The POS Software Blog

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

Latest stories

How to spot an out of touch out of date POS software company

March 5, 2021

2 Min read

H

Here are some tips on how to spot a POS software company that may be out of touch or out of date and thereby maybe not ideal for consideration for serving your business.

Nameless / faceless. POS software businesses that do not provide public-facing access to the names and contact details for their leadership team demonstrate a lack of faith in your business in our view. Retail is personal. The service of needs of retailers its personal. Here at Tower Systems you can see who we are and tap into our contact details easily, quickly. If you are looking at a POS software company and can’t see authentic photos and genuine leadership team contact details, wonder about their commitment to personal service.
Fake sales people. Some POS software companies use fake names for sales people. They use a cartoon type image to represent them, too. This should be a warning sign. Not using real names and real images or videos may reflect rapid turnover of sales people. That’s a warning sign right there. You want your POS software sales person to stand by what they sell. they do this by being themselves and sharing their real contact details.
Clip Art. if you see that on a POS software business website run, run fast! It’s so 1980s, so out of date … leaving you to wonder if their software is out of date.
Free software. You’re in business right?! You understand that businesses need income to exist. Free is not a sustainable business model.
Are they on a list of the best? Check it out because it may be a list they paid to be on. If a few clicks you can soon discover this.
Fact check. Let’s say, for example, they claim to a partner with, hmmm, Microsoft. You can soon see if this is true. If they are not such a partner you then know they have made an inaccurate claim on their website. Is that what you want from a PSO software company.

We share these tips today as a reminder that not all POS software companies are the same. Do your research. Start with what you need in your business and then focus on the best software that serves your business needs. remember, you are in control. Choose what you want, what you know is right for your business.

Read on Read later

… like having a shop and not telling anyone …

March 4, 2021

1 Min read

&

Read on Read later

Beware the con of POS software comparison websites

March 4, 2021

2 Min read

B

There is a con online that is duping small business retailers. The con is POS software comparison websites … that they do not compare software.

Too often POS software comparison websites do no comparison at all. They will accept any POS software business to be listed through them as long as that business agrees to the fees charged by the comparison website. It really is that simple. Pay the bucks and your business is put forward as one recommended as worthy of consideration.

There is no comparison done by POS software comparison websites. They are an ad platform that POS software companies pay to be listed on.

We know this from first hand experience being signed up to a POS software comparison website for a short time. They didn’t;t compare us, check us out, look at our software or do anything that could be considered an assessment of our suitability.

POS software comparison websites do not comp0are POS software.

Sure, you enter responses to some questions – this is only so they can provide their customers, the paying POS software companies, more information about your needs.

POS software comparison websites are an ad platform plain and simple.

Look at the POS software listed through them and you may not be seeing all of the software options that could be suited to your specific business needs.

There is no substitute to thorough research. You owe it to your retail business to do that. This is why we recommend against using a POS software comparison website – they restrict the businesses pitched to you. They do this without really understanding your business needs.

POS software comparison websites do not compare software, certainly not in our experience at least.

Our opinion is that if your business is serious about its POS software you need to do your own research, create your own short.list and do the work of looking at the software yourself. This way you are pursuing the outcome that is most appropriate to your own business needs, based on your own work and focus. We are certain this approach will give you a better business outcome.

Buyer beware. That POS software comparison website that says it has done the work for you and done the comparison and found the best of the best may have done none off those things.

Read on Read later

Web development for small business retailers in Australia

March 3, 2021

2 Min read

W

Tower Systems offers local professional POS software connected web development services for small business retailers in Australia.

Our web development work is done locally, by people you can speak with, people who will understand your business and its needs. This matters because too often web development work is sent offshore and that’s not good for the local narrative or for local IT jobs.

Our web development work is done primarily for small business retailers using our POS software and through this and our web development services connecting to Shopify, Woo Commerce or Magento websites.

Finding the right web developer for your retail business can be a challenge. Our advice is …

Do your homework.
Ask plenty of questions.
Speak to those doing the development.
Understand how and when you pay.
Look at recent developed sites.
Be sure to understand how the proposed website would connect to your POS software
Get everything agreed in writing.

All of our web development work is done on the basis of an agreed quote. This quote is prepared following a consultation with your about the needs of your business.

Our fixed price quote includes an outline of the work to be done and the outcome delivered for the quoted price.

Key to successful POS software connected web development for a retail business is having a complete understanding of everything that is expected to be delivered with the resulting website. It is essential this is known from the outset.

Since all of our website work from sales through to development and support is done out of our Australian based offices, we provide a local perspective and context for all we do. This delivers better outcomes for locally focussed businesses.

Our web development work is done from scratch, for each specific business. This takes care and time and is built on a thorough understanding of the business needs.

We are grateful to the many different retail businesses that we have helped already to bring them online. Every new site we develop adds to our experience and that helps us to continue tis evolve our approach and the outcomes we can deliver. This is a fascinating part of our work, something we love.

Read on Read later

6 reasons to love our Pet Shop software for local Australian pet shops

March 2, 2021

2 Min read

6

This is pet shop software made and supported locally for local pet shops. Here are our 6 reasons to love our Pet Shop software for local Australian pet shops.

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

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

Our Pet Shop Software costs a few dollars a day to rent. The is for access from as many computers as you have in the business, updates, support and additional training.

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

This pet shop software is made for local pet shops to help them compete with the big retail businesses as well as the massive online competitors. It helps local pet shops shine a light on what iOS unique about their offering. This is pet shop software make to serve local pet shops every day.

Read on Read later

5 reasons we love our Toy Shop POS software for local Australian toy shops.

March 1, 2021

2 Min read

5

We love our Toy Shop POS software and here’s why. In fact, here are 5 reasons we love our toy shop software …

As retailers ourselves, we’ve owned and run retail shops in the toy / collectibles / gift niches since the late 1990s, here are 5 reasons we love our software:

Local matters. Local toy shops make a vital contribution to local communities and families. Our software helps you leverage your localness, to genuinely differentiate your business from big competitors.
You are a key asset. Only your business has you and your people. You can leverage you through our toy shop software, to easily share your knowledge in ways big businesses cannot match.
You can bank on loyalty. Points don’t reward loyalty. What is a point worth anyway? In our toy shop software, you have fresh loyalty tools you can bank on to drive a deeper visit value and bring shoppers back sooner.
The unseen can reveal opportunities. Knowing for sure what sells with what, knowing how suppliers compare knowing return on investment and return on floorspace … knowledge is power.
Not every shopper will walk past your door. A smart and seamless connection between your software and a beautiful website can help you easily and with low overhead sell to people you will never meet.

Local toy shops are vital in local communities. We are committed to helping you run a more enjoyable and successful business.

Our Toy Shop Software can be rented for a few dollars a day. This offers access from as many computers as you have in the business.

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

We can help you bring across existing data. Plenty of MYOB Retail Manager users have found this helpful.

Locally made and supported and able to be run in the cloud or on the desktop, this toy shop software is made to serve locally owned independent retail businesses. It is designed to help local toy shops actively and successfully compete against the chain stores and the online posters. This toy shop software empowers local and helps to make them great in a. competitive retail world. This is software that can make a genuine and positive difference in the success experienced by a local toy shop.

Read on Read later

Retail marketing tips for Easter 2021

February 28, 2021

2 Min read

R

Easter is what each store makes of it in retail. Each retailer decides through their engagement whether this is a big or not so big season.

Our advice, based on working with retailers across a diversity of business settings, is don’t get caught up in tradition, think about easter 2021 as one of connection. This can broaden your focus and provide a more useful pathway to sales success.

Here are some ideas to get you thinking what easter 2021 could be in your retail business…

Have fun. No matter what you do, make sure it involves fun, active fun.
Promote connection. Easter is a good this for people to connect with people nearby and far away. help them do that.
Do good. Collect for something during the season. Given the animal theme of so much Easter product, maybe a local animal shelter.
Have fun give rabbits a discount on a set day or days. Give a doubt to everyone who presents as a rabbit. Promote it widely – get the local paper in for a photo. Make the discount worth it for them dressing up.
Invite a wall of stories. If you have a wall available, cover it with paper and invite your customers to write or draw what Easter means to them. this makes the season more interactive.
Make a giant papier-mâché egg with things you sell (old newspapers, coloured paper, paint). Go big, I mean really big. Taller than a person. Let the kids paint it. Make it a local thing for people to come see.
Have an Easter Egg hunt for over 70s. Egg hunts are usually for kids but those over 70 will have a different recollection of the season from when they were kids. Cater to them with a hunt in your shop for tasty eggs.
Respect the season. Easter means different things to different people. Respect this outside of the fun you may have. Be sure about your greeting and that it is appropriate. Maybe include a nice message on your receipts.

Easter is considered by many in retail to be a small season. I see it as full of opportunity and primed for fun in the newsagency. Chase year on year growth.

easter 2021 is an opportunity to guide connection. Our advice is be part of that opportunity.

Read on Read later

People matter at our POS software company

February 27, 2021

2 Min read

P

What’s happening this afternoon in our POS software business is a good example that people do matter in our line of work.

Our help desk is open, calls are being answered by a human based in hawthorn Victoria. Our customers are getting to speak with real people who know our software and understand local retail. Today is a regular Saturday for us.

That our customers can do this without going through a call centre or a computerised phone systems that gets you pushing button after button. They can also reach us through a private Facebook page, a customer engagement area of our website or through other social media platforms. We make POS software customer service access easy.

We know that being accessible is key to a good customer service experience … from pre sales to sales to installation to training to support to accounts queries. This is why we are so accessible, even on a Saturday afternoon.

A good way to compare POS software companies is to see how many names, mobile numbers and email addresses you can find on their website. If they have faith in what they do they will list plenty, especially of their leadership team. If they are not sure of what they offer they will guide behind general details and no or few names.

On our website, prospective customers can watch videos of our team, too, videos in which we talk about our software and show parts of it. No cartoons here. rather, we publish real people from the business, real members of our team speaking to what we offer and how it may be of service. This is important as authenticity is key from a POS software company.

Now, to be sure that contact is easy, here is some of what we include in every customer email and newsletter …

MANAGEMENT.
- CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER: csm@towersystems.com.au.
- CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER. Gavin Williams. 03 9524 8000. Email gavinw@towersystems.com.au.
- CEO: Mark Fletcher. 0418 321 338. Email: mark@towersystems.com.au.
SALES. Please call 1300 662 957 or email sales@towersystems.com.au.

We make contact easy and direct. It’s a key first step in any good POS software customer service experience. This is especially true and important for local retail POS software.

Read on Read later

Whimsey – reaching for the stars

February 27, 2021

1 Min read

W

Read on Read later

Proud this is us …

February 26, 2021

1 Min read

P

Proud this is us …

Read on Read later

Bookshop POS software helps manage returns, links to Titlepage

February 25, 2021

2 Min read

B

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 bookshop POS 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.

Also embedded in our locally made bookshop software are other tools that booksellers tell us they like, tools such as:

Easy searching of book inventory by title or part of a title.
Easy searching by book inventory by author name or part of author name.
Pacstream integration.
Structured handling fo special orders of books.

Book retailing is challenging with. big businesses pushing hard in this space. Our goal with our locally made bookshop software is to help small local retailers more successfully compete every day.

The bookshop POS software we offer today is different to what we will offer tomorrow as continuous evolution is part of our approach to POS software development.

Read on Read later

Cloud POS software for local retailers

February 24, 2021

2 Min read

C

Some retailers love the idea cloud POS software – not having to worry about software updates or managing the software installation itself.

Tower Systems offers cloud based POS software and has done for years … fully hosted with appropriate security and redundancy. Created for small business retailers with one store or several stores, this cloud based POS solution is working in a range of small business retail sectors.

In addition to providing our cloud based POS software solution, we also offer a desktop solution, which retailers install on their own hardware under their control and management. There are plenty of local retailers who prefer this control, who want to take care of their owns security arrangements.

Tower Systems offers retailers choice when it comes to cloud hosted or local installation. you choose as to what best serves your personal and business needs.

We think offering flexibility is key. It’s certainly what we have found ourselves in our own retail situations. we first ran some of ur shops in a 100% cloud model more than fifteen years ago. That experience helped us evolve our cloud POS offering.

There are some POS software companies that only offer a cloud solution and others that only offer a desktop solution. We are grateful to our software developers for providing a solution that can be either – in the cloud or on the desktop, allowing retailers to choose what is most appropriate to their business needs.

So, cloud or not? It really is up to you. take your time. Think about your business needs. Look at the total cost of ownership of each and make an informed decision. While one approach may look more appealing in the short term, it is the ownership cost over time that we think it is worth considering when assessing whether cloud hosted of desktop is the best approach for your business.

We can connect you with retailers in each situation so you can hear first hand from their experiences. We can also demonstrate what either approach may look like for you and your business.

While buzzwords sound cool, business decisions are best made on the evidence, away fro. the marketing gloss. this is why we say take your time, collect the evidence and decide what is right for you, when you are ready. we will support you through this.

Read on Read later

Updated toy shop software helps local toy shops compete

February 23, 2021

3 Min read

U

What makes our toy shop POS software special? It’s kind of an arrogant question to pose here. It’s real though. It is a question often asked in the sales process. Toy show owners want to know how we see ourselves. Well, let’s try and answer that today. We’d like to do this through the prism of service of local toy shops, because service of local retailers is core to our business.

We are sincere in our interest in and focus on local retail. Local matters. Local shops matter. Walk down any Main Street in any town and you can see it. We’d much prefer to shop these shops than a national chain any day. This is one reason we are so focussed on local retail here at Tower Systems.

But, back to toy shops and our toy shop POS software. we thought about what makes our toy shop POS software special in terms of a top 5 … because who doesn’t love a top 5?

The top 5 reasons our Toy Shop software is ideal for local Australian toy shops.

In developing this list, we thought about it as retailers. We’ve owned and run retail shops in the toy / collectibles / gift niches since the late 1990s.

Local matters. Local toy shops make a vital contribution to local communities and families nearby. Our software helps you leverage this, to differentiate your business from big competitors.
You can bank on loyalty. There is excellent data revealing the lifetime value of a family and those they purchase for. Leveraging this through smart loyalty tools and marketing tuned for toy shops helps you maximise the opportunity.
Safe decisions make for a better P&L. While following your gut can see you catch wins, safe decisions, those based on the data, are bankable. From data feeds from suppliers through your POS to accounting software, we help you nurture data for the safe decisions.
Not every shopper will walk past your door. A smart and seamless connection between your software and a website can help you sell to people you will never meet. This should be easy, certain and financially rewarding.
You are a key asset. You and the people in your business are a differentiator to big business competitors. Too often we see toy retailers not leverage themselves. Our software helps correct this … because you and your knowledge are an asset.

Our locally made and supported toy shop POS software is more than this top 5, much more. We’d love to show it to you, to let you see it first-hand, to see if it might serve your business needs.

The big news is that we have released an update to our toy shop software. It’s out now, fresh and ready for service.

Read on Read later

Tower Systems helps local pet shops compete with pet shop POS software

February 22, 2021

3 Min read

T

Local pet shops face tough competition from national chains and national websites. It is a daily battle with these local family businesses under attack from national businesses with deep pockets.

Local pet shops provide vital support and services for local pet owners. They are important local businesses … important not only to local pet owners, but important to the local community.

Your local pet shop staff are more likely to have and share locally relevant knowledge. Their products will serve local needs – and not be set in some office thousands of kilometres away.

Tower Systems is proud to support local pet shops. We only sell to small local businesses. Our Aussie software is designed for local pet shops, so they can better service their local community. Embedded in our pet shop software are facilities through which local pet shops can do this. Our software helps them consistently pitch and support local in ways local pet owners will appreciate.

Supporting local pet shops is vital not only for local jobs but also for the local community as it is locally owned and run shops that communities turn to in times of need. This is the small business way.

Using our Tower Systems pet shop software, pet shops can tap into plenty of benefits including:

Differentiate with you. Share your product use and care information. This can include locally tuned information.
Track worming and other date-based treatments for customer reminders. The reminder can help pet owners provide better pet care.
Track pet microchip numbers.
Make your own products, from your own feed and seed mix. There is nothing more differentiating that your own products.
Business differentiating loyalty. Stand out from the crowd. Drive sales. Points are dead, their value is a challenge to understand. Our approach to loyalty will drive sales.
Easy special customer orders. Smart track and notify of orders.
Club and group pricing. Set pricing rules based on customer type. you can support the club members who support you.
Use tags to get a fresh perspective, side-view, on stock performance.
Multi buy pricing – like a coffee card – to drive loyalty. Buy x packs of dog or cat food over time and get a pack for free. we track this for you.
Say goodbye to LayBy – with integrated buy now pay later options.
Market to customers based on past purchases.
Cut accounting and bookkeeping fees with integration to Xero and others.
Easily sell online with a direct to Shopify link from your POS software.

Local pet shops are vital for local communities. Tower Systems is grateful for their support and committed to evolving our software to serve the evolving needs of these businesses.

Read on Read later

Tower Systems: locally made POS software for local small business retailers

February 21, 2021

1 Min read

T

Read on Read later

Buyer beware: comparison websites may not have compared as they claim

February 21, 2021

3 Min read

B

Product and service comparison websites are popular online. If you search for POS software, it is likely that an ad from a comparison website will be the top result. Indeed, depending on the time of day you search, the first three or four results will be be for comparison websites advertising POS software.

What’s wrong with advertising? Nothing, if the claims in the ad are accurate.

Based on our personal experience, comparison websites do not provide the service they suggest they offer. While online the comparison website we worked with claimed to have compared POS software in order to recommend the best, no such comparison was undertaken. Once we saw, first hand, what they were doing we ended our short relationship with them.

Does this mean all comparison websites operate this way, claiming they have compared products and services to bring you the best? No. we can only speak to what we experienced ourselves. However, that experience was enough for us to say, no thank you. We will not engage with sites that claim something they do not do.

We wish the ACCC, state based Consumer Affairs and other authorities would look into the operation of comparison websites, getting behind the scenes, looking at the contracts and understanding the evidence. we think they will find that some comparison websites are an ad platform plain and simple – claiming to compare when they in fact do no such comparison. Shoppers are duped in these situations, thinking they are being recommended the best fit, the best software … when, in fact, they are being pitched software the comparison website is paid to ‘recommend’.

We wish Google would look at this as well as they are making money from the comparison website game being played. these websites pay Google too appear ahead of natural search results. They are profiting from the game being played.

Here at Tower Systems we want our software to be installed by businesses that choose it based on their own research and active comparison with other possible solutions. We want to be authentically chosen for good business reasons and not because we paid to come up first in some fake best of the best search result online.

If you are searching for a product or service and a comparison website advertises to be a top result, our advice is beware, do your research … choose based on what you discover for yourself and not based on what a nameless and faceless website claims is the best of the best. Deep pockets for advertising doe not make a company or product the best.

Read on Read later

First preview of new look and feel POS software

February 19, 2021

1 Min read

F

We are grateful to the customers who joined us live and later by video for our sneak peek yesterday at the next evolution of our POS software.

Having customers join us early in the journey to new fields is exciting, motivating and educational.

Our Zoom meeting yesterday was long and comprehensive, and inclusive with a ton of questions put an answered.

We are thrilled customers could join us and proud that our leadership team was able to participate and be accessible for direct customer engagement.

We are committed to technically and visually fresh POS software for current and new customers. Yesterday we demonstrated the next step in walking that path.

Read on Read later

POS software for nutrition businesses

February 19, 2021

2 Min read

P

The Tower Systems POS software for health food shows and whole foods businesses is good POS software for nutrition shops. Using this software, nutrition shops can manage retail sales, online sales, special customer requirements, gift packs, customer advice and more.

Creating your own products, like muesli, made from other products, can be tracked and managed through this locally made POS software. It is easy.

Developed locally for local health food shops and whole foods shops, this POS software for nutrition shops continues to evolve thanks to the support and advice from those in existing businesses using it. We are grateful for their help in maintaining wonderful POS software for these businesses.

There are plenty of benefits from this nutrition business POS software, including:

Save time with electronic invoices from suppliers. If they do not currently offer EDI, we can help them achieve this for you.
Offer personal customer service by tracking timing requirements of customers – reminding them what is due for them.
Use tags to get a fresh perspective, side-view, on stock performance.
Leverage you. If you believe your knowledge is a differentiator, offer it through structured opportunities in the software.
Market to customers based on past purchases.
Easily handle special customer 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.
Maximise the basket with easy to use one-time shopper loyalty tools.
Trade and club pricing profiles. Set pricing rules based on customer type.
Make money from pre-orders – Easily pre-sell a delivery so that when the stock arrives you can manage distribution and billing efficiently.
Differentiate with informative receipts. These can include product care, use and safety information based on what customers buy.
Differentiate with bundles. Selling items bundled together makes price comparison hard.
Track who sold what.
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 to Shopify / Magento or WooCommerce link from your POS software.

This nutrition business POS software can help you bring structure to your business, it can help you serve shoppers in new and appreciated ways. It’s made locally for local businesses.

Read on Read later

Our POS software customers get to meet our Software Development Manager

February 18, 2021

1 Min read

O

Today, for the second time this year, our customers have the opportunity to meet with our Software Development Manager and leadership team. we will preview our next software update, share plans for what’s next and answer questions.

These sessions are terrific for us and for our customers. We are grateful for those who support them. We are grateful for the opportunity.

Read on Read later