The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

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

TagRetail Advice

Poop clean up! … stories from local small business retail

July 29, 2022
2 Min read
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There was this time a a kid, maybe 5 or 6, pooped in the shop, in an aisle over from where their parents were standing. It happened quickly. Pants down. Poop. Walk away.

A staff member saw it and approached the parents. They said their kid would never do something like that. The staff member told them they saw it. The parents asked the kid and the kid ran off. See, they said, not our kid.

The staff member said they could show them a video of their kid pooping because there is a camera in that aisle.

The parents said it was appalling that they filmed kids in the shop and left, shouting what a disgusting smell as they walked out.

The staff member cleaned up the poop.

This is not an uncommon story in local small business retail. People doing things in public that disrupt, damage and hurt a local shop. The shop team members and owner are usually helpless to defend themselves as people caught in these situations often go ‘feral’ and cause more noise and trouble than it’s worth to defend.

It is a dark part of retail that makes it challenging, and upsetting often.

People seem to think that an open shop is open game for behaving in ways that tend to not be acceptable at home. It’s why some retailers leave their shops earlier than they planned when they bought the business or opened it. Its;s a reason people leave working in retail.

Cleaning up poop, vomit and urine is challenging, as is dealing with theft, fights, and more. Every day in some shops there are challenges. Every day can be hard.

Sure, there are bright sides, too, but there are dark days as well.

What makes it a bit different for locally owned retail businesses is that anything bad happening in the shop is personal as the owner is often in or not far away from the shop. They feel it, see it and smell it, whereas in big business, the financial stakeholders tend to be a distance from the sights and smells.

We hear the stories when talk with retailers. We empathise as much as we can.

What’s this to do with POS software? Nothing except that we empathise with what retailers deal with every day.

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What is POS software?

July 29, 2022
3 Min read
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What is POS software? It is a question for sure, one asked often in retail. Since we live and breathe it at Tower Systems we tend to not over think it, or get stuck on the POS acronym. Today, though, let’s unpack what is POS software for you …

POS stands for Point of Sale, and refers to the system that retail shops use in order to sell their products. But, POS is more than an acronym, it represents the beating heart of a business, the place where all business data is collected, curated and managed. It can be ore to the success or otherwise of a retail business.

POS software is a crucial part of the retail business because it helps automate retail operations and manage retail stock effectively. In retail, time is money and it’s very important for retail businesses to ensure they are getting the best value for their money when it comes to software.

But, don’t think of it as software. Rather, think of POS software as a business tool, something to learn and master, something to make your own, for your purposes of success for the business and those who rely on it.

As retail businesses evolve and / or grow, retail management systems are required in order to expand retail operations and retail staff will be needed to handle customer service duties. Retail management systems help staff customers better by providing information on retail products on receipts and other customer touchpoints.

Retail stock management is a retail best practice that retail professionals should follow because retail stock takes up retail space and it’s important for retail businesses to manage their retail stock effectively so they can avoid being stuck with excess retail product. Retail best practices also recommend that retail businesses have real time data on their retail sales, whether through data entry by retail staff or retail self service systems. This retail data can then be viewed through retail reporting software that retail managers can use to make decisions about how to effectively manage their retail business.

This is what smart POS software offers.

Retail best practice is in tune with technological retail innovation in order to handle the growth in retail customers, in particular online retail customers who are increasing in number every year. Integrating retail best practice and retail technology is a retail marketing strategy that retail businesses can follow to ensure they are offering retail customers the most up to date retail shopping experience possible.

Tower Systems offers innovative and continuously evolving POS software for local specialty retailers.

So, yes, POS refers to Point of Sale. In our world, it refers to software. In reality, it is about helping local retail business owners and others to run efficient, enjoyable and valuable local retail businesses.

POS is better than a cash register, even in the smallest of businesses.

We are grateful to the thousands of retail businesses we have served and continue to serve.

Tower Systems sales queries: sales@towersystems.com.au or 1300 662 957.

Tower Systems support queries: support@towersystems.com.au or 1300 662 911.

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Grateful for editorial coverage in The Channel

July 27, 2022
3 Min read
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The latest issue of The Channel magazine features Tower Systems and our newsagency software again. This article talks about how newsagents are embracing the rental of newsagency software.

Grateful for editorial coverage in The Channel

While we have offered rental in specialty retail marketplaces since mid 2019, newsagents have been slow, preferring to purchase the software. But all that changed just over a year ago with all since renting the software, and loving it.

This is software made specifically for newsagents, connected to newsagent suppliers and leveraging newsagency specific facilities.

This newsagency software comes with awesome loyalty facilities made for local small business retail settings, made for you. Plus …

  1. Exclusive smart card reporting Embedded in our software is category / segment level reporting that newsagents are using to grow card sales 25% and more. That’s money in the bank.
  2. You can bank on loyalty. Our fresh and successful approach to loyalty can help you drive a deeper basket and bring people back sooner.
  3. Safe decisions make for a better P&L. From data feeds from suppliers through to Xero, we help you nurture data for the safe decisions.
  4. Not every shopper will walk past your door. A seamless connection between your software and a beautiful website can help you sell to people you will never meet. We develop websites for newsagents.
  5. Easily accessed personal service. A key reason 4 times more newsagents have chosen Tower than any other software is customer service. We are here for you, with you, every day.
  6. Current software. Current technology. Fresh, current design.

Our newsagency software costs $185.00 a month to rent. For on as many computers as you need in the business – no extra cost per computer.

There is no extra charge for support or updates. It’s all included.

We are a well-resourced company:

  1. Newsagency specific. Our software is made by us for newsagencies.
  2. Our software can help you evolve your business.
  3. We fight for you. Beyond our software, we help every day.
  4. Our software evolves. We update regularly. You choose when to load.
  5. We own newsagencies. Yes, we walk in your shoes.
  6. Easy access support. Personally, on the phone, from Australia.
  7. You are listened to. We are grateful for software change suggestions.
  8. Free training. Long after you install our software.
  9. Business management insights. Helping you get more from your data.
  10. Tower Systems will not leave the newsagency channel.

In addition to newsagency software, we also develop websites in Australia for Australian newsagency businesses, helping you get online.

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You don’t know this about Tower Systems

July 26, 2022
2 Min read
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You don’t know this about us …

We were talking with someone the other day and they were surprised to discover that we used to develop software for radiologists back in the day. It got us wondering about what people don’t know. Not that it matters because it’s not always about ur, right? But, we thought about it and wondered about sharing, occasionally, a you don’t know this about us, to share a bit more about ourselves.

You don’t know this about us but we have completely developed our software, from scratch, like from a blank screen, a total of 6 times in our history. So, that’s the initial development, which sold well, through another 5 versions after that. each one was a from scratch start. each one enabling us to learn, switch languages and become better.

In our latest environment we have been able to deliver extraordinary change since that environment itself has undergone extraordinary change, and we have kept up with it.

This rewriting from scratch is important. It is cleansing. It’s also smart tech. It helps us deliver lean software, useful software.

From a programmers perspective, there is value starting with a clean slate.

There is risk in sticking with old tech. back in the day when we developed and delivered a new Windows based solution, turning our back on DOS, there were others who clung on. History has shown that the clung for too long, ultimately hurting their business.

While there was a cost to us for leading into the Windows world in a couple of retail sectors, the benefits far outweighed these. So much was achieved, and for this we are grateful.

But that was a couple of decades ago. So much has changed since then, so many advancements have been delivered, so much has changed in terms of software development and deployment. It is such a different world today. We love change and lean into it with gusto.

So, yeah, we have developed software, sold it, supported us and, when appropriate, replaced;aced it with software more modern, useful and fit for purpose. This is what forward thinking software companies do while bringing their customers along with them.

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POS software knowledge base expanded

July 25, 2022
2 Min read
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Tower Systems has completed a thorough review of all online-accessible knowledge base articles, ensuring content readability, relevance and value.

The POS software customer service knowledge base is a wonderful and loved resource for the 3,000+ local retailers using the Tower Systems POS software. It is the living and evolving documentation of this software used across a range of specialty retail channels.

In addition to undertaking a thorough review, the company has added new topic articles, to offer a more complete POS software documentation solution. The new articles cover new facilities in the software, Shopify e-commerce integration advice and general retail business advice … and more.

Tracking knowledge base access and feedback has enabled the editors of the Tower systems POS software knowledge base resource to add even more value to this for local retailers.

Tower customers have been kept up to date with the progress of the knowledge base review and enhancement project through our weekly email comms, and their input has been sought to ensure that the changes to add value to the customer experience.

Tower Systems customers can access the knowledge base 24/7. They can review articles, leave feedback, and request new article topics. This engagement is part off what makes the knowledgeable valued and a living resource for Tower systems customers, our help desk and others more broadly.

Comparing POS software documentation can be a good way to compare POS software solutions, to see which works best, which is more suited to the needs of a business and which is more supported with customer service resources. We are happy to place our knowledge base resources alongside those for any other POS software, so that retailers considering us can also consider the documentation we provide to our customers.

Where possible in providing advice we take a numbered, step by step, approach. we have found this makes it easy for people learning new facilities. They like to know each step of the way, so that is how we write it – when appropriate.

For those who want, there is also personal training, human delivered training – specific to the needs of a business. This is complimentary to our written POS software documentations.

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Our POS software helps local retailers hire and retain employees

July 22, 2022
2 Min read
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Finding employees is a challenge for many businesses in 2022. It is especially tough for local retailers.

Our Tower Systems POS software helps local retailers hire and retain employees, and here;’s a short video on how we do this:

Of course, there is more to this than we cover in the short video.

The key, however, is how much people enjoy their job. By providing learning opportunities, structure and certainty, our POS software can help employees in local retail businesses love their jobs more.

The structure offered within the Tower Systems POS software helps retail employees spend less time on mundane tasks and more time nothings that benefit the business, and through this, themselves. It also helps them help customers, and everyone loves that!

Loving your job starts with being good at it and being good at a job in retail starts with having good software to use to enable you to serve the business and its customer well. There is where the 4 points covered in the video play.

Tower Systems offers access to a knowledge base, a live, searchable, online documentation resource. Each article is training, writing in plain English, offering dot point step by step advice on how to do things, and why. It its perfect training for anyone wanting to learn how to use our POS software.

Our POS software is elegant, enjoyable, efficient and of current design. All of this matters as retail employees can be sure they are using something up to date, something relevant, and learning skills that will be transferable either within the retail business or in another retail business where they move.

We back up our training with one on one training opportunities for anyone keen to go further. This training is tailored to specific business needs. We are grateful to have served many of our customers with this personal training.

We also offer group training, which is recorded for people to access wherever and whenever they wish.

We know that the better retail employees understand a business and the tools it uses, the more valuable they feel and value is central to enjoyment … and retention in a business.

These are just some of the ways Tower Systems helps.

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Small business retail advice: How a local small retail business can compete with a big business

July 21, 2022
3 Min read
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When it comes to retail, there are two types of businesses: the big guys and the small shops. The big guys have more resources, which gives them a competitive edge. However, this doesn’t mean that small shops can’t compete with them. In fact, there are several things that small shops can do to level the playing field. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the strategies that small shops can use to compete with big retail businesses.

One of the most important things that small shops can do to compete with big retail businesses is to provide a unique customer experience. Big retail businesses are often focused on volume and efficiency, which can lead to a impersonal customer experience. Small shops, on the other hand, have the opportunity to create a more personal and intimate customer experience. This can be a major differentiating factor for small shops.

A good customer experience flows from structure in the business, workflow structure, which is often guided by POS software. Here at Tower Systems we offer specialty retail business POS software that helps guide workflow, and through this the customer experience … with consistency, certainty and efficiency.

Another way that small shops can compete with big retail businesses is by being more nimble and responsive to customer needs. Big retail businesses often have cumbersome bureaucracy that slows down their ability to respond to customer demand. Small shops, on the other hand, are often able to be more agile and adapt to customer needs more quickly. This can give small shops a significant competitive advantage.

In our POS software, special customer orders are a breeze.

Finally, small shops can also compete with big retail businesses by offering products and services that the big guys don’t. Because they have less resources, big retail businesses often have to be very selective about the products and services they offer. This means that they often don’t offer products and services that cater to niche markets. Small shops, on the other hand, have the opportunity to fill this void and provide products and services that the big guys don’t.

Knowing what sells with what, knowing stock turn, knowing about sell-outs, spotting trends early … these are all ways smart POS software can help local small business retailers stay ahead of bigger businesses.

By using these strategies, small shops can level the playing field and compete with big retail businesses. So if you’re a small shop owner, don’t be discouraged. There are plenty of ways you can compete with the big guys.

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Small business retail advice: how to find happiness in owning your retail business

July 20, 2022
3 Min read
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As a retail business owner, it is important to find ways to be happy and fulfilled in your work. As the leader of the business, how you feel sets the tone for the business. Working on your happiness is important.

While it can be challenging at times, there are many things you can do to create a happy and successful retail business. It starts with planning.

Here are some tips for how to be a happy retail business owner:

1. Find your niche

One of the best ways to be happy as a retail business owner is to find your niche. When you know what kind of products or services you want to sell, it will be much easier to build a successful business. Not only will you be more passionate about your work, but you will also attract customers who are interested in what you have to offer. It’s important your shop is a place you like.

2. Focus on customer service

Another key to happiness as a retail business owner is to focus on providing excellent customer service. When your customers are happy, you will be happy. Make sure you are always friendly and helpful, and go above and beyond to meet your customers’ needs. Good customer service comes from structure, like what we offer in our POS software.

3. Create a positive work environment

Another way to be happy as a retail business owner is to create a positive work environment. This means having a clean and organised store, providing fair wages and benefits to employees, and treating everyone with respect. When you have a positive work environment, it will be easier to attract and retain great employees, which will only improve your business.

4. Have realistic expectations

It is important to have realistic expectations when you are a retail business owner. This means understanding that there will be ups and downs and that you won’t always make a profit. If you can accept that, it will be much easier to handle the challenges that come your way. Setting achievable small goals and tracking progress is a start.

5. Take time for yourself

Don’t forget to take time for yourself. As a retail business owner, it is easy to get caught up in work and forget to take care of yourself. Make sure you schedule some time each week to do things you enjoy, such as reading, going for walks, or spending time with friends and family. When you take care of yourself, you will be better able to take care of your business.

By following these tips, you can find happiness as a retail business owner. When you are happy and fulfilled in your work, it will be much easier to build a successful business. Focus on finding your niche, providing excellent customer service, creating a positive work environment, and taking time for yourself. With these things in mind, you can be well on your way to a happy and successful retail business.

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Re-casting the POS software co. office to the permanent work from home hybrid model

July 19, 2022
2 Min read
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It’s been a flurry of activity in the Tower Systems head office over the last two weeks as we made some long overdue moves.

When Covid kicked off in March 2020, most of our team members moved to work from home. A small core remained at the office as we were classed as essential and some of what we do needed to be done in the office. That core group all preferred to work from the office.

Since March 2020, we’ve left it up to those working from home to decide where they work. We are grateful to have colleagues who demonstrate every day that giving them choice is good for the business, and good for them.

Now, in July 2022, we have made changes to the office to reflect the now permanent arrangements. We have created new work spaces, four new and fully equipped hot desk spaces, a new shared resource space as well as a new studio and space for collaboration.

We have also introduced more soundproofed settings to make the now normal flow of Zoom, WebEx and teams video meetings more enjoyable for all.

Re-casting the POS software co. office to the permanent work from home hybrid model

We have also been able to create some relaxation spaces, although we may have paid too much for some things.

Re-casting the POS software co. office to the permanent work from home hybrid model

It doesn’t make sense to maintain a ton of offices for people who much prefer to work from home and are happier as a result thanks to the commute time saved.

We are thankful to be able to maintain enough space for whole of team meetings in the office by being creative in how we configure our situation.

The changes we have made are similar to plenty of office based businesses, and in these changes are opportunities for local retailers. More people are working from where they live, meaning the Covid migration that benefited local high street retail is continuing, and we like that as local retailers are our customers. We love the they have opportunities to be strong through these changes.

We smile at the regular flow of stories from city based businesses wanting people to come back to the offices. We don’t think there’s any going back. This really is the new normal.

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Small business retail advice: how to promote your shop to the local community

July 19, 2022
2 Min read
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If you own a retail shop, it’s important to let the local community know that you exist! Here are some tips on how to promote your shop to the people who live near you:

– Make sure your shop is visible from the street. Put up signs and make sure the storefront is clean and inviting. This may seem obvious. Our advice is, take a moment – go outside your shop, walk along the street and see what others see. Are you noticed? Dopes your shop look inviting? Is it clear what you offer?

– Get involved in local events and charity drives. This is a great way to meet potential customers and show them that you’re invested in the community. Being part of the community is a great way to reach the community.

– Sponsor a local sports team or another local organisation. This will get your name out there and make people more likely to support your business. Better still, sponsor a team you have a good personal connection with.

– Offer discounts or coupons to locals. This is a great way to attract new customers and show people that you appreciate their business. Using our specialty retail POS software you can connect with locals and community groups in a range of ways – raising funds for them, supporting their members, while at the same time benefiting your own business.

– Hold events at your shop. This is a great way to get people in the door and show them what you have to offer. make the events fun, enticing and community-focussed. get known as the fun shop where people gather.

By following these tips, you’ll be sure to promote your retail shop to the local community in no time! But … these tips are barely a start. There are so many other ways you can promote your local retail business your local community, including plenty of ways in our Tower Systems POS software that you can do this with easy and for success.

Tower Systems makes specialty retail POS software for local businesses like pet shops, jewellers, garden centres, bike shops, toy shops, gift shops, music shops, sewing shops, fishing shops, firearms dealers, and more. Local software for local retailers.

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More live POS software demonstrations in our own shop

July 18, 2022
1 Min read
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We are grateful to have our own shops where retailers can see our POS software running.

Friday last week we had another couple through one of our shops. They loved getting behind the counter and seeing and using the PS+OS software first hand.

This is a real point of difference not only for us to walk in the shoes of our customers but for people to get up close in a live retail situation with our software.

We are so grateful to have the retail resources available.

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How to motivate retail employees in a local small business shop

July 18, 2022
2 Min read
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One of the most common challenges that small retail business owners face is employee motivation. It can be difficult to keep your team members engaged and enthusiastic, especially if they are dealing with bored customers or challenging tasks. However, motivated employees are essential for a successful business, so it’s important to find ways to keep them inspired. Here are a few tips to help you motivate your employees in a small retail business:

  • Encourage employee input and ownership: Make sure that your employees feel like they are part of the team and that their opinions are valued. Encourage them to take ownership of their work and give them the opportunity to contribute to decision-making.
  • Create a positive work environment: A positive work environment is essential for employee motivation. Make sure that your workplace is clean, comfortable, and organized. Encourage open communication and positive reinforcement.
  • Offer incentives: Offering incentives is a great way to motivate employees. Consider offering rewards for meeting sales goals, completing tasks, or providing excellent customer service.
  • Provide training and development opportunities: Employees who feel like they are learning and growing are more likely to be motivated. Offer training and development opportunities to help your employees reach their full potential.
  • Show appreciation: Showing appreciation is a simple but effective way to motivate employees. Take the time to thank your team members for their hard work and dedication. Let them know that you appreciate their efforts.

Most important, however, is how you motivate yourself. Retail; business owners are the leaders, they set the exam able, the tone and the pace of the business. Motivation can be picked up from watching them, working with them.  So we say the most important advice is to work on motivating yourself, so you can be an encouragement for others.

By following these tips, you can create a motivated and productive team in your small retail business.

Tower Systems can help local small business retailers motivate staff by providing software that encourages efficiency and facilitates day to day enjoyment working in the business. This is software that helps the business provide good customer service, which in itself is motivating.

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Tips for a good POS software help desk experience

July 16, 2022
2 Min read
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Calling a POS software help desk, or any help desk for that matter, can be a challenging experience. It’s important to know that no two help desks are the same.

We have put together some tips for a good help desk experience. These are designed to be useful in any situation:L

  1. Make sure you’re prepared before calling – have your account number and password ready.
  2. Be polite and respectful to the help desk representative, even if you’re frustrated. be sure to tell them who you are.
  3. Explain the problem as clearly as possible, and be patient while they try to help you. Don’t interrupt once they start responding to what you have said.
  4. Thank the representative for their time once the problem has been resolved.
  5. If the problem can’t be fixed over the phone, ask for instructions on how to proceed.
  6. Follow up with a thank-you email after the issue has been resolved.
  7. Consider leaving a review of your experience.
  8. If the call was not satisfactory, let the company know, so they can guide improvement.
  9. Oh, and if you are at the counter in the shop, don’t expect them to hold while you serve customers.

Good customer service relies on good engagement from both sides. Customers need to be able to articulate their needs clearly, and customer service representatives need to be patient and attentive listeners.

Furthermore, both parties need to be respectful of each other’s time.

One of the most frustrating things about poor customer service is feeling like the representative is rushing you off the phone or not taking your concerns seriously. On the other hand, representatives should be efficient in order to minimize wait times for customers. In short, successful customer service engagements require effective communication and a mutual commitment to courtesy and respect.

Every day here at Tower Systems we interact with our customers, mainly on the phone. We are grateful for the opportunity to help. It all begins with listening, which is followed by providing advice that we expect will help. Often, the help we offer is from existing content we have that has been tested. We prefer to offer a proven solutions from that everyone wins.

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POS software company transparency

July 15, 2022
1 Min read
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A few weeks ago we hosted another Zoom meeting for our POS software customers, which we recorded as the majority of customers from your 3,000+ strong community will access the video rather than be with us live. We shared the video and it;’s been a hit. Here now, for others to see, is POS software company transparency in action as we show a brand new software facility, take questions and feedback on it, and engaged in an open Q&A.

The update to which we refer is out, and getting plenty of love, for which we are grateful.

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How does the Tower Systems POS software compare to to OnSwim jeweller software?

July 14, 2022
3 Min read
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From the outset – we can’t answer this question. We don’t use the OnSwim jeweller software. We’ve never used it. What we do know is our POS software for Jewellers.

We;’re not 100% sure but we think, based on our research, that our POS software for jewellers is the only Australian made and Australian supported software for jewellers. This makes it a perfect fir for jewellers who themselves spruce Australian made and shop local. You can’t get any more local for jeweller software than our Tower Systems software for jewellers.

There are differences in how retail jeweller businesses operate in Australia compared to, say, in the United States or Europe. Being made here in Australia, our POS software for jewellers serves Australian needs for sure. That our support is local, live in the local Aussie time zones, makes accessing customer service easier too for jewellers and their staff members.

But it’s the software that really matters here as it is the software that must serve the needs of each user retail business. Our jeweller POS software is made for jewellers.

Here are some of the benefits of the Tower Systems jeweller business POS software:

  1. Jeweller specific stock management, including stone details.
  2. Family event tracking.
  3. Jeweller repairs management services.
  4. Club pricing: Helps you attract community group members.
  5. BOGO: Increase sales with buy this and get that bundling.
  6. Warranty: Track details and leverage this for customer service.
  7. Sell anywhere: Using our Retailer RoamTM sell anywhere app.
  8. Seasonal reordering: Reorder inventory based on seasonal sales.

Using this software for jewellers, you have access to:

  • Loyalty facilities through which you can differentiate your business, like seriously … shoppers respond to the levers you can pull, and your business benefits.
  • Sell online, easily. Our Shopify integration is seamless, official and easy to use and manage.You can pass images and data to the website. Sales come back into the Tower software.
  • Special orders: tools that enable you to sell in advance of having physical stock to sell.
  • Repair facilities through which you can track and manage in-house and offsite repairs.
  • Colour / size / style: smart and efficient inventory tracking.
  • Event marketing through which you can create contact lists of customers based on anniversary, birthday and other life event dates.

The $199.00 a month software rental can be cancelled at any time. There is no annual payment, no lock-in.

We provide a structured and personalised on-boarding process designed for jewellers, which is paid for separately. This provides data conversion, one-on-one training, setup guidance and priority support as you settle in.

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Local retail business advice: being unique attracts shoppers no matter how small your shop

July 13, 2022
3 Min read
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In his 1960 book, Reality in Advertising, Rosser Reeves, a respected US advertising executive, introduced the world to the concept of the Unique Selling Proposition, USP for short.

Reeves defined USP in an advertising context:

  1. Each advertisement must make a proposition to the consumer: buy this product and you will get this benefit.
  2. The proposition must be one that the competition either cannot or does not
  3. The proposition must be so strong that it changes consumer behaviour.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the concept of a unique selling proposition evolved from being essential to advertising to being essential in business. Finding your business USP was considered mission critical to businesses, retailers especially. Businesses drifted however and forgot about the importance of a USP.

Jack Trout told us just a few years ago that it was as relevant today. In 2000, he said that a Unique Selling Proposition was mission critical in business in his aptly titled book Differentiate or Die.

Differentiate of Die. There is no doubt about the call to action in the title, no doubt about the consequences of inaction.

Yet many retailers, for the most part, have remained still in the face of an onslaught of competition.

Retail is tough, especially small business retail, local retail, indie retail. The differences between competitors are fewer – there is a lot of follow the leader / innovator. Retailers are surrounded by competition and it grows by the day. Yet many have copied others, and not done anything to stand out.

Smart retailers are re-acquainting themselves with the writings of Reeves and Trout and leaning about the mission critical imperative of having a Unique Selling Proposition.

Differentiation could be service, products or location or a combination of these. Differentiation will most likely not be price as anyone can match this easily. Price is, after all, the last line of defense in any business battle. That said, there are some major price-focused success stories – Walmart for example. It is rare in an independent retail situation.

To develop your USP, engage with your employees and other stakeholders. Take your time. Determine what you and your business stand for. Following open and honest discussion and debate, the USP around which everyone in the business can willingly congregate will emerge.

A good USP will not require an advertising campaign to communicate. It will become obvious through actions and decisions. By living the USP in every facet of the business you soon become seen as unique by shoppers and this can drive excellent word of mouth and success for the business.

While differentiation in retail is more important today than ever thanks to today’s economic conditions, the approach to the challenge is the same as in the 1960s.

Our Tower Systems POS software offers opportunities to be unique, easy and quick ways through which any retail business can present as being unique. We help retailers stand out, be noticed, be remembered, and be more successful.

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