The POS Software Blog
News from Tower Systems about locally made POS software for specialty local retailers.
We’re not your usual POS software company. We own and run retail shops as well as online retail businesses. We are grateful and proud to share this video of part of the Christmas display at our newsXpress Southland store. This was live over a week ago. The shopper reaction already has been wonderful.
Having retail shops where we can experiment with the intersection of POS software tech enology and physical retail is helpful to our software business and our retail businesses.
Yes, that’s right, the delayed AFL Grand Final is set to play tomorrow. Here in Victoria, where we are headquartered, we have a public holiday today to ‘celebrate’. Our office is open, though, serving our customers.
We have announced to our customers a Q&A with our Software Development Manager for next week, on Wednesday.
This is an opportunity for retailers from our POS software customer community to speak directly with our Software Development Manager, to ask questions and provide feedback. It’s rare that software companies make opportunities like this available, but common for us as we embrace opportunities for free-flowing communication.
The session is available for any of our customers, with access details shared through our usual customer communications channels.
We are grateful to serve plenty of kitchenware retailers with POS software for kitchenware shops. This software has evolved out of our specialty retail POS software in a range of other retail channels.
We discovered that their software makes for ideal POS software for kitchenware businesses.
A couple of days ago, we shot a short video in-house to explore some of the areas of this software for kitchenware businesses that are popular in that retail channel:
Kitchenware shops do have specialty needs beyond traditional retail. These unique needs are not well served by everyday basic POS software and that’s why specialty POS software is ideal for serving the needs of these specialty retail businesses.
Embedded in our kitchenware POS software are facilities they can leverage such as the loyalty tools that feed into the unique nature of what they sell and the frequency with which those items are purchased. Using the right levers, kitchenware retailers can bring shoppers back to the business more frequently than may be usual.
The software also helps kitchenware businesses to track occasions, another important part of the kitchenware shop shopper mix. Tracking engagement, wedding, anniversary, new home and other life events enables the businesses to serve these needs, learn what is selling and to invite those shoppers back for more specifying opportunities.
Our POS software is loaded with tools like these that local kitchenware shops can leverage, to differentiate their businesses and to deliver value to the business and those who rely on the business.
This software is about bringing stocking and certain management to the business through proven business practices supported by the software.
More broadly, the EDI tools are terrific for helping retailers to easily and accurately import electronic invoices and electronic stock files from suppliers. This saves time and cuts mistakes. Add to that, the data feed to Xero through a partnership integration whereby sales data flows – also eliminating data entry and cutting mistakes.
Tower Systems is grateful to serve kitchenware shops with this POS software. If you would like to see the software, please call or email: sales@towersystems.com.au. We can do this one-on-one or with your team, including those you rely on for advice. We can also record the demonstration so that you can see it again, after the demonstration to be sure of what you have seen.
We understand the stress of taking over an existing retail business. There is plenty to learn. It usually needs to be learnt quickly. Too often, the folks selling the business move on without providing the level of training that is needed, especially training in POS software.
This is why we have created a special new owners package – for businesses recently sold where our software is running. It offers new owners a new installation trying experience, offering the best outcomes for them to learn the software and review data structures to ensure are they are perusing good business outcomes.
This enhanced new business owner training package is another way we are adding value to small business retailers who use our POS software.
Here at Tower Systems, we are grateful to offer POS software for audio businesses and POS software for car audio businesses.
We have found that our specialty jeweller and bike shop POS software solution serves the needs of audio businesses, offering a sweet audio shop software solution.
Using our audio shop POS software, audio shops have access to a range of facilities that were developed;oped for other specialty retail but have been found to work for these unique businesses in the HiFi / audio retail and service space.
Here is a short video that we shot 2 days ago in which we discuss some of the specialty facilities in our software for audio retailers.
Using our POS software, audio and car audio businesses can track sales, facilitate online sales through the Magento and Shopify links and manage the repairs services that may be offered in-store as well as outside of the business.
It is the ability in the software to price and sell bundles of products, the capacity to sell things in fractions as well as the options for connecting with suppliers electronically for invoice and stock files.
All these and more facilities in the Tower Systems POS software for audio businesses are part of the software. By that we mean they aren’t through external tools we connect to. The software itself is rich in function and tools that we are thrilled to discover serve the needs of audio, car audio and HiFi businesses.
Being an Australian company, we are thrilled to be able to serve local Aussie businesses. We believe in local retail, especially small business local retail as it is these businesses that best serve the needs of local communities.
Our audio business POS software is capable thanks to its specialty nature. The video we share here in the blog post covers a small amount of the features in the software. The best way to discover more is for a comprehensive demonstration that is tailored to your specific business needs.
Tower Systems serves 3,500+ retail businesses around Australia and New Zealand. We make what we sell. This is our software, self-contained software. We also like to wonderfully useful tools, too, such as Xero, Tyro, Shopify, Magento and more.
To consider is we might be a solution for your business, please contact out sales team. You can call or email: sales@towersystems.com.au.
Use this unique facility to drive sales in any retail business and nurture optimism in the business and among customers.
It’s a bold claim. A true claim though in that we have the evidence to show that what we talk about here works, and works well, in hundreds of retail businesses.
Loyalty points are dead. Big businesses killed them, made them useless.
While our specialty retail POS software has a loyalty points program you can use, it is our smart discount vouchers that retailers in our community of 3,500+ retail; businesses love. Discount vouchers are part of broader loyalty tools we offer.
Note, we call them discount vouchers – you can call them what you like. The facilities give you leverage that you can employ to encourage shoppers to spend more and shop with you sooner.
Here’s a video from June this year in which we show how vouchers work and provide examples of the value they offer the business for little or no cost.
Here is a video we shot in August this year where we look at discount vouchers in more detail and explore what it looks like inside the business.
We use discount vouchers in retail businesses we operate and have done so since we first released the functionality in February 2013. They work a treat, delivering net beneficial value at no cost to the business.
The fundamental question for any retailer is do you want to grow your business? The answer, of course, is yes. Discount vouchers provide the means through which you can do this. It starts by changing the conversation, by offering something your competitors do not offer and, most likely, cannot offer.
By changing the conversation you drive a different shopper expectation and that helps shoppers see your business through a different light.
People like being rewarded for doing what they would do anyway. Through fine-tuned levers, you are able to nudge their engagement to go beyond what they would do and you can factor the cost of nudging into your pricing.
Across plenty of retail channels, discount vouchers deliver commercial benefits for retail business. Plus, they offer a community group connect that further enhances their value to the business as well as to the local community.
Using our POS software, small business retailers in Australia and New Zealand have plenty of control over the design of their main POS screen. Changing this is easy. No coding is required. Our customers are proving to be creative in tailoring the screen to their unique business needs.
To celebrate some awesome POS software screen designs, over a week ago we announced a POS software screen design competition for our customers. We are giving away 6 bottles of wonderful champagne.
Our goal was to encourage folks in our retail business community to inspire each other, to show what is possible and to share how they have improved their businesses by embracing design change opportunities in our POS software.
Today is the day of judging. We are excited to have had so many retailers engage with this. The entries are terrific. Our customers are innovative, creative. They have shown a real love for our POS software.
Here is what we announced in our regular customer service email a week back:
Hey, Retailer 3 users, share your POS screen design to get in the running to win one of 6 bottles of Heidsieck And Co Monopole Gold Top 2010 champagne. We will choose 6 well-designed R3 POS screens as winners, each receiving a bottle – sent to you, free.
To enter, post a photo of your POS screen on our private customer Facebook page. Or, email support@towersystems.com.au with the subject – POS Screen competition. We will post it to the private Facebook page for you. Now, if you want to play with your design, this video may help: https://vimeo.com/387825075
We will keep this competition open for a week, until 9am Monday October 19, 2020. We will choose 6 POS screen designs as the winners and send a bottle of this champagne as a price.
Why are we running this competition? Because we are seeing some awesome POS software screen designs, designs that we think could inspire others to create better POS software screens. You have excellent flexibility in the software. We hope seeing the designs inspires you.
Here is what you could win: Heidsieck And Co Monopole Gold Top 2010. Heidsieck and Co Monopole are one of the oldest Champagne houses in the Champagne region. Gold Top 2010 is balanced and pleasing with hints of roasted and dry fruits, hazelnut, reminiscent of honey with a gingerbread dominance. This is a nice drop.
Tower Systems is grateful to serve many charity shops and community group run shops with POS software that helps them manage inventory, customers and other aspects of the businesses.
Community enterprises are a vital part of local communities. While they are charity businesses, they are enterprises and need enterprise software. Tower Systems leverages the facilities of its small business focussed POS software to serve the needs of charity shops and community group run retail businesses.
Through our POS software we can help community group run shops to:
Community group run shops and charity shops need POS software partners that connect with their mission, that serve the local community focus of what they do. Tower Systems works in this space, serving plenty of these groups in a range of ways through the software, through training and beyond. We will help in any way we can, as much as we can.
We have a track record of work with community run shops, church run shops as well as other social enterprises that operate in retail. This work is part of the broader focus on Tower Systems and our work serving the needs of local communities.
Our POS software has been developed for a select range of niche retail channel businesses. We have found that it also serves the needs of plenty of charity shops, community enterprise shops and church related shops. Indeed, it was operators of those businesses that made the discovers, for which we are grateful.
As an Australian POS software company with years and years of serving local business needs, we are well established to help businesses and, through them, the communities they serve.
Our POS software is not ideal for all social enterprise run retail businesses. It’;s important those in control of such businesses know exactly what they want and that they thoroughly review what our off the shelf software does, to see if it is a good fit for their needs.
We are grateful to the many in firearms retail who guide us on evolution of our Aussie made POS software for firearms businesses.
You can rent our Firearms dealer POS software for $199.00 a month. This is a whole of business cost. You can run the software on as many terminals as you need. Using this firearms dealer POS software, you can…
For the $199 a month you get:
The $199.00 is charged per 30 days, in advance. Access can be cancelled at any time. You can also choose to purchase the software outright.
Our on-boarding service helps you get the most from the firearms dealer POS software. It includes:
We can do on-site training if this is essential.
We are local. Tower Systems is an Aussie POS software co. serving 3,500+ specialty businesses. If you think we could help you, please email sales@towersystems.com.au.
Measurement is key to the success of any retail business, especially in small business retail where competition is tough.
Measuring sales, stock, employees and suppliers will profit a business if those in charge act on what measurement reveals.
This is small business retail management advice we share with our POS software customers. While it is a boring topic, it is a business critical topic for if you measure and act on the evidence you are on a path to success. Ignorance may be bliss … it is also a road to failure in business.
Without accurate and consistent measurement, you are not able to make good business decisions or to hold others to account for their actions.
By measuring you can make better decisions.
Here are some simple rules for accurate measurement in retail:
My making your business data driven you are better equipped to take the emotion and gut feel out of business decisions. This will improve decision quality and accountability and, hopefully, the return you achieve from these decisions.
Businesses which do not measure stock, suppliers, employees and sales accurately often find themselves faltering without knowing why – because they have no accurate data on which to base research.
Measuring everything reveals a path forward and this path is success.
Yes, this is a snooze of a topic. However, it is also a business critical topic offering a bankable result – if you measure everything and act on the results as revealed by the measurement.
Tower Systems helps small business measure, analyse and act. Our advice for small business retailers is considerable – reaching as far as retailers ask. It starts with our POS software and offering retailers opportunities to fully learn how this software can serve any specialty retail business that chooses it.
Whether we like it or not, the world economy is in recession, a Covid recession. While each country fares differently, the recession is global.
While small business retail is vulnerable, it is well positioned to trade out of the Covid recession. Here is our advice for small business retailers on combatting the Covid recession, or at least on guiding trading in your business to be against trend.
Our advice is based on decades of work with many different retail businesses across multiple retail channels. It also drains on our own experience running several different types of retail businesses.
Much of what a small retail business can achieve in trading against the trend of a Covid recession comes down to decisions made in the business, decisions about products, people and marketing that can be leveraged through smart POS software.
We’re here to help!
Tower Systems is grateful to serve thousands of small and independent t retail businesses in Australia and New Zealand in service of profit and enjoyment.
We originally wrote this article for another outlet. We share it here as it is relevant to the small business retailer community we serve. The closure of local bank branches in impacting small business retail. While our POS software can help businesses transact cashless, we do understand that for many taking cash is important to the business.
Under the cover of Covid, banks are closing branches in Australia and removing ATMs in a shrinking of banking access. There is no consultation with customers, just an announcement or a sign on a front door.
Local bank branch closures are adding considerable cost to small business retailers in Australia.
While many bank branches closed under the first Covid lockdown back in March, plenty of these have since subsequently closed permanently.
In one of my own retail situations, in suburban Melbourne, our local bank branch, which is in walking distance, is closing. We face a 10 minute car drive, which means a roster change to deal with takings banking and disruption if we encounter a change shortage.
The closure of local bank branches makes going cashless more appealing to retailers. Maybe this is what the banks want. The retail network is expensive to maintain in terms of real estate and labour I guess.
While the closure of bank branches in March made sense, the continued closure after that lockdown ended was the first indication that banks were reconsidering their retail engagement.
Adding to the considerable number of bank branches that have closed in Australia, the closure of ATMs is impacting the shopper experience as well as the business owner experience. In another part of suburban Melbourne, one busy shopping street has seen five ATMs ripped out by banks.
Again, in my own experience, a local ATM at which we banked cheques, which are still a thing, has been removed, necessitating a drive as opposed to what was a short walk.
I get that all businesses are reassessing the infrastructure that is appropriate in a Covid and post-Covid (if it ever happens) world and that it makes sense that banks do this too. However, banks provide key services to Australians and local small businesses. They have a social responsibility to maintain these services. The extent of local bank branch closures in Australia will impact small businesses.
Again, in our own situation, for one of our shops, we are opening an account with a bank we have previously not dealt with as they have a branch a few minutes walk away and that is appealing compared to having to drive. It’s not ideal, but it is better than adding to our labour cost.
Tower Systems is grateful that more baby shops are choosing its POS software. This Aussie made and supported POS software is proving to be ideal for help baby shop owners and managers run their businesses.
The baby shop POS software has what people running these businesses are looking for.
Here is a video we shot a few days ago in which we look at this POS software for baby shops and consider it along with the Shopify website connection for easily selling baby clothes and gifts online. Take a look at the software and hear us talk about how our POS software for baby shops can serve this specialty retail need.
As the video demonstrates, our POS software is flexible and capable. Thanks to advice from retailers, we know it works as POS software for baby shops. Also, it continues to evolve with many enhancement suggestions coming from customers sharing their experiences and helping us see new opportunities for the use of the software.
Given the journey young parents embark on, it is the tracking and follow-up opportunities served by the software that can help a retail business leverage the value of a longer term relationship with their shoppers.
In offering our POS software for baby shops, we are helping to bring commercial focus and certainty to these locally owned and run retail businesses. Our goal is to help them be more successful and competitive, especially against big businesses and offshore businesses selling into our local communities.
The more we in small business can work together to deliver better outcomes for local small retail businesses the better for the community and all who rely on our businesses. There is no doubt that local retail businesses are able to deliver a more useful and nuanced local product and service experience through which they can differentiate and grow. This is where we can help local baby shops using our POS software.
Our POS software for baby shops is capable and suitable, able to help these specialty retail businesses to serve well, professionally and thoroughly. This is what specialty POS software looks like.
Tower Systems serves more than 3,500 small business retail shops around Australia and New Zealand. We only serve independent small businesses. This keeps us focussed in service of local small business retail.
POS stands for Point of Sale. It’s an acronym. Computer people love acronyms.
POS, or Point of Sale, usually refers to POS software, Point of Sale software, software used in retail … you guessed it, at the point of sale.
Some people call it Point of Sales, but they are mistaken, it’s Point of Sale.
Tower Systems is a POS software company. We make POS software for specialty retailers in Australia and New Zealand.
Our POS software integrates with Shopify for seamless online sales.
Our POS software integrates with Tyro for seamless fast and safe EFTPOS processing.
Our POS software integrates with Xero for easier and more accurate bookkeeping.
Our POS software integrates with Magento for easy online selling.
Our POS software integrates with WooCommerce for low cost easy online selling.
Our POS software integrates with Linkly (PCeftpos) for EFTPOS with the major banks.
Our POS software integrates with OzBiz that connects stores with MYOB.
Our POS software integrates with with many suppliers and many other useful tools that serve small business retailers.
Using our POS software, small business retailers can transact sales at the point of sale. They can also manage their businesses through data gathered by the software, they can. plan, make decisions and look to the future.
Tower Systems offers POS software that goes beyond the POS, software that helps small business retailers compete locally as well as online.
We only sell to small businesses because we prefer to work with them, to strengthen them, that big businesses.
Being a local POS software company matters to small business retailers because it means that their support for us supports the local economy. It also means that our people will understand their local business needs. Offshore help desk people will struggle with local retailer needs and local nuances.
So, we like to support local retailers because local retailers support us. This is the circular relationship that is good for the local economy, of which we are a part.
Our POS software does not stand still. It is updated regularly, often every 6 to 8 weeks, with our customers in control as to when they update the software. They are iin control,. which small business retailers like.
We are grateful for our customers and the opportunities they present us with.
Tower Systems is grateful to offer its Australian designed and made POS software to sewing shops and retailers of sewing machines and supplies for sewers … POS software for haberdashery businesses.
Several sewing goods retailers have shown us how our POS software is suitable for the needs of these businesses. From handling special orders, to serial number tracking, to repairs management to selling by fractions, it turns out our POS software is good for sewing businesses and sewing machine and goods retailers.
Here is a video we made last week in which we discuss our POS software for sewing shops and demonstrate some of its facilities.
It is our work in similar specialty retail channels such as bike shops, jewellers and similar that has seen us develop tools and facilities in our POS software that works for sewing shops. We are so happy to be able to serve these businesses.
Since we make our own POS software, we are able to evolve the software to serve evolving needs, and we are able to fine-time our support of the software to ensure that it serves the needs of sewing shops and related businesses that decide the software is a good fit for their needs.
Take the selling of items by decimals or fractions. This is how fabric is sold. We make it easy and accurate. We even handle pricing that can vary based on the length of a fabric purchased. In other words, play less per metre the more you buy. This is handled by the software based on the settings created by those running the sewing shop.
Plenty of POS software solutions do not handle selling items by decimals or fractions.
We are not saying that our software is perfect for any sewing shop. That decision must 100% be up to those making the POS software decision in the business. We will demonstrate the software and answer questions, so that the necessary assessments can be made, to determine if our Tower Systems POS software is a good fit for the needs of a sewing business.
Our POS software for sewing shops and sewing machine businesses is already in use. We have people to whom we can refer. It is their innovation that set us on this path. Hence, our gratefulness.
To see the Tower Systems software first hand, please contact us direct. Email is good at sales@towersystems.com.au.
We make, sell and support our POS software.
This morning we announced a competition for our customers. We are looking for the best POS software screen designs with 6 bottles of awesome Champagne up for grabs. Using out POS software, our customers have excellent control over their POS software screen design. Here is what we announced:
Hey, Retailer 3 users, share your POS screen design to get in the running to win one of 6 bottles of Heidsieck And Co Monopole Gold Top 2010 champagne. We will choose 6 well-designed R3 POS screens as winners, each receiving a bottle.
To enter, post a photo of your POS screen on our private customer Facebook page. Or, email support@towersystems.com.au with the subject – POS Screen competition. We will post it to the private Facebook page for you. Now, if you want to play with your design, this video may help: https://vimeo.com/387825075
We will keep this competition open for a week, until 9am October 19, 2020. We will choose 6 POS screen designs as the winners and send a bottle of this champagne as a price.
Why are we running this competition? Because we are seeing some awesome POS software screen designs, designs that we think could inspire others to create better POS software screens. You have excellent flexibility in the software. We hope seeing the designs inspires you.
Here is what you could win: Heidsieck And Co Monopole Gold Top 2010. Qantas wine experts had this to say: Heidsieck and Co Monopole are one of the oldest Champagne houses in the Champagne region. Gold Top 2010 is balanced and pleasing with hints of roasted and dry fruits, hazelnut, reminiscent of honey with a gingerbread dominance. This is a nice drop.
We help our small business POS software customers with free social media content for appreciation and behavioural encouragement. Here are some of our new social media posts made available to Tower Systems customers:
Thanks to our creative in-house marketing team, plenty of social media content collateral is available to help customers of Tower Systems promote their businesses.
In Mid 2019, newsagency software company Tower Systems released a rental option for its software. For $185.00 a month, newsagents can rent the Tower newsagency specific software.
The newsagency software rental option is available without a long-term or lock-in contract. It is for the full newsagency software including newspaper and magazine distribution. It includes access to the software on as many computers as a business needs in its location, for no additional charge.
The Australian made and supported Tower Systems newsagency software serves home delivery, sub agent and retail management requirements. The software continues to evolve, with updates released every few months. It integrates with TheLott, Epay, Tyro, Xero, MYOB, Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, the banks, ZipPay, Humm, XchangeIT and more.
The software also includes access to the federal governments debit card as Tower Systems is a long-standing member of the trial software panel, involved early on in that project.
1,750 newsagents already use the Tower newsagency software in Australia.
Using the Tower Systems software, newsagents are able to comprehensively track business performance at the category, individual product, staff member and supplier level.
It is at the supplier performance level where the software can help guide valuable commercial outcomes. For example, one business recently overhauled their card department based on data captured and curated by the Tower software. Several months on, card sales are up 30% year on year while at the same time space allocated to cards was cut 20%. This move freed space for a new product category, which itself is driving traffic and revenue.
Rental of the software is $185.00 for each 30 days. It can be cancelled at any time.
To help newsagents through Covid, Tower made all additional one-on-one training for customers free, cancelled plans to increase support fees, provided financial help for hardship situations, eliminated credit card surcharges and provided a free software licence for home access to every customer.
In addition to developing and supporting newsagency software, Tower Systems also develops POS software connected websites for newsagents. Here are some of the newsagency business websites developed by the Tower web team:
To find out more about the Tower Systems newsagency software, please email sales@towersystems.com.au or visit www.towersystems.com.au.
We built the Mint Coin Shop for newsXpress to sell coins from the Royal Australian Mint online. Today, they launched a very special AC/DC commemorative box set, which includes an exclusive mint coin. here is a video showing off what is in this AC/DC coin box set.
We are grateful for the role we have played in bringing the AC/DC coin set to Aussie AC/DC fans and to do so through a Shopify site connected with our POS software.
newsXpress partners with the Royal Australian Mint with more than 100 locally owned newsXpress stores selling coins, including the AC/DC box set.
Tower Systems serves 3,500+ small business retailers with specialty POS software.
Retailers using the POS software from Tower Systems have access to unlimited free training.
Free training in POS software for small business retailers comes in a range of forms:
All of these options are available to all small business retailers using the POS software. However, it is the one-on-one training retailers love.
Our POS software customers can schedule this when it suits their needs. It can be on one topic or covering multiple topics. There is no cap on the number training sessions. Further, there is no charge for the training – because we know that the better the software is understood the more the customers get from using it. This is a classic win-win.
We moved to a free training model a few years ago, when we uncapped the training a retailer could tap into in a year. Our customers love it. They love that new team members can join their business and receive free training from us. Their business and our business benefit. It’s terrific.
Lowering the cost of ownership of the software makes it more affordable as well as more useful.
By not relying on on our customers getting training from paid consultants or others outside our business is us being accountable to our customers. Too often we see POS software companies pointing their customers to other businesses for training in the software. This detaches them from accountability and removes a wonderful feedback opportunity.
Tower Systems only develops POS software for niche independent small business retailers. Our focus is deep into selected retail channels. Our training is as specialist as our software as it dives deep into each niche version of the software as appropriate to the retail channel in which the person being trained operates.
To tap into our free one-on-one training, retailers connect to our website and use our appointment scheduling software to book their free training time. The can make multiple bookings, ensuring that they have training slots for when they wean them
Free POS software training is a terrific benefit, one we are grateful to be able to offer to retail businesses using our POS software.
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