The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

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

Latest stories

Enhanced POS software for produce, farm supply and feedstock businesses

December 11, 2023
2 Min read
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We are grateful to serve rural and regional feedstock, farm supply and produce businesses with POS software made for their types of businesses.

Thanks to feedback and engagement we have released enhanced software for these businesses.

Our software works in-store, on the road for these feedstock, farm supply and produce businesses. It also works for online sales.

  • Time saving invoicing and account management – manage accounts in a way tailored to yourYou can easily account for freight, produce picking slips, manage accounts, feed data to Xero and MYOB and do more.
  • Bagging up feed – Easily manage bagging up a bulk feed delivery into smaller, saleable lots, while keeping accurate stock on hand data.
  • Making your own feed mix. We help you track managing bulk quantity ingredients and mixing these into saleable packs of your own brand of seed mix. What an awesome point of difference for your business!
  • Sell by weight. in whole numbers or fractions. Accurate billing and stock levels, which customers love.
  • Differentiate with informative receipts. These can include care, use and safety information based on what customers buy.
  • Be accurate with all-weather product labels.
  • Delivery platform integration. This makes routing easier.
  • Sell accurately by measure – by whole numbers or fractions. This software is government approved for scale integration.
  • Special orders. Bring product in for a specific customer and have them notified automatically by email or text when the goods are in and ready.
  • Business differentiating loyalty. Stand out from the crowd. Have customers coming back to you for this.
  • Pre-orders – We make it easy for you to pre-sell a delivery so that when the stock arrives you can manage distribution and billing efficiently.
  • Pricing profiles. You can set pricing rules based on types of customers.
  • Differentiate with bundles. Selling items bundled together makes price comparison hard.
  • Market to customers based on past purchases.
  • Save time by importing electronic invoices.
  • Sell more with a direct connect to buy now pay later services.
  • Cut mistakes with integrated EFTPOS.
  • Cut accounting and bookkeeping fees with integration to Xero and others.
  • Easily sell online with a direct webstore link.

Tower Systems is not an average POS software company. We are a small business, indie business, focussed POS software company developing software in Australia and New Zealand for Australian and New Zealand based specialty retailers.

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More newsagents switch to Tower Systems newsagency software in bumper year for the company

December 8, 2023
2 Min read
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2023 has been a terrific year of newsagency rooftop growth for Tower Systems as many newsagents have switched to the Tower newsagency software.

While the company has dominated the newsagency software space for decades, there has been a further shift in 2023 as some others have faded in terms of investment in newsagency software advancements and in service delivery.

Tower has continued to innovate for newsagents in 2023 both through its retail management software for newsagents and the app it has delivered for newsagents to serve several key areas.

We are proud to be the only newsagency software company to own and run newsagencies, which we have done since February 1996. Here are 10 of the many reasons we know newsagents are loving our software:

  1. Save money on EFTPOS fees.
  2. Easily link to more suppliers electronically.
  3. Pathways for expanding the shopper appeal of the business.
  4. Smooth, accurate and safe workflow at the sales counter.
  5. Exclusive smart greeting card reporting Embedded in our software is category / segment level reporting that newsagents are using to grow card sales 25% and more. That’s money in the bank.
  6. You can bank on loyalty. Our fresh and successful approach to loyalty can help you drive a deeper basket and bring people back sooner.
  7. Safe decisions make for a better P&L. From data feeds from suppliers through to Xero, we help you nurture data for the safe decisions.
  8. Not every shopper will walk past your door. A seamless connection between your software and a beautiful website can help you sell to people you will never meet. We develop websites for newsagents.
  9. Easily accessed personal service. A key reason 4 times more newsagents have chosen Tower than any other software is customer service. We are here for you, with you, every day.
  10. Current software. Current technology. Fresh, current design.

Aussie newsagents are tracking well, with many growing, expanding their appeal and becoming even more efficient. Smart tech is at the heart of the transformation we are seeing working well for newsagents as they expand beyond what has been traditional for the newsagency channel.

These are good years for newsagents, especially those playing outside of what has been traditional for the channel. We are grateful to be playing a role in helping close to 1,800 newsagents play in ways that are relevant and enjoyable in Australian local small business retail today.

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Have you got stock hiding in boxes in your retail shop? It’s time to put it to work or let it go

December 7, 2023
3 Min read
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Have you got piles of stock tucked away in boxes, gathering dust in your garage or under shop tables? If so, you’re not alone. But if you’re serious about making a profit, you need to get that stock out on display where customers can see it.

It seems obvious to write, but some retailers still don’t understand this basic principle of business: stock that’s hidden away isn’t going to sell. If you’ve got stock sitting in boxes because you don’t have room to display it, it’s time to re-evaluate your purchasing decisions.

Think about it this way: every dollar you spend on stock is money you could be using to pay bills or invest in your business. So, before you buy any more stock, ask yourself:

Do I really need this stock?
Do I have room to display it?
Can I realistically sell it within a reasonable timeframe?
Is having this stock in my shop going to be valuable for the business?

If the answer to any of those questions is no, then don’t buy it.

Some retailers buy stock to impress sales reps or make their shops look busy. Others buy stock to make themselves feel better about their businesses. Some retailers buy stock because they are lonely. These are all the wrong reasons to buy stock.

There are even some sales reps who know they’re selling stock to businesses that don’t need it. Shame on them for putting their own financial gains ahead of the well-being of their customers.

If you don’t know the value of the stock in your business, it’s likely you have too much stock. A good but very basic rule of thumb or starting point of s=consideration at least is that stock should not be more than 20% of your total annual revenue from those products.

If you have boxes of stock that you haven’t opened in six months or more, you have too much stock. And if your back room, garage, or under-display table space is filled with boxes, you’ve got a big problem.

The best way to deal with an overstock of inventory is to stop buying new stock and focus on selling down what you already have. Don’t get emotional about it – just make a plan and stick to it.

If you don’t address the issue of overstocking, it will eventually overwhelm you and your business. Don’t let that happen. Take control of your inventory and watch your profits grow.

Yes, we’re a POS software company. We own and run shops, which is very rare for any of our competitors. Our daily experience in retail helps us better serve our customers in the software we make and the support we provide.

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Tower Systems helps small business retailers reduce payments fees

December 6, 2023
2 Min read
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We are grateful to help our POS software customers reduce the cost of processing payments in-store.

The low EFTPOS payments rate offered is an excellent starting point in service of this goal. Add to that the easy ability to automatically calculate the appropriate fee to collect from customers as a cost of business and our retailers can make taking EFTPOS in-store cost neutral to the business.

The highlights of what we offer our customers in the payments space include:

  • Low base rate for payments cards.
  • Integrated = fewer mistakes, faster processing, streamlined counter, easier problem resolution.
  • Easy recovery of costs from customers per transaction.
  • Easy tracking of all aspects of the transaction.
  • easy back office management.
  • Easy problem resolution.

We we have delivered to our customers is genuine saving, and stye are loving it.

We have offered integrated EFTPOS with our POS software for fifteen or so years. It continues to be refined as the technology at the heart of it evolves and as banking itself evolves. We leverage changes to ensure that our customers have access to something genuinely useful and fresh, safe and secure, fit for purpose.

The POS software payments solution we offer our customers is not mandatory’s required or demanded. What our customers decide for taking payments in their businesses is 100% top to them. Our offer is an option put to them. We have leveraged our buying power on their behalf. But we are not forcing anything as to do so on local small business retailers would be unfair.

From the shop floor to the counter to online, retailers can rely in our EFTPOS payments integrations to serve their evolving payments needs, whether it is through the low cost option we pitch or any of the major banks and BNPL platforms in Australia and New Zealand. We offer an open platform with plenty of choice for our customers, we make it easy for them to be in control of payments in their business.

We make POS software for bike shops, garden centres, jewellers, gift shops, pet shops, landscape supply businesses, repairs businesses, bookshops,
fishing and outdoors shops, newsagents, produce / farm supply businesses, fabric shops, sewing shops, music shops, computer shops, firearms dealers, charity & op. shops, community enterprises and more.

We are grateful to serve 3,500+ local retailers already.

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Help for MusiPOS software customers with Aussie made and supported software for music shops

December 5, 2023
3 Min read
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Tower Systems is grateful to offer software for music shops: shops selling and servicing music instruments, sheet music and offering music lessons.

Our Aussie made music shop software handles a range of products and services of interest to music shops including:

  • Instrument repairs tracking.
  • Rental of music instruments.
  • LayBy of music instruments.
  • Sales of sheet music.
  • Special orders.
  • Tracking product serial numbers.
  • Managing secondhand goods when it comes to music instruments.
  • Listing of products for sale on a searchable online database – to help you attract more shoppers.

This modern POS software for music shops has facilities included (without extra cost) music shop owners and team members tell us is important, like:

  • Easy selling.
  • Integrated EFTPOS.
  • Xero integration – cut keystrokes and mistakes.
  • Shopify integration for selling online.
  • Club / group fundraising / discounting .. encourages engagement.
  • Auto serving product care instructions.
  • Easy management of instrument service reminders.
  • Service / repair management.
  • Easy to setup and run LayBy.
  • Easy use of buy now pay later.
  • Customer special orders.
  • Pre-sell inventory.
  • Rare visit loyalty.  The customer visit cycle for a music shop is often infrequent. Embedded in this software are loyalty tools that nurture these shoppers to provide more value from each visit.

All these facilities and plenty more are included in this software. But, we don’t currently link to APIC. We’re working on it.

here are some common questions from music shop owners about us and our music shop software:

How do I contact your help desk? By phone or email. Our help desk is Australian based with one team member working from New Zealand.

When can I contact you for help? Weekdays: 7am through 6PM AEST, Saturdays 7:30am through 3PM AEST. After hours for urgent calls: 24/7.

What if I am unhappy with support? You can escalate to our Chief Operating Officer or our Managing Director – every customer is given their direct numbers and email addresses.

Can I run the software in the cloud? Yes.

Can I run the software on my desktop? Yes.

Can I backup to the cloud? Yes.

How long am I locked in with software rental? There is no lock-in. You can cancel rental at any time and billing stops immediately – once the current month is completed, there is no further charge.

Can we offer a special price to members of a club or students of a teacher or school? Yes.

Can we market to members of clubs or teachers or schools? Yes.

Can we track sales to club or school members to rebate as a fundraising opportunity? Yes.

Can you pass on product care manuals and other documentation? Yes, you can load files, images, documents or PDFs for products (information sheets, advice, notices) and have them automatically included in emailed receipts.

Can we promote local music groups on receipts? Yes.

Can we use the software to manage repairs? Yes. You can track jobs, parts and labour. Plus, communication with customers is streamlined.

Can we remind customers about instrument servicing? Yes.

Can we do this by text or email? Either, we support both.

Can we look-up historical servicing records for a specific customer? Yes.

Can we create a quote for a customer and manage this? Yes.

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POS software for firearms dealers nurtures compliance and streamlines operations

December 5, 2023
2 Min read
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The POS software for firearms dealers from Tower Systems has facilities designed to help these businesses meet local regulatory requirements and run business efficiently.

Firearms dealers using this business-specific POS software can rely on it to deliver functionality in key areas of need for these businesses:

  1. Track each sale by staff member.
  2. Easily and consistently age check.
  3. Sell accurately by weight or measure – by whole numbers or fractions.
  4. Leverage you. Your knowledge is a differentiator, leverage it.
  5. Track product sales by serial numbers.
  6. Easily handle pre-orders.
  7. Load electronic invoices from suppliers.
  8. Offer club pricing. Set pricing rules to drive business.
  9. Bundle products together to sell everything a first-time shopper may need.
  10. Easily handle special customer orders.
  11. Track and manage repairs.
  12. Differentiate your business through smart and unique loyalty.
  13. Maximise the basket with easy to use one-time shopper loyalty tools.
  14. Easily link to Big Commerce, Shopify, Magento and Woo including images.

Currently in Australia, the states and territories manage permits and regulate the sale of firearms and ammunition. Tower Systems has engaged with each jurisdiction to ensure certain compliance by our customers. We have also engaged in the renewed national push for national regulation.

This software made for firearms dealers will continue to evolve as the regulatory systems in Australia evolve. It is important to us that we provide our customers with software fit for the needs of local retailers, clubs and those with whom they connect.

We have plenty of firearms dealers using our POS software. we have clubs using it too. Different business settings in this retail channel that fits under the shingle of firearms dealers.

retailers can rely on plenty of benefits, including:

  • Easy and accurate selling.
  • Capture and store shopper details.
  • Sales winning loyalty tools.
  • Save time with roster integration.
  • Win more sales with club promotions.
  • Safe age tracking tools.
  • Manage servicing and repairs.
  • Money making business insights.
  • Personal training.
  • Local and human delivered support.

This software helps local firearms dealers run businesses based on good record keeping, sound business practices, consistency at the heart of the operations of the business.

From receiving electronic invoices to feeding data seamlessly to your website, this firearms POS software is designed to help businesses run smoothly, meet regulatory obligations and nurture enjoyment.

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How local small business retailers can win at shopper loyalty

December 4, 2023
2 Min read
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People understand cash, far more so than they understand points. What’s a pint worth anyway?

Look at supermarket loyalty programs. It feels like you need to shop forever to get enough points for something basic. But cash as a loyalty reward, people know what cash is worth.

Our smart POS software supports point, but it’s our cash based loyalty offer that gets the real attention.

Simple. Fast to setup. Easy to offer. Easy for customers to engage with. And, if done right, it pays for itself many times over.

Better still, there are awesome reports that help you understand how shoppers are behaving, how they are engaging with and responding to the cash discount showing on their receipt. These reports help you pull levers in the software to drive business growth.

You can call them what you like. In the software, we call them discount vouchers.

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 major shopping centre, several shoppers have stated they prefer Discount Vouchers over the rewards programs of our competitors.

I you compare the Tower Systems POS software with POS software from another company, look at the loyalty side and work out how it differentiates your business, how it brings shoppers back soon and how it gets shoppers spending more.

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 local indie retail business POS software customers today.

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Advice for retailers frustrated about EFTPOS fees

November 30, 2023
3 Min read
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Retailers often complain about the cost of accepting payment by cards compared to cash.

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

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

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

If you are annoyed/upset/angry about EFTPOS fees, we suggest you look at parts of your business over which you have control and that offer a better return from your physical and emotional attention:

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

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

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Advice most POS software can’t or won’t provide

November 29, 2023
3 Min read
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Since we own and run shops in which our Tower Systems POS software is used and in which we live the retailer experience personally, we have a perspective that is close to our customers than most POS software companies. It also gets us working with other retailers. It’s that personal contact that prompted us to share this advice and  stock holding and, in particular, being over stocked, with our customers:

Stock in boxes in the back room, in a garage or under tables in the shop will not sell unless it is displayed.

While this will be obvious to most, there are some retailers who don’t get it.

If you do have stock in boxes and no room to display it, consider pausing spending to give you time to convert those purchases to cash.

The alternative is that you do nothing, and your ability to pay bills is impacted.

It’s your business. You choose when to spend and when to not spend.

Some retailers buy friendship through their purchasing. Others like to look busy with a shop bursting with stock. Others buy to feel better about themselves. Spending for any of these wrong is not helpful to the business, not helpful top you.

There are sales reps who would know they are selling stock to a business that does not need it. Shame on them. Shame on them putting their own financial rewards ahead of the evidence of an overstocked and financially stressed business. Sales people doing this are no friend of the business owner.

If you don’t know the current value of the stock in your business, it’s likely you have too much stock.

So, what’s the value of your current stock on hand?

If the value of your non circulation product (magazines and newspapers) stock right now is more than 20% of the total revenue you will make from it in a year, you probably have too much stock. The actual percentage will vary by product category.

There will be some who say the 20% figure is inaccurate and unhelpful. I have tested it in a few businesses and it is a reasonable first step guide.

So, what’s the value of your current stock on hand? Start there. Then look at your non circulation product revenue for the last year. The numbers will support what you currently see in your shop.

If you have boxes of stock that you’ve not opened for six months or more, you have too much stock. If your back room, garage and or under display table space is filled with boxes you have a problem.

The best way to address being overstocked is to stop buying and sell down what you have, and to do so without emotion.

The alternative is that you do not address the issue and the issue swamps you and your business.

It’s black and white – in your numbers and in your business.

…

This is one example of the practical way in which our POS software company engaged with retailers.

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A first for local specialty Aussie retailers: self-checkout POS software

November 23, 2023
4 Min read
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Tower Systems has developed a self-checkout POS software specifically for local small business specialty retailers. This software allows small businesses to offer self-checkout to their customers in a way that is beneficial to their business. It is available now for retailers in Australia and New Zealand.

With Tower’s self-checkout POS software, customers can scan their items, make a payment, and receive a receipt. They can also scan their items, save the sale, and then complete the sale at the main counter if they prefer.

The self-checkout POS terminal honors all special prices, catalog prices, and other settings configured by the retailer. It also offers the same loyalty program benefits that customers can access at the sales counter.

The software is available for a low monthly rental fee that can be canceled at any time. This rental fee is per location, so you can run multiple self-checkout terminals for the same price.

Integrated EFTPOS is required for the software. Tower will initially offer integrations with Tyro and Linkly Cloud (the major banks).

When you first use Tower Systems’ self-checkout POS software, you will go through a setup process that includes uploading your own startup and sale close images. You have complete control over these images.

Tower Systems sells self-checkout computer and stand options separately. You can also purchase the computer hardware from elsewhere.

Why Use Self-Checkout in Local Small Business Retail?

  • To easily handle sales during busy times of the day for customers who don’t need counter service.
  • To open up another service lane during busy times of the year without hiring additional staff.
  • To project an image of a modern and forward-thinking business.

Tower Systems is grateful to its teams of software developers, hardware specialists and retail experts who have worked together to bring this opportunity of self-checkout POS software to life for local small business retailers.

The innovation delivered in this solution is considerable as it is build on a fresh software platform that utilises the latest tech available for in-store retail settings.

Tower Systems is a specialty retail POS software solutions provider delivering solutions across sixteen different retail challenge including jewellers, garden centres, bike shops, toy shops, sewing shops, farm supply businesses, landscaping businesses, pool maintenance business, newsagents, pet shops and bike shops.

Now for a Q&A on self-checkout.

Is there a camera? What we have created is self-checkout POS software. It’s not integrated with a camera. We have left the choice of a camera up to each retailer to consider.

Could I run this in a pop-up shop? Yes, you could. All that is needed that the self-checkout is network connected to the main software.

Could I run self-checkout and nothing else? No, you need the base Tower software to manage the back end.

Is there anything that I might want as a retailer that the self-checkout software does not do? It does not do customer quotes or invoicing to a customer.

What if I want to use it for a couple of months of the year only? Easy. Rent it for those months and suspect rental, and costs, for the rest.

Can I test it to see if it suits? Rental is so cheap it’s costs little to try.

Can I run this on a regular computer? Yes.

The POS screen appears to be in portrait more. Is that all you offer? No, you can run it in landscape as well.

Am I able to report on sales only through the self-checkout terminal? Yes.

Can I suspend a sale and finish it at my traditional sales counter? Yes, a staff member can suspend the sale so it can be completed at the counter.

Afternote: true to form, a small former competitor has commented they did this first, years ago and cite evidence of others.

The thing is, in our specialty retail marketplaces, what we have delivered is a first and we are proud of that.

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The garden centre / nursery software hundreds of garden centres use in their businesses

November 23, 2023
2 Min read
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Tower Systems is grateful to serve hundreds of garden centres and local plant nurseries with POS software made for their types of businesses.

This recently updated software is help[ing these businesses thrive.

Garden centres and nurseries are not your usual everyday retail businesses. Your uniqueness demands software that goes beyond usual POS software.

We are grateful to our garden centre customers who have helped us with a swag of enhancements for your type of business.

  • Evergreen connect link.
  • Dispatch management tools, managing multiple trucks, multiple deliveries per truck.
  • Allotrac integration for next-level dispatch management.
  • Loyalty marketing that works a treat for garden centres.
  • Tracking buying raw materials in bulk, mixing for your own products.
  • Offering local plant care information on receipts – selling you.
  • Sell by weight or length, and, yes, by fractions too.
  • Selling by colour, size and style.
  • Weatherproof product labels.
  • Easily order for seasons, based on past seasonal performance.
  • Sell from anywhere with integrated tablet based platform.
  • The ability too re-port and adjust the price of plants.
  • Integrated roster options: Deputy, Tanda and Planday.
  • Digital receipts through Slyp.
  • Comprehensive quote and invoice management solutions.

We have released other changes that are getting cheers from our customers:

  • A ChatGPT integration that generates product descriptions for your consideration. This can help create more compelling descriptions.
  • An international barcode database lookup integration that makes adding new products faster and more accurate.
  • Auto background removal of photos you load, making them more useful for links to websites: Shopify, Big Commerce and others.
  • Free integration with the FindIt.com.au marketplace, designed to help drive local shopper traffic.
  • Shopper self-checkout version.
  • A portable sell from anywhere / anytime solution for large properties, local markets and pop-up retail.

Garden centres and nurseries need unique software to serve their unique business needs. This POS software is made for garden centres and plant nurseries.

There is a lot to be said for software made for specific marketplaces, software designed to serve those things that separate specialty retail businesses from other businesses, especially big and mass businesses.

Local retail is what Tower Systems focusses on, especially specialty local retail businesses. The specialisation of our local retail customers is our own specialisation, and we are grateful for that.

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Free online marketplace helps local retailers attract more shoppers

November 22, 2023
2 Min read
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www.findit.com.au, a free marketplace for local independent small business retailers, is helping local Aussie retailers attract shoppers in-store.

Free to Tower Systems POS software customers, the FindIt marketplace is like a live catalogue, an online catalogue, a place where shoppers can find what they want the local retailer who stocks what they want.

There is no cost for retailers and nnjo cost for shoppers. This is genuinely a free platform through which the thousands of retailer susing the Tower Systems POS software can find shoppers for themselves.

FindIt has been live for just under a year and already retailers are reporting success with new shoppers attracted as a result of finding products they want through the FindIt local marketplace platform. Just last week a retailer told us of three new shoppers attracted to their business thanks to the FindIt listings we provided for no cost.

All Tower Systems POS software customers have access to FindIt for free.
We have built FindIt because of the growing importance of being online to in-store retail, and because some retailers are challenged with creating and running their own website. This is a no cost / low cost solution to help you be found online. we are very proud of the tech behind the FindIt local retailer marketplace platform.
We host the website on a large secure and fast server in a remote data centre. We are also doing the backend SEO work to raise the Google profile.
Customers will land on the website from Google. As the ranking of the site increases, products on FindIt will list in Google results. Customers will be able to add items from multiple retailers to a FindIt basket in a transaction.
The FindIt website confirms the order to the customer and provides the retailer with a recipient created tax invoice. Retailers will be able to go to their FindIt vendor panel to download a picking slip.
  

Retailers choose the price of what they sell – it can be their web price or their retail price. In the Tower Systems POS software, retailers choose whether a product is listed online.
Find out more about our Tower Systems POS software at our website, www.towersystems.com.au, where you can also easily watch demonstrations of our software. We only supply independent retailers. Plus, our software is Aussie made and supported.
For a personal demonstration or to discuss your POS software needs:
  • sales@towersystems.com.au
  • 1300 662 957.
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How much is Square POS software to POS software from Tower Systems?

November 21, 2023
3 Min read
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Okay, we are Tower Systems. It’s important you know that when reading this article, so you know we are comparing the price of our POS software with Square POS.

We have sought to be objective.

We are not doing a deep dive comparing software function with software function. This comparison is high level – even at this level the differences are considerable.

The big pitch by Square POS is that it is free, and while technically this is true, it is a questionable claim given how they get paid – through a clip on EFTPOS. At the moment, from what we can tell, the clip is 1.16% of transaction value. but the rate does vary, so check.

We think that an average gift shop using our Tower Systems POS software and a good everyday rate from a bank or payments platform will saver between $3,000 and $5,000 with Tower Systems compared to Square POS.

We think Tower Systems is cheaper than Square POS. If our calculations are wrong please let us know and we will correct.

The Tower Systems POS software comes with loyalty software includes. Square POS is currently quoting $49 a month for loyalty facilities with their software.

That makes Square POS more expensive than the free offer people tend to see.

Tower Systems offers 7 day a week support, 24 hours a day. Our understanding from the Square POS website is that their coverage is not as extensive.

Square POS is from overseas while the Tower Systems POS software is Australian made and supported.

The Tower Systems POS software supports for no extra cost Shopify integration, Xero integration, selling by fractions, scale integration and comprehensive management reporting

There are people differences. Any retailer considering the Tower systems POS software can speak with a human and discuss their needs. They are welcome to an obligation-free demonstration to see if the software is a good fit for them before investing any time.

The Tower Systems POS software has been made for specialty retailers, small business retailers, indie retailers. It is loaded with specialty functionality.

Tower is not chasing high volume sales. we are not chasing big retailers.

Square POS , on the other hand, is chasing volume, mass, they want numbers and because of this we thing their focus is more general, serving more common needs rather than specialty retail needs.

We think we compare well on price and functionality. What we can’t match is the Square POS advertising budget. We rely on word of mouth, for which we are sincerely grateful. We have o thousands of awesome customers, which makes us happy.

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Serial number tracking in POS software helps retailers track stock and save time

November 20, 2023
2 Min read
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The POS software from Tower Systems offers serial number tracking of products sold. It’s in the software, part of the software and there is no extra cost to access this.

Integrated serial number tracking is valuable point of difference for the Tower Systems POS software as serial number tracking is not common in POS software.

From the moment stock arrives in the business we manage serial numbers, recording each serial number. alternatively, you can enter the serial number of the item when it is sold – the retail business decides on the appropriate time for them to manage the recording of a serial number. This is a local management decision they can make.

Tower Systems is proud to offer serial number tracking in its POS software. We are grateful to the many suppliers and retailers like jewellers, bike retailers, parts businesses and more who have guided us on this over the years, keeping us on top of the needs of all stakeholders in this serial number tracking space.

At the retail front line in these businesses we have got to work with some engaged staff who have helped us streamline serial number tracking.

Using the Tower Systems POS software, retailers can record the serial numbers of all items arriving in-store that have unique serial numbers. These can be tracked at the point of sale. They can also be tracked for warranty, servicing, valuation and insurance purposes. Stores can also record serial numbers only when they sell – when they record, at arrival or sale, is up to them.

Thera are some retail sectors where suppliers require the tracking of product serial numbers at the point of sale. There are some regulatory situations where tracking serial numbers is key. Doing this through the POS software brings certainty and consistency to retail businesses.

While integrated serial number tracking in our POS software has been available for many years, it has been enhanced over time as needs have evolved.

Using the serial number tracking tools in our POS software, retailers can also maintain good records that are useful for themselves in their own management of their businesses.

Tower Systems is grateful to serve more than 3,500 small business retailers across several niche retail channels – with specialty POS software offering facilities like serial number tracking covered here.

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Retail business advice: make every day your pay day

November 17, 2023
5 Min read
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This is advice we first shared many years ago. We have updated it, updated it more, and updated it again this morning.

We think this is the best advice we could give any local small business retailer as it focuses you on what matters most – nurturing daily value from your business.

Everything you do today has to about making money today because what you make today may matter more than what you make when you sell your business.

Let’s get into it:

Retail business advice: make every day your pay day.

It starts with the mindset of every day being your pay day. Every decision needs to be considered in this context.

Here are some suggestions for making every day your pay day:

  1. Make your shop happy, appealing. Play good music. Smile. be happy to be there. Greet shoppers. Offer free samples. Be engaged.
  2. Make sure your sales counter maximises the opportunity. Keep it efficient. Pitch products that are easily understood and easily bought on impulse.
  3. Charge more every time you can. Where you can, charge more. Even and extra 1% or 2% can make a difference. In our experience, price is often not the factor retailers think it is.  So, look at your prices for opportunities to increate margin.
  4. Get people buying more each visit. Look at what you have where and make sure that key traffic lines have impulse purchase opportunities along the way.
  5. Stock what sells. Use your data. Make sure you don’t run out of good selling items. 75% of retailers miss revenue by not having items shoppers want when they want them. Buying stock based on evidence is more valuable than buying based on emotion.
  6. Be cleverly frugal. When you are considering spending money, think about the value for the business from the spend. Think about the return you could get and the speed of the return. Have some checks and balances in spending decisions to slow them down.
  7. Seek out new customers. New customers are the future lifeblood of any retail business. Attract them with smart and entertaining social media posts, a window display that plays outside what people expect from your shop.
  8. Run with the leanest roster possible. Just about every retail business we review has capacity to lower labour costs. Trimming the roster can come at a cost for the owners – putting in more hours.
  9. Bring people back sooner with a thoughtfully calibrated loyalty offer that funds itself, and drives value. Every retail business needs a core action designed to bring people back. A timed loyalty offer, which expires, is a good way to do this.
  10. Have your best people working the floor, helping customers spend more. Today, retail is not about may I help you. Rather, it is about engaging with the products and subtly showing them off, like theatre.
  11. Have at least one stunning display that attract people from outside the shop, a display people talk about.
  12. Buy as best you can. Take settlement discounts where possible. Pick up supplier offers. never pass on your better buying to customers, unless it suits for some event you are running. Oh, and with this advice about buying – only do it for items you know you will sell for buying product at a discount and having it on the shelves too long is too much of a cost for the business.
  13. De-clutter. Sometimes the best way to be able to see your business and what it can do is for you to have less to look at. This means getting rid of dead stock, dead fixtures, dead corners of the shop. Always be trimming, cleaning and looking.
  14. Change. Every day in your shop change something. Get known as the shop that is never the same. This can be a reason to visit for some shoppers. If you run a  business that rarely changes, you give people a reason to walk on by. So, every day, make a change or two. Encourage your team members to suggest changes. By moving a small stand from one part of the business to another could get it noticed and boost sales.
  15. Stop all busy work. It is easy in a local small business retail to get caught up in doing things. Often, things can be what you do to be busy. Being busy is only good if it is profitable, productive. Declutter your schedule.

Be responsible for the profitability of your business. Don’t blame your suppliers, your landlord, your employees or some other external factor … it all comes down to you – the decisions you make and the actions you take.

By making every day your payday you bring focus on what matters today and what will matter when you’d decide to sell your business.

Doing all this relies on your measuring the performance of your business. The Tower Systems POS software helps with this. It is easy.

My name is Mark Fletcher. I am the owner of Tower Systems. I also own retail shops and several online businesses. Every day here at Tower Systems we live what we say, in our software company and in our shops. We make mistakes, and learn from them. It’s some of those mistakes that got us thinking about this, about the approach of making every day your payday.

While our core mission is to grow the customer base for Tower Systems, we know that key to achieving this helping retailers. Plenty of the help we provide is not software related.

In sharing this advice we demonstrate a care for local small business retail and a transparency as to the advice and help we provide.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-fletcher-tower/

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We think the payments pitch by Lightspeed is wrong, inaccurate, and here’s why

November 16, 2023
3 Min read
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A massive competitor of ours, Lightspeed, the HUGE Canadian POS software company, is promoting Lightspeed Payments as being revolutionary, delivering to retailers new benefits. Check out this pitch, which they published recently via Inside Retail.

At the forefront of this transformation, new payment systems are now advancing the way retailers handle transactions and manage their businesses. Instead of manually inputting sales into separate payment terminals after processing them on their point-of-sale (POS), retailers are now increasingly turning to systems that sync their POS with their payment processors, allowing transactions to seamlessly flow between the two platforms. These setups are commonly referred to as integrated payment systems.

There is no advance, no new technology.

Tower Systems has offered integrated payments for more than 15 years.

Lightspeed Payments is new to Lightspeed and so it makes sense that they pitch it a an advance. For them maybe it is an advance, bot not for Tower Systems and plenty of other software companies that have delivered this for may years.

The big Lightspeed Payments advance is that they integrate with their own payments platform, a payments platform off of which Lightspeed makes money from every payments transaction in a retail business using their software.

This is the advance – that Lightspeed makes more money from its customers.

It is disappointing seeing news outlets publish news of an advance that is really a tool or tax of retail transactions conducted through specific software.

Is this fair for retailers?

If you are Lightspeed customer and you choose to not use their payments platform Lightspeed has started charging customers a fee to compensate for them not making payments revenue from you.

In our opinion, what Lightspeed claims is an advance in its technology solution for retailers via Lightspeed Payments is, in fact, a price increase in the use of its software, something imposed on retailers but dressed as some great advancement.

Here at Tower Systems we believe that retailers should get to choose the payments platform that is right for their business. This choice can lead to significant savings in the cost of payments. We know of retailers paying way less than if they were using Lightspeed and were locked into the Lightspeed Payments platform.

But let’s go back to the article at Inside Retail by Lightspeed and check in on another claim.

Where Lightspeed takes things a step further is in conjoining these linked systems into a single, comprehensive platform that combines POS and payments, allowing every aspect of the transaction process to be seamlessly synchronised.

In 0ur opinion, this is a misrepresentation of the facts.

Okay, Lightspeed Payments may take things a step further compared to what Lightspeed did in the past. But for many POS software companies, for manny years we have provided a single, comprehensive platform that combines POS and payments. And, we have done that for a lower cost and with more control offered each retailer.

Lightspeed is a mighty and successful company for sure. We are not even the size of an ant in comparison. The size difference does not mean they should get a free kick in terms of marketing spin. In our opinion, the claims being made in relation to Lightspeed Payments are inaccurate and shallow.

Our advice to retailers is to do your homework, look at the total cost of ownership, and, choose the software that serves your needs best as functionality and customer service are the two most critical factors. All good POS software puffers integrated payments, what Lightspeed claims as an advance is not – they are late that party.

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POS software for Not For Profit, Charity Shops, Op. Shops and Community enterprises

November 15, 2023
3 Min read
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Tower Systems is grateful to offer Not For Profit, Charity Shops, Op. Shops and Community enterprises special, significantly discounted, pricing of its POS software as part of our commitment to give back to the community where we are able.

All retail businesses in the Not For Profit, Charity Shops, Op. Shops and Community enterprise sectors qualify for this pricing for accessing our Aussie designed and development POS software.

Not For Profit, Charity Shops, Op. Shops and Community enterprises are unique and loved businesses, providing valuable service to the local community and to those supported by the charity. We are grateful to serve these community enterprises with POS software made for charity / op. shops:

  1. Easy shopper loyalty. While the software offers a loyalty points system, we have found the cash-off approach in our loyalty tools works better in local retail. People understand money. A receipt showing an amount they can save on their next purchase gets, usually, at least 20% of people spending more that visit.
  2. Manage inventory your way. You can sell by barcode, products code, department, category within department, price point. You can sell, measure and report at the level point appropriate to your needs.
  3. Easy to learn. We have found that in community enterprises easy to learn / easy to use really does matter. Volunteer turnover makes this essential. We can record training specific to your needs and make these videos available for future volunteers.
  4. Secure. You can lock down parts of the software to secure them for management access only.
  5. Check and balances. This software guides processes. It also provides hidden tracking so you can investigate should the need arise.
  6. Club / group marketing and support. Leverage clubs and community groups with offers and pricing just for them.

We understand it can be a challenging and fine line walking between running a business and serving a community in need, especially in a setting that relies on many volunteers. We try and walk this road with you, helping where we can, helping you to serve while at the same time respecting the tech. professionals on our team who help us do this.

Embedded in our Not For Profit, Charity Shops, Op. Shops and Community enterprises software are tools to help the charity or community enterprise more efficiently focus on the mission of the organisation.

Our POS software for Not For Profit, Charity Shops, Op. Shops and Community enterprises is constantly evolving. we are grateful to so many who have helped and continue to help us on this path.

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