The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

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

Tagcloud POS

Running your shop when you’re not in it

R

Most independent retailers want to be on the shop floor. Life doesn’t always allow it. A holiday, a sick day, a trip to see family, a second job. There are plenty of reasons you can be away from the shop.

Here’s something we hear often from customers. Time away is when they see the business most clearly. Standing behind the counter, you see the next customer and the next delivery. Step back, and you see the patterns.

Remote management is normal in small business retail

Managing remotely is common in our part of retail. Some owners hold down a job elsewhere while the shop builds. Others own two, three or more shops and can only be in one place at a time.

How you manage remotely is your call. So is whether you group several shops together for a single view of the numbers. Some owners want everything combined. Others prefer to keep each shop separate.

We’ve built Tower Systems to be as flexible as possible here. The setup you start with can change as your needs change. Add a shop, step back from the counter, or bring in a manager, and the software adapts with you.

Our software also runs in-store or in the cloud. You choose what suits the way you work.

The numbers come to you

You don’t need to be in the shop to know how the day went. Business intelligence reports and management functions are available wherever you log in.

Some of it happens without you lifting a finger. When a staff member closes the register and runs the end-of-shift procedure, the day’s sales and key figures are emailed to you straight away.

If the cash or EFTPOS balance is out, you know that evening. Not at the end of the month, when it’s harder to track down.

Alerts when something doesn’t look right

The software also watches for unusual activity in-store. If a staff member discounts a big-ticket item too heavily, or cancels more sales than usual, you get to find out without having to jump through hoops.

You can log in, look at the transaction and deal with it quickly. Small problems are much easier to fix before they become habits.

Admin on your own time

Remote access also means you can fit software work around your day.

If you’re on the counter most of the week, or short a staff member, stock maintenance and other admin can wait until you’re off the floor. Electronic invoices that suppliers send overnight can be processed over breakfast at home.

That leaves shop time for the work that grows sales: displays, customers and your team.

One approach for every kind of specialist shop

We see owners of bookshops, gift shops, garden centres, bike shops, jewellers and rural supply stores manage this way. The approach is the same across all of them. You can step away from the floor and still know what’s happening.

Built for every kind of specialist retailer

Bookshop, gift shop, farm supply business, bike shop, garden centre or jewellery store, the approach is the same. You can step away from the floor and still know exactly what is happening while you are not there.

Talk to us

If you’d like to see how remote management would work for your shop, or across several shops, talk to us. We’ll show you the options and help you choose the setup that suits you now, knowing it can change later.

AU 1300 662 957 | NZ 0800 444 367 | sales@towersystems.com.au

Contacting a human is easy.

POS software pricing explained: What’s included in each level of Tower Systems POS software

P

Tower Systems comes in four levels: Startup, Standard, Advanced and Ultimate. Each one builds on the level below it, so you are never paying for a stripped-back version of the software — you are paying for the full system at that level, with every feature that level includes.

This post walks through what each level does, who it suits, and what changes as you move up.


What every level includes

Before getting into the differences, it helps to know what stays constant across all four levels.

Every Tower Systems plan includes unlimited products, unlimited customers and unlimited turnover. There are no per-transaction fees on EFTPOS sales, and no charge based on how much you sell. The software connects to the major banks and payment terminals — CBA, ANZ, Westpac, Suncorp, St George and Zeller via Linkly, plus Tyro, Shift4 and others directly.

Every level also includes 24/7 support from real people based in Australia and New Zealand, a dedicated onboarding specialist, one-on-one training and free e-learning. There are regular group training sessions open to all customers, and a suggestion portal where you can propose software improvements and vote on the ideas of others.

One thing worth mentioning: there is no lock-in contract. Tower Systems runs month to month. You can start, cancel or change your plan on 30 days’ notice.

The software is purpose-built for specialty retail — newsagencies, gift shops, garden centres, jewellers, bike shops, produce stores — rather than a general POS product adapted for retail. That distinction matters in areas like stock management, loyalty and specialist sales functions.


Startup — for new and smaller businesses

Startup is the entry-level plan, designed for new businesses and smaller shops running one or two counters. It includes the full core point of sale system: integrated EFTPOS, layby management, gift cards and vouchers, customer invoice accounts, catalogue and promotions, scale integration, specialist label printing and customer displays.

On the stock side, Startup includes advanced stock management with images, extended descriptions and bulk price changes, along with automated reordering, customer special orders, barcode lookup (over a billion records), stocktaking and manufactured goods or hampers.

Loyalty is included too — discount vouchers, trade pricing, pricing profiles, loyalty points, targeted marketing, VIP pricing, customer segmentation and purchase reminders.

Reporting covers more than 80 business performance reports, plus the Insights dashboard, which runs automatically and surfaces dead stock, lost-sale stockouts, basket analysis, theft detection and staffing patterns without you needing to generate reports manually.

Accounting connections include Xero (free direct integration) and MYOB, Reckon and others via ABCIS Ezylink. Deputy and Tanda integrations for rostering are also included.

The main limitations at Startup: it is capped at two terminals, and it does not include e-commerce integrations, stock item variations, stock reservations, quotes, recurring billing, AI tools, serial number tracking, kits or repairs management. Those features come in at Standard and above.


Standard — the complete core retail system

Standard is the plan most general retailers land on. It adds three things to Startup: unlimited terminals, e-commerce integrations and stock variations and reservations.

Unlimited terminals means you can add counters as your business grows without a plan change. E-commerce integrations connect Tower Systems to Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento and WooCommerce — your in-store stock and your online store stay in sync. Stock item variations let you track and sell products by colour, size, style or any other attribute. Stock reservations let you hold items against a proforma invoice so they cannot be sold while a customer order is pending.

Everything in Startup is included. Standard is the right choice for gift shops, garden centres, toy stores and homewares retailers who want the full system with no per-sale fees and no terminal limits.


Advanced — for retailers that quote, repair or sell serialised goods

Advanced adds AI tools and a set of features for businesses with more complex sales processes — jewellers, bike shops, electronics stores and similar retailers.

The AI tools let you post blog content, import supplier invoices from PDF, get price suggestions, generate product descriptions and summarise reporting data. ChatGPT integration supports document handling and task automation.

Beyond AI, Advanced adds quotes and proforma invoices (with the ability to reserve or order stock from a quote), recurring billing for subscriptions or services, tax and duty-free sales tracking (including flight numbers for customs), serial number management from arrival to sale, kits for bundle selling, and a full repairs and job management module.

Repairs management covers the full workflow: logging the job, communicating with the customer, allocating parts, tracking history and storing images. It is designed for bike shops, watch repairs, electronics servicing and similar counter-based repair work.


Ultimate — for newsagencies and delivery-based retailers

Ultimate includes everything in Advanced and adds tools for channels with specific operational needs: newsagencies, produce businesses and rural retailers managing freight and deliveries.

Newsagency tools cover phone recharge, lottery terminal integration, XchangeIT automation and home delivery management. Freight invoice management lets you split delivery costs across supplier invoices and adjust pricing accordingly — useful for produce and rural retail where freight is a significant variable. Dispatch management tracks delivery resources and runs, produces driver run lists and pick slips, and integrates with Allotrac. Valuations are also included, for jewellers tracking item valuations.


Choosing the right level

The level you need depends on your business type and the features you actually use.

Startup works for new or smaller businesses running up to two terminals that do not need e-commerce or stock variations. Standard is the practical choice for most established retailers — it covers the full system with no limits on terminals or turnover. Advanced makes sense if you quote, repair, sell serialised goods or want AI tools built into your workflow. Ultimate is built for newsagencies and businesses managing freight, dispatch or home delivery.

For current pricing and to see a full feature comparison, visit towersystems.com.au/pricing.

The POS Software Blog

Categories

Categories

Categories

Recent Comments

Monthly Archives