Owning and running a local shop is often more of a calling than a pure business decision, for local shops play active and vital roles in supporting local communities.
This is what happens when the owner of a business lives among those they serve. They want the local community to thrive because they live and feel the joy of a thriving community.
No big business can compete with this personal local connection, no matter how much they advertise or promote local support. Nothing beats living alongside those your own business serves.=
It’s this connectedness of local retailers to their local community that inspires us to make software that is genuinely useful in helping local retailers to serve, and to thrive themselves.
We are grateful to only make software for local independent retailers. As locals ourselves, we understand the role our software can play.
Here at Tower Systems, our POS software pricing is transparent. It starts at $175.00 a month, or $105 a month if you’re a community or charity owned enterprise.
There is no payments fee per transaction. Big overseas software companies are doing this now.
There is no requirement on the EFTPOS platform you use. We direct link to Tyro, SmartPay, Linkly (the big banks) and more.
There is no charge for extra terminals. They’s all included in the price.
There is no penalty charge for paying monthly. Some companies quote a low monthly cost that you need to pay 12 months in advance to get.
No extra charge for e-commerce integration: Shopify, Magento, Big Commerce or Woo.
We offer an awesome library of fresh training videos.
Best of all, our help desk is locally based and run by humans who do not follow a rigid script. Call us, and we answer.
We understand the importance of local human-delivered support.
Price should not be the only factor in choosing POS software for you business. It is worth researching though, to understand the total cost of ownership of the POS software you have or are considering.
I am back from a quick trip to the US – New York, Wisconsin (several small towns and Los Angeles).
It was fascinating to see the total embrace of Halloween, in all retail sectors: jewellers, garden centres, bike shops, pet shops, toy shops, homewares shops, fabric shops, gift shops, landscape businesses, bookshops, fashion stores.
While I have seen Halloween in the US plenty of times before, this time I paid attention to the range of retail businesses engaged.
Retailers in every category embrace Halloween as an opportunity for fun. They also use it as an opportunity for in-store events to reconnect with the local community.
What I saw was much more than candy and trick or treating … it was a seasonal embrace with fun at the heart. There were events, sales, photo opportunities and plenty more. Most were very local, and engaging.
Many retailers use it as an opportunity too ease into Christmas with Halloween prep starting in early September.
I like the idea of Halloween right after Father’s Day and as something prior to Christmas being put up in store. While we have done Halloween in our shops previously, in 2024 I think we will take a more US local retail approach and create something quite different for here.
I mention it today because events in-store, in any type of retail business, are vital to helping to be noticed, and attract new shoppers, and new shoppers are vital to all of us in retail.
This photo is from a bike shop / coffee shop in Lake Geneva Wisconsin. I saw people crouch down for a photo. Simple. Effective. Engaging.
There are so many opportunities local retailers can embrace with Halloween beyond what we have seen as common locally.
Bike shops, jewellers, garden centres, toy shops, pet shops, bookshops, gift shops, homewares shops, newsagents and even farm supply businesses all have opportunities in the Halloween space and I saw plenty of examples in the US recently.
In our POS software it’s a season we can help you track, too.
I am grateful for what I got to see. It was heaps fun.
Mark Fletcher
CEO. Tower Systems
mark@towersystems.com.au 0418 321 338
PS. Retail is personal and Halloween leans into this opportunity.
There are plenty of gift shop POS systems on the market. They tend to spruce the same things: ease of use, helping you to grow your business, easy online sales etc. etc.
We are different in that we only provide support to and support local retailers, small business retailers, independent retailers.
We’re stop interested in selling to big retailers, big franchises, groups with 50 or 100 shops. We understand the importance of local retail and are committed to helping local retailers, like local gift shops, to more successfully compete.
We pack our gift shop POS software with facilities made for local retailers, to help them run more efficient and valuable businesses, to stand out and to attract more shoppers.
One example of our difference are the loyalty facilities in our software. Sure, we do the points thing. But big retailers do those. Surely as a local retailer you want to stand out, to be seen to be different. In our gift shop software you have tools that allow you to be different, loyalty tools through which you can promote your business differently to your big competitors. Our loyalty tools are designed to nurture local shopper stickiness.
Another example of how our gift shop POS system helps local gift shops is the ease with which you can share local knowledge, differentiating knowledge. This is all abut selling you and your expertise. We have seen it work a treat at helping retailers more meaningfully connect with local retailers.
A third way our POS software for gift shops helps local indie gift shops is by helping you to encourage your suppliers to follow practices that save time in your business. We have helped many suppliers provide retailers with electronic invoices that reduce mistakes in the shop and save huge time.
We are an engaged POS software company serving only local small business retailers in selected retail channels. Our difference is this focussed and local connection. We’re like you and this makes us closer to you.
Too often, wholesalers steal more time with old-school practices, and then they complain when they don’t achieve the sales they want.
Our POS software company, Tower Systems, helps local wholesalers and retailers to work together for mutual benefit.
Retailers love electronic invoices for their accuracy and time saved. They also love loading stock files and product image files – saving more time.
Wholesalers love the reorder trigger. Retailers love this too when they see revenue lost by not reordering sooner based on projected sales.
Wholesalers also love the sales data feed, providing faster feedback on product performance.
Retailers love being able to compare supplier performance, side by side.
Retailers love loading a catalog without having to key in each item and the special price for the timing of the catalogue.
Retailers and suppliers love automation around product returns.
While there are plenty of POS software products in the marketplace, few offer deep and mutually beneficial connectivity for suppliers and retailers.
Here at Tower Systems we understand the value of both sides of the supplier / retailer transactional relationship.
We love helping suppliers grow business from retailers using our software.
We love helping retailers cut suppliers who are not paying their way in the business.
This is all about business after all.
If you are a supplier to local indie retailers, think about your processes and the time commitment you expect from retailers.
If we can help, reach out. We are proud to serve 3,500+ local retailers in Australia.
If you do not provide electronic invoices or an electronic stock file with images, you are costing retailers time. We can help you create electronic invoices to world class standards for not only our POS software but other POS software too.
How retailers feel about a supplier goes beyond the success of the products they supply. The ease and cost of doing business is a key factor. It’s vital you work on that, to make your business more useful, more valuable to retailers.
We own shops and know these things from our own experience. We pursue efficiency and accuracy, hallmarks of local retail success.
At our website, www.towersystems.com.au, once you choose your marketplace, you can watch a recent software demonstration immediately, without providing any of your details.
Alternatively, you can, with one click request a personal demonstration lead by the needs of your business.
We believe in easy to access customer service, pre sales, and post sales.
Just as retail is personal, POS software support is personal.
The number of clicks and the amount of information you have to provide in order to watch a POS software demonstration says something about the ease of access to help with that software. See for yourself.
The POS system from Tower Systems is Australian made for Australian retailers. It is backed by local support, delivered by humans who don’t push you through a rigid script.
This POS system is small business friendly. It is local business friendly.
Better still, the POS system from Tower Systems does not lock you into a payments platform, it does not require you to use specific EFTPOS. There is no fee relating to payments.
Tower Systems believes retailers should profit from their sales, not software companies. This is why the POS system from Tower Systems is unencumbered with fees and charged you see from other POS software companies.
The Tower Systems POS software pricing is transparent and small business friendly.
There is no extra charge for extra terminal or computer licences. Nor is there an extra charge for advanced reporting or loyalty facilities.
The modest monthly software rental cost includes software licences for unlimited computers in the location, help desk support (by phone or email) 6 days a week (incl. 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.
Save time with electronic invoices from suppliers.
Differentiate with you. Share your product use and care information.
Easy special customer orders. Smart tracking and customer notification.
Make money from pre-orders – Easily pre-sell before release.
Community group pricing. Set pricing rules based on customer type.
Ensure compliance when required with structured age checking.
Then, there are the awesome loyalty tools in this POS software. With many retail businesses running points based loyalty programs, differentiating is key for businesses that want to stand out. This is why our discount voucher loyalty program is loved by plenty of our POS software customers.
First up, while we call them discount vouchers, you can call them whatever you like. We have customers who call these receipt-based vouchers Our Thank You Gift or Bonus Bucks or Customer Reward..
Discount vouchers have been shown to deliver terrific sales boosts. Comparing sales over Christmas 2019 and New Year 2020, we have seen businesses achieve 12% sales growth through the active use of discount vouchers.
Typically, guys will want to spend the vouchers right away while girls keep them and often use them before they automatically expire.
Discount vouchers are easy to setup and run. Our support team can help with this. You can be live in minutes. You can easily change the settings too. The control you have is terrific and the shopper engagement reporting excellent.
Tower Systems is a small business focussed POS software company developing, and supporting POS software for niche specialty retailers.
Transaction fees make POS software more expensive for retailers. They are a hidden cost of ownership of POS software.
Tower Systems does not charge a transaction fee. Tower Systems does not force you to use any specific payments platform. We think this is what makes the total cost of ownership(TCO) of the Tower Systems POS software so low, and so loved by retailers.
The total cost of ownership (TCO) of POS software is the sum of all direct and indirect costs associated with the purchase, implementation, maintenance, and support of the software over its entire lifespan. This includes:
Initial purchase price or the monthly rental cost summed over time: The cost of the software license and any associated hardware costs. Tower Systems has a simple monthly rental cost with no requirement to pay a year in advance.
Implementation costs: The cost of installing and configuring the software, as well as training staff on how to use it. Tower Systems offers optional training (onboarding).
Maintenance and support costs: The cost of ongoing maintenance and support, such as software updates, security patches, and technical support. The cost of support for the Tower Systems POS software is included in the monthly rental price.
Other costs: Other costs that may be associated with POS software include credit card processing fees, integration costs with other systems, and downtime costs. Tower Systems does not charge any processing fees or any payments fees.
The TCO of POS software can vary depending on the size and complexity of the business, as well as the features and functionality of the software. For example, a small business with a single retail location may have a TCO of a few thousand dollars per year, while a large enterprise with multiple locations may have a TCO of millions of dollars per year.
Tower Systems keeps the cost of the software simple, easy to understand and manageable for the local specialty retailers on which it focuses.
Here are some tips for reducing the TCO of POS software:
Choose a software solution that does not charge transaction fees.
Choose a software solution that does not lock you into a specific payments platform.
Take advantage of free training and resources offered by the software provider. Tower Systems offers plenty of these.
Use the full features of the software to maximise financial return for the business.
By carefully considering all of the costs associated with POS software, you can choose a solution that is right for your business and your budget.
Running a local retail business can be lonely hard work with days that feel like they never end, plenty of people with unsolicited advice on what to do and too often not enough money to do what you want or need.Â
The thing is, local retail businesses are the stories, and often the lifeblood, of local Aussie towns. They are the businesses that make the most difference locally. And while some days it may not feel like it, they are loved.Â
If you own a local business and find it hard some days to feel motivated be sure to have a nourishing well from which you can draw to re-energise, re-set. It could be an album of photos, a keepsake from a loved-one, a local walk you enjoy, reading a chapter of a book or a hug from someone you know who has your back.Â
What local retailers do matters and you can only continue to do that if you take care of yourself too.
Savvy retailers are price comparing POS software and gaining a better understanding of the cost of ownership of the software as the cost of ownership includes monthly rental cost as well as fees imposed on transactions and costs associated with any required payments platform.
Here at Tower Systems you can choose the payments platform you prefer, for no cost.
Our POS software connects with Tyro, Linkly, Linkly Cloud, MX51, CentrePay, SmartPay, Quest and others. These are integrations, saving time, cutting mistakes and offering seamless engagement.
There is no payments charge when you use our POS software. Tower Systems has a $0.00 transaction fee cost.
There is no payments platform requirement when you use our POS software.
This is why the total cost of ownership of the Tower Systems POS software is less than plenty of comparable products.
If you are looking for POS software for your business, do your homework, check out pricing, all the pricing, compare and decide what is functionally and financially right for your business.
When you compare our POS software to others, ask the question about payments fee or transaction fee or any percentage surcharge on transactions.
We think software companies should make money from software and not from each transaction a retailer makes in their business.
We also think that transaction fees and payment fees are like a tax, an awful tax, and impost on your business for making sales. It’s why we have taken the approach we have and why we are so transparent about it.
We don’t have the marketing funds to match the POS software companies that do charge a transaction fee. We rely on word of mount and other grass roots marketing. we’re doing okay, too, for which we are sincerely grateful.
Now, to be very clear, Tower Systems does not charge any fee whatsoever for transactions or payments. Nothing fee for debit cards. No fee for credit cards. Tower Systems has no fee whatsoever for any form of payments put through its POS software.
Ultimately, the best POS software for your business will depend on your specific needs and budget. Be sure to compare the features and pricing of different POS systems before making a decision.
There is so much nonsense in the media at the moment about work from home and the push to get back to the office 5 days a week. Just today there was a story reporting that CEOs claim work from home will be history in 2 years. We think (hope) they are wrong.
Here at Tower Systems, we are grateful for a terrific team creating and supporting our software for local retailers. They are welcome to work where it suits them. We trust them. Always have. More than two thirds of our team have worked from home since March 2020 and there is no pressure on them to return to the office.
We think the media stories about people getting back to the office are likely from landlords who want to fill offices and businesses that rely on office workers for food, clothing and other sales. These sales are still occurring, but closer to home, for which local retailers are grateful.
We have work colleagues who have 15+ hours a week for personal and family time that they did not have prior to opening up to working from home. That’s 720 bonus family time hours in a working year. The value of that for individuals and families is extraordinary.
The whole community benefits from this. This is even more true in regional communities.
Arielle Executive claims to list 7 Best POS Systems In Australia For 2023.
We think what they actually promote is software companies that pay them to be on the list. We think theirs is an ad platform.
Why do we say this? Because they’ve not assessed our software. Okay, we’re a small company. But we do have 3,500+ local Aussie business customers.
We think that if you are going to pay Google to rank well for listing the best POS systems in Australia you should have at the very lease actually looked at POS systems made for retailers in Australia. Like, you should have done the work to enable you to make the claim.
Oh, and by looking at POS systems we mean looking at the actual software, comparing functions, getting into the total cost of ownership and understanding each product before making an assessment leading to the claim you promote.
We are suspicious about comparison websites like that offered by Arielle Executive because in our experience they are ad platforms you pay to list your product to be considered ‘best’, when really the ranking comes down to an amount of money you spend.
Arielle Executive is a commercial business that offers a range of services. None of the services listed at the Arielle Executive claim expertise in assessing the best software of any kind.
We get that Arielle Executive is running a business and has to make money. We wish they were clearer about what they were doing with the ads they are running on Google claiming to list the 7 Best POS Systems In Australia For 2023. And while they products they list are well known and loved by many, whether they are the best comes down to much more than whether they have paid money to be on the marketing list promoted by by Arielle Executive.
Here at Tower Systems we are a transparent company, clear in what we offer. People considering us can see demonstrations of our software on our website and on our Google channel. We’re not pushy either. Folks who enquire about our software are respected. We are keen to understand their needs. If we think we are good fit we will say so, and show how.
If you are considering POS software for your business, take your time, do your homework, trust what you discover and not a marketing lost others have paid to be on.
There are loyalty offers from big retailers that are supported with expensive attractive marketing and then there are loyalty offers from local businesses that deliver real value, appreciated value.
While the big business loyalty program gets media attention, it is usually the local business loyalty program that delivers what customers love most.
With many retail businesses running points based loyalty programs, differentiating is key for businesses that want to stand out. This is why our Tower Systems discount voucher loyalty program is loved by plenty of our POS software customers.
Oh, and you can actually call it whatever you like. We have customers who call these receipt-based vouchers Our Thank You Gift or Bonus Bucks or Customer Reward..
Discount vouchers genuinely differentiate your business.
You name the voucher anything you like and can change this at any time.
You set the rules on how the value of the voucher is calculated.
You set the rules on what the voucher can be redeemed for.
You set the rules on expiry dates.
Male shoppers are more likely to spend the voucher immediately and many customers use the voucher to purchase items more expensive than the items in the initial purchase made. Customers see the voucher as cash, often commenting that they like the direct approach better than a points-based system. They like the transparency and simplicity.
In our own retail experience, shoppers tell us they prefer discount vouchers, they like how easily they are understood, they like the saving.
To us, shopper loyalty programs should reward loyalty with a genuine reward, and they should do this in a way that nurtures more engagement with the business.
The relationship between shopper, business and loyalty program is circular, mutually beneficial, appreciated and valuable. This is how our program works.
Now, for retailers who like to copy big business with a traditional points based program, we offer that. It’s easy to setup and run. You control how points are accrued and redeemed. We have this in the software because we do not want to restrict what our retailers can offer in terms of loyalty.
We are grateful to serve thousands of retailers with loyalty offerings that help local retailers thrive.
While we love talking with our POS software customers and take hundreds of calls for advice, training and support every day, plenty of our customers are loving the enhanced self-serve facilities through our website where many day-to-day queries are answered instantly, without the need to call or email.
The advanced tech behind this innovating is delivering terrific POS software support content to our customers, helping them to get more from our software instantly, when they need it.
Customers using this self-serve access to help desk advice free our people to handle more complex queries on how yo use our POS software.
Our help desk team members don’t follow a script. Each call is a conversation, free flowing, in pursuit of valuable and appreciate answers for our POS software customers.
The free web app we created for retailers to facilitate fast and easy loading of product photos to our POS software and feeding these to Shopify, magenta, Woo and Big Commerce websites is being loved by our customers.
Using this free tool our customers open their phone, take a photo, check that it looks okay and click to share it. The back end software does the rest, including removing the background of the image if you like.
This is another time saving tool created by Tower Systems to help local retailers more easily get new products online.
The photo management and upload app is 100% our tech, designed to serve our 3,000+ local retail customers. we created it once we understood the frustration of retailers at how long it took to take photos, remove the background and upload them to the software. Removing plan ty of steps and making it a 2 or 3 click quick process is helping local retailers get more products online in a time efficient way.
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