The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

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

TagAustralian POS software

POS software integrations from Tower Systems

July 31, 2026
2 Min read
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Our POS software connects with the tools retailers use every day. These integrations are included at no extra cost.

But before we get into the integrations, be sure to check what is current as this list is evolving regular as more opportunities emerge and shits occur within the companies with which we integrate. It’s a dynamic world out there.

We have integrated our POS software with: OpenAI, Google Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude into our software. There are image background removal tools through remove.bg and Removal.AI.

Our barcode lookup facility covers more than 1.5 billion items, with product images and descriptions included. This is a facility that our retailers love. It’s used every day. And we fund this use entirely – it’s a paid-for service funded by Tower Systems for our retailers.

On the e-commerce side, we connect directly with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and Magento. Our retailers also get free access to findit.com.au, our own marketplace. Bike shops can use our BikeExchange integration for secondary market bicycle sales.

Xero is integrated directly. MYOB connects via ABCIS. For payments, we work with Tyro, Linkly, Shift4, Humm, Zip, Centerpay, Quest, MX51, Windcave and the major banks. For staff rostering, we link to Tanda and Deputy.

Supplier links matter in specialty retail. Newsagents have EDI links with XchangeIT and GNS. Book retailers connect to Pacstream, Nielsen BookScan and TitlePage. Pet shops have supplier links for Kongs, Premier Pet, Masterpet, Just for Pets, and Air & Tuckers. Garden centres connect with Evergreen Connect. In general retail and homewares, we link with Eastern Distributors, Maxwell & Williams, Trek and Specialized.

We also link to Mailchimp, MessageMedia and Slyp, support POStec Fuel and ePay, and handle local delivery management through Allotrac.

Every integration cuts manual data entry and double handling. That saves time and reduces mistakes. It is one of the reasons retailers switch to us.

We add integrations based on what our customers ask for. If there is a supplier or platform you want connected, tell us. Plenty of the links listed here started as a request from one retailer. That is how software made for specialty retail should work.

Find out more at towersystems.com.au.

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What makes Tower Systems different: our positioning, in plain terms

July 8, 2026
2 Min read
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Every software company says it is different. Few say clearly how. This post sets out what Tower Systems stands for and why it matters to the specialty retailers we serve.

First up though, here at Tower Systems we’re not about cliche-heavy corporate speak. Our customers are local small business retailers, independent retailers. They like direct talk.

Our positioning, in one sentence

Tower Systems is specialty retail POS software, built, sold, trained and supported in Australia, that helps independent retailers turn their specialist knowledge into a stronger business.

That’s it. Plain and simple. That’s us.

The one thing to remember

We go deep, not wide.

We do not try to be POS software for every business. We build for specific specialty retail trades, and we own the whole relationship with our customers: the software, the training, the support. That focus is what holds everything else together.

The four pillars

Deep niche specialisation. We build for defined specialty retail channels, not retail in general. The workflows, language and reports are shaped around how each trade actually operates. The retailer works the way they already think, rather than bending their business to fit generic software.

Full local stack control. We build our software, sell it, train on it and support it — ourselves, in Australia. There is no offshore call centre and no third party between us and the retailer. When you need help, you reach the people who made the product.

Freedom of payment choice. We do not lock retailers into a platform-tied payment processor. You choose your provider and negotiate your own rates. Many international platforms tie the software to their own payments. We do not.

Tools built for the owner. Beyond the sale, we build tools that help owners run a better business: an insights dashboard that surfaces the numbers that matter, stock and replenishment tools that save time, and reporting tuned to your trade. The software has to earn its place every day, not just at the counter.

Why this matters to specialty retailers

Specialty retailers do not win by being everything to everyone. They win on product knowledge, specialist services, supplier relationships and the way they deal with customers.

That is the kind of retailer we build for. Software that understands your trade. Support from the people who built it. No lock-in to payment platforms you did not choose.

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Why gift shops outgrow Square and Shopify POS

June 13, 2026
3 Min read
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Square and Shopify POS are fine tools. They’re built for everyone, which means they’re built for no one in particular. That matters more in a gift shop than in most retail businesses.

A gift shop is not a cafe. It’s not a clothing store either.

You carry many items, sometimes thousands of items, often only one or two of each.

You buy from dozens of suppliers, some of them small and quirky. Your trade swings hard with the seasons: Mother’s Day, Christmas, Valentine’s Day. A generic point of sale system doesn’t understand any of that, because it wasn’t built for it.

Here’s where software made for gift shops earns its keep.

Supplier invoices load electronically. When a delivery arrives with 200 new lines, you don’t type them in. The invoice imports, items are created or updated, and you’re back on the shop floor. Retailers tell us this saves hours every week.

Loyalty built for occasional shoppers. Points programs suit businesses people visit daily – that’s their function, to get people in more often, which is easier in a cafe or supermarket. Gift shop customers might visit a few times a year. Our loyalty prints a dollar voucher on the receipt, something shoppers can see and spend. Retailers using it report customers returning sooner and spending more per visit. Now, if you want a points based system, it’s there, included.

LayBy done properly. Not a workaround, not a plug-in. LayBy is part of how plenty of people shop for gifts, and the software handles it natively, including payments, reminders and reporting.

Reordering based on evidence. The software shows what’s selling, by item, category and supplier, so you reorder winners and quit losers. In a shop where margin is made through buying decisions, this is gold.

Reporting that shows where you make money. Which suppliers perform. Which categories carry the shop. Which don’t. You can’t get that from a system that treats every retail business the same.

Developed locally. Your type of retail is local. Software developed locally is more likely to serve that local focus you have.

There’s one more difference worth naming. Square makes its money clipping the ticket on every sale you make. We’re a software company. We’ve served local Australian retailers since 1981, and when you call for help, a real person answers, here in Australia.

If your software was made for everyone, it wasn’t made for you. That’s the case for POS software made specifically for gift shops.

We are Tower Systems. sales@towersystems.com.au

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