The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

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

Latest stories

Q&A on game shop POS software for local indie game shops

July 8, 2022
3 Min read
Q

Local game shops are unique retail businesses, awesome businesses, fun businesses, serving a loyal community of game players of all sorts.

A good local game shop connects with this community in many ways. The software we have for game shops helps with this. here is a recent Q&A about our specialty retail game shop POS software.

I have multiple shops, does the software handle this? Yes.

Can I sell gift cards for my business? Yes.

I sometimes sell away from the shop at events, can the software do this? Yes, our Retailer RoamTMoption manages selling from anywhere.

Can I manage second-hand goods with this software? Yes, you can track the details of the seller and maintain accurate records.

Can the software manage special orders for customers? Yes.

Can I pre-sell items? Yes.

Does the software handle club member pricing? Yes, this can be a great marketing tool, getting local community or other group members support the business and fundraising at the same time. Being able to do this, to support clubs, helps be business lock-in members long term.

Does the software have a facility for encouraging infrequent shoppers to spend more? Yes, it’s proven to work well at achieving this.

Does the software produce WAS / NOW price labels? Yes.

Does the software manage time-based catalogue pricing? Yes.

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

I have similar items from several suppliers. Can I compare suppliers? Yes.

Does the software handle LayBys? Yes.

Can you reach back out to customers based on past purchases? Yes. This is vital given the special interests of game players and those who buy for them.

Does the system handle account customers? Yes, you can setup and manage customer accounts.

Does the system produce invoicing and statements? Yes, these can be printed or emailed.

Can I manage stock by colour, size and style? Yes.

Can I integrate the software with my suppliers? Yes. We have many customers importing stock files and invoices. If you want to provide a supplier a data feed of sales of their product, our software can do this too.

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

Can I email receipts? Yes.

Can I track where my customers come from? Yes.

Do I have to pay for software on additional computers in my business? No.

Can I connect with my EFTPOS terminal? Yes. We have a direct link to Tyro and through Linkly we connect to all major banks.

Can I use my existing hardware? Yes, as long as your hardware meets our minimum standards.

Can I use my existing data with the software? Yes. We’d like to check your data to be sure. We will advise what can be safely brought across.

Does it integrate with Xero? Yes.

The game shop POS software from Tower Systems offers many facilities, helping specialty game retailers serve in a way that matches the specialisation we see in that retail channel.

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How Tower Systems is helping local Aussie newsagents sell online

July 7, 2022
3 Min read
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It saddens us to hear stories of challenges experienced by newsagents trying to get their business online. It happens too often.

One newsagent told us they spent $10,000 for a local web developer who made something complex but that could not connect to the software they were using at that time. Another newsagent told us last week that they went with a website from their newsagent software company and it never worked for them.

Here at Tower Systems we offer to create websites for newsagents using our POS software at a fixed price. There’s a deposit paid and the remainder is not paid until the site is live and useable.

We have done hundreds of websites connected to our POS software, for newsagents and many other businesses.

The challenge for newsagents, though, is unique. What do they sell is a big question, which were contemplated in making this new video for newsagents:

When people shop online they shop for an outcome. They search for the product or purpose. They do not search for a masthead.

This is a valuable insight for any newsagent considering a website for their business for putting your newsagency online with what you sell today could be an expensive mistake.

Tower Systems has built many websites for newsagents and most are not sites that represent the newsagency shop online. Rather, they present as a different business, focussed on a niche category and leveraging the shop infrastructure to help the business expand.

This is the smart move for any retailer selling online – using it as a start-up opportunity that makes use of space and labour in the shop but not relying on products in the shop.

In one case, a newsagency business has grown online to where it is more financially valuable than the shop within which it was incubated.

In another case a newsagent tested a category online, hit gold and expanded the shop to offer this, hitting more gold.

Engaging with Tower Systems to create a POS software connected website provides newsagents with access to comprehensive online sales data through deep Google results research. This can help newsagents discover opportunities not previously on their radar.

By tapping into current keyword search data using respected commercial tools, Tower Systems is able to show newsagents pathway opportunities into new product areas online. These can be opportunities tapped into with a minimal capital investment, an opportunity for expansion with a modest budget.

While we understand the push to take the shop online, in my years of experience owning newsagencies and running successful and failed websites connected to the shops, my advice is to leverage the website opportunity as if it is a start-up, playing in a space you have not played in before, with the goal of it leading you on a path of discovery.

Tower Systems is better placed to support this greenfield approach than a local web developer as we own and run shops that are connected to our POS software and do sell online. We walk in your shoes daily.

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Seeking a react Native front end developer

July 7, 2022
2 Min read
S

We are looking for a senior React Native developer who can develop and maintain a new iOS and Android App using React Native for a new product. Ideally, located in Melbourne given the new nature of this role and the new product for which it is planned, but we may consider interstate candidates.

This can be a permanent full time position or contract – it’s up to you.

About you (essential):

  • Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, or a similar field.
  • 3 years minimum experience in developing software for iOS and Android
  • 3 years minimum experience in Mobile App development using React Native and React JS(Typescript).
  • Understanding of GraphQL, REST APIs, and offline storage.
  • Familiarity with native build tools, like XCode, Gradle, etc.
  • Experience in deploying Apps to App Store and Google Play Store.
  • Ability to work in a highly agile, non prescriptive environment.
  • Self motivation and management are key.

Bonus skills we’d love:

  • Experience building node.js applications.
  • Experience with AWS services.

Office based in Hawthorn, VIC, which is preferred. We may consider work from home.

Australian citizenship or PR is essential.

No students, sorry.

No agents, sorry.

No companies pitching their dev team, sorry.

Check us out at www.towersystems.com.au.

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At our POS software company, we help local small business retailers sell memories

July 7, 2022
2 Min read
A

What do you do? It’s a question you’re often asked when meeting someone for the first time.

Imagine the reaction when a local retailer says I sell memories.

How awesome is that. It’s emotional, heartwarming and intriguing all at once.

This is what local small business retailers using our POS software can say. Like the fishing shop that sells fishing rods, bait and more, and adds value by sharing local fishing tips and secret location details … and doing all of this consistently and easily through their Tower Systems fishing shop POS software.

This is one of the videos we have made to nurture part of what we do, the selling of memories. While this is made for fishing shops, it also speaks to other retailers where we support them selling memories to customers.

Embedded in out POS software are ways retailers can do this, sell memories, add value beyond the products they sell to make the experience wonderful, memorable.

We are so proud to be able to do this, to help our retailers sell memories that are heartfelt and cherished. And, while for sure, this is about what the tech does, it is about how what we do helps retailers to act in ways that play out as to how customers feel. This is where the memories are made – from feelings as a result of using the what the business sells, based on the use of the POS software we make.

Tower Systems is not your usual POS software company.

We make POS software for local specialty retail. We also run and operate 4 shops in Melbourne in the gift / homewares / collectibles spaces as well as 7 online shops. We understand the challenges of being small and local, and we have built into our software tools to help you thrive.

In you software you have easy easy for sharing locally relevant knowledge and advice, which can help your business stand out, and bring people back.

Like we said, Tower Systems is not your average POS software company.

As well as making and supporting our POS software, we also share retail insights.

To find out more about our POS software, email sales@towersystems.com.au or call 1300 662 957. You can also directly call Tim on 0401 833 917 or Justin on 0434 365 789.

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Hey Retail Express, we are flattered at your interest in Tower Systems

July 6, 2022
2 Min read
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While we are flattered that Canadian owned software company Retail Express thinks Tower Systems is important enough to target in YouTube ads, it is frustrating that they are trying to woo sales prospects from people we attract to POS software demonstration videos at our YouTube channel.

Here is a screen shot from a Retail Express ad video that appeared for us this morning when we went to play our newsagency POS software demonstration video at our Tower Systems YouTube channel.

Being targeted like this by a Canadian owned software company is frustrating in that we are an Aussie owned software company.

We found out about Retail Express targeting us when someone called and let us know. They were confused because they wanted to see the video of the demonstration of our POS software and this video from the Canadian owned Retail Express appeared. Once we explained that Retail Express is paying YouTube (Google) money for their video to play before ours they understood what was happening.

Tower Systems does not pay for any keyword or company name ads or other content promoting us to run when people are searching for a competitor. People searching have a right to find what they are looking for, not a competitor paying to insert themselves in the search retails.

Retail Express is a competitor of Tower Systems. We’ve not seen their software, other than this ad they are running. We have switched some retailers from their software to ours. We are sure they will have switched some our customers to them. It happens.

What we do know is that we are an Australian owned POS software company. Our software is highly specialised in nature. we serve over 3,000 locally owned retail businesses. We only focus on local retail – we have no interest in chasing large retail groups or businesses. We are best at serving local.

Retail Express is owned by Marapost, a Canadian company.

If you go to play a Tower Systems YouTube video and the Retail Express ad comes up, please know that it’s not our choice their ad plays first. It’s something they are paying for. And, while we are flattered that they think we are important enough for them to do this, we wish they’d focus more on their own business rather than ours.

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Small business retailers don’t buy software any more, they rent it, for a few dollars a day

July 6, 2022
2 Min read
S

In mid 2019, our POS software company,  Tower Systems moved from the old software sales model to rental.

Today, 3 years on, the move has proven to be a hit with more than 30 newsagents switching to Tower Systems in the last 6 months and many more since mid 2019.

Whereas in the past newsagents would find around $8,000 up front for software, today the cost is $185.00 a month with the newsagent having the option to stop rental at any time. There is no lock-in contract.

This new approach to acquiring modern newsagency software is less of a strain on capital and cash flow in a newsagency business. It also bundles together software support access and software update costs into the single $185.00 a month cost.

Indeed, we made this move for all our POS software, for jewellers, garden centres, bike shops, sewing shops, gift shops, toy shops, pet shops, farm / produce businesses, firearms dealers, and more. Each has access too our specialty POS software for their marketplace under a rental arrangement for a few dollars a day.

With retail businesses now changing hands at a higher cost, the rental model is easy at time of change over as there is no longer a question as to the financial value of the software.

The software offered for rental is the 2022 release of the Tower Systems POS software, the software already in use by more than 3,500 specialty retailers in Australia and New Zealand  newsagents in Australia.

The rental model also provides retailers with access to the Tower Systems proprietary theft check service, the business performance analysis service and low cost ready to use website development services.

The software also provides local retailers with smart tools for engaging with community groups, helping them to deal with the challenge of donation requests in a way that benefits the community groups, shoppers, and the business.

With the goal of helping retailers run more efficient, profitable and valuable retail businesses, the Tower Systems newsagency software packs considerable value for the few dollars a day cost.

The small daily  cost was set in mid 2019 and has not changed since, offering locL retailers certainty when budgeting business tech. overheads.

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The little POS software ad that could

July 5, 2022
1 Min read
T

We’re chuffed that our home made YouTube video has reached more than 23,000 full views in under 2 weeks. We are especially grateful because this ad shines a light on local small business retail and the role it plays in serving the local community.

This is what we do through our POS software, help local retailers serve their local community. And we love that role, love that we are able to practically help, through the software, into the community.

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Helping local retailers retain employees

July 4, 2022
2 Min read
H

It is no secret that turnover is high in the retail industry. In fact, according to the National Retail Federation, the average turnover rate for retail employees is more than 70%. This high turnover rate can be costly for businesses, in terms of both time and money. Therefore, it is important for retail businesses to find ways to retain their employees.

One way to retain employees is to provide them with opportunities for growth and development. This could include offering training and development programs, as well as opportunities for promotion. Another way to retain employees is to offer competitive compensation and benefits packages. This could include things like health insurance, paid time off, and retirement savings plans. Finally, creating a positive work environment can also help to retain employees. This means providing things like a flexible work schedule, good working conditions, and a supportive team culture. By taking steps to retain their employees, retail businesses can improve their bottom line.

Here at Tower Systems we help retailers hire and retain employees in a number of ways. In fact, we made a short video about it yesterday:

Thanks to our structured training materials, employees in retail businesses using our software have a pathway of education that can hold them in good stead as they move forward with their career.

Being able to learn like this encourages them to appreciate their employment more, and this facilitates stability within the local small business team.

Retailers looking to staff their stores with the best talent should consider implementing these tips, structuring their business to be less labour reliant and more accurate when it comes to data. And, once you have the right team in place, be sure to use Tower Systems POS software to help manage and retain your employees. Our software is designed to make the retail experience as smooth as possible for both customers and employees alike. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you build a successful team that will keep your customers coming back for more.

See more at our website www.towersystems.com.au or call us for a human to human chat on 1300 662 957.

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Good POS software can help local small business retailers deal with the challenge of finding and retaining employees

July 4, 2022
4 Min read
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Finding employees is challenging for local small business retail. It’s a problem here in Australia and around the world.

Using our POS software, retailers can offer retail employees skills development, which helps people develop their careers. Through our structures self-paced as well as personal one-on-one training, retail employees not only learn the software, they learn business, and this can help them find a future pathway they enjoy.

Good POS software plays a vital role in hiring and retaining employees.

Our trainers and our POS software help desk trim members provide resources and services that can help retail employees contribute more, enjoy their work more and develop more valuable skills.

We love work with retail employees who want to learn more and who have the backing of their employer to do so – we are careful yo respect the wishes of our clients in terms of the extent of employee training and insights we provide and there are some settings where this needs to be limited.

Our CEO was recently in the US looking at retail and noticed the challenges confronting retailers on finding employees. We share this today to reflect the broader view we have of retail, beyond the POS software itself …

The retail job shortage has retailers changing-up their approach to recruiting.

The challenge of hiring and retailing retail workers is worldwide. It is causing retailers to go to extraordinary lengths.

In a small US town I was in a few days ago, of the 25 shops on the Main Street, 21 were advertising vacancies in their front window.

In a Taco Bell that I visited (don’t judge me) 3 days ago, every place where this chain restaurant location would usually promote meal options and deals, they were advertising for people.

The moment you step into Taco Bell, you see this table.

Four of the windows had these signs facing inside and out.

The front window had sign writing, too:

Above the registers and at the self-service tech screens they had signs too.

But back to the table inside the front door. They had collateral pitching employee benefits:

On top of all this visual noise is the pitch at the counter. Yes, they were asking some (but not all) customers if they knew of anyone looking for a job.

In this Taco Bell outlet, looking for new staff was more important than promoting what they sell.

Apple responded to their staffing challenges with an announcement a couple of days ago. Apple is increasing the pay of retail employees by 10%.

Apple Inc. is raising salaries for retail workers in the US by 10% or more and upping its global companywide compensation budget as it faces a tight labor market and unionization efforts.

The company is hiking hourly pay for retail staff to at least $22 per hour, up from a previous $20 minimum, the company told employees on Wednesday. The move follows a pay bump in February after inflation grew more severe and some staffers complained about working conditions during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Apple and Taco Bell are not alone.

During the trip to the US I got to speak with a broad range of business owners and managers. Staffing is their top of mind challenge. Some are taking the Apple approach and increasing pay rates. Others are offering signing bonuses and new employee referral bonuses. Others are ensuring they run companies people enjoy working for.

The staffing problem exists across all sectors in all settings. Bigger businesses are more likely to use money to address the challenge. In small businesses we have more flexibility in terms of our response. But respond we must, otherwise, we will struggle to retail people let along hire new people when we need.

I am not suggesting we follow the Taco Bell approach. I think that approach is more rooted in decades of minimum wages and challenges in terms of the grind of the work in the business. I shared the Taco Bell story because I saw it first-hand.

Local small business retailers in Australia will need to address the staffing challenge in the way that is most appropriate to their situation and settings. If I was to offer any advice on this it would be be sure to have a plan, because you don’t want to react when facing a staffing shortage that is negatively impacting the business.

Let’s talk for a moment about why there is a job shortage.

More people are able to work from anywhere than ever before;. They can find good jobs, well-paying jobs, working from home. For plenty, this has enabled them to break free from minimum wage and jobs with a high commute cost.

There’s more gig economy work, too. This offers flexibility for people with other demands on their time.

I don’t see these things as temporary.

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Tower systems offers a POS software alternative to MYOB Retail Manager

July 1, 2022
2 Min read
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We are grateful to have switched more MYOB Retail Manager customers to our POS software so far in 2022.

We follow a structured process for retailers making the switch from MYOB Retail Manager, to ensure they are fully trained and as much data is converted as is possible. We are also careful to not pressure people to make the switch. Our pitch is we’re here if you need us.

We respect the place MYOB Retail Manager has played in serving small business retailers. As the alternative to MYOB Retail Manager, Tower Systems seeks to help those retailers lean into opportunities of change.

We are grateful for feedback from small business retailers who have switched from MYOB retail manager to our Tower Systems POS software …

  • We loved that we could start again with our data. We have used MYOB Retail Manager for many years and had not been ideal in our management of the data. The stock was right but the stock on hand was wrong. So switching allowed us to clean the data.
  • Tower were great. They took our MYOB Retail Manager, looked at how we used it and provided advice on how to take that generational leap we needed to shift our business up a notch or two, to make it more viable and competitive.
  • We loved that even though we moved on from MYOB Retail Manager we could keep using MYOB for our account ting software. That was important to us. Tower were great in respecting this.
  • Our data was a mess. We had used MYOB Retail Manager for many years over many different staff. The Tower people helped us get completely clean and accurate data and that has made a huge difference to our business.
  • The personal training was awesome.
  • I like that they didn’t pressure us.

We are grateful for the many former users of MYOB Retail Manager who have joined our user community.

With MYOB Retail Manager at end of life, research options that are out there. Take your time to choose software that serves your needs. If that is Tower Systems, we will do everything we can to make the move stress free for you and your team and commercially valuable for your business.

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Retailers wary of the cost of some EFTPOS payments through POS software

June 30, 2022
2 Min read
R

Processing credit and credit card payments through POS software can be expensive. Some POS software companies have arrangements that add to the cost.

This is why we say to retailers to take care, to take the time to understand the transactional cost of using the POS software.

In one situation recently a new customer for our Tower Systems POS software was grateful to create, through us, a low cost for EFTPOS transactions since through their other POS solution provider the cost was over 2% per transaction. The saving in their business amounts to a saving of $30,000 a year. That’s right, more than $30,000 in EFTPOS fees saved by switching to Tower Systems.

It is not uncommon to see 2% and higher fees for EFTPOS as plenty of companies operate at the core with this model of a per transaction clip to fund their business.

We think this approach is unfair. It is disappointing that the real details are often not obvious.

We’re a POS software company and charge a fair price for the software. That;s how we make our money. Our customers are free to choose the EFTPOS partner that best suits their need. We can share our insights through which they could save money.

It is frustrating seeing some POS companies make slick marketing pitches and hiding in fine print high operating costs, like we see from some through their EFTPOS fee arrangements. It’s expensive, and unreasonable in our view.

For any retailer reading this and wondering how to tap into the significant saving on EFTPOS fee costs, talk to us. We will share our insights and what we did in our own shops to keep these per transaction EFTPOS fees low and to a level that they are not a pain point in the business. Being retailers ourselves we live these concerns every day and we are grateful for the opportunity to share our knowledge.

If EFTPOS is used regularly in your retail business, consider looking at your arrangements to see if a fee reduction could be achieved. As plenty of Tower Systems customers have found, switching software can unlock financially rewarding benefits.

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Welcoming record numbers of POS software customers

June 29, 2022
1 Min read
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Here at Tower Systems we are grateful for a warm winter welcoming so many new customers using our POS software.

We are grateful for every new customer, and even more so that we have welcomed new customers across a diverse mix of retail business channels: jewellers, sewing shops, garden centres, farm supply businesses, charity shops, community group businesses, toy shops, pet shops, bike shops and pool maintenance businesses.

All of our customer businesses are local and small (in a good way). This is the space in which we are most comfortable. We prefer to be working with those most invested in the business.

Our business is configured for growth from our pre-installation scheduling team to our new customer training team to our post-installation care team to our everyday help desk team. Each of these teams is configured and resourced to help our growing pool of new customers land happily and profitably with our locally made POS software.

2022 is already a bumper year. We are over the moon.

Thank you to every retailer in our community. Your faith and trust in us means the world to all of us here at Tower Systems.

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Free demonstration: pet shop software

June 28, 2022
2 Min read
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Join us for a free look at our pet shop software, software made here in Australia, and supported here, for local pet shops. You can access the demo right away – there is no need to register or log in. See what it is that hundreds of pet retailers love.

There is more to this software than you can catch in a short video.

Love your shop as much as you love your pets. Here are 6 ways this pet shop software helps you achieve this.

  • Easy small wins. The one-percenters make a business. This pet shop software is packed with one-percenters, helping you to small wins in efficiency, add-on purchases, smarter buying and more.
  • Healthier pets. Pet owners will love your reminders about a treatment that is due. They will also love that you treat their pets as a member of the family. You will love that this software makes it easy.
  • Hands off. Every keyboard click has a cost and could be a mistake. Look at your last Kongs invoice and reflect on the time it took to process. Imagine importing an accurate electronic version in seconds.
  • Standing out from the crowd. While dog breeds are judged to a set of strict standards, in retail being different matters. When it comes to loyalty, we help you stand out, be noticed and be loved.
  • You are the difference. When it comes to pet food and other items that make up the bulk of your revenue, standing out from the crowd can be a challenge. The thing is, you and your people are the difference. This software helps you shine a light on that.
  • Not every shopper will walk past your door. A smart and seamless connection between your software and a beautiful website can help you easily and with low overhead sell to people you will never meet.

Our Pet Shop Software costs $155.00 for each 30 days. The $155.00 is for access from as many computers as you have in the business.

There is no long-term contract. You can cancel at any time. There is no finance application.

Tower Systems continue to evolve this software for pet shops, to ensure it meets the evolving needs of this local retail channel.

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Bike shop software advice: 3 small steps any bike shop can take to compound profit growth

June 27, 2022
3 Min read
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Here at Tower Systems, we help bike shop owners and team members nurture more valuable businesses. Here are 3 key steps any can take to drive profit.

  • Set higher retail prices on stock every time you can. Grow GP%.
  • Guide shoppers to purchase more in each visit. Grow basket value.
  • Invite shoppers to return sooner. Grow shopper value.

Our Aussie made and supported bike shop POS software can help you with these goals, and more, for $185.00 a month.

Our bike shop software also helps you leverage sales data for targeted marketing, leverage your knowledge consistently at key touchpoints.

Click here to watch a demo of this Aussie made and supported bike shop software. You don’t have to login or provide any details.

We also make bike shop software connected websites for a fixed price of $6,600.  We help bike shops reach further.

$185.00 a month per shop. No terminal limit. No transaction limit.

This is a total package software rental solution including bike shop software, updates, help desk support, supplier invoice imports and knowledge base access. And the bike shops software itself manages repairs, customer loyalty, visit recall, product sales, product care, and more.

We charge a modest fixed-price for setup and personal training, to help you get the mots from this bike shop software.

This software is made for bike shops, made to help you maximise GP%, made to help you promote your USP, made to help you easily encourage shoppers to return sooner.

Hundreds of bike shops use this Aussie made and Aussie supported bike shop software already.

  • Save time with electronic invoices from suppliers.
  • 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.
  • Use tags to get 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. Stand out from the crowd. Have customers coming back to youfor this.
  • 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 bike 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 club 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.
  • Say goodbye to LayBy (if you want) – with buy now pay later options.
  • Market to customers based on past purchases.
  • Cut mistakes with integrated EFTPOS.
  • Cut accounting and bookkeeping fees with integration to Xero and others.

This bike shop software is made for local indie bike shops.

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POS software integrated dispatch facilities help local retailers deliver efficiently

June 27, 2022
2 Min read
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The dispatch facilities integrated within the Tower Systems POS software are providing to be a boon for local garden centres, produce businesses, farm supply businesses, pool care businesses and more.

Developed in close consultation with retailers undertaking local deliveries, some with a fleet of trucks and others using a single vehicle, this dispatch management software, which is intergrated within the POS software, provide tools for accurate record keeping and efficient management, to help the local indie retailer compete with the big end of town, but without their heavy cost overheads when it comes to dispatch management tools in the software.

See the dispatch tools for yourself in this demonstration of the software.

We back the tools with easily accessed training and support, to help people in the business to properly understand the tools and to leverage from them the maximum benefits for the business.

Using our Tower Systems software, you can also handle customer special orders, quotations, varied price models, pricing for community group members and community group fund raising programs that can increase shopper traffic.

This is a total package software rental solution including produce business software, updates, help desk support, supplier invoice imports and knowledgebase access.

There is no extra cost for more terminals, no fee based on transaction or sales volume.

This software is made for produce / farm supply / stockfeed businesses, made to help you maximise GP%, made to help you promote your USP, made to help you easily encourage shoppers to return sooner. It’s also made for garden centres that deliver soil and other products b y truck.

Any business that offers local delivery or dispatch services could benefit from this POS software integrated solution where the delivery is managed from the outset, professionally, accurately and with flexibility to serve a variety of needs.

We have commenced pre-release testing of our next Retailer software update, which includes a new dashboard offering valuable business insights designed to help you reduce dead stock, reduce labour costs, increase revenue and save you time. It helps you work on your business. This update will be available to supported customers.

Tower Systems makes what it sells, and we support it … locally.

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Retail business advice: when an employee steals from your business

June 26, 2022
4 Min read
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The harm to a retail business from employee theft can be far reaching, debilitating for the business and those who work in it. The keys for moving on from the crime starts with confronting the situation.

Through our POS  software company we have been engaged in helping retailers deal with employee theft for many years.

In this post, we offer straightforward steps to help you get through as it is on the other side of this where you can find the opportunity to move on from the feeling of violation that often accompanies employee theft in small business.

  1. Be sure of the facts, gather the evidence. Evidence could include, video footage of cash being take from the business, business records being modified to cover tracks, stock being stolen and more. Evidence does not include gossip, feelings and opinions. Without evidence you have nothing to proceed with.
  2. Once you have all available evidence and if this clearly implicates one or more employee, work out what you want.
    1. If you involve the police, they and, subsequently, the courts, will control the process including getting your money or goods back, an apology and more.
    2. If you don’t involve them, think about if you want the money or goods back, an apology, the person to stop working for you without negative impact on you – or a mixture of these.
    3. Check your insurance policy. Be sure you understand what you might be able to claim and in what circumstances. For example, your policy may require a police report. This could determine your next steps. If you are not sure what your insurance policy says, call the insurance company for advice. Knowing your insurance situation early is vital.
  3. If the person committing the crime is a minor:
    1. Once you are sure, advise their parents or guardian by phone. Invite them to the shop or an independent location to see what you have. Have someone else there with you, as an observer. This meeting needs to happen quickly.
    2. Present the evidence.
    3. Listen to their response.
    4. If they (their parents) ask what you want, be clear.
    5. If agreement is reached, put it in writing at the meeting and have all involved sign it.
    6. If agreement is not reached you need to decide your next steps and engage them.
    7. A return of the money, likely by the parents, should be in a lump sum, immediately. We have seen a parent pay $22,000 where a uni student studying psychology stole and out their career at risk by being caught. We have seen another situation where a 75-year-old mum repaid the $12,000 stolen by her adult daughter so the daughter did not have to tell her husband about her gambling problem.
  4. If the person committing the crime is not a minor:
    1. Speak with them face to face, privately, with another person there as a witness.
    2. Tell them you have evidence of them stealing from the business.
    3. Ask if they would like to see it. If they say no, ask what they propose.
    4. If they do want to see the evidence, show it and ask what they propose.
    5. If there is an offer of a full refund, an immediate resignation and never entering the business again it could be a good practical outcome. The challenge is you may not know the value of what has been stolen. Experience indicates that someone stealing cash will understate the amount considerably. I was involved in one case where they said they stole $10,000. The irrefutable evidence showed it was $75,000.
    6. Get any agreement in writing. If there is an offer to repay, our advice is to only accept an immediate lump sum. If the proposal is payment of, say, more than $10,000 over time, involve the police.
    7. If the person denies any wrongdoing, go to the police immediately.
  5. If you have suspicions and do not have the evidence, put in place opportunities to gather the evidence without entrapping the target, without setting them up. I have seen situations where local police have provided advice and support for this. It could be worth asking them if you are in a regional or rural situation.

If you are nervous about meeting the person or their family, write down what you plan to say. Keep it short. To the facts. No emotion. Having a script prepared can be useful even if you do not read it.

If there is any risk of violence, do not have a meeting. Go straight to the police.

Time is of the essence here. The longer you know about the situation and the longer you do not act the less useful the outcome is likely to be.

If you are not sure what to do, we can share our experiences.

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Live preview of POS software enhancements

June 24, 2022
1 Min read
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We have just completed another live and interactive preview with our POS software customers of a major enhancement our POS software.

We appreciate those who could Jon us live, as well as those who will watch the video.

Software enhancements take time to plan, develop, test and release. Today’s session was another step for a centrepiece update to our tower Systems POS software for 2022.

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Church bookshops loving the Tower Systems church bookshop POS software

June 24, 2022
3 Min read
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Tower Systems is grateful for the years of support from a diverse group of church bookstores, at the local church level as well as at the state level and the national level. The christian bookshop marketplace is strong both physically as well as online.

Our POS software for church bookstores has evolved over the years. It offers facilities unique to their operation and respects their role in the broader church life experience.

Our POS software for charity retailers fits in this space, too, serving secular as well as church related charities.

From serving through our POS software single christian bookshops to groups of christian bookshops to shops connected with local churches to shops connected with broader christian organisations, our POS software offers a broad based solution to inventory management, special order management, online sales, imp-store sales, shipping and more.

Church bookshop software is specialty by nature, like the businesses themselves. We work closely with those working in the businesses as well as those tasked with overseeing each business. We are grateful for opportunities to speak at conferences and to engage with church bookshop folk in a range of forums.

Dealing with tax in an appropriate way has been vital as has been the need to integrate with other platforms that are used in some church bookshop situations. Our software is flexible and constantly evolving as we discover other ways we can serve this vital part of church life.

From evangelicals to catholic to independent to Seventh Day Adventist, our church bookshop software is as diverse as the world of faith and we are grateful to what we have learned on this journey.

Christian bookshops are unique in that they are businesses and they are also part of church life, often staffed, at least in part, by volunteers. We understand the need for easy to use yet highly functional software. This is where we are proud to offer Australian developed and supported POS software for Australian church bookshop and christian bookshop needs. We make it easy for volunteers to learn and use our POS software.

From the practical such as pricing, bundling, customer accounts, inventory management and more to the complex such as managing a single online sale across multiple outlets and the proper accounting for freight, our church bookshop and christian bookshop POS software is robust and proven. We appreciate the advice and guidance of so many in getting us here and for supporting our work.

Tower Systems is grateful to offer locally made and supported POS software for local needs.

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7 steps to choosing the right POS software for your local specialty retail business

June 23, 2022
4 Min read
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The POS software you choose for your indie retail business is an important decision. Get it right and the business could prosper and become considerably more valuable. Get it wrong and it could cost you plenty.

In thinking about the software you want, think about your business. The software you choose needs to serve your needs. Here are some headline level thoughts … 7 steps to choosing the right POS software for your local specialty retail business

  1. If you see your business as specialist in nature, the software you choose should be specialist.
  2. If part of your business pitch is to shop local, choosing locally made and supported software supports your pitch. Local software is software made and supported in Australia.
  3. If you want to be known as the local specialist, you need software that helps you do this consistently and effectively.
  4. If you do repairs or maintenance of any sort, you need software that can handle this.
  5. If you sell items bundled such as a rod, reel and line pack, you need software that can handle this.
  6. If you are in a tourist area and sell to people once, or once a year, you need software with loyalty facilities to maximise their rare visits to your shop.
  7. If you sell products by weight or measure, you need software that can do this, you want software that allows you to sell by fractions.

Think about these things and think about what you want in software in your business to help you stand out. If it does not feel right, say no thanks and look elsewhere.

Here at Tower Systems we will tell a sales prospect if we think our software is not a good fit based on the needs they have explained to us. There is no value to us or the sales prospect in them going with software that is not a good fit.

We have won plenty of customers who made a poor choice before landing with us. We take care to ensure we fit their needs because the last thing we want for them is another poor tech experience.

There are many generic and cheap point of sale systems in the marketplace. Price does matter. You would know that in your business. Think about the shopper who wants a full kit but says they want the cheapest. Think about your advice to them. If you say price does matter and that you get what you pay for, the same is true with retail business software.

A small higher price today for the right software could save many times the gap between it and cheap generic software.

So, work out what you want. This must come first, ahead of any budget.

Be flexible. Once you have chosen software, follow the advice provided by the software company and the expert they send to your business to train you. If they suggest changes to your business processes, embrace them. While changing what you do can be frustrating, software designed specifically independent specialty retail businesses is specialist in nature and it does what it does based on years of development and feedback from many customers.

Be disciplined. Software is like a machine. It needs the right fuel. For software, that fuel is data. Ensure everyone in your business is disciplined in how the software is used. From the moment stock comes into the business to when it is sold. Track it. This will help you make better business decisions.

Be engaged. Your software company will want a two-way relationship If you have suggestions, share them Play a role in the continued evolution of the software. This helps you and other businesses in your channel.

Save time. The right software will help you eliminate manual processes. Embrace these opportunities as much as possible. Time saved is time you can invest in yourself or in the business. Seek time saving opportunities out.

Be realistic. Any new software will be a challenge. Know that you will have some rough days learning the new things. Accept these by focussing on the main goal of enjoyment and efficiency once you know the software well.

The software you choose reflects your business. Take your time. Be certain about what you want. Invest well and the right software will easily pay for itself.

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How the Tower Systems POS software helps local retailers be frugal, and run more valuable businesses

June 21, 2022
2 Min read
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2022 is proving to be a challenging year for retailers. Covid continues to disrupt product supply and labour access. It is also impacting shopper behaviour.

The retailers doing best are those managing their business data, leveraging data for insights that guide business decisions. There is where the Tower Systems POS software helps local retailers.

Using our POS software, local retailers are able to be more frugal. Being frugal is a local retail business is beneficial, if it is done based on data, with a focus of driving overall business value. Being frugal is a good thing if done thoughtfully and well.

Let’s be clear though, there is a difference between being frugal and being cheap.

Being frugal is about being careful. Spending based on evidence when nit comes to labour costs and inventory costs.

Too often we see retailers over-index with labour, eating unnecessarily into business profits. Likewise, too often, we see businesses buying poorly, not based on evidence, and negatively impacting on the profits of the business.

Our POS software helps local retailers in these two areas and more, we help them be frugal in their approach to rostering and frugal in their approach to buying … with the goal of adding measurable value to the business. This matters.

The stronger the financial base for a business, the lower its operational overheads, the lower poor performing inventory volume, the better for the business. This is where being frugal matters. Done properly, it provides the business with capacity to weather economic challenges, to actually make the business stronger in its financial foundations. Our POS software helps local retailers do this.

There is a gloss and excitement to owning your own shop. The real gloss, and value, comes from running the business well. This is one of our goals here at Tower Systems – to make POS software and back it with support that helps small business retailers run their businesses well.

Being frugal is good for business and good for all in the business who rely on it. Our POS software provides insights as well as mechanisms for being frugal, for driving the value of and for the business.

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Free workshop: helping Aussie newsagents navigate getting online

June 20, 2022
3 Min read
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I am leveraging my newsXpress and Tower Systems experience for this …

Free online workshop: Websites for newsagents

Thursday June 23 @ 2pm.

This free workshop on websites for newsagents will look at:

  • how newsagents can be successful online
  • why this matters
  • pot holes to watch out for
  • what it costs
  • what about after you are live
  • easy steps you can take today to prepare

I’ll be hosting the session and sharing plenty of lessons from the last few years: websites I have launched that have failed and websites I have launched that have been successful.

I’ll discuss full time websites, and seasonal websites too.

Please have your camera on so people can see who you are. Please come with questions, too. Here’s how you can connect:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86342284316?pwd=M1A1WGw2MkNDL0lFQVQrWjdRd3VSZz09

Meeting ID: 863 4228 4316 Passcode: 586410

Thursday June 23 @ 2pm Melbourne time.

I will record the session for people keen and who cannot make it.

Being online is as important today as having a photocopier in your newsagency was 10 or 15 years ago. The biggest challenge I see confronting newsagents in particular is what to sell online. I’ve seen some spin their wheels over this for months. Some take the approach of putting as much of their shop online as the can while others treat the new website as a start-up business. I am more from the latter camp.

I am not hosting this workshop to try and sell you anything. Rather, I am keen to share experiences so that you can make more informed decisions. I see too many retailers, including newsagents, making decisions about websites that waste money.

Just about any local Aussie newsagency is perfectly placed to host a successful online business.

Having a realistic view of being online is critical to being successful online. A website can be a hungry beast and I’ll explain how.

I will, for context, touch on the group connected websites newsXpress runs that offer the easiest path to selling online. Any marketing group can do this.

If you can spare an hour Thursday I am sure it will be worth your while.

Mark Fletcher
Managing Director
newsXpress and Tower Systems
0418 321 338
mark@newsxpress.com.au
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-fletcher-tower/

PS. If you’d like to know more about what newsXpress offers newsagents: Click here for what is included in our $175.00 a month (or $1,680.00 (inc GST) per year paid in advance) membership offer.. Please email help@newsxpress.com.au or call Michael on 0400 331 055 with any questions about newsXpress..

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