The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

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

Tagpoint of sale software

Bookshop software for book retailers in Australia and New Zealand

November 11, 2025
4 Min read
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Tower Systems makes and supports POS software for bookshops in Australia and New Zealand. We also build POS software connected websites for bookshops in Australia and New Zealand.

The Tower Systems bookshop software is always evolving. Many enhancements in the software are as a result of customer suggestions, responding to changes in retail and changes brought on by tech advance =ment opportunities. The AI advancements are an example of this. Three updates already in 2025 have ensured the software is fresh and commercially relevant. With AI playing such an important role in small business retail today. the Tower Systems bookshop software embedded AI tools are leading-edge, loved by customers.

Our focus is on local independent bookshops.

Our bookshop software has plenty of features:

  • Easy returns management. Streamline your returns process, optimise inventory and maximise your return on investment.
  • PacStream and TitlePage Connectivity: Access the powerful PacStream platform and TitlePage directly from our software for simplified supply chain management and potential cost savings.
  • AI-Powered Efficiency: generate good product descriptions that can improve search results and save time, easily import just about any invoice, write and publish blog posts and price compare easily and quickly.
  • Book Club Management: Effortlessly manage your book club memberships, offer rewards, and simplify fundraising initiatives. This feature helps you connect with your reading community, cater to their interests, and foster loyalty.
  • Efficient Special Order Handling: Seamlessly process and track special orders from placement to customer notification upon arrival.
  • Advanced Inventory Search: Quickly locate books by searching for an author’s full or partial name, or by title.
  • International Barcode Integration: Connect directly to international barcode databases for efficient and accurate product lookups.

Flexible, supportive:

Helping local independent bookshops in New Zealand and Australia thrive, our bookshop software offers the flexibility of cloud-based or desktop deployment. Our expert local support team is here to ensure a smooth transition and provide ongoing assistance.

Reach online:

Sell online with the platform that best suits your business, whether it be Shopify, BigCommerce, or WooCommerce. We provide the flexibility to choose, ensuring you are never locked into a single solution. Our software also offers free integration with the FindIt local marketplace.

 Rely on:

  • Easy and accurate selling processes
  • Advanced search functionality by title or author
  • Streamlined special orders for customers
  • Club and group pricing to help secure more sales
  • Locally developed software with a local help desk
  • Comprehensive training resources

We are committed to the success of local independent bookshops and are grateful to our customers who collaborate with us to ensure our software remains relevant in this rapidly changing market. This system is exclusively crafted for independent businesses, not for chains or large corporations.

By choosing our bookshop POS software, you are investing in a tool that supports your community and strengthens your business, helping you create a vibrant and engaging space for book lovers.

While our office is in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, we have one of our software developers based in Auckland and one of our help desk crew based out of Christchurch, New Zealand. We’re a remote business though with many of our team members preferring to work from home. This cuts the commute time and gives more time to their families.

If you are looking for software for your bookshop, consider Tower Systems – we’d love to show you the software and let you see if it fits your needs.

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The right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business. Tower offers specialty retail business software made for local small business retailers. To see if we might help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today.

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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“A Game-Changer”: Why Australian Retailers are Embracing AI in their POS Software

November 10, 2025
4 Min read
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The term “AI” is everywhere. For a busy small business owner, it can sound less like a helpful tool and more like another complicated buzzword, something for big corporations, not for a local gift shop, garden centre, or newsagency.

The thing is, small business retailers have, right now, easier access to AI tools than big businesses.

It’s not complicated. AI tools, built directly into the POS software available for independent small business retailers, working in the background, helping in everyday practical ways, saving time, helping you make more money, giving you support for better decision making.

This is real. It’s available today for small business retailers.

At Tower Systems, we’ve embedded practical AI tools into our software, and the feedback from our customers—real, independent Australian retailers—has been incredible.

We’re not talking about abstract concepts. We’re talking about real results.

What Our Customers are Saying

Wa are grateful for the positive messages from our retail partners. Here’s a glimpse of what they’ve told us:

  • On Saving Time: “I’M SAVING 8 HOURS A WEEK, EVERY WEEK, WITH YOUR AI TOOLS!” – Small Garden Centre Owner
  • On Increasing Profit: “I’M MAKING MORE MONEY IN MY SHOP THANKS TO YOUR AI TOOLS!” – Gift Shop Owner, Regional Australia
  • On Usability: “I’M 76 AND I LOVE THESE AI TOOLS. THEY ARE A GAME-CHANGER FOR US.” – Newsagent, Regional Australia
  • On the “Wow” Factor: “I’M SHOCKED AT HOW GOOD THE AI TOOLS ARE. I’LL NEVER GO BACK.” – Toy Shop Owner, Suburban Australia

These quotes aren’t from tech start-ups. They’re from garden centres, gift shops, and newsagents. They’re from regional and suburban business owners, people who need technology to work for them, not create more work.

So, how are they achieving these results?

️ How Our AI Tools Deliver Real Results

This isn’t a “magic wand.” These results come from specific, practical tools designed to solve the biggest headaches in retail – and from support we provide to help small business retailers understand our AI supported POS software.

1. How to Save 8 Hours a Week

For the Small Garden Centre Owner, that extra full day of work isn’t coming from magic. It’s coming from our AI-powered invoice processing.

  • The Old Way: Manually entering every single line item from a supplier’s PDF invoice. It’s tedious, time-consuming, and prone to human error.
  • The New Way: Our AI scans the PDF invoice, intelligently converts it into a digital format, and loads it directly into your system, ready for review. That’s hours of data entry, every week, given back to you.

2. How to Make More Money

For the Gift Shop Owner in Regional Australia, making more money is about working smarter. Our AI tools act like a marketing and pricing assistant, 24/7.

  • Better Online Sales: Our AI generates meaningful, SEO-ready product descriptions for you. This helps your website and products get found more easily on Google, driving online traffic and sales.
  • Smarter Pricing: The software includes AI tools that allow you to compare pricing locally. This ensures your margins are optimised and you remain competitive, helping you make better profit-driven decisions instantly.

3. How to Be a “Game-Changer” for a 76-Year-Old Newsagent

This might be the feedback we’re most proud of. Our AI isn’t intimidating; it’s empowering. For the Newsagent in Regional Australia, the “game-changer” is accessibility.

  • It’s Embedded: The tools aren’t in a separate, complex program. They are buttons and features inside the Tower Systems software they already use every day.
  • It Solves Real Problems: It simplifies complex tasks like marketing and data entry, making powerful technology accessible to everyone, regardless of their tech background. When you can save time and make more money with a simple click, it truly changes the game.

The Verdict: “I’ll Never Go Back”

The Toy Shop Owner who said they’ll “never go back” perfectly captures the feeling. Once you’ve experienced a smarter way of working—where tedious tasks are automated and your profitability is actively boosted—the old way of doing things seems impossible.

This is the power of practical AI. It’s not about hype; it’s about giving independent retailers the “unfair” advantages to not only compete but to thrive.

Are you ready to see what our AI tools might be able to do for your business? The experience of every business is different. We’d love to show you our software so you can decide for yourself the benefits that may be available to you.

While the right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems was p local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

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Holiday season help for small business retailers from POS software

November 9, 2025
2 Min read
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In the Tower Systems POS software, small business retailers can tap into terrific Christmas season help. This can be in the form of inventory buying guidance, marketing help, co-location assistance and shopper nudging support … plus more.

Helping small business retailers with holiday season facilities is an important role for any POS software. It is something Tower Systems has offered it’s thousands of small business retailer POS software customers for decades. Over time, the holiday season advice and tips have evolved, as have economic and consumer needs.

Leveraging holiday season inventory guidance, for example, retailers can make more informed purchase decisions that better serve the needs of the business based on prior holiday season experience and taking into account trends from this year.

Oh, and when we are talking here about the holiday season in retail, we are talking about holiday seasons like Christmas, Easter, Black Friday, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Christmas in July, back to School.

A holiday season in retail is any season that a retail business can respond to in any to leverage the business opportunity and serve niche customer need.

Holiday seasons in retail do not necessarily have to be the holiday season you think of in a traditional sense.

Using our POS software, beyond knowing what to stock for a holiday season, our retail business partners are able to make shop floor decisions that guide shopper engagement with the holiday season product opportunity ties. These could be loyalty, price, packaging, bundling or post purchase re-visit invitation. these and more can be leveraged thorough the Tower Systems specialty retail POS software.

Leveraging the surge in traffic that a retail business sees from the holiday season can be key to through the year growth, benefiting the business between holiday season shopper traffic peaks. This is key to any retail business achieving a smoother sales flow. While a spike in shopper traffic and revenue are good, less of a spike makes management of a retail business easier and more cost friendly.

Tower Systems, using its collective lived retail experience, can help small business retailers cross the divide between tech and real world to offer a better and more beneficial holiday season experience. That is our goal in the software we develop and the advice we provide through our customer help desk.

Our focus is on local independent small business retailers, in Australia and New Zealand.

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The New Wave of AI Innovation for Small Business Retailers, It’s here, Now

November 8, 2025
4 Min read
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The conversation around Artificial Intelligence in retail is no longer a futuristic projection; it is a present-day reality, delivering practical tools that are fundamentally changing how independent businesses operate. While large enterprises make headlines, the real innovation is happening at the small business level, with AI integrations empowering retailers to save time, make smarter decisions, and enhance profitability.

Tower Systems has been working with and for small business retailers on there AI front for years. In 2025, the innovation delivered has grown, for which we are gratefully proud. Embedded in our POS software are awesome Ai tools.

This shift is moving beyond simple automation and into the realm of intelligent partnership, where AI acts as a co-pilot for the business owner. Here’s a video of a customer meeting we hosted a couple of days ago:

Current Tower Systems POS Software AI Capabilities in Action

For many small retailers, AI is already embedded in their daily operations through sophisticated Tower Systems POS software integration. These tools are already delivering tangible results by:

  • Generating Marketing Content: Creating optimised product descriptions and blog posts directly from the software, leveraging models like Google Gemini and ChatGPT.
  • Narrative Reporting: An “end of shift” email, for example, is being reimagined. Instead of a list of numbers, AI provides a text-based summary of the business day, highlighting what’s important.

The Evolving AI Roadmap

The innovation, however, is not standing still. The next wave of development is focused on deeper integration and more powerful analytics, including:

  • Broader Model Integration: Adding new AI models, like Claude, to give retailers more choice and to support all existing AI functionalities.
  • AI-Powered Report Analysis: Soon, retailers will be able to run standard reports through an AI, which will provide a synopsis of trends and key data points. The AI will use a dedicated knowledge base to understand the context of the reports, how to read them, and where the data comes from, ensuring accurate analysis.
  • Fundamental Invoice Handling: A significant “under the hood” rework is underway to advance AI-driven invoice processing. As AI models evolve, the software must evolve with them to maintain pace. This includes enhancing the capability to handle complex invoices, such as those with serial numbers, and integrating those workflows seamlessly into the software.

The Next Frontier: Natural Language Interaction

The most exciting development on the horizon is the integration of Model Context Protocol (MCP). This open-source standard will allow AI models to interact directly and securely with a retailer’s local systems, like their database.

In practical terms, this will revolutionise how owners access their data. Instead of running complex reports, a retailer will be able to use natural language to simply ask their software questions like, “What are my top five selling products this month?” or “Which customers are generating the most revenue?” The AI will translate this question into a machine query, retrieve the live data, and present the answer. This removes the final barrier between the business owner and their data, making deep insights instantly accessible.

AI is Not a “Fad,” It’s a Foundation

The adoption of AI is proving to be a bigger shift than the introduction of microcomputers. Retailers who were once hesitant are now becoming converts, loving the time-saving benefits and the new lens through which they can view their business.

The focus is not on technology for its own sake, but on its tangible value: saving time, enabling better decision-making, and driving profitability. The speed of change is rapid, and the tools available today are only just scratching the surface of what’s to come.

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While the right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems was built to serve  Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

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Unlock Massive Time Savings: Effortlessly Import Shimano Invoices with AI

November 7, 2025
3 Min read
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For specialty retailers in the fishing, cycling, or outdoor industries, stocking Shimano products is key. But managing the stock arrival process can be a major bottleneck. Spending hours manually typing in stock codes, descriptions, quantities, and pricing from a complex Shimano invoice is an inefficient use of your valuable time.

Tower Systems is here to revolutionise that workflow, to help these small businesses, independent businesses, to run efficiently, and profitably.

Our POS software, designed for small business retailers, features a powerful AI Import tool that completely automates your stock arrival process. See it here:

This fast and accurate import of Shimano invoices is a practical example of how Tower Systems is helping small business retailers save time, cut mistakes, and set their businesses up for better decision-making. For a busy bait and tackle shop, this means your team is no longer tied up at a computer manually entering data. Instead, they are on the shop floor serving customers, managing stock, and getting your high-value Shimano products ready for sale the moment they arrive.

The value of this AI-driven accuracy extends far beyond the initial time savings. When your Shimano stock data is imported correctly from the very beginning, your inventory-on-hand levels become instantly reliable. This clean data is the foundation of smart retail management, ensuring your sales reports, stock turn analysis, and re-ordering recommendations are all based on fact. It empowers you to make more profitable decisions, reduces the risk of over- or under-stocking, and ensures your most popular fishing gear is always available for your customers.

How It Works

As shown in our new demonstration video, the process is incredibly simple:

  1. From the stock arrivals screen, select your digital Shimano invoice file.
  2. Our intelligent AI instantly analyzes the entire document—even if it has hundreds of items.
  3. The system automatically populates your stock screen with all critical data, including barcodes, quantities, costs, and retail pricing. It can even create a new supplier profile from the invoice details.

This game-changing feature makes new products ready to sell in seconds, not hours. Stop letting data entry slow you down.

  • Existing Tower Systems customers: We encourage you to start using this powerful facility today.
  • Retailers exploring new POS options: Watch this video to see the power of true automation and contact us at sales@towersystems.com.au to see what else our software can do for you.

What we are showing here in this short video for a Shimano invoice can be done with hundreds of suppliers across a broad range of retail sectors. It’s a game changer that retailers tell us they love.

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While the right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems was built to serve  Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

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It’s easy to import an invoice from Yeti with our POS software

November 6, 2025
3 Min read
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If you sell Yeti products in your shop, our POS software can import their invoices easily, accurately and setting you up for profit. Give us 2 minutes to show you:

Streamline Your Stockroom: Introducing AI Invoice Importing for Yeti Products

Are you a specialty retailer who stocks popular Yeti products? If so, you know the challenge: new delivery arrives, and so does a multi-page invoice that needs to be manually entered, line by line, into your POS system. This process is not just time-consuming; it’s a prime opportunity for costly errors.

Tower Systems has revolutionised this workflow for small business retailers, independent retailers, specialty retailers. Our AI-enabled POS software, designed for small businesses, reads Yeti invoice PDFs directly.

How It Works The process is simple.

In your stock arrivals screen, select your PDF invoice from Yeti. Our cutting-edge AI technology analyses the document, identifies the supplier, and extracts every single product line. In seconds, your stock arrival screen is populated, saving you hours of work.

Beyond the Import The system is also smart.

If any items on the invoice are missing barcodes, our software provides “Item Tools” to instantly generate new barcodes for all empty items with a single click. This ensures your inventory is accurate and every product is scannable at the register from the moment it arrives.

This powerful feature gives you back your time, allowing you to focus on what matters most: your customers and growing your business.

Who We Help Tower Systems is a POS software company focused on the needs of niche specialty retailers. We are proud to serve:

  • Jewellers
  • Garden centres
  • Bike shops
  • Toy shops
  • Produce & farm supply businesses
  • Fishing & pet shops
  • Charity businesses
  • Antique shops
  • Sewing & haberdashery stores
  • Newsagents
  • And many more.

Stop wasting hours on data entry. Discover the power of true automation. The example we have shared here with the Yeti invoice is one of hundreds of suppliers we handle, easily, and accurately.

  • No more manual typing.
  • No more keystroke errors.
  • Hours of your time saved.

This is a new world for small business retailers and best of all, this is one of many AI tools embedded in our POS software.

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While the right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems was built to serve  Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

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From a Retailer, to a Retailer: The Hard Truth About Overstocking

November 5, 2025
4 Min read
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We asked retail experienced people in our POS software company for good retailer to retailer advice and this is the advice considered the most popular, vital and useful for local small business retailers – our target retailers.

Plenty of us here have lived the retailer experience personally. This gives us a perspective that is closer to our customers than most POS software companies. It also gets us working with other retailers.

It’s that personal experience that prompted us to share this advice about stock holding and, in particular, the significant risks of being overstocked.

The Obvious Truth We Sometimes Ignore

Let’s start with a fact that, while obvious, is too often ignored:

Stock in boxes in the back room, in a garage, or under tables in the shop will not sell unless it is displayed.

While this will be obvious to most, there are retailers who don’t get it. If you have boxes of stock you’ve not opened for six months or more, you have too much stock. If your back room, garage, and under-display space are filled with boxes, you have a problem.

Do You Know Your Number?

If you don’t know the current value of the stock in your business, it’s highly likely you have too much.

So, what’s the value of your current stock on hand? Start there.

Next, look at your non-circulation product revenue (everything except magazines and newspapers) for the last year. The numbers will support what you currently see in your shop.

As a reasonable first-step guide, I’ve tested this benchmark in a few businesses:

If the value of your non-circulation product stock right now is more than 20% of the total revenue you will make from it in a year, you probably have too much stock.

There will be some who say the 20% figure is inaccurate and unhelpful. Of course, the actual percentage will vary by product category. But as a starting point, it is a reasonable guide to flag a potential problem.

Why We Overbuy (And Who Helps Us Do It)

Spending for the wrong reasons is not helpful to the business and not helpful to you. Some retailers buy friendship through their purchasing. Others like to look busy with a shop bursting with stock. Others buy simply to feel better about themselves.

Then, there are the sales reps who know they are selling stock to a business that does not need it.

Shame on them. Shame on them for putting their own financial rewards ahead of the evidence of an overstocked and financially stressed business. Salespeople doing this are no friend of the business owner.

The Black-and-White Solution

If you have stock in boxes and no room to display it, you must consider pausing your spending. Give yourself time to convert those purchases to cash.

The best way to address being overstocked is to stop buying and sell down what you have, and to do so without emotion.

The alternative is that you do nothing, and your ability to pay bills is impacted.

The alternative is that you do not address the issue, and the issue swamps you and your business.

It’s your business. You choose when to spend and when to not spend. The choice is black and white—in your numbers and in your business.

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While the right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems was built to serve  Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

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Melbourne Cup

November 4, 2025
1 Min read
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While it’s the Melbourne Cup public holiday and our head office is closed, we have crew elsewhere on deck and helping customers. Plus, the terrific resources online are available 24/7. We’re here for our customers.

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AI: Levelling the Playing Field for Small Business Retailers

November 3, 2025
3 Min read
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You might have seen the news this past week that Coles is rolling out an enterprise-wide partnership with OpenAI. When we saw that story at Tower Systems, our first thought wasn’t about the competition. It was: “This is fantastic news.”

This move by a retail giant validates what Tower Systems has been focused on for some time: AI isn’t just a gimmick for the big end of town; it’s a genuine “competitive game-changer” for independent, local retailers, including jewellers, bike shops, gift shops, produce businesses, newsagents and other small businesses we serve. It’s leveling the playing field. And the best part? You don’t have to wait. While Coles is just announcing their plans, local, independent retailers are already using powerful AI tools every single day.

We recently made a video discussing this, where we highlighted how Tower Systems has been embedding AI tools from OpenAI, Google Gemini, and others directly into our point-of-sale software for a long time now. It’s not about “future tech”; it’s about practical tools that solve real problems for small business owners.

In the video, we discuss how our customers are already using AI to:

  • Save hours of admin by automatically analyzing and importing virtually any supplier invoice, with no special setup required.
  • Market smarter by generating unique product descriptions and blog posts that speak in their business’s authentic voice.
  • Boost profitability with plain-English reports that identify what’s not selling, what’s overstocked, and even potential theft, long before it becomes a major issue.
  • Prevent lost sales by getting alerts on popular items you’re about to run out of.

As mentioned in the video, we rely on these and more AI tools in our own retail shop – to save time, make better-informed decisions, and run a smarter, more efficient shop.

This technology is here, it’s accessible, and it’s already making a fundamental difference for local businesses. The Coles announcement is a great signal for the entire retail sector and all who serve it that AI is no longer an option; AI is an essential part of modern retail.

We encourage you to watch the video to see a full breakdown of what this means for local small business retail and how you can leverage this power in your own independent business today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwRHiHlWcVg

As you can probably tell, we’re excited about AI. It makes accessible to small business retailers opportunities for more effectively competing – as plenty are already finding. It’s a terrific opportunity for efficiency and growth.

And, when you’re researching AI, get to the facts. Some software companies say they have AI tools, when they don’t. It’s important you see for yourself what’s available today as this matters

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10 Everyday Marketing Tips That Work for Any Small Retail Business

November 1, 2025
3 Min read
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We get to see many different retail businesses in our work with local small business retailers and along the way, we pick up ideas that work particularly well. Here is a selection of everyday marketing tips we see working in almost any local retail business.

1. Master the Entrance

First impressions matter. Always have a value-proposition offer just inside the entrance to the business. This should be a double-sided offer—one they see as they enter and as they leave.

2. Optimise the Counter

Always have an appealing impulse purchase offer at the counter. Change this weekly. Use the opportunity to learn more about what your customers will purchase on impulse. Your counter can be far more successful than you imagine.

3. Leverage Your Bestseller

Always know your top-selling items in the store. Thoughtfully place products next to that top-selling item to leverage the eyeballs looking for (and at) it. Note that top selling items change.

4. Rethink Loyalty

Run a generous loyalty program where the value is easily and clearly understood. This probably means not using points – what’s a point worth?

5. Create Unexpected Window Displays

Create stunning window displays that people would not expect to see in your type of business. Make them stop and look.

6. Encourage Multi-Buys

Offer multi-buy opportunities that unlock savings for people purchasing more than would be usual in a single visit.

7. Be Brief and Entertaining on Social Media

Be brief when talking to customers about your products on social media.

  • Post a single product per post.
  • Use two short sentences.
  • Make the post appealing beyond just trying to promote your business. Entertain them.

8. Get Personal

Send customers a card for special occasions. A personal card reinforces the personal relationship you have with them.

9. Keep the “First Two Metres” Fresh

Change the front two metres of your shop weekly. Keep it fresh for your customers and your staff.

10. Unpack on the Shop Floor

Unpack and price products on the shop floor, not in the back room or outside of a shopper’s view. This activity creates a sense of newness and engagement.

Your Goal: Start Today

Our goal with this list is to give you ideas you can use right away, as well as ideas that will get you thinking of your own.

Go for it. Remember, if you do next week what you did this week, you cannot expect any growth. Growth only comes from change.

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Here’s our pitch:

While the right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems was built to serve  Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

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Tower Systems offers bookshops and alternative to CirclePOS

October 31, 2025
4 Min read
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First up let’s note that CirclePOS is software loved by plenty of bookshop owners and staff. Our Tower Systems software is also loved by plenty of retailers, including bookshop owners and staff.

Our software is an alternative to CirclePOS, something a CirclePOS software customer could consider if they have decided to look around.

Here are reasons why we think our POS software for bookshops is a viable alternative to CirclePOS.

You have 100% control over your data.

With our Tower Systems bookshop software, you are in control of your data. There is no community dataset, no opportunity for others to control how you describe a product. We have bookshop owners and staff who love this as they can put their own spin on describing a book.

In creating the data, you can easily import supplier invoices as well as pull in data from TitlePage and elsewhere.

One dataset if you have multiple shops.

If you have more than one shop, they share a common inventory dataset. There is no need for separate instances. You can easily transfer products and you can get a whole of business performance perspective.

In the internet is down, no worries.

You can run our software 100% in the cloud or on your desktop. You choose what’s best for you, and you can change over at any time. This allows you to configure the business should be somewhere the internet is patchy.

Pay for the software, not based on your transactions.

We have priced our POS software fairly. We done;t think it’s right for us to charge based on what you sell. If you grow the business, which we hope you do, you keep the rewards of that growth.

Have a say in software enhancements.

Our transparent Software Ideas platform makes it easy for any of our customers to suggest and vote on enhancements. It’s truly unique and has helped us discover some wonderful software enhancements over the years.

Awesome loyalty tools.

We could see people were tiring of points type loyalty programs 15 years ago so we crated alternatives in our software while maintaining support for points. Today, we have a loyalty offer shoppers understand and love. It absolutely helps drive retail success – bringing shoppers back more often and getting them buying more in a visit. It’s easy to create and changes to settings are immediate.

Connect to the tools you already use.

Our software is built to be the hub of your business, not a closed box. We offer deep, two-way integrations with leading e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce, ensuring your in-store and online stock levels are always in sync. This single view of inventory prevents overselling and saves hours of admin. Beyond your website, we also connect directly with accounting software, like Xero, streamlining bookkeeping and saving time.

Do these things make us an alternative to the CirclePOS bookshop software? Only you can tell that. We’ve be grateful to personally demonstrate our Tower Systems Bookshop Software and answer all of your questions.

If you are looking for an alternative to CirclePOS software for your bookshop, we’d love to help. We promise to listen to your needs and let you know if at any time during your consideration we feel we might not be a good fit for your business.

While the right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems was built to serve  Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

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The 5 steps to finding the right software for your shop

October 30, 2025
5 Min read
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Finding the right software for any shop is vital for the right software can add tens of thousands of dollars to the bottom line of your business. The wrong software, on the other hand, can cost a retail business tens of thousands of dollars.

The right software is the software that best serves your needs for a cost that is genuinely affordable and is flexible for you as the business evolves.

Here are our recommended 5 steps to finding the right software for your shop.

Step 1: be sure of what you need.

Make a note of everything you want to use the software for, with sub notes as to the detail. Make notes about the service expectations you have – for example, how easy is support to access, what are the hours of availability, what additional training options are there, is there a process for suggesting software enhancements.

The more detailed your approach before engaging any company the better the outcome for you. This is not something to wing.

Choose the software and the team behind it and not one individual.

Step 2: know your budget.

How much do you want to spend monthly all up for all terminals in your business and any additional facilities you want to use? Is the contract a lock-in or can you quit at any time? How do you pay? Are there any additional costs – some software companies require you to use a specific payments platform for transactions in the shop, which can have a cost beyond average.

Total cost of ownership is a thing – be sure you fully understand this for each POS software package you consider.

Good software companies are transparent about their pricing.

Step 3: see it for yourself.

Have the software demonstrated to you, completely to your satisfaction, covering every area of the software you request. Ask many questions. Get them to record the demonstration and give you a copy – their response speaks to their transparency.

If you are not sure, see it again. A good software company will welcome demonstrating the software to you again.

Each demonstration is an opportunity to learn more about the software company as well as the software itself.

Step 4: do it yourself.

Don’t outsource this. Do the work yourself. Treat it as the big decision it is. Take your time. Raise every doubt you have. Get every promise in writing. The more thorough your approach, the better the outcome for your business.

Consultants can be helpful. But, they are not the ones who will use the software, and, sometimes they can bring a bias to consideration that is not in the interests of your specific business.

Step 5: get to it.

Okay, you’ve made your decision. Now work it, get the most from it. Learn it well and make sure all in your business do too. Use it. Push it. Treat it as an asset that needs to deliver a return. Prove through your approach that your homework paid off.

A bonus step: be in control.

Take your time. Make the decision when you are ready. Beware tricks and manoeuvres designed to get you to make a decision when you are not read.

This is your decision to make, when you are ready.

Choosing your software is not just a one-off purchase; it’s the start of a long-term relationship with the software provider. The company you choose will become a key partner in your business operations. Their approach to service, their culture of innovation, and their understanding of your specific retail needs will directly impact your ability to grow and adapt. This is why Step 1 (being sure of what you need) and Step 3 (seeing it for yourself) are so critical—you are not just assessing a product, you are assessing a partner.

The advice provided here will stand the test of scrutiny. Our approach here at Tower Systems is to provide transparent advice on which you can rely. If at any time in our discussions with a prospective customer we feel we are not the right fit for a business, we will say so.

Our ideal POS software customer is a local independent small retail business, a specialty retail business with no more than 10 retail outlets. Most of our customers have one shop. Our focus on small businesses gives us a customer community where all are equal.

As a company based in Hawthorn, Victoria, we are situated to serve Australian and near by businesses well. We are grateful to count plenty of shops in New Zealand as customers.

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While the right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems was built to serve  Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

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How retailers who buy products from Tonic can easily import their invoices

October 29, 2025
3 Min read
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Check out this new video from us demonstrating how easily the AI tools in our POS software can import an invoice from Tonic, a wholesaler in this space.

In the demanding environment of specialty retail, operational efficiency is vital.

Manual data entry, particularly the task of processing supplier invoices, remains an operational bottleneck. T

his necessary chore consumes valuable hours and carries the inherent risk of human error, which can lead to costly discrepancies in inventory, pricing, and financial records.

Tower Systems is actively addressing this critical pain point through a suite of advanced AI tools integrated directly into its POS software. A standout feature of this suite is the intelligent invoice importing system, which is engineered to automate and simplify what was once a laborious manual process.

The system’s flexibility allows it to manage imports from a diverse range of suppliers. For instance, retailers working with wholesalers like Tonic, which supplies gift shops and other businesses, can import invoices with remarkable ease and speed. The AI-driven tools are designed to interpret and process various formats, making the transition to automation seamless. We recently demonstrated this capability for a retailer, showcasing how an invoice from Tonic could be imported accurately in virtually no time at all.

The impact of this technology is both immediate and quantifiable. “I am saving 5 hours a week,” one retailer shared, highlighting the significant time recovery.

Beyond time savings, the automation introduces a new level of data integrity. By removing manual keying, the AI drastically reduces costly human errors. This enhanced accuracy ensures that stock levels are correct, pricing is reliable, and financial reporting is based on sound data.

The business case is compelling. Saving time and eliminating data entry mistakes directly contribute to a healthier bottom line by preventing margin erosion from errors and reducing labor costs. More strategically, this efficiency gain liberates skilled team members from repetitive back-office tasks. This allows the business to refocus its most valuable resource—its people—on high-value activities. Staff can concentrate on enhancing customer care, strategically managing inventory, analyzing sales trends, and driving business growth.

The AI invoice import function is a key component of a comprehensive suite of proven AI tools embedded within the Tower Systems platform. Tower Systems has been a pioneer in this space for over three years, continuously developing and enhancing its AI capabilities with each software update. This commitment to innovation ensures that local small business retailers are equipped with powerful, modern tools that enhance their competitive ability.

Tower Systems is dedicated to developing and supporting practical, effective solutions. Our innovation is designed to help small business retailers innovate in their own right, streamlining operations so they can focus on what truly matters: serving their customers and growing their business.

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Fixed price Shopify web development for small business retailers

October 28, 2025
5 Min read
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Tower Systems, based in Hawthorn, Victoria, offers a fixed price Shopify website development service, delivering a POS software connected Shopify store ready to trade.

100% undertaken in Australia by our very own team, this fixed price Shopify website development service helps small business retailers get online with a beautiful website quickly, easily and for an amount they understand.

For a local specialty retailer, stepping into eCommerce or updating their eCommerce offering can feel overwhelming. You need more than just a website; you need a system that works seamlessly with your in-store operations. That’s precisely what we’ve been delivering for years.

Tower Systems provides expert, POS-software-integrated Shopify websites for small businesses. Our service is designed specifically for the specialty retailers we serve every day—from jewellers and garden centres to newsagencies, bike shops, and toy stores.

The Tower Systems Difference: Retail Expertise, Local Team

We aren’t just a web development agency. We are a POS software company at our core, meaning we live and breathe retail. We understand your challenges, from inventory management to margin control. Our websites are built with this retail-first perspective.

Here are three key reasons to partner with us:

  • Deep Retail Expertise: We build solutions that solve the unique challenges of specialty retail.
  • Truly Custom Integration: Our websites are tailored to connect directly and seamlessly with your Tower Systems POS software.
  • Local, In-House Support: Our entire web development team is based right here in Melbourne.

This last point is critical. All our website development is handled in-house by our Australian team. This ensures clear communication and a deep understanding of your local market needs. While this approach may not be the cheapest option compared to an outsourced provider, it guarantees a higher quality, more commercially effective product. You work directly with a team that is personally invested in your success.

Our Fixed-Price, Full-Service Process

We believe in transparency. Our approach starts with a comprehensive consultation to understand your specific needs. If we’re a good fit, we will provide a fixed-price contract that details everything we will deliver.

We price our web development services on a break-even basis. Our goal is to empower our POS software customers with a powerful, integrated online store, not to profit from the build itself. This is an investment in your success.

Our standard Shopify development service includes:

  • Comprehensive Consultation: A detailed phone review to scope your requirements.
  • Asset Checklist: A clear guide to help you provide the text, images, and other assets we’ll need.
  • Premium Theme Selection: We include the cost of a paid-for theme from the official Shopify Theme Store.
  • Full POS Integration: We connect your Tower Systems POS software to Shopify, enabling data transfer for your inventory items.
  • Personal Handover: A two-hour, one-on-one remote training session so you can confidently manage your site’s day-to-day operations.
  • Post-Launch Support: Three months of phone-based support to help you settle in.
  • Comprehensive Handover Guide: A detailed document with training, support, and guidance on your next steps.

Practical Advice for Your eCommerce Journey

Regardless of who builds your site, we want to see you succeed. Here are a few essential tips from our team for launching your first Shopify site.

  1. Know Your “Why”. Are you trying to win new customers, grow revenue, or better serve your existing ones? Your primary goal will answer countless other questions about design and strategy.
  2. Keep It Simple. This is especially true for freight. Start with a simple, flat-rate shipping structure. You can add complexity later once you understand your online customers’ buying habits.
  3. Originality Wins. Google rewards fresh, unique content. Avoid using generic, supplier-provided images and descriptions. Write your own product titles and descriptions, and think about the keywords your customers are actually searching for.
  4. Curate, Don’t Clutter. You don’t need to load your entire product file online. A site with too much stock is difficult to navigate. Start with a curated selection of your best-sellers or most unique items.
  5. Support Your Site. A website is not a “set it and forget it” project. Be prepared to support it with active social media engagement and regular customer emails to drive traffic and promote your new online channel.

We have helped hundreds of local retailers get online with beautiful, functional, and valuable Shopify websites connected directly to their POS software. We would love to help you, too.

Here’s where to start: call 1300 662 957 (Australia) or  0800 444 367 (New Zealand) or email sales@towersystems.com.au. One of our team members will get back to you to find out more about your needs.

Remember, our web development work is done here in Australia. We bring local retail knowledge to the project. With many web developers operating offshore, too often we see solutions that are not as locally tuned as they could be.

For us it all starts with an obligation free conversation. We love helping local small business retailers thrive.

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Our software for independent greeting card shops helps these local shops shine

October 28, 2025
3 Min read
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Our POS software made for local card shops is packed with facilities that help the shops sell more cards, helps them thrive locally.

While we have been working with local Aussie card shops since the 1980s, the POS software we offer today is much evolved from those days. It;s fresh, innovative, valuable and loved. This is POS softer made to help local card shops thrive.

These features make the Tower Systems software for card shops valuable.

  1. Card supplier integration. Import supplier invoices in seconds, for accurate data and easy and accurate selling.
  2. Manage returns of unsold cards back to the suppliers in the data way they like.
  3. Flexible shopper loyalty that helps nurture more sales and shopper return sooner. It comes with opportunities to tune in ways that work for card shops. The loyalty tools we offer are a differentiator. We can prove they work.
  4. Run a card club so people benefit, like a coffee card – the more they buy …
  5. Understand card sales down to the caption level if you want from within your data.
  6. Easily generate blog posts about cards you sell – helping you find more people for your business.
  7. Support local community groups.
  8. Tag products for horizontal representation. For example, tag the charities different cards support – making pitching those charities easier.
  9. Generate barcodes for cards that do not have a barcode.
  10. Leverage AI for smart business insights.
  11. Link to Xero for back office accounting.
  12. Link to Shopify, Woo Commerce and Big Commerce for online sales.
  13. Love reports that show you how your business is performing.

If you run a local card shop, Tower Systems could be the software partner that helps you streamline operations, make better quality business decisions and drive sales to be more valuable for your business.

All of our customers are local retail businesses, small businesses, independent businesses. This is our focus. We don’t sell to franchises or groups or big businesses. We love serving small indie retailers, like local card shops.

This is software on which you can rely:

  • Smooth, easy and accurate selling.
  • Save time with electronic invoices.
  • Carry less dead stock.
  • See sales you missed and fix that.
  • Bring shoppers back more often.
  • Reduce employee and shopper theft.
  • Easily sell online thanks to the Shopify integration.
  • Bundle product to make your own point of difference.
  • Manage staff easily through the Deputy, Tanda or Planday integrations.
  • Use the payments platform of your choice.
  • Save time with our international barcode lookup link.

Enhanced regularly, this software is fresh, and capable for 2025 and beyond.

While the right POS system for any retail business, including a local card shop, depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems was built to serve  Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

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Grow Your Fishing & Outdoors Business with Our Aussie-Made POS Software

October 27, 2025
4 Min read
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Our Tower Systems software for Fishing, Outdoors and Camping shops is loved by many, for which we are sincerely grateful. We are proud that it’s Aussie-made, Aussie-supported, and built on the advice and feedback from our fishing, outdoor and camping business shop community.

Our software is made for local businesses, independent businesses, specialty fishing, outdoor and camping businesses.

The latest software is out now, and it’s packed with features specifically designed for your unique business.

Features Built for the Fishing / Outdoor / Camping Niches

Here are ways using our software, you can handle the specific needs of a fishing, camping, or outdoors business:

  • Sell by Weight & Fractions: Perfect for selling bait, our software integrates directly with your scales and easily handles fractions for selling rope or chain by the 1.5-meter.
  • Create Bundles & Kits: Easily sell bundle packs like a rod, reel, and net. The system can even prompt an upsell at the register when a customer buys just one part of a combo.
  • Manage Repairs & Workshops: Track rod and reel repairs from drop-off to pickup with our comprehensive job management module.
  • Handle Special Orders: Easily manage special customer orders for non-stocked items, take deposits, and automatically notify the customer via SMS or email when their item arrives.
  • Manage Apparel: If you sell clothing, you can manage your inventory by colour, size, and style.
  • Handle Subscriptions & Rentals: If you rent gear or run a subscription service, this is handled for you.
  • Age Checks: You can set a mandatory age check at the point of sale for any age-restricted items.

Here are embedded AI tools you can use to save time and run a more valuable business

  • AI Invoice Import: Stop wasting hours on data entry. Our AI can read supplier PDF invoices (like those from Shimano and other major suppliers) and import all items, costs, and quantities in seconds. This feature alone is saving some retailers 5 to 6 hours a week.
  • AI Blog Post Generator: Create SEO-friendly blog posts for your products directly from the software and publish them to your website to help with marketing.
  • AI Pricing: Get insights into what competitors in your local area are charging for the same products, helping you price items more effectively.
  • AI business performance analysis.
  • AI theft detection.

Leverage Your Local Expertise

Our software helps you stand out from the big chains by leveraging your unique local knowledge.

  • Share Local Fishing Tips: Automatically add local fishing tips, seasonal information, or care instructions to your customer receipts, adding value to every sale.
  • Build Community: Offer special pricing for local fishing club members. You can also easily use the software to help raise funds for the club, attracting their members to shop with you.

Fair, Simple, Aussie-Friendly Pricing

We believe in transparent pricing. There is no EFTPOS or transaction-related fee from us, just a simple monthly software rental fee. You choose the EFTPOS provider you prefer; we don’t lock you in.

Plus, you can run this software on as many computers in your shop as you want for no extra cost.

See our software for fishing, outdoor and camping businesses in Action

You can see these features demonstrated in our videos:

We’re Often Asked…

Here are some of the questions we get, and our answers:

  • Can I run BOGO pricing, buy 1 get 1 or similar? Yes.
  • Does the software let me manage time-based catalogue pricing? Yes.
  • Can I sell gift cards for my business? Yes.
  • Is there a loyalty facility guiding infrequent shoppers to spend? Yes.
  • Does the software let me buy in bulk and break to retail packs? Yes.
  • Can you reach out to customers based on past purchases? Yes, you can even target customers who bought specific items (like crabbing gear) with seasonal alerts.
  • Does the system handle account customers? Yes.
  • Does the software connect with my website? We partner with Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, and WooCommerce.
  • Can you make a website for our business? Yes, we’ve made many.
  • Can I track where my customers come from? Yes.
  • Can I use my existing hardware? Yes, if your hardware is current.
  • Can I use my existing data with the software? Yes. We’d like to check your data to be sure. We will advise what can be safely brought across.
  • Does it integrate with Xero? Yes.

 

We’d love to give you a personal demonstration: Call 1 300 662 957 or email sales@towersystems.com.au

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Independent bookshop owners like bookshop software that supports their independence

October 25, 2025
3 Min read
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What we are finding here at Tower Systems is that independent bookshop owners like bookshop software that supports their independence. Independence for many is the freedom to operate how they want, across all aspects of their business, while meeting regulatory obligations.

here at Tower Systems we only serve local small business retailers, independent retailers. We live and breathe serving independents.

5 ways our Tower Systems bookshop software supports the independence of local independent bookshops.

  1. You are 100% in control of your data. The data for your bookshop, including all product data, is 100% under your control. No one else can change it. No one else sets the rules on how you might describe a book. The data is yours to manage, adjust and own. In the bookshop software space, this is not always the case. Sure, you can import data from suppliers. You can adjust this, too, to suit the narrative you cast for your local shop.
  2. You control your product categories. You may want a book that others have in the Young Adult segment situated in another segment of your range. You can do this, you’re 100% in control. Your data and product placement are not under the control of others.
  3. You control what you sell. You may want to bundle books into a hamper or package. That;s easy. You may want to sell books as a blind box. That’s easy. You may want to sell products not common to bookshops, that’s easy with our bookshop software.
  4. You may want to manage multiple bookshop locations centrally. Using our bookshop software this is easy, with a shared database, giving you a whole of business view. This ability to manage locations also extends to being able to sell in pop-ups situations, local markets and even from the back of a truck.
  5. You control your price points. There are reasons for multiple prices for the one item. Using our software this is easy.

Independence is all about you being yourself. In a business context it is about the business operating how it wants. It;’s about hat you do and how you do it being determined by others using the same software.

In the cloud or running on local comperes, you choose the hosting arrangements that best serve your local business needs.

10 things bookshop owners and staff love about our Tower Systems bookshop software.

  1. Easy to use. Logical screen layout.
  2. Bookshop function ready.
  3. Easy to access local and knowledgable support.
  4. Awesome reports.
  5. AI insights that reveal opportunities.
  6. Xero integration.
  7. Shopify / Big Commerce / Woo Commerce integrations.
  8. Flexible and low cost payments platform integrations.
  9. Awesome loyalty for helping shoppers spend more and return sooner.
  10. Easy to use

The Tower Systems bookshop software is made for local independent bookshops. The software available today has evolved from software from a few months ago. Updates are regular and often based on user suggestions.

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While the right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems was built to serve  Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

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5 ways AI is helping small business retailers in New Zealand and Australia today

October 24, 2025
3 Min read
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Thanks to feedback from our wonderful specialty retailer POS software customers, here are 5 proven ways AI is helping small business retailers in New Zealand and Australia today.

  1. Saving time. This is an easy win from AI: fast import of just about any supplier invoice, auto generation of blog posts promoting products, auto generation of product descriptions, easy comparison of pricing from nearby competitors, instant advice on business performance, instant focus on growth opportunities. Each of these things took time in the past today. Today, thanks to POS software embedded AI, retailers are able to act much faster and with lower labour cost.
  2. Making better quality business decisions. Whereas in the past decisions would be made form manual review of data, today retailers are guided to decisions based on the same data but with more comprehensive analysis and consideration by trained AI, often including data retailers previously ignored.
  3. Attracting new shoppers. With marking considered an optional chore in some retail settings, using AI tools to generate search driven marketing retail businesses can find more shoppers with more certainty and for better outcome. Being found online through search and AI models is a great way for retailers to be discovered.
  4. Reducing the cost of dead stock. dead stock, inventory on the shop floor not selling, has a high cost for retail businesses. In our experience, the value of dead stock can sit at up to 25% of the total value of stock. Too often retailers are unsure where to start, they have to decide to take this action. Our Ai engaged POS software tools show retailers, without being asked. The list is there, for action. This approach brings the opportunity to the fore faster and in a way retailers can easily embrace,
  5. Discovering theft. Retailers hate discovering theft. In our experience, once they do, they like to act. the AI tools in our POS software show, without prompting, possible theft situations, so retailers can be informed and more vigilant. early discovery of theft can save a small retail business tens of thousands of dollars.

These 5 proven ways AI is helping small business retailers in New Zealand and Australia today are real all read. We have customers doing this today. Tower Systems is grateful to be a leader in the area of AI engagement with and for small business retailers.

Our Tower Systems POS software has been delivering AI solutions to local small business retailers for several years. It’s enhanced regularly, as recently as last month, to help our small business retail customers have tools with which they can more effectively compete.

AI is helping small business retailers compete because they can come at it with a flexible app0roach. In big business we often see consultants involved and expensive platforms involved. There is a slowness to implementation in big business too.

AI tools embedded in POS software are helping local small business retailers leap forward.

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While the right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems was built to serve  Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

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Unlock Predictable Revenue: Mastering Subscriptions and Recurring Invoices in Your POS

October 23, 2025
3 Min read
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In today’s evolving retail landscape, customers are increasingly looking for convenience and flexibility. The subscription model, once seen as exclusive to software or media companies, has now found a powerful place in mainstream retail. Are you equipped to meet this demand?

Offering recurring services or product subscriptions can create a predictable revenue stream and build lasting customer loyalty. That’s why we’ve integrated a robust, easy-to-use recurring invoice and subscription feature directly into our Point of Sale (POS) software, developed directly from the ideas and feedback of business owners like you.

More Than Just a Transaction: A Tool for Growth

Our POS system has grown far beyond simple sales processing. Recognising the shift towards service-based and automated purchasing, we’ve built comprehensive tools to handle everything from initial quotes to ongoing invoices. This allows you to effortlessly manage subscriptions and recurring payments, making your business more efficient and customer-friendly.

Who is This For? Real-World Applications

This versatile feature is already making a significant impact across a diverse range of industries. Here are just a few examples of how our clients are using it:

  • Firearms Stores: For secure locker storage rentals, recurring invoices provide a simple, automated billing solution.
  • Bike Shops: Managing long-term bike rentals or customer bike storage becomes effortless with automated monthly or weekly payments.
  • Pet and Produce Businesses: Simplify life for your customers with subscriptions for monthly stock feed, pet food,or scheduled deliveries of worming medication every few months.

How It Works: A Simple, Intuitive Setup

We designed the setup process to be as straightforward as possible. When creating a new recurring invoice, you are guided through a few key options:

  • Customer Selection: Easily assign the recurring charge to the correct customer profile.
  • Frequency: Define the billing cycle that suits the service—weekly, monthly, quarterly, or even annually.
  • Start and End Dates: Set a specific duration for the service, or leave it as an ongoing arrangement that you can stop manually when needed.
  • Invoice Notes: Add general notes to the overall invoice for clear communication.
  • Product-Specific Notes: Attach detailed notes to individual line items. For example, you could include a firearm’s serial number for a storage invoice, ensuring perfect record-keeping.

Stay in Control with Comprehensive Tracking

Our system provides complete visibility over your recurring services. A meticulous record of all previous invoices for each subscription is kept right at your fingertips, giving you unparalleled control and making account management a breeze.

By embracing recurring billing, you can revolutionise your point of sale experience, enhance customer satisfaction, and create a more stable, predictable financial future for your business.

To see a live demonstration of how to set up and manage recurring invoices and subscriptions within our POS program, watch the video below.

If you have any questions about integrating these powerful tools into your business, please don’t hesitate to reach out.We’re always happy to help!

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The 5 best POS Systems in Australia in 2025

October 22, 2025
3 Min read
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It’s natural to look for the best of something, especially when looking for software for your retail business. We equate best with being good.

Who decides what’s best though?

If you search for the 5 best POS Systems in Australia in 2025, you will see lists put about by businesses that claim to compare software, claim to provide you with a considered list.

What you actually get when you search for the 5 best POS Systems in Australia in 2025 is a list of companies that may to be on the list. Yes, that’s right, the results are an advertising list. Typically, there has been no assessment of the software, no consideration of software not on the list, to determine the best POS software.

This is what we say be careful when searching online for the best of something because the list presented in the results is like a paid advertising list that speaks to money spent by the companies to be on the list.

The best software for your retail business will be the software you choose after you have done your research. The choice is yours. Only you know what you need for your business. Given the value you can derive from the right software for your business, it’s worth investing your time in making that right decision.

Consider any best of list as paid advertising content, no more. Too often we have seen good software left off such lists because the companies developing that good software refused to pay to be on the best of list.

What makes the best POS software for a retail business?

  1. The software the needs of the retail business.
  2. The software is within budget.
  3. The software is well supported with support access available when you need it.
  4. The software continues to evolve.
  5. You can easily speak to someone from the company about the software.
  6. You can see how using the software can improve the value of your retail business.

How do you work out your needs for POS software.

  1. Create a list of what’s essential.
  2. Document what you think is unique about your business.
  3. Now, create a subset list of what’s essential, not negotiable.
  4. Figure out the amount you’re willing to pay for the software you want / need.

Beware free POS software and here’s why.

  1. Free POS software almost always has a cost somewhere, even if it is not obvious to you.
  2. It’s true, you get what you pay for.
  3. Software development is expensive. You want software that is continued to be developed.
  4. As a retailer you know what happens if you give what you see away for free. That’s right, it’s not viable.

If you are looking for the best POS software for small business retail in 2025, our advice is stay away from. lists that claim to have these. They are likely paid advertising.

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It’s so easy to import Hunter Leisure invoices into our POS software

October 22, 2025
4 Min read
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Toy shops, game shop0s, newsagents and others using our POS software have an easy to import invoices from Hunter Leisure.

For any Australian retailer, managing supplier invoices can be one of the most time-consuming and error-prone aspects of the business. The hours spent manually entering product codes, quantities, and costs add up quickly—time that could be better spent on the shop floor engaging with customers or growing your business. What if you could reclaim those hours and dramatically increase your inventory accuracy at the same time?

This is now a reality with our state-of-the-art POS system, featuring a powerful AI-driven invoice import tool. To showcase its capability, we recently demonstrated how effortlessly it handles invoices from a major supplier, Hunter Leisure, transforming a tedious task into a simple, two-minute process.

The End of Manual Data Entry

The traditional method of receiving stock is fraught with potential pitfalls. A single typo when entering a barcode or cost price can lead to inaccurate stock levels, incorrect margins, and ultimately, lost revenue. Our system is designed to eliminate these risks entirely.

By leveraging artificial intelligence, you can now upload a supplier’s PDF invoice directly into the system. There’s no need to print it out or manually key in each line item. This is a game-changer, especially for complex invoices with dozens or even hundreds of products. Even if the invoice arrives in your inbox before the physical stock, you can get ahead by loading it in early, ensuring your records are ready and waiting.

How It Works: A Simple, Intelligent Process

As our demonstration video highlights, the process is easy, fast and accurate. It begins in the ‘Invoice Arrivals’ section, where a user can simply select the AI import option. After choosing the relevant PDF file from your computer, our system’s AI gets to work.

  1. Intelligent Analysis: The software immediately analyses the document, intelligently identifying and extracting all the crucial data. It doesn’t just read the text; it understands the context, distinguishing between product descriptions, barcodes, quantities, and pricing.
  2. Automatic Supplier Creation: What happens if it’s a new supplier? No problem. If the system doesn’t recognise the supplier, like ‘Hunter Leisure’ in our example, it automatically pulls their details—name, ABN, contact information—directly from the invoice header and creates a new supplier profile. This feature alone saves significant administrative time and ensures your supplier records are accurate from day one.
  3. Data Population and Verification: The AI then populates all the relevant fields for each product line. Barcodes, supplier stock codes, descriptions, and quantities are filled in automatically. The system presents a clear, side-by-side view of the original invoice and the imported data, making verification quick and straightforward. You can easily confirm that the totals match and make any necessary adjustments, such as setting retail prices if they weren’t on the invoice or applying a pre-set margin for that department.

From Hours to Minutes

Once you’ve given the imported data a quick review, a final click saves the entire shipment to your arrivals. A task that could have taken hours of meticulous manual work is completed in less time than it takes to make a cup of coffee.

By automating your invoice processing, you not only save an incredible amount of time but also drastically improve the accuracy of your stock management. This leads to better ordering decisions, more reliable stocktakes, and a clearer understanding of your business’s financial health.

Ready to see it in action? Watch our full demonstration video to see just how easy it is.

If you’re an existing client with questions, our dedicated help desk team is always available via live chat. For prospective new customers interested in revolutionising your retail operations, please reach out to our sales team. We would be delighted to show you how our system can work for you.

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The Perfect Fit: How Our POS Software Empowers Asian Supermarkets

October 21, 2025
3 Min read
T

We are grateful to serve Asian supermarkets with POS software and here’s a new short video from us, filmed yesterday October 20, in which we discuss some of what’s in our POS software to help these specialty retail businesses.

The Perfect Fit: How Our POS Software Empowers Asian Supermarkets

At Tower Systems, we’re passionate about creating technology that solves real-world problems for local, independent, small business, specialty retailers. One area where we’ve focused is on the specific needs of Asian and international supermarkets—businesses that are vital to our local communities.

To give you a closer look, we’ve recorded a new video featuring our expert installer, Paul. Drawing on his extensive retail background, Paul demonstrates the purpose-built features that our supermarket customers use every day, including:

Government-authorized scale integration for precise, fast sales of weighted goods.

Flexible inventory management that handles everything from foreign currency arrivals to breaking down bulk products into sellable units.

Custom pricing and loyalty tools to reward community groups and repeat customers.

An intuitive user interface that staff can learn quickly, supported by our unique “snackable” training videos.

Our goal is to be more than just a software provider; we aim to be a partner in your success. Discover the difference that a deep understanding of retail can make for your business.

In more detail, here are some of the key features that make our POS software the perfect fit for your supermarket:

  • Seamless Scale Integration: Effortlessly weigh and sell loose items like spices, herbs, and fresh produce with our government-authorised scale integration. Plus, this software easily handles fractional sales.
  • Customisable Touchscreen Buttons: Create a user-friendly interface with custom buttons for your most popular items, making checkout faster and more efficient. It’s so easy for you to customise these buttons.
  • Foreign Currency: Easily handle product arrivals in foreign currencies.
  • Bulk Product Breakdown: Manage the breakdown of large bulk purchases into smaller, sellable units with our “manufactured goods” feature. Buy spices in multi-kilo bags and break down to gram size bags.
  • Flexible Pricing and Discounts: Set up special pricing for community groups or loyal customers, and easily create bulk pricing or promotional hampers.
  • Enhanced Customer Communication: Print product care information or special instructions directly on customer receipts.
  • Convenient “Suspend Sale” Feature: Never lose a sale again. Suspend a transaction to serve another customer and easily retrieve it when the original customer is ready.

Tower Systems is a partner dedicated to the success of local, independent retailers.

Our team, with real-world retail experience, understands the daily challenges you face. This deep understanding is built into every feature of our software, from simplifying complex tasks to providing training that empowers your entire team. Choose an Australian partner who is genuinely invested in helping your business grow and operate more efficiently.

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Is it omnichannel, unified commerce, connected commerce or some other term to describe selling in-store and online today?

October 20, 2025
3 Min read
I

If there’s one thing tech companies like it’s a buzz word or phrase, especially if it sounds shiny and appealing, and even more so if you never really know exactly what it is or can be different things for different companies.

That’s how the phrases omnichannel, unified commerce, connected commerce came into being, as tech companies wanted phrases to match the evolution of e-commerce connected POS software solutions.

years ago, omnichannel was the big thing. All retailers were told they needed it. Today, some tech companies are pushing unified commerce, as if they invented it. They are pushing it to keep more tech spend with them.

That’s what all these phrases like omnichannel, unified commerce, connected commerce are about – getting you to spend in a certain way, with particular companies.

The focus for an retail business when it comes to tech has to be value for the business, like real value, value you can bank.

Try and not bet drawn into the buzzwords because, in our experience, bright and shiny buzzwords have a cost associated with them, a cost that may not serve your own business needs.

Instead of getting caught up in glitzy marketing terminology, focus on the specific problems you need to solve in your business. Ask direct questions: How will it manage my inventory accurately across all channels in real-time? How will it simplify my reporting so I can make better decisions? The right technology partner will answer these questions with demonstrable functions and clear value, rather than trying to sell you a fashionable, and often expensive, abstract concept.

Now, if you think we’re writing this because we behind in the tech company buzzword race, we’re not. Our Tower Systems small business focussed POS software has offered direct e-commerce integration for more than ten years. We’ve kept up, too, evolving as the e-commerce solutions evolved. Our solution is unified offering reduced keystrokes, fewer mistake opportunities and AI facilitated business insights that help you make money, We’d rather focus on the benefits to you than using some brings shiny buzzword.

Ultimately, what matters is not the label a tech company uses. What matters is the tangible outcomes the software, and the company, deliver for your business.

True unified commerce isn’t a marketing slogan; it’s the seamless operational reality of your inventory, sales, and customer data working together effortlessly. Judge any solution by that standard. The goal is to invest in technology that serves your business with practical, everyday value, not one that simply ticks a box for the latest industry trend.

Here at Tower Systems we serve local small business retailers, independent retailers, specialty retailers. Our POS software is tuned to the needs of each off the retail channels in which we serve. Our geographic focus is Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and nearby.

If you’re a big retail business, you’re not for us.

While the right POS system for any retail business depends on the specific needs of the retail business, Tower Systems was built to serve  Australian and New Zealand local small business specialty retailers. To see how we can help you…, request a free, no-obligation demo today. 

Call 1300 662 957 in Australia or 0800 444 367 in New Zealand. Or, email sales@towersystems.com.au. 

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