Tower Systems is grateful to offer Titlepage integration through it’s Bookshop POS software. Here’s a 3 minute video showing how it works:
Titlepage bookshop software integration helps local bookshops serve readers
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Our TV commercial pitches shopping local
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The weekend is almost here …
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First major POS software update for 2022 almost ready
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We are grateful to kick off this New Year with a major POS software update that delivers several new facilities we know local small business retailers will love.
In the field testing is set to ramp-up. We’ll have this update in the hands of our customers in no time.
We’re so excited to share with you what we have made.
In the meantime, we have scheduled a live preview / demonstration for all of our customers next week – the first of our regular POS software customer Q&A opportunities for 2022.
Hiring ReactJS developers for our Melbourne software company
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We are looking for more ReactJS (Typescript) developers to join our team. Being in Melbourne would be a plus, but we will absolutely consider interstate candidates.
Working within our agile team you will be encouraged to offer suggestions, provide input from past experiences, and truly own what you code. We are not big on hierarchy or position titles. Our only goal is to create a truly unique product and experience for our customers. If you see yourself as the type of person who can work closely with our small team, enjoy being challenged and want to be the pedals rather than just a link in the chain we encourage you to apply today.
About you
- 2 years’ minimum experience in developing software using ReactJS (Typescript).
- Experience in front-end development is a must.
- Experience in back-end development is desirable.
- Understanding of AWS Architecture, GraphQL, REST APIs, and offline storage.
- Ability to work in a highly agile, non-prescriptive environment.
- Must be able to work autonomously and with high level directives.
- Ability to work from home is desirable.
Tower Systems is a Melbourne based POS software company developing software solutions for local small business retailers.
The most popular newsagency software in Australia
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More newsagents have chosen the newsagency software from Tower Systems than any other software. Here’s a new video for 2022, demonstrating key features of this software for newsagents.
Made in Australia: POS software for produce / farm supply / stockfeed businesses
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POS software for produce / farm supply / stockfeed businesses
$199.00/month. Unlimited terminals. No lock-in contract.
We are grateful to the many local produce and farm supply businesses that have guided us in evolving this software and those who will help in the future. Your advice is appreciated and valuable.
See this software it for yourself. Click on the QR code for a 1-hour demo of the software.
We don’t need your contact details, you can watch it right away. If you’d like a personal demonstration in which we explore your specific business needs, please call us on 1300 662 957 or email our team on sales@towersystems.com.au.
Using this software you can handle customer special orders, quotations, varied price models, product use and care notes and plenty more.
This month, we launch enhanced dispatch and delivery facilities. Our customers can access updates for no additional cost.
We also develop POS software connected Shopify websites. Check out:
- Yan Yean Stock Feed: yysf.com.au
- Brindabella Stockfeed: www.com.au
- Northside produce: northsideproduceagency.com.au
- Sprengers Rural Traders: sprengersruraltraders.com.au
$199.00 a month for the Tower produce / farm supply / stockfeed business POS software delivers valuable benefits.
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.
We’d love to find out about your software needs. That’s where it begins. We start with your needs as it’s possible our software is not a good fit for you – we will never push or pitch our software if we feel we’re not the right fit.
To talk to one of our produce / farm supply business software experts, please call 1300 662 957 or email sales@towersystems.com.au.
Tower Systems serves more than 3,000 local small businesses with retail management POS software, specialty businesses with needs unique to their channel. We only sell to small businesses, ensuring our focus on the most valuable type of retail businesses in the country. We are grateful to our customers for their support.
2021: what a year!
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In our small business POS software company, which only serves local specialty retail small businesses, we are grateful for 2021 and the abundance it has delivered.
We are grateful for many new customers.
We are grateful for new team members.
We are grateful to be offering new products.
We are grateful to have been able to shepherd plenty of local businesses online.
We are grateful for health.
We are grateful to finish the year is such good and happy shape.
What a year 2021! Thank you for all you have brought our way!
Happy New Year to all …
How the Tower Systems shopper loyalty suite helps shoppers and local retail businesses
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Here’s a video from Tower Systems on how its POS software helps local retail businesses encourage shoppers to shop more of the shop and return sooner.
How the Tower Systems POS software helps local small business retailers leverage Boxing Day sales
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Local small business retailers using the Tower Systems POS software and following retail management advice from us have had access to terrific tools with which to leverage the Post Christmas sale opportunity. Our training, support and retail business advice platforms have aligned to help retailers make the most of the seasonal sale opportunity – well in advance of the big day.
This year is no different. For weeks we have been prompting and advising our POS software customers, prepping them for the opportunity.
Businesses in the city and country, mall and high street have terrific tools to leverage this traditional sale season in the retail year.
While Black Friday, Cyber Monday and other events have grown in popularity, in Australia the Boxing Day / post Christmas sales continue to be an important feature of the retail calendar. We help our retail community make the most of the opportunities.
Our focus has also included training and guiding new retailers and those who have never undertaken such sales. Owning our own retail businesses for years, we have been able to drawn on our own advice to to speak from personal experience, to help those new to the Post Christmas sale opportunity to help it work for them.
From loyalty discount facilities to inventory opportunity discovery to targeted marketing tools, our POS software is an ideal platform through which to drive additional revenue this time of the year.
Merry Christmas from Tower Systems
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Small business POS software help desk coverage over Christmas and the New Year
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The Tower Systems POS software help desk will close at 12 noon December 24 and reopen at 8:30am December 29. Here is what we announced first to our customers early this month – the Christmas New Year hours (In Australian eastern Summer Time):
- December 24. 7am to 12 noon.
- December 25. Closed.
- December 26. Closed.
- December 27. Closed.
- December 28. Closed.
- December 29. 8:30am – 5pm.
- December 30. 8:30am – 5pm.
- December 31. 8:30am – 2pm.
- January 1. Closed.
- January 2. Closed.
- January 3. Closed.
- January 4. 8:30am – 5pm.
- January 5. 8:30am – 5pm.
- January 6. 8:30am – 5pm.
- January 7. 8:30am – 5pm.
- January 8. Closed.
- January 9. Closed.
- January 10. 7am – 6pm.
The Tower Systems help desk after hours numbers and escalation points will continue to operate throughout.
Tower Systems POS software help desk Christmas and New Year hours
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The Tower Systems POS software help desk will close at noon December 24 and reopen at 8:30am December 29. Here are the Christmas New Year hours (In Australian eastern Summer Time):
- December 24. 7am to 12 noon.
- December 25. Closed.
- December 26. Closed.
- December 27. Closed.
- December 28. Closed.
- December 29. 8:30am – 5pm.
- December 30. 8:30am – 5pm.
- December 31. 8:30am – 2pm.
- January 1. Closed.
- January 2. Closed.
- January 3. Closed.
- January 4. 8:30am – 5pm.
- January 5. 8:30am – 5pm.
- January 6. 8:30am – 5pm.
- January 7. 8:30am – 5pm.
- January 8. Closed.
- January 9. Closed.
- January 10. 7am – 6pm.
The Tower Systems help desk after hours numbers and escalation points will continue to operate throughout.
POS software helps local retailers embrace pop-up retail
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Retailer Roam, the portable POS software from Tower Systems is perfect in a pop-up retail situation.
Where a pop-up shop needs to be up and running quickly, easily, with low cost and with a small footprint, Retailer Roam delivers on all these fronts and more. It is a perfect solution for pop-up retail shops.
Retailer Roam is serves retailers looking to take their business transactions to customers no matter where they are … local markets, on the farm, from the back of a truck, pop-up stores and more. Retailer Roam is truly portable POS software thanks to smart app development from the Tower systems web team working closely with the POS software development team.
This is why retailer Roam works well in a pop-up retail situation. It is POS software ideal for pop-up shops.
With pop-up retail more popular than ever, our pop-up retail POS software solution helps retailers to be up and running quickly, easily, safely and with an easy step to a m ore permanent future. Retailer Roam is made for pop-up retail … and more.
A common question we get is: Does Retailer Roam Require An Internet Connection?
Yes and No. You will need an internet connection to install the app and to obtain the base Retailer data.
If the location you’re selling from does not have internet connectivity you can use the device to transact, however, you will not receive any product updates or send sales back until the connection is re-established.
There is an ‘Offline Mode’ that can be turned on in settings for a smoother no-internet-connection experience. While in this mode the user will be limited to completing sales with what data has already been pre-loaded on the device. No API calls can be made in this mode, and sales will be stored locally until they can be synced.
There is an option to download all stock-data on the device; so, it can be used offline.
Retailer Roam is portable POS softeware for retailers on the move.
This is a wonderful solution for retail today, for businesses that want flexibility as to where and when they trade. It is continuing to evolve too as we discover more variations to the pop-up retail business model.
Check it out, on the App Store.
How to reduce employee theft in your local retail business
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Tower Systems has been helping local retailers reduce the impact of theft, including employee theft, for many years. Through its POS software to working with police and to being expert witnesses at trial, the Tower team is skilled and capable of helping local retailers in a variety of situations to reduce employee theft in retail.
The actual financial cost of employee theft is often under considered by small business retailers. We think this is because of denial. However, given that the amount that can be taken in one hit or in micro amounts over a long period of time can be considerable once toted up.
Here are steps we have found to be useful in many different retail settings to cut the cost of retail employee theft:
- Track all stock. From what comes in to what is sold to what is returned. Track everything. Have clear processes for everyone to follow.
- Track each sale by employee. This makes each accountable for their sales.
- Use your software. Use it for managing the end of shift balancing. Use it for tracking petty cash out. Feed all your data automatically to Xero or other accounting software. Eliminate all manual processes that relate to cash.
- Do spot cash balancing. Unexpected checks can uncover surprises.
- Change your roster. Sometimes people work together to steal.
- Setup a theft policy. Ensure staff read it and sign up to it.
- Keep the counter clean. An organised counter reduces the opportunity for theft.
- Have a no employee bags at the counter policy. This makes it harder for them to hide your cash.
- Beware employees who carry folded paper or small notepads. These can be used for them to keep track of how much cash is in the register that is theirs – i.e. not rung up in the software.
- Advise all job applicants that you will require their permission for a police check. From the outset this indicates that you take your business seriously. In many situations applicants who have been asked for permission to do a police check advise they have found a job elsewhere.
- Do not take cash out for your own use in front of employees. If they see you take cash for a coffee or lunch some will see this as an invitation.
All it takes is one organised employee to spot a gap in your processes through which they can get the cash they want for lunch each day or for some other purpose. Your processes determine if this gap exists and the extent of it. Structure and consistency are key to reducing the cost of employee theft in any local retail setting in our experience.
How small business retailers can cut shopper theft with POS software from Tower Systems
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Theft is local retail businesses is expensive for retailers. But, this theft by shoppers if often not considered or acted-on by retailers until they understand the real cost of this theft by shoppers.
From what we see, theft by shoppers can cost retailers between 3% and 7% of sales revenue in value. We have seen this across a range of retail business types and in a range of retail situations.
This year, in 2021, we have seen some evidence of co-ordinated theft, groups working together to shop for products they can flip online and air local markets.
The key to reducing theft by shoppers is through a managed process, adopted by the business leaders and implemented by everyone working in the business.
Here are seven steps we suggest to cut the cost of shopper theft in your retail business. While there are other steps you could take, these seven are most valuable from our years of working with retailers.
- Use your POS software. Spot stock take. Understand the cost of theft. This is critical for once you understand the scope of theft by shoppers in your business you are more likely to act. In our experience the evidence is that items being stolen are not those you think are being stolen. Data is key here. hence our advice to use your POS software.
- Look at people as they enter. Eye contact is key. Ideally, say hello to them. The more they think you have seen them the better.
- Have a screen near the entrance / exit so people can see that you filming them with your security cameras. The more people think they will be caught they less likely they are to steal.
- Work on the shop floor. That is unpack and price new stock on the shop floor, and not in the back room. This puts you or your employees among shoppers and heightens the chance of detection of theft.
- Walk the floor. Every so often, do a circuit. Be present. Talk to people.
- During peak shopping periods, station someone outside the business looking. Ensure they are trained on appropriate action should they see misbehavior.
- Bring in a security guard on a casual basis during your most busy periods. A good starting point here is to hire someone to look at the business under-cover, to see what they see, that you are not seeing.
The more likely people are to be caught the less likely you are to experience shopper theft.
Tower Systems has many years of experience in helping independent small business retailers mitigate em ploy theft and shopper theft. We leverage this experience for our customers through excellent POS software, free training, group training workshops, data analysis and expert witness support for authorities in specific cases.
How POS software integrates Shopify websites help small business retailers thrive
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A POS software integrated Shopify website delivers plenty of benefits to local small business retailers beyond the expected, beyond what you may expect from an awesome website.
While selling online, reaching new shoppers, adding icing on the cake revenue to the business and leveraging exisiting overheads for this new revenue are valuable benefits, it is through the smart POS software / Shopify website connectivity and integration that a local small retail business really benefits.
This is what Tower Systems does – it creates beautiful Shopify websites connected to its specialty retail POS software, for its POS software customers. In the back end, though, it helps in myriad ways:
- Reduced mistakes through synchronised data sharing.
- Time saves through using the POS software inventory data.
- Inventory managed in one place.
- Accurate selling what you have in-stock thanks to auto-syncing.
- Better management fulfilment through the POS software connection.
- No double handling of inventory and sales data.
- Easier order management through the integrated dashboard.
- Smart management of variants through the sync between POS software and Shopify.
These are just some of the benefits Tower Systems brings to the table through its POS software connected Shopify websites. Tower Systems has been delivering to small business retailers in this space for many years, we are a Shopify partner and are grateful to leverage their expertise for our local retail customer community.
Best of all, our customers have the ability to tune their websites, to evolve them over time. This is something to love about Shopify – it’s easy for non-tech people to engage with. It is a reason to love it, as many of our customers do.
A Shopify site, like any website, is a hungry beast. By this we mean that it needs to be fed, with new content and changes, regularly.
- Continue to add products and ensure they are named and described how people would search for them.
- Refresh your collection / category landing page descriptions. A landing page is a collection page on which you have items for that collection. Write 3 or 4 crisp sentences of 15 or 20 words each with the sentences punching keywords people are likely to search for. Remember, you are writing more for the search engines than humans.
- The best photos are those you take, of single products. A photo of a display is not easily understood by humans or Google.
- Add articles. Your knowledge could be what differentiates your business from any competitor. Indeed, non-product content will most likely drive more traffic than product content.
- Get suppliers and others to link to you. The more the better.
- Sell products on additional channels: Facebook, Instagram & eBay.
- Regularly pitch your site on social media.
- Use Shopify’s abandoned cart feature to push sales.
- Pitch promotional discounts to draw in new customers.
As retailers too, we get to use the POS software we make for other local small business retailers
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New window bling
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We have added some visual bling to some windows at our Hawthorn, Victoria, office.
Thank you for shopping local and supporting small business retail
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Here’s a video from the series we made for local small business retailers to use own social media to share gratefulness in their community for those shopping local.
Log4j advice for small business retailers from our POS software company
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Here is part of the advice we shared with our POS software customers yesterday about the Log4j exposure:
The Australian Cyber Security centre has published comprehensive information and advice about about the Log4j zero-day flaw. We recommend you read this.
ZDNet has also published a good explainer.
Our Retailer POS software is free from this exploit as we make no use of Java whatsoever. On your network, however, you may be at risk. Some routers, for example, use the problematic code. We are checking all our internal systems and hardware that could be exposed. Our hosting partners are doing the same.
Here’s what you need to do: Run every security update you are told to run, and do this for the next few weeks. If you can, check for security updates for your routers and other devices attached to your network.
New delivery management tools in POS software help local businesses manage deliveries
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It’s Kris Kringle day at our POS software office
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For many years, this has been the day to look forward to. We share gifts and have some fun, and we get to steal gifts, and have some more fun.
We are grateful to be able to have this tradition again this year, celebrating face to face, and enjoying the community that is the Christmas season for us here at Tower Systems.
Small business retail advice: how to use POS software loyalty tools to encourage shoppers to spend more in a visit and come back sooner
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In a retail shop using our POS software last week we saw first-hand how the unique loyalty tools in our small business POS software helped a customer spend close to $300.00 when they originally visited the shop to purchase a $25.00 item.
The customer was grateful to have found items that were on their shopping list but that they had not considered purchasing from this shop. This bus where the smart loyalty tools kick in, they get the shopper considering beyond the one destination transaction. They give the shopper a reason to look up and look around.
Check out this video in which we discuss our loyalty tools and how retailers and shoppers interact with them.
Shopper loyalty is something to nurture, with care, as it sits at the core of local small business retailer success.
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, which sees us competing against major retailers in a Westfield shopping centre, several shoppers have stated they prefer Discount Vouchers over the rewards programs of our competitors.
We are confident that Tower Systems’ Discount Voucher facilities can help you:
- Get customers spending more in a visit.
- Bring existing customers back sooner.
- Attract new shoppers to your business.
- Drive impulse purchases at the sales counter.
Buy X Get Y Free
The “buy x, get y” pitch is a common offer in retail businesses, especially those that sell everyday items such as pet food, magazines, garden mulch and other consumable items.
In the Tower Systems software loyalty facilities you have access to a powerful and configurable BUY X GET Y facility. You can use this to track shopper engagement and ensure proper rewarding of the free product at the right time. This is an excellent tool for driving shopper loyalty without the usual manual overhead of clipping cards or managing other processes. You can also report on the reward at the right time back to the supplier to ensure you are compensated for giving away the free product. Indeed, you have various detailed reporting options.
The BUY X GET Y facility has been developed with retailers in several channels as well as with suppliers to those retailers to ensure it meets the requirements of both business participants.
The total loyalty package in the Tower Systems software is comprehensive, flexible and tuned to offer retailers choice through which they can serve their own situation with confidence and success.
Made in Australia: POS software for antique shops
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Antique shops have some unique needs, often complex needs. It is rare there is perfect fit software for every situation.
Here at Tower Systems we have evolved a version of our Antique business software to serve antique dealers and retailers, to serve as many of their needs as we can in software priced at $185.00 a month.
We made a video recently in which we look and discuss some of the facilities in our Antique business software. We’d be grateful to provide a more comprehensive look at the software, a personal demonstration guided by what it is that you are looking for to serve your business.
Antique businesses are unique and special businesses. Here are some of the ways our POS software for antique dealers helps leverage that uniqueness:
- Rare visit loyalty. The customer visit cycle in antique shops is infrequent. Our loyalty tools nurture shoppers to provide more value each visit.
- Pre-orders. Easily manage selling products before you have them in-stock. You might be asked to source a piece. These tools help you lock that in.
- Valuations. provide a professionally presented valuation certificate.
- Second-hand goods. Track details into a digital register for easy data management and record keeping.
- Leverage buyer and seller interests. Through easy to leverage database management you can connect people through their special interests.
- Buy Now Pay Later and LayBy. Through our software you can have both.
- Repairs management. Track labour and parts for each repair, from the moment of the request. Advise the customer when the repair is complete.
- Group marketing and support. Leverage groups and clubs with offers and pricing. It’s easy to serve multiple special interests.
- Product care. Product care knowledge can be differentiating. Sharing this in a systematic and consistent way can separate your business.
- Serial number tracking. If products have serial numbers, track them.
- Anniversary marketing. Collectors love their antiques. Remembering purchase anniversaries can help maintain a connection with collectors.
Our Australian made and supported antique shop software does much more than this. Be sure to see it for yourself, live and obligation free, to see if it could serve you and your business.
While our Antique business software will not serve every need, a personal demonstration is the best way to see if it serves your needs. We’d love to arrange this demonstration for you: 1300 662 957 or sales@towersystems.com.au.
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