed with fresh tech to save time and offer opportunities:

  • ChatGPT AI integration for better product descriptions. This is a free optional feature.
  • Auto removal of image backgrounds for a better online experience.
  • International barcode look-up to auto fill inventory data points if you sell products that are also overseas.

These facilities and more a designed to help nurture data consistency, which is key to repeatable success in any business.

Tower Systems is grateful to help local fashion businesses thrive. We don’t sell to chains or big businesses. We love local and small as that is where we find and appreciate community.

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Comparing Lightspeed POS, Vend POS, Square POS and Eposnow with Tower Systems POS software

May 2, 2023
3 Min read
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Lightspeed, Vend which is owned by Lightspeed, Square and Eposnow are all overseas POS software companies spending up big to try and attract Aussie retailers to their POS software.

Whether deliberate or not, we often see Lightspeed, Vend which is owned by Lightspeed, Square and Eposnow competing with us in Google search results, often through ads they pay for to get ahead of us in search results.

Hey, it’s okay, competition is good for all of us in business.

The thing is, though, we cannot compete with Lightspeed, ]Vend which is owned by Lightspeed, Square and Eposnow on advertising spend.

Where we can compete with them is value, functionality and service. We think we compete well with each of Lightspeed, Vend which is owned by Lightspeed, Square and Eposnow on these important points.

Our service is Australian based. we are an Australian company after all, building and supporting here the software we offer. There is no offshore call centre, no contractors helping you out. Call us and it’s us you speak with.

Good service starts with local knowledge and marketplace specific knowledge.

Our price is a per month price. It’s not a price pitched that requires you to pay for a full year up front to get. Also, our price is all inclusive. There is no extra cost for more registers or for functions like advanced reporting, loyalty or some integrations. We know that price transparency is important. There is no lock in contract.

What our software does, its functionality, is considerable, deep, and regularly evolving. Serving 3,000+ retailers in a diverse mix of specialty retail marketplaces has seen us develop functionality that is comprehensive and useful in many different business sectors. This depth sees us stand up well in comparison to other products.

We make specialty retail POS software for specialty retailers. While we cannot match the advertising spend of Lightspeed, Vend which is owned by Lightspeed, Square and Eposnow, we think we do match where it matters.

Choosing Tower Systems POS software, for the monthly rental cost, you have access to:

  • Unlimited registers. No extra cost.
  • Integrated accounting link.
  • Integrated e-commerce links.
  • Integrated payments.
  • Loyalty programs.
  • Advanced reporting.
  • Customer marketing.
  • Visual analytics dashboard.
  • Special customer orders.
  • Sell by fractions, sell by weight.
  • Integrated LayBys.
  • Customer gift vouchers.
  • Customised onboarding.
  • 24/7 support.

To go further, here’s what’s included in the monthly rental cost: software licences for unlimited computers in the location, help desk support (by phone or email) 6 days a week (including Saturday), access to a comprehensive support knowledge base, after hours support call access for urgent system down queries, access to our Shopify, Xero and other integrations, access to our supplier invoice import tools.

We are proud of this list, and our POS software, and our customer service. We are grateful to our customers who enable us to do this. They make us better at what we do.

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Lawn mower repair business software from Tower Systems

April 29, 2023
3 Min read
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We are grateful to some lawn mower repair businesses for showing us that the POS software were have made for bike shops and jewellers also serves the needs of mower repair businesses. From repairs to parts sales to labour tracking, our POS software, it turns out, serves the needs of some mower repair businesses.

Offering lawn mower repair business POS software is kinda new to us, like it is not something we set out to specialise is, but it’s happened.

Using our software for mower repair businesses, people working in the businesses can access some terrific benefits, like:

  • Electronic invoices from suppliers.
  • Parts tracking thanks to engaged inventory management.
  • Easily sell online with a direct to Shopify / Magento or WooCommerce link from your POS software – including image flow.
  • Offer personal customer service by tracking service and other dates by bike.
  • TAGS that offer a fresh perspective, side-view, on stock performance.
  • Leverage you. If you believe your knowledge is a differentiator, offer it through structured opportunities in the software. This helps you stand out from other places people could shop with.
  • Genuinely differentiating loyalty. A loyalty solution that suits the traffic circumstances of a mower repair business.
  • Sell more with a direct connect and integrated with the POS buy now pay later services.
  • Drive a deeper basket from one-time-only visiting shoppers.
  • Offer differentiating personal product care by tracking serial numbers.
  • Easily handle special customer orders. Bring product in for a specific customer and have them notified by email or text when the goods are in.
  • Trade and community group pricing profiles. Leverage the community for more support.
  • Make money from pre-orders – Easily pre-sell a delivery so that when the stock arrives you can manage distribution and billing efficiently.
  • Differentiate with informative receipts. These can include product care, use and safety information based on what customers buy.
  • Market to customers based on past purchases.
  • Cut mistakes with integrated EFTPOS.
  • Cut accounting and bookkeeping fees with integration to Xero and others.

Now, when it comes to Tower Systems and software for mower repair businesses, you can count ion us:

  • We are local. Local matters in local communities. Tower Systems is Australian owned, developed and supported. Call us and a human answers the phone.
  • Our training is persona.
  • Unlimited free training. Long after you install the software, ask for top-up training and all we will organise it.
  • New customer care. All new customers have a separate specialist team with which they connect, to ease settling-in.
  • Customers guide our software enhancement. We offer a transparent, democratic, process for guiding software update content.
  • Business specific.This software is developed for businesses that offer services like mower repair businesses.
  • In the cloud or in-store.You choose where the lawn mower repair software runs.
  • We help with business performance analysis and theft checks, services where we take a deep dive into your data and provide confidential insights.
  • 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.

Prices at $185.00 a month rental, which can be cancelled at any time, this software offers plenty of facilities.

The key to any software choice is to make sure it serves your needs. Take your time. have a personal demonstration. Explain what you need from software. See if we are a good fit. The choice is 100% yours and we won’t pressure you.

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Advice on choosing the right POS software for your retail business

April 28, 2023
3 Min read
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Running a successful retail business involves many challenges, one of which is choosing the right Point of Sale (POS) software. With so many options available in the market, it can be overwhelming for small business owners to choose the one that best fits their needs. In this blog post, we will discuss some tips on how to choose the right POS software for your retail business.

  1. Determine your business needs before selecting a POS software, it is essential to determine your business needs. What kind of products do you sell? What are your sales volumes? Do you need to track inventory levels? Do you sell by weight or length? Do you need to integrate with other systems such as accounting software or e-commerce platforms? Understanding your business needs will help you narrow down your options and choose the right software that meets your requirements.
  2. Look for essential features when selecting a POS software, it is crucial to look for essential features that will help you run your business efficiently. Some of the basic features to look for include smart loyalty, inventory management, sales tracking, customer management, and reporting. However, you may also need additional features such as e-commerce integration, loyalty program options, community group support, and appointment scheduling, depending on your business needs.
  3. Consider the ease of use. It is essential to choose a POS software that is easy to use and requires minimal training. Complicated software can lead to errors and delays, which can negatively impact your business operations. Look for a software that has a user-friendly interface and offers training and support to help you get started.
  4. Choose cloud-based solutions. Cloud-based solutions are parts of the software that run in the cloud – the parts you need, without compromising your security or the security of your business data. Such solutions can be accessed from any device with an internet connection, allowing you to manage your business on-the-go. Cloud-based solutions offers automatic software updates, which means you always have the latest features and security patches.
  5. Check for integrations. Integrations with other systems can help streamline your business operations and save you time. Look for a POS software that integrates with your accounting software, e-commerce platform, or other systems that you use to manage your business. This will allow you to automate tasks such as inventory management, order fulfillment, and financial reporting. And, ask about integration plans into the future.
  6. Consider the cost of ownership. The cost of POS software can and does vary significantly depending on the features, integrations, and support options. While it is essential to choose software that meets your business needs, it is also important to consider the cost and the return on investment. Look for a software that offers a transparent pricing model and allows you to scale up or down as your business grows. One POS software products claimed a low rental cost but once you add the cost of the locked-in EFTPOS fees, the total cost of ownership over a year put it at the highest solution being considered.

By considering your business needs, essential features, ease of use, cloud-based software, integrations, and cost, you can choose the POS software solution that best fits your requirements and helps you run your business efficiently.

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How jewellers, computer shops, bike shops and others retailers can use POS software manage the goods they make for sale

April 27, 2023
1 Min read
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Here is a new short video in which one of our software experts previews one part of the the Manufactured Goods part of our POS software.

There is much more to this Manufactured Goods facility than covered. The goal of the video is to open the door in a power function to see if it might be worth looking at in more detail as to suitability.

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POS software for chandlery shops and businesses

April 26, 2023
2 Min read
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Tower Systems offers POS software that chandlery business owners and staff tell us suits their business needs.

We were skeptical so we did a deep dive, finding out about their needs and demonstrating how our software serves each area of need.

It turns out that our POS software suits the needs of chandlery businesses.

There is variety in what chandlery shops offer from traditional retail to services. Common in all businesses is the knowledge they have about what they offer and sell. This is one of the ways our POS software suits chandlery businesses.

Here are other facilities in our software that chandlery shop experts tell us is useful for their needs:

  1. Quote and invoice management. Strong, flexible, fit for purpose.
  2. Customer delivery management options.
  3. Sell from anywhere, anytime option through Retailer RoamTM.
  4. Trade pricing profiles supporting pricing flexibility for your customers.
  5. Customer account management: Professional and accurate control.
  6. Sell by weight or fractions.
  7. Create your own bundles / products. You can package items together into a single item more useful to your customers.
  8. Pre-orders – pre-sell stock and be ahead of the game.
  9. Special orders – easily manage special customer orders.
  10. Genuinely informative receipts. You control design and detail.
  11. Awesome loyalty that works for unique chandlery shopper traffic.
  12. Seasonal reordering. Easily reorder inventory based on seasonal sales.
  13. Weatherproof labels.
  14. Product use notes. served on receipts.
  15. Electronic supplier invoice support – cut mistakes and save time.
  16. Easy Shopify website integration.

Rent our produce business software for $199.00 a month. Here’s what’s included in the monthly rental cost: software licences for unlimited computers in the location, help desk support (by phone or email) 6 days a week (including Saturday), access to a comprehensive support knowledge base, after hours support call access for urgent system down queries, access to our Shopify, Xero and other integrations, access to our supplier invoice import tools.

Our chandlery business software continues to evolve thanks to the generous advice and guidance from our customer community.

If you own or work in a chandlery business and are looking for software suitable, we can connect you with others in your retail channel using our software. We’d also love to find out about your specific needs and organise a demonstration to see if our POS software can be of service.

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POS software for bookshops

April 23, 2023
3 Min read
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Tower Systems is grateful to serve bookshops with locally made and supported POS software. Here’s a 7 minute video showing some of the highlights of this POS software.

Using our bookshop POS software / bookstore POS software local bookshops can leverage a range of facilities designed to help the run efficient and enjoyable businesses. Facilities in the POS software made for bookshops and available for $185 (inc. GST) a month include:

  • TitlePage integration for easy lookup.
  • International barcode direct connect for easy lookup.
  • ChatGPT integration for smart product descriptions designed to help with customer searching.
  • Returns management. Returning unsold books can be time consuming. Using our bookshop software, booksellers can identify titles that can be returned based on arrival in-store, sales and current quantity on hand. We provide the insight and the structured approach for handling the return, in a publisher friendly way. The approach in our software has been tested with booksellers, to ensure it is genuinely useful and in line with what is required from suppliers.
  • Pacstream connectivity. From within our bookshop software you have access to Pacstream integration. Ask us to demonstrate this to you, so you can see how it works live and in person. The PacStream platform is robust and commercially beneficial to retailers. Indeed, PacStream access is critical for book retailers.
  • Easy searching of book inventory by title or part of a title.
  • Easy searching by book inventory by author name or part of author name.
  • Structured handling of special orders for customers.

We serve local booksellers with bookshop software made to help them serve their local communities. Our software helps them position their businesses as locally focussed in unique ways and touchpoints from reader loyalty to special interest focus to local club support to bundle offers. We help local bookshops better serve local readers and those who buy for them.

Independent book retailers are the lifeblood of the community, often at the heart of discussion, gathering and learning. Our bookshop software supports this role for bookshops in a range of ways, helping bookshop owners to serve community groups while strengthening their businesses.

Booksellers have access to:

  • Loyalty facilities through which you can genuinely differentiate your business, … shoppers respond to the levers you can pull.
  • Sell online, easily. Our Shopify integration is seamless, official and easy to use and manage.
  • Event marketing through which you can create contact lists of customers based on events and other connections.

This software has been embraced by book retailers.

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Charity shop software Op. shop software – helping community groups support their communities

April 22, 2023
4 Min read
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Tower Systems is grateful to the many community groups that have chosen its community charity shop / op shop software.

In support of the work of this valued community enterprise sector, Tower Systems offers its Aussie made and supported POS software for $99.00. This is a price specifically for charity shops, op. shops and other community enterprise retail businesses.

In our work with many different Charity and op. shops, we have found unique and loved businesses with common needs, needs covered by the POS software have for them, like:

  1. Pricing flexibility. Some charity shops price each item while others have a range off prince points and sell without tracking each item. Our software handles this.
  2. Easy shopper loyalty.  While the software offers a loyalty points system, we have found the cash-off approach in our loyalty tools works better in local retail. People understand money. A receipt showing an amount they can save on their next purchase gets, usually, at least 20% of people spending more that visit.
  3. Manage inventory your way. You can sell by barcode, products code, department, category within department, price point. You can sell, measure and report at the level point appropriate to your needs.
  4. Easy to learn. We have found that in community enterprises easy to learn / easy to use really does matter. Volunteer turnover makes this essential. We can record training specific to your needs and make these videos available for future volunteers.
  5. Secure. You can lock down parts of the software to secure them for management access only.
  6. Checks and balances. This software guides processes. It also provides hidden tracking so you can investigate should the need arise.
  7. Club / group marketing and support. Leverage clubs and community groups with offers and pricing just for them.

Our Australian made and supported charity / op. shop POS software does much more than what’s on this list. See it for yourself, live and obligation free, to see if it could serve you and your business. We’d be glad to show it to all involved in the operation.

Here’s what’s included in the $99 monthly rental cost: software licences for unlimited computers in the location, help desk support (by phone or email) 6 days a week (including Saturday), access to a comprehensive support knowledge base, after hours support call access for urgent system down queries, access to our Shopify, Xero and other integrations, access to our supplier invoice import tools.

The $99 is not a short term price, a limited time offer. It is our standard price for charity shops / op. shops and community enterprises. It has been priced this was as part of our commitment to  support good works in local Aussie communities. We are grateful to be in a position to offer this pricing to this loved group of retail businesses.

Here’s a Q&A about this POS software for op. shops, charity shops and community enterprises:

We work on behalf of several local charities. Can we track purchases by their members as a fund raising tool? Yes.

We have a lot of volunteers, is the software easily learnt? Yes.

We report to a board, are there good checks and balances? Yes.

Do we have to barcode everything we sell? No.

So when we don’t sell by barcode how do we track what we sell? You decide the level of reporting you want and that determines the best sales tracking approach.

Can we compare the performance of different categories of what we sell? Yes.

Can we report on sales by product type so we can understand the categories that sell? Yes.

Does the software produce WAS / NOW price labels so we can show what something would cost in a regular store? Yes.

Our manager is off-site. Can they access the software from there? Yes.

Does the software support a loyalty program? Yes, there are several loyalty options that work in different situations from infrequent shopper visits to regular shopper visits.

Can we set a quantity purchase price for items? Yes.

Can we bundle items together, like into a hamper, and easily sell that? Yes.

Can I include product care instructions on the receipt? Yes.

Does the software handle LayBys? Yes.

Does the software connect with my website? We partner with Shopify, Big Commerce, Magento and WooCommerce and offer direct links to these.

If you are connected with a charity shop, op. shop or a community enterprise, reach out to Tower Systems and see whether our software serves your needs. We’re a no pressure software company. It’s important to us that people who decide to use our software do so because it its a good fit for their needs.

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POS software update helps small business retailers with efficiency improvements

April 21, 2023
3 Min read
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Tower Systems launched updated POS software recently that offers a ChatGPT AI integration through which the software generates a product description based on minimal information provided by you.

The goal is to offer a product description that helps drive your sales.

This is one of several carefully planned and researched AI enhancements from us to help independent retailers be more efficient and successful.

Another timely feature is our loyalty solution. Customers are responding well to the $$$ reward offered. This makes sense given the negative economic news out there. Shoppers appreciate value and you can show this to them.

Here are the retail marketplaces we cover:

Here’s what’s included in the monthly rental cost: software licences for unlimited computers in the location, help desk support (by phone or email) 6 days a week (including Saturday), access to a comprehensive support knowledge base, after hours support call access for urgent system down queries, access to our Shopify, Xero and other integrations, access to our supplier invoice import tools.

  • Aussie customer service, in Hawthorn, VIC. No call centre.
  • Call us, and a human answers.
  • Email us and a retail knowledgable human responds.
  • Our office is open Monday through Saturday.
  • Month to month rental – no lock in contract.
  • No lock-in EFTPOS contract. You choose the EFTPOS that’s right for your business.
  • Self serve training videos and knowledge base.
  • Low cost training for those who want it.
  • The listed prices include GST and are genuinely monthly – not annual paid up front.

Tower Systems currently serves more than 3,000 local small business Aussie retailers.

It may be that our software is not right for you. The best way to find out is through a personal live demonstration by Zoom. We can organise this for you, record it with you and give you a copy so you can show colleagues and others you’d like to consult.

If we think we are not a good fit for your business we will say so and wish you all the best.

Email us: sales@towersystems.com.au.

Call us: 1300 662 957.

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Learning how to use POS software – advice for local small business retailers

April 20, 2023
3 Min read
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Learning how to use POS software can be challenging. There is the tech enology to learn, a whole bunch of new words and, often, difficulties with accessing the learning resources.

Tower Systems makes it easy for retailers, especially local small business retailers, to learn how to use POS software.

Retailers using the Tower Systems POS software have access to a curriculum of fresh training videos  for no cost whatsoever. This library is available to be accessed 24/7, from home, from work, on the train.

The free to access Tower Systems POS software training videos are what we call snackable. That is, they are bite-size, easy to watch, learn and implement. Piece by piece. Small steps. easy to learn steps. This allows POS software users to jump in on a topic they need to lear about, or to do the whole suite of videos and more thoroughly learn how to use the POS software.

Making training easy to access is a key reason for the success of Tower Systems. Providing learning content that is accessible to anyone regardless of their education or business experience is something the Tower Systems customers tell us they love.

Check out the current list of videos available. But note that this is evolving rapidly with new videos being added all the time.

The Tower Systems POS software video training library is complimented by a. comprehensive knowledge base that is accessible 24/7 and easily searchable using up to date search techniques to guide useful answers with minimal fuss.

If you are a small business retailer and you are finding learning how to use POS software is challenging or are struggling to access the type of training you need to get more form your POS software, take a look at the resources Tower Systems provides its thousands of Aussie and New Zealand local small business retailers. See how we help them learn the Technology biology so that it truly becomes a loved and useful tool in running their retail businesses.

Using POS software should be enjoyable, useful and valuable. easy access to good POS software training is key to this. What Tower Systems offers is a competitive advantage and we are committed to maintaining this with more evolution of our POS software user training resources.

We encourage our customers to suggest video topics. These suggestions really do guide our video training production.

The videos themselves are created by our help desk team – the team providing day to day support to our retail POS software user community. Many on our help desk team have recent retail experience that helps them create content that is more practical and useful for local small business retailers.

It’s easy to say that you offer good training and another thing entirely to show it. This is why we are happy to show any sales prospect our library of training videos as well as our knowledge base. Sales prospects can choose not only the right software for their business but also the right training and user support materials for their business. Each of these assets supports the other. Software alone is not the answer.

Tower Systems makes learning how to use its POS software easy, accessible and useful. Since we only serve local indie retailers, what we offer really is personal and small business focussed. And, it’s 100% backed by human interaction when you want or need.

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POS software EFTPOS machine options that help small business retailers save money

April 18, 2023
3 Min read
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A modest Aussie gift shop was paying more than $9,000 a year for their POS software from a US company by way of EFTPOS fees. They went with the company because the software was free.

It was only when they needed the software to do something that it did not do that they started looking around.

The owners of this awesome local gift shop were shocked to discover that switching to us cut their POS software and EFTPOS costs in half. It was a bonus that our software had the additional facilities they were seeking.

The cost of ownership of POS software is something retailers need to consider if they are required to use EFTPOS services provided by their tech company.

There may be circumstances where it works well operationally and financially. There will be other circumstances where it does not.

This is why we say to local small business retailers, do your research, be sure you understand the total cost of ownership. What is pitched as FREE is unlikely to be free as every company needs to make money.

EFTPOS machines connected to POS software are a valuable tool. Partnering with a POS software company that connects with multiple EFTPOS machines offers the retailer choice and from choice flows competitive opportunity.

Tower Systems connects with multiple different EFTPOS machines through its POS software. retailers choose what is right for them. The company has offers available, retailers are also welcome to choose their own. The key is to make an informed decision about what is right for the business.

And, thanks to smart POS software EFTPOS machine integrations, charging a surcharge can be done, mistakes are reduced, end of shift reconciliation is easier and handing EFTPOS transaction queries is managed with ease. The EFTPOS machine POS software integrations from Tower Systems serve many different retail channel requirements.

The key, though, is retailer choice.

As our gift shop customer found, the saving could be worth thousands of dollars to the bottom line of the business. “Who’d have thought that something promoted as free cost more than something not wormed as free”, the gift shop owner commented to us after making the shift and experiencing the significantly lower operating cost.

We own and run retail shops ourselves, where we use our own software. We see first hand the value of getting a core cost such as EFTPOS fees right for the business. We know that smart retailers appreciate choice. That’s what we offer a Tower Systems, choice.

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