The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

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

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Bookstore inventory management software

May 31, 2021
3 Min read
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The bookstore inventory management software developed and supported by Tower Systems is designed to serve the needs of local independent bookstores.

From managing book title inventory to handling electronic invoices to managing searches in a book store friendly way to managing special orders for customers, this bookstore inventory management software is made for the job, made here in Australian for local Australian and New Zealand bookshop software needs.

We are grateful to book retailers and people who work in bookshops for their advice and guidance as we have evolved this software. Their feedback and courafgement are key to the life this bookstore inventory management software is enjoying and will have in the future. Tower Systems offers a structured and transparent process for capturing ideas for enhancing the software and gauging user community interest in suggested ideas.

Using our bookstore inventory management software, book retailers can expect to have a more enjoyable experience running the business as we facilitate structure around many of the day to day tasks in a bookshop, enabling the business to operate in a more reliable way, especially when the owner is not in the business all of the time.

Connecting to title page and other tools, this software is packed with opportunities, workflow smoothers and revenue drivers, which work well in bookshop situations.

The bookshop POS software from Tower Systems helps local bookshops in myriad ways from the sales counter to the back office to the website driving online sales. There are two ways, however, where the bookstore inventory management software from Tower Systems provide practical and beneficial help to the local book shop.

  • Returns management. Returning unsold books can be time consuming. Using our bookshop software, booksellers can identify titles that can be returned based on arrival in-store, sales and current quantity on hand. We provide the insight and the structured approach for handling the return, in a publisher friendly way. The approach in our software has been tested with booksellers, toe snare it is genuinely useful and in line with what is required from suppliers.
  • Titlepage Integration. Our software has connected to Tiotlepage fore years. Our latest integration is even better and more useful for book retailers. This will evolve further as the Titlepage software itself permits.

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

Beyond the shop, our seamless Shopify link helps local booksellers sell online easily and professionally … enabling them to play in the online world and reach shoppers way beyond their local catchment area. We are proud to have delivered bookshop software connected websites that are doing this.

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Shoplifting advice for small business retailers

May 28, 2021
3 Min read
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Here at Tower Systems we have experience in shoplifting. Not the act of, but, rather, the tracking and prevention of.

Using our specialty retail POS software, retailers can expect to reduce the impact of shoplifting in their businesses. Shoplifting can be expensive – anything from 2% to 7% of retail sales revenue in terms of value. Knowing this helps you focus on investing in eliminating the cost of theft.

Embedded in our POS software are tools for tracking shoplifting. Knowing what is being stolen and broadly when is an excellent start to reducing, and even eliminating, shoplifting.

We back the tools in our POS software with advice on how to leverage them to reduce the impact of shoplifting. Knowledge is power. Okay, that is a tired old cliche. But it is true. Knowing what is being stolen and when we can help you to act appropriately to mitigate the situation.

Using our software and our expert knowledge, we have worked with loss prevention experts as we as the police in several states to help with matters of shopper theft. We are skilled in this area.

In the many years working with small and independent retail businesses, the team at Tower Systems has learnt plenty including the indicators of in which retail businesses theft is more likely to occur.

We have leveraged our experience with small business retailers who use our smart POS software to help these and other b businesses reduce the impact of theft – shopper theft and employee theft.

Our experience is that theft is more likely to occur in businesses where stock is not managed properly. By not managed properly we mean in retail businesses where:

  1. All items sold are not tracked at the point of sale.
  2. Where new stock arriving in the business is not properly arrived through the software.
  3. Where spot stock-takes are not undertaken regularly to maintain an accurate stock on hand account.
  4. Where stock given away or thrown away is not written off.
  5. Where stock returned to a supplier is not scanned out.

Our advice on reducing the cost of shoplifting is simple – follow our advice, manage your stock and without a doubt the cost of theft in your retail business will be lower than it would have been.

If you think the cost of managing stock is too great, think about the cost of $25,000, $50,000 or even $250,000 in theft. Yes, we see this all too often in retail businesses – where stock is not managed.

Managing your stock = less theft and less theft = increases product and increased profit = you get more when you sell your business.

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We’re open through the latest Victorian Covid lockdown

May 27, 2021
1 Min read
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Given the essential status of our business as determined by the state government we are open as usual, providing customer installation training and related services assistance.

We have some people working from home as well as a team located at our Hawthorn head office.

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Practical retail management advice from our POS software company

May 27, 2021
3 Min read
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Beyond our POS software and the advice we provide to our customers on its use is the general retail advice we provide. Often, this is advice that has nothing to do with our POS software. here is an example from a couple of weeks ago. It’s advice on visual noise.

How to reduce visual noise in your shop.

If you give your customers too many things to look at inside or outside your business, they will notice less.  Your choices show them what you want them to look at

Less is more. Have less visual noise, less visual pollution, and more will be noticed.

Show your customers what you want them to notice by giving that product, range or display fresh air (visually) around it.

Stand at the door of your business and scan around counting the signs you can read and displays you can see. How many are there? More messages, more signs = less noticing them. yes, less is more.

Here is advice for less visual noise in your business:

  1. Edit. Every few days stand at the front of the shop and review your signage and edit the mix.
  2. Posters. Do not put up magazine or newspaper posters. There is no evidence doing so increases sales.
  3. Housekeeping notices. Have all customer notices, such as your exchange policy, discount voucher policy, minimum eftpos charge etc, all in the one unobtrusive place.
  4. Call to action signs. If you have items on sale or discounted, place them all in the one location, a designated sale location in your business, with simple and professional signage.
  5. Product signs. For product signage in-store, be consistent in style and look. Smaller signs next to products will work better than big signs from the ceiling – how often do your shoppers walk in looking up anyway?
  6. Colour block. Colour blocked product is more appealing to the eye, it looks less messy, less noisy.
  7. The counter.  Again, edit for clarity, edit for focus on the messages that really matter.

Reducing visual noise will improve the experience for your shoppers and for those who work in the business. It will focus everyone on what you decide matters the most right now.

This is part of an extensive package of business management advice newsXpress provides its members.

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Thanks to our retail experience, we are able to provide suggestions b beyond the POS software. This is another differentiating factor for us, for which we are sincerely grateful.

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Vape shop Point of Sale software

May 26, 2021
2 Min read
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Made for Australian vape shops, this POS software for vape shops helps vape businesses manage inventory, meet regulatory requirements, transact accurately, run easily under management and well serve vape customers.

Evolved over several years in consultation with vape shop owners and people working in vape shops, this vape shop POS software is made for these specific businesses. Here are some examples from within the software of how:

  • Age tracking. Once you set age related rules for products within our vape shop POS software, the software offers up processes that show your business has the right structure in place.
  • Product bundling. You can create your own packages that make price comparison harder and through which you can differentiate your business.
  • Tags. Using tags you can get multiple views of your data outside of what is traditional for POS software.
  • Special customer orders. Track what customers order that you don’t have in-stock. Let them know when it is in.
  • Serial number tracking. From the moment an item with a serial number enters your business, you can accurately and easily track it.
  • Product care information. What you know and can share with customers can differentiate your business. Our vape shop POS software helps you share this information consistently and effortlessly.
  • Repeat business loyalty. Keep track of shopper purchases as they work toward a free and rewarding fist from you. This is one of a range of loyalty tools in our vape shop POS software.
  • Marketing based on purchase history. Being able to extract customer data based on a range of purchase history through this vape shop POS software enables you to create marketing lists.

Vape shops are specialty retail businesses. They have a unique set of needs. Our vape shop POS software has been built to serve these needs, to enable the businesses to thrive in a regulated situation, to run efficiently under management and to run more enjoyably for all involved in the business.

Tower Systems is grateful to the many in vape businesses who have contributed advice and encouragement to us as we have created our vape shop POS software for Australian vape shops.

This is another specialty retail POS solution from our software development team, backed by an awesome help desk team that helps you get the most from the software we make.

Here is a video in which we discuss some of the facilities in our vape shop POS software:

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8 reasons to love our mobility scooter business POS software

May 25, 2021
3 Min read
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Australian made and supported  POS software for mobility scooter shops. $185.00 a month.

Mobility scooter businesses are truly unique businesses. Here are some of the ways our POS software for mobility scooter businesses leverages their uniqueness:

  1. Rare visit loyalty.  The customer visit cycle for a mobility scooter business is often infrequent. Embedded in this software are loyalty tools that encourage shoppers be more valuable each visit.
  2. Pre-orders. Easily manage selling products before you have them in-stock.
  3. Buy Now Pay Later and LayBy. Through our software you can have both.
  4. Bundle / package. It’s easy to bundle items together to create something unique to your needs, unique for your customers. Putting items together this way can help you guide shoppers to spend more.
  5. Club / group marketing and support. Leverage clubs and local groups with offers and pricing.
  6. Special orders. Being able to manage and track special customer orders helps you save time and cut mistakes. Also, it’s easier for you to be paid in advance for these.
  7. Product repairs and servicing. Using our repairs management facilities you can track parts and labour used in repairs as well as repairs done outside the business. You can also recall customers based on activity, like last service date.
  8. Serial number tracking. For service records, insurance and much more. Tracking serial numbers is good for busines and customer service.

Our Australian made and supported mobility scooter business software does much more than what’s on this list. See it for yourself, live and obligation free, to see if it could serve you and your business. We’d be glad to show it to you.

We understand the importance and value of local specialty retail …

  • Local matters. Local mobility scooter businesses contribute to local communities and families. Our software helps you leverage your localness.
  • You are a key asset. Only your business has you and your people. You can leverage you through facilities in our mobility scooter business software.
  • You can bank on loyalty. Points don’t reward loyalty. What is a point worth anyway? In our software, you have fresh loyalty tools you can bank on.
  • The unseen can reveal opportunities. Data, good data, is evidence on which you can expect to make better business decisions.
  • Not every shopper will walk past your door. A seamless connection between your software and a beautiful website can reach them.

Our Mobility scooter business Software costs $185.00 for each 30 days. The $99.00 is for access from as many computers as you have in the business.

There is no long-term contract, cancel any time. There is no finance application.

This is software made for your type of business. See it for yourself …

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Australian made POS software for charity / op. shops and community enterprises

May 24, 2021
3 Min read
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Australian made and supported. For charity and op. shops. $99.00 a month. Charity /  op. shop POS software.

Charity and op. shops are unique and special businesses, providing valuable service to the local community and to those supported by the charity. We are grateful to serve these community enterprises with our POS software:

  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.

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

We understand the importance and value of charity / community group retail …

  • Local matters. Community groups contribute to local communities and families. Our software helps you leverage your localness through many touchpoints.
  • You are a key asset. Only your business has your people. You can leverage them through facilities that share your knowledge of what you sell.
  • You can encourage loyalty. Our loyalty facilities can guide shopper behaviour in ways that benefit them, the shop and those it serves.
  • The unseen can reveal opportunities. Data, good data, is evidence on which you can expect to make better business decisions, decisions like what can be placed with what to speed sell-through.
  • Not every shopper will walk past your door. A seamless connection between your software and a beautiful website can reach them.

Our charity / op. shop software costs $99.00 for each 30 days. The $99.00 is for access from as many computers as you have in the business.

There is no long-term contract, cancel any time. There is no finance application.

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Expanding the team

May 21, 2021
1 Min read
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We are grateful to have added to our software development team with a new hire joining us on a new project.

Software development, especially vertical market software development is many marathons, run back to back.

We love marathons.

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POS software that sells by fractions

May 21, 2021
2 Min read
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We were shocked to discover that some POS software solutions do not handle the sale of items by fractions. In fact, we didn’t believe it at first. Like, who would think it is a good idea to create POS software that only sold items in whole numbers? Seriously, who?

Fabric, timber, liquids, sand, soil, birdseed, vegetables, fruit … plenty of items are sold in fractions if they are to be sold accurately.

For years, our POS software has handled fractions. 

Now we know some do not offer this, it’s a feature, a benefit we need to speak to.

Garden centres, pet shops, farm supply businesses, produce businesses, fruit shops and more sell items by fractions. Selling by fractions is one of a range of specialty facilities in our specialty POS software, one of a range of things that help to separate our POS software from the everyday basic POS software you may have.

here are some of the other facilities in our POS software that help make it specialty POS software for specialty retail:

  1. Quote and invoice management. Strong, flexible, fit for purpose.
  2. Trade pricing profiles supporting pricing flexibility for your customers.
  3. Customer account management: Professional and accurate control.
  4. Pricing profiles. You can set pricing rules based on types of customers.
  5. Easier deliveries. Packing slips and delivery notes.
  6. Sell by weight or measure, including fractions.
  7. Bag your own products. Bag bulk to smaller and to your own brand.
  8. Colour / size / style. Track what you sell at a granular level.
  9. Product care receipts. You control design and detail.
  10. Re-potting. As plants grow, charge accordingly.
  11. Pre-orders – pre-sell stock and be ahead of the game.
  12. Special orders – easily manage special customer orders.
  13. Awesome loyalty through which you can easily differentiate.
  14. Seasonal reordering. Easily reorder inventory based on seasonal sales.
  15. Weatherproof labels.
  16. Electronic supplier invoice support – cut mistakes and save time.
  17. Easy Shopify integration. See: www.sprengersruraltraders.com.au.
We are local. Tower Systems is an Aussie POS software co. serving 3,500+ specialty businesses.

We are grateful to business owners and staff in your channel who guide our software development. Their advice helps us make more useful software.

Sure, supporting the sale of items by fractions is a small deal. But … to some businesses it is a big deal and we are grateful to serve this big deal.

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Fixed price POS software connected Shopify websites for small business retailers

May 19, 2021
1 Min read
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Tower Systems is grateful to help more small business retailers get live with beautiful Shopify websites connected to their POS software. Our work doin g this has evolved over the years, from sites we have developed for our businesses to websites for many of our customers across many different retail channels.

Our work in this area is considerable and diverse. It starts with understanding the needs of our customers. Our approach is comprehensive and transparent.

We also host online workshops for retailers interested in considering Shopify web development. Here is one such workshop from a few weeks ago. It is one of many we have hosted already this year.

We share the video of this meeting is it demonstrates our openness without pitching sales. We genuinely want to help small business retailers make informed decisions about web development, so that the money they invest in a website for their business us useful for the business and for its stakeholders.

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Transparency matters when considering POS software companies

May 18, 2021
2 Min read
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When considering a POS software company for your retail business, consider accessibility. While the software itself is important, knowing how to drive it and how to leverage it matters as it is this that will determine how much value you get from the POS software.

Transparency is key. Here are examples of POS software company transparency, in areas where customer value is the core focus. These are all things we offer here at Tower Systems:

  • Regular customer forums with our leadership team, including our software development management team – to preview new facilities in development as well as to ask any questions or provide any feedback.
  • Use of professional platforms for group meetings and sessions, such as a commercial licence for Zoom, rather than cheap or free platforms that are not of the same quality or that may not offer the same security. Professional software companies use professional tools.
  • A structured process for suggesting and voting on POS software changes.
  • Easy access to a clear escalation process should there be a query or request for further assistance on any issue.
  • Unlimited top-up training after the software is installed and setup.
  • The ability to understand and assess software changes before you decide whether to install the software update. Software that is auto-installed without user input or control of limited, often frustrating.
  • Easy access to the CEO level of the business.
  • Access to the business through multiple entry points: phone, email, social media, web form and more. Being able to make contact where it works best for you is key.

Why do these points matter? It’s simple, really … the value you derive from the POS software in your business is more likely to be determined by the level of service from the POS software company than the software itself. Not always is this the case, but often it is. Good software backed by poor and non-trans[parent service will not be good software for you.

This is why it is vital to thoroughly investigate the company behind the POS software, to fully understand the people and their service model. This will guide your decision and help you see if the company is as helpful as it needs to be in service of your business needs and goals.

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POS software alternative to MYOB Retail manager

May 17, 2021
2 Min read
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Here at Tower Systems we are grateful to offer a viable alternative to the MYOB Retail Manager POS solution. Having switched plenty of MYOB Retail Manager customers to our POS software, we have good experience on which to draw to help more businesses make the switch.

We don’t claim to be a copy of MYOB Retail Manager. No, our POS software solution is ours and ours alone. We made it, maintain it, evolve it and support it.  We also provide training in how to use our software. We don’t rely on third p[arty businesses to do this.

Our POS software solution is comprehensive and specialty. It is made for specific retail channels with a version of our software for each of our target retail channels such as bike shops, jewellers, garden centres, toy shops, pet shops, homewares stores, gift shops, sewing shops and more. Ours is specialty retail POS software made for these and more specialty retail channels.

MYOB Retail Manager users have in the Tower Systems POS software an alternative worthy of consideration. Thanks to the OzBiz link to MYOB and the direct integration with xero, accounting system links are easy.

Here is a video of the Tower Systems sales team, shop on January 20, 2021, talking about MYOB retail manager and the alternative POS software solution offered by Tower Systems.

From data conversion, to customer training to specialty retail functionality the Tower Systems POS software sales team can help you check out our MYOB Retail Manager alternative, so that you can determine for yourself whether what Tower Systems offers is right for your business.

The in-house produced video shares some initial insights and information. For a more comprehensive demonstration, reach out to our sales team at sales@towersystems.com.au.

In converting a retail business from MYOB Retail Manager to the Tower Systems POS software, the company follows a structured process for data conversion, system setup, user training and on-going personal customer support. Tower Systems does this work itself, using its own people. It does not rely on external contractors or third-party businesses. This matters as it shows Tower Systems accepts responsibility for customer achievement and satisfaction. While we appreciate tech experts out in the field, we think using our own people maintains a closer customer relationship.

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Sunday small business retail advice: 6 ways to promote your shop this Winter

May 16, 2021
2 Min read
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Winter can be tough  for retail as traffic is often down. Local indie retail businesses have an opportunity to leverage the season, to make it more enjoyable. Here are six suggestions to get you thinking abut winter differently:

  1. Provide a warm and welcoming Winter experience. Offer hot coffee, tea or hot chocolate. Maybe have a slow cooker with some delicious home cooked vegetable soup. Offer warm cookies or muffins. Play warming / comforting music. Maybe project a movie onto a wall for something fresh and different. Have a place for wet umbrellas. Offer a place people can dry themselves. The goal here is to make your shop the shop locals talk about loving in Winter.
  2. Host a Winter event. Create your our ‘season’ your own in-store experience where people can relax, have some fun and enjoy the business. Warm cider or mulled wine wold be good for this after-hours event.
  3. Reach out to retirement villages and nursing homes. Pack up key items from your shop and take them on the road – go to those customers who can’t come to you because of the cold.
  4. Offer free delivery. If option one does not work for you promote a delivery service so people shut in can still get their  fix. Be the retailer who goes the extra mile.
  5. Have a summer sale. In the middle of winter, at the coldest, have a blow-out sale and call it something like a SIZZLING SALE. Get people warm with great prices.
  6. Host an art event. A wonderful way to brighten up the shop and those who visit is by displaying art, photos and things made by your shoppers.

If your shop is in a really cold area consider an outer door to keep the warmth in. They do this a lot in Europe and the US in Winter.

These ideas are all about relaxing things, bringing opportunities for joy to the business and evolving the narrative associated with the business. This is what having fun through Winter is about. It’s abut the less obvious, you doing things you can and that a bigger business are less likely to try.

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Updated Charity Shop / Op. Shop POS software helps these community shops connect locally

May 14, 2021
2 Min read
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Tower Systems is grateful to work with a diverse and engaged mix of charities and community groups through providing charity shop  / op. shop software.

Our work spans local op. shops, charity shops, community group shops, church bookshops, community groups with online shops and more. It is a diverse pool of businesses / shops / community groups we serve with our charity shop  / op. shop software. The diversity helps in that it opens our eyes to more opportunities for service.

We were surprised when first approached years ago by a community group and, then, thrilled to discover that our specialty retail PO software has facilities embedded in the software that serve the needs of charity shops, community retail businesses and the quintessential Aussie Op. Shop.

Our op. shop software , opportunity shop software, charity shop software helps these businesses, these community run and community serving businesses, to run more efficiently, accurately and successfully.

We are used to dealing with committees and boards of management as software is assessed and consideration given to the needs of the shop in the context of the charter of the community group or charity. We offer to software the software multiple times so that all stakeholders are able to see what they need to see in order to make their own assessment.

From tracking inventory, rewarding shoppers, understanding sales performance and helping volunteers run the business, this POS software for charity shops and opportunity shops helps local charities in their mission of service. The software can sell items by barcode, inventory product code, price point grouping, description, PLU code or more. There is flexibility as to how a charity business tracks what it sells . This flexibility serves the data, time management and financial management needs of the business.

This op. shop software / charity shop software / social enterprise retail management software serves in a diverse mix of situations and offers facilities backed with flexibility. Indeed, this is what it is – social enterprise POS software made for the charity sector.

We can organise to show this software to those sunning the charity shop, the board or committee. To arrange this and tell us more about your needs, email: sales@towersystems.com.au or call 1300 662 957.

Australian made. Australian supported. We are grateful for people who shop local.

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Advice for bookkeepers and accountants who are asked for POS software advice

May 13, 2021
3 Min read
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Accountants and bookkeepers are often asked for advice by retail business owners about which POS software to buy.

Unless an Accountant or bookkeeper has experience actually running the type of retail business, they may not know what the business needs in the shop. They will understand the accounting needs of the business, but what about the business operationally needs, the workflow needs, the specialty needs unique to that type of business?

Most accountants and bookkeepers we meet are accounting experts, not specialty retail operational and management experts.

Unless an accountant or bookkeeper has actually used the POS software they suggest how can they know if it is right for the job? Sure they will read about it and often talk to people about software from an accounting perspective, but this does not make them experts. Accountants usually know accounting software well, but not specialty retail POS software.

Good accountants and bookkeepers themselves use specialty practice management software to run their practices, to serve their customers. Why, therefore, would an accountant suggest a specialty retailer not use specialty software make specifically for they type of retail business? They shouldn’t. That’s right. In fact, they should suggest to their specialty retail clients that they use software for their type ion business.

Specialty retail businesses need specialty retail management software, software made for those businesses.

Bike shops need software made for bike shops.

Toy shops need software made for toy shops.

Homewares shops need software made for homewares shops.

Sewing shops need software made for sewing shops.

Game shops need software made for game shops.

Jewellers need software made for jewellers.

Firearms retailers need software made for firearms retailers.

Garden centres need software made for garden centres.

Pet shops need software made for pet shops.

Produce and farm supply businesses need software made for produce and farm supply businesses.

Fishing and outdoors shops need software made for fishing and outdoors shops.

Gift shops need software made for gift shops.

Newsagents need software bade for newsagencies.

Adult shops need software made for adult shops.

Accountant and bookkeepers need software made for accounting and bookkeeping practices.

Specialty retail management POS software provides opportunities for better workflow management, easier selling, better supplier connection and better service of customers. Bottom line: specialty software is more fit for purpose for specialty retailers.

Tower Systems only develops and sells specialty POS software in a selected number of niche retail channels. We are experts, selling expert software, to expert retailers.

While we like accountants and bookkeepers, and have a couple working full time in our software company, we think sometimes their advice to go with an generic simple POS package could be less than appropriate advice.

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The federal budget missed an easy-win job creation opportunity

May 12, 2021
4 Min read
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The federal budget last night promised the spending of truckloads of cash on projects designed to create jobs. Almost all the forecast spending would be big business related.

While big projects do help the economy and deliver much-needed new or enhanced infrastructure, there are other ways the federal government could spend more to more immediately boost jobs, and boost the economy.

It’s in small businesses, like retail, local service businesses, local software companies and other local businesses where job creation is easy and fast.

The challenge for the government is that a small business focussed job creation investment would be based on many channel specific investments. They may see that as too hard. They could see it as spreading the risk and thereby spreading the reward.

Thousands of targeted investments could deliver more sustainable economic and jobs benefits than one big billion big project spend.

But … we are not against the big projects. What we propose is in addition to those big projects.

Let us unpack this from the small business software company perspective since that a space we know well. Our POS software business competes with a bunch of overseas businesses. While we are doing well, we’d be grateful to do even better.

A dollar spent with us provides more value for Australia than a dollar spent with an overseas competition, much more.

The government would say we benefit from the extension of the instant asset write off. They are right, we do. But, so do all software companies.

Personally, we’d prefer to see the government offer a financial incentive to retailers buying or renting Australian made and Australian supported software. This would see the government investment spent in Australia, more tax revenue for Australia and more job creation.

Let me break that down. In a company like ours, we respond quickly to demand and can hire for entry level help desk roles quickly, offering people new to software and tech entry-level roles. We could be creating jobs in months, and not years like the big projects funded in the budget. And, the jobs we create come with training that positions the new hires for long-term roles in tech.

We can offer a pathway for people with retail experience to develop good tech skills. We can also offer a pathway for older folks to develop a new career in tech. We can offer people with families and challenging schedules flexibility that is family-friendly. We are not alone in being able to do these things. Indeed, there are plenty of service related businesses that can do this.

Another benefit of supporting local specialty business software companies like ours is that they nurture better business efficiency, benefiting the businesses in which the software is used. This benefits the economy. And, since they are small businesses, they will be nimble in leveraging the improved efficiency within their community.

In both of these examples, the software company and local specialty retail, tax dollars stay in Australia, employment growth is more certain and faster, local communities benefit and the economy is, overall, stronger sooner.

Our example here is one of hundreds or thousands the federal government could employ to rapidly boost employment. They should look at businesses that can respond quickly to demand. They would be local businesses serving local communities.

Covid has proven the importance of local. Many who started working from home through Covid will continue, permanently. This presents opportunities for local infrastructure and this is where local small businesses can play a role – businesses that will make a more valuable tax contribution and businesses that can hire for demand more rapidly.

The federal budget is a missed opportunity in the job creation front. It reads like it’s from people who have little understanding how small business works – that we can respond quickly.

We get that politicians will say dealing with a small number of big businesses is easier than wrangling thousands of small businesses. To that we would say try it.

Small businesses in Australia are a resource that few politicians have ever successfully tapped. We are in federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s electorate. We have written to him about these things. He’s not responded. However, he continues to email us about all the good things he has announced.

We are confident that many investments in buy Australian initiatives with and for a variety of small business channels could deliver early job creation wins, a boost in tax revenue and welcome economic support for regional and rural Australian communities.

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