The POS Software Blog

The POS Software Blog

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

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Pricing after the surcharge ban: how to lift prices without upsetting customers

November 2, 2026
4 Min read
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Since 1 October 2026, Australian businesses can no longer add a surcharge to payments made by eftpos, Mastercard, Visa or American Express. For a lot of independent retailers, that small line at the bottom of the receipt covered a real cost. The cost hasn’t gone anywhere. You now have to recover it another way, and fairly.

We know of many retailers where the loss of the surcharge has hit hard. This blog post bring together advice for these retailers. What you do needs care.

Customers are paying attention. Online forums are full of complaints about businesses using the ban as cover for bigger price rises, or renaming the surcharge a “service fee” or “platform fee”. The ACCC has said plainly that businesses must not mislead customers about why prices changed. Get this wrong and you lose more than a few cents a sale.

Start with your actual card cost

Before touching a price, be sure of what acceptance costs you. Get your merchant statements for the last three months and calculate the effective rate: total fees divided by total card sales. Include terminal rental and any monthly minimums.

Many retailers find the true figure is lower than the surcharge they used to charge. If you charged 1.5 per cent but your effective cost is 0.9 per cent, a 1.5 per cent rise across the board isn’t cost recovery. Customers will notice, and some will tell you so.

While you’re at it, call your payments provider and ask whether your plan still suits your volume. Lower interchange caps are part of the reform, so it’s reasonable to ask how they flow through to you. If your POS lets you choose your payment provider, you also have room to shop around.

Lift prices selectively, not evenly

A flat percentage increase on every product is the easiest change to make. It’s also the easiest one for customers to spot. Use your sales data instead.

  • Leave known-value items alone. Every shop has products customers know the price of, like a newspaper, magazine, cat food, dog  – the everyday item people notice. Keep these steady. They anchor your price reputation.
  • Lift where you add value. Gifts, specialty lines, exclusive ranges and items that need advice carry less price sensitivity. A small rise here is rarely noticed.
  • Round sensibly. Moving $9.40 to $9.50 is gentler than moving $9.95 to $10.20. Price endings matter more than most think.
  • Review slow sellers separately. If nobody is buying it, a price rise won’t help. Decide whether it belongs in the range at all.

Your POS software should show you sales by item, category and margin. Sort by units sold and margin together, and the safest places for a modest increase stand out quickly.

Protect trust with how you communicate

Skip the sign apologising for higher prices. What you need is staff who can answer honestly when a customer asks.

  • Don’t tell customers prices rose “because of the surcharge ban” unless that is accurate and proportionate.
  • Remove all surcharge references from counter signage, invoices, receipts and your website.
  • Weekend and public holiday surcharges are not part of the card ban, but they must be clearly displayed if you use them.
  • Brief your team on a simple, truthful line, such as: “We stopped charging card fees, and like everyone our costs have gone up, so we have adjusted some prices.”

Find margin outside the shelf price

Pricing is one lever. The retailers who handle this well tend to look at their buying, their mix and their shrinkage at the same time.

  • Buying. Check supplier invoices for cost increases you haven’t passed on. Many shops absorb supplier rises for months without noticing.
  • Mix. Promote higher-margin lines through placement and counter displays. Changing what customers buy can do more than a price rise.
  • Shrinkage (theft). Every item that walks out unpaid is lost margin. Tighter stock counts often recover more than the surcharge ever did.

What to do now

Work out your effective card cost. Pick twenty known-value items to hold steady. Then look at your highest-margin categories for a small, considered increase. It’s a morning’s work, and it beats guessing.

If you want to see how sales and margin reporting can make this easier, Tim and Justin at Tower are happy to talk through your shop’s situation. Call 1300 662 957 or email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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Why local toy shops need software made for toy shops

November 1, 2026
4 Min read
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Online keeps taking more of the toy market, and plenty of local toy shops are doing it tough. A parent can order a toy on their phone in under a minute. A box turns up, and that’s the end of the relationship.

A good family-run toy shop gives you more. Someone helps you choose. Someone remembers your kid’s name and what they were into last year. The gift goes home wrapped. If it breaks, someone looks at it instead of telling you to start a return.

It’s personal.

The hard part is delivering that on a flat-out Saturday in December, with a queue at the counter and two staff. Software built for a generic shop won’t help you much there. Software built for a toy shop will.

Made here, supported here

Tower Systems has been making retail software in Australia since 1981, and we’re grateful to serve many local independent toy shops across the country. When you call us, you talk to a real person here, someone who knows the software and knows how a toy shop trades.

We don’t treat a toy shop like a café or a clothing store, because it isn’t one.

Remember birthdays for your customers

Birthdays drive toy retail. Tower can record the occasions your customers care about and remind them when one is coming up. A grandparent who bought a birthday present last March hears from you in February, before they’ve started searching online.

Loyalty for people who only come in twice a year

Most toy shop customers aren’t weekly regulars. They come in for birthdays, Christmas and maybe a school holiday treat. Points programs built for supermarkets mean nothing to them.

Tower has loyalty options for occasional and one-off shoppers, as well as for your regulars. Give an occasional customer a reason to remember you, and they’re more likely to come back to you than to a website.

Age checks at the counter

Some products need an age check. Tower flags them at the point of sale, so a casual staff member on their second shift knows to ask.

Serial numbers and repairs

Remote control cars, electronic toys and ride-ons come back sometimes. Tower tracks serial numbers, so you can find the sale, check the details and sort it out quickly.

If you do repairs, Tower manages those as well. You can log the job, track where it’s up to and tell the customer when it’s ready. Very few online sellers will fix anything.

Bundles instead of discounts

Put the toy together with the accessory that makes it more fun, or the batteries it needs, at a fixed price. The customer gets a better gift with less thinking. You get a bigger sale without marking down half the shop.

Partner with a local school, club or playgroup

This is one of the most effective ways for a toy shop to find new customers.

You partner with a local school, kinder, sports club or playgroup. Members save a percentage when they shop with you, and a percentage of what they spend goes to the group. Tower handles both at the counter.

The group then promotes you to its members, because every sale helps them raise funds. Families who’ve never been in your shop now have a reason to visit. What happens after that is up to your service.

Know what’s actually selling

Tower lets you compare suppliers and categories, and report by brand, licence, age group and more. You can look at your shop the way you actually think about it:

  • Which suppliers make you money, and which tie up cash in slow stock?
  • Which licence is hot, and which one peaked six months ago?
  • Have you got toddlers covered but nothing for tweens?
  • What sells for birthdays, and what only moves at Christmas?

Licensed lines can go from bestseller to dead stock very quickly. Seeing that early saves real money.

Shopify and Xero, connected

Tower connects directly with Shopify and Xero. Your online store and your shop work from the same stock, and your sales flow through to Xero without anyone retyping them.

It comes back to service

Family-run toy shops that do well are known for something: the advice, the wrapping, the repairs, or remembering your kid’s birthday. The software’s job is to make that easy, even when you’re busy.

If you’d like to see how Tower would work in your toy shop, Tim and Justin are happy to take you through it. Call 1300 662 957 (AU), 0800 444 367 (NZ) or email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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Is your shop haunted?

October 31, 2026
3 Min read
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Halloween has crept up on Australian retail. When we started out, 31 October was just another day. Now there are costumes in the shops, plastic skeletons in the garden centre and kids at the door expecting lollies.

The things that actually scare us in a shop don’t wear costumes, though. They hide in the stockroom and the supplier invoices, and some of them have been there for years.

Ghost stock

The system says you have four. The shelf says none. Nobody sold them, or at least nobody rang them up.

Ghost stock is sneaky because your POS won’t reorder something it thinks you still have. So the gap stays on the shelf, and a customer asks for it on a busy Saturday. Count your fast sellers every few weeks rather than waiting for the annual stocktake to give you a fright.

Zombie stock

Every shop has a few lines that won’t die. They’ve been on the shelf so long they’ve faded. You walk past them every day and stop seeing them.

Run a report of anything that hasn’t sold in 90 days. It’s rarely pleasant reading. Discount it, bundle it with something that sells, or send it back if the supplier will take it. That space and that cash are worth more doing something else.

Vampire costs

This one drains you slowly. A supplier puts a line up by 40 cents, then another goes up by a dollar. Nobody tells you, and the new price sits quietly on the invoice.

I’ve seen retailers absorb increases for six months without noticing. Check invoices against your cost prices when stock comes in, and adjust the sell price that day while you’re thinking about it.

The haunted till

The drawer opens and there’s no sale. A refund appears with no receipt. Usually there’s a boring explanation. Every so often there isn’t.

Your void, refund and no-sale reports will tell you who, when and how often. You don’t need to be suspicious of your team. You just need to look now and then.

The witching hour

It’s 6.15pm. The door is locked, your feet hurt, and you still need to balance the day. If that takes an hour with a calculator and a shoebox of dockets, your system is letting you down. It should take ten minutes.

Skeleton staff

Three people on a dead Tuesday morning and two on a flat-out Saturday afternoon. Most rosters are built on habit. Pull your sales by hour and day and roster to what the data shows, not to what you’ve always done.

While you’re at it, sell some Halloween stock

Halloween is now a real trading event for gift shops, newsagents, toy shops and garden centres. Put Halloween lines at the front of the shop for the last week of October, and put lollies at the counter. On 1 November, mark down whatever is left and clear it. Packing it away for next year just creates next year’s zombie stock.

Then look at what sold, so next year’s order is better than a guess.

If any of these sound familiar, we can show you how Tower’s reports bring us out of hiding. Call 1300 662 957 or email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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The Sunday reset: four questions every retailer should ask

October 25, 2026
3 Min read
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Most small retailers spend the week reacting. A delivery arrives, a staff member calls in sick, a customer needs something now. There’s rarely time to step back and look at the business as a whole.

That’s why we like the idea of a Sunday reset. Set aside 30 minutes, ideally away from the counter, with a coffee and your numbers. Look back at the week just gone and decide what you’ll do differently in the week ahead.

It doesn’t have to be Sunday. What matters is the habit. A short, regular review beats a long one you never get around to.

What’s working?

Start with the good news. Which products, categories and suppliers did well this week? Was a particular day or time of day stronger than usual? If a display or a promotion lifted sales, note it so you can repeat it.

It’s easy to skip this question. Don’t. Knowing what works tells you where to put more stock, more space and more of your team’s attention.

What’s not working?

Now the harder one. Look for stock that hasn’t moved in weeks, categories losing ground and margins that have slipped. Dead stock ties up cash and shelf space you could use for something that sells.

The answer might be a markdown, a better position in the shop or a decision to stop reordering. The point is to make the call rather than let slow stock sit.

What am I missing out on?

This is the question most retailers never ask. Are there products customers keep asking for that you don’t carry? Lines that sell well in similar shops but not yours? Times of the week when you could do more with the foot traffic you already have?

Missed opportunities don’t show up as a loss on a report. That’s why they’re easy to overlook, and often worth more than fixing what’s broken.

Is theft an issue?

Behind the scenes, in a quiet and secure way, we track keystrokes and let you know if we think theft may be an issue. We show you where to look. This has saved local indie retailers tens of thousands of dollars.

Most weeks you’ll find nothing. Checking regularly is what lets you spot the week when something is wrong.

Where the answers come from

The trouble with a Sunday reset is the preparation. If you have to pull reports, export spreadsheets and work through the figures yourself, 30 minutes quickly becomes three hours. Most owners give up after a few weeks.

For Tower Systems customers, that work is already done. The Insights Dashboard is an AI-facilitated tool that gives you answers to all four questions, ready when you sit down. There’s nothing to prepare and no report to build. It works around the clock, so the insights are there on Sunday morning or any other time that suits you.

Every Tower Systems customer gets the Insights Dashboard free. It isn’t an add-on or a premium tier. We include it because we think every independent retailer should be able to see clearly how their business is going.

If you already use Tower Systems, open the dashboard this Sunday and try the four questions. If you don’t, we’d be happy to show you what it would reveal about your shop. Call 1300 662 957 (0800 444 367 in New Zealand) or email sales@towersystems.com.au.

Contacting a human is easy.

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POS Software for Game Shops: Helping Local Game Retailers Make the Most of 2026

October 23, 2026
4 Min read
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Games are having a moment. In 2026, game sales are strong across Australia and New Zealand, and local game shops are growing as a result. We have seen this in the latest Circa data prepared for the ATA.

More people are looking for screen-free time with friends and family. Game nights, clubs and tournaments are bringing new players into shops every week. For independent game retailers, it’s a real opportunity.

Making the most of that growth takes more than good stock. You need to know what’s selling, look after your regulars and give new players a reason to come back.

Generic POS software isn’t built for that. Tower Systems software for game shops is. Here’s how it can help your shop grow, starting with the parts of the business that matter most.

Age restricted products

Some games carry age ratings, and some products can’t be sold to younger customers. Getting this wrong is a risk for your business.

Our software lets you flag age restricted products. When one is scanned, staff are prompted to check the customer’s age before the sale goes through. It takes the guesswork out of busy periods and helps protect you and your team.

Special orders for customers

Game shoppers often know exactly what they want, even when you don’t have it in stock. A new expansion. A hard to find title. A pre-order for a release next month.

You can record special orders against the customer, track them through to delivery and let the customer know when their order arrives. Nothing gets lost on a sticky note, and the customer leaves knowing you’ll follow through.

Games bundles

Bundles are a great way to lift the average sale. A base game with an expansion. A starter set with extra dice and sleeves. A gift pack for Christmas.

You can create bundles in your POS, price them to suit and track how they sell. Stock is managed for each item in the bundle, so your inventory stays accurate.

Sales by genre and manufacturer

Knowing what sells is the key to buying well, especially when the category is growing. Our reporting lets you look at game sales by genre and by manufacturer.

Are strategy games growing while party games slow down? Is one publisher earning far more than its share of shelf space? With clear data, you can buy with confidence, adjust your range and have better conversations with your suppliers.

Supporting games clubs

For many game shops, clubs and game nights are the heart of the business. They bring people in the door regularly and build loyalty that online stores can’t match.

You can record club members in your POS, track their visits and purchases, and offer member pricing or rewards. That helps you see the value your club brings and give members a reason to keep coming back, and to buy while they’re there.

Loyalty for infrequent shoppers

Not every customer is a regular. Some visit a few times a year, often for a gift or a new release. With so many new players discovering games, this group is growing.

Our loyalty tools let you reward these shoppers in ways that suit them, not just your most frequent customers. Points, vouchers and targeted offers can bring an occasional shopper back sooner. That’s good for them, and good for your business.

Built for game shops, supported by people

Game shops are growing, and the right tools can help yours grow faster. Tower Systems is a vertical market software company. We build software for specific retail channels, and we work only with independent retailers in Australia and New Zealand.

Our training is personal and tailored to your shop. Our help desk starts with a conversation. When you need help, you can talk to a person who understands how game shops work.

Talk to us

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

Contacting a human is easy.

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The Independent Retail Markets We Serve at Tower Systems

October 22, 2026
2 Min read
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Tower Systems is a vertical market software company. We don’t make one generic POS system and hope it fits. We build software for specific retail channels, and we work only with independent, specialty and small business retailers in Australia and New Zealand.

Today, thousands of local retailers use our software. Here are the markets we serve.

Gifts, fashion and lifestyle

Toys, games and hobbies

Garden, outdoors and rural

Everyday local retail

Technology and mobility

Community retail

Why this matters

Each of these markets trades differently. A bike shop needs serial number tracking and repairs. A health food shop may need scale integration. A garden centre has seasonal peaks. A charity shop handles donated, one-off stock. A newsagent juggles a mix of categories with very different margins.

Because we focus on specific markets, our software, training and support are shaped around how these businesses actually work. The people who help you understand your type of shop.

Don’t see your market?

If your business isn’t listed, talk to us anyway. Many other independent retailers use our software successfully. We’re always happy to have a conversation about what you need.

Talk to us

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

Contacting a human is easy.

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Personal Service Matters in Retail. It Should Matter in Your Software Company Too.

October 21, 2026
3 Min read
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Good retailers know the value of personal service. They live it, deliver it, every day.

A customer walks in looking for a gift. You ask a few questions. Who’s it for? What do they like? What’s the budget? You show them a couple of options, they think it over, and you go back and forth until they find the right thing. That conversation is often the reason they come back.

Running a retail business is personal in the same way. Every shop is different. The owner, the staff, the location, the shoppers and the product mix all shape how the business works. Plenty of retailers and retail staff understand this.

At Tower Systems, we understand it too.

Training is personal

Our training is delivered by people, not videos you’re left to work through on your own. It’s tailored to your business and the way you trade.

A newsagent with a busy card department needs different help to a garden centre preparing for spring. A new owner taking over a shop needs different help to a long-time customer adding a new category. We start by understanding what you need, then train to that.

Our help desk is personal

When you contact our help desk, you can talk to a person. It starts with a conversation. We listen, ask questions and work through the problem with you until it’s sorted.

We’re a vertical market software company. We build POS software for specific retail channels and work only with independent retailers in Australia and New Zealand. That means the people helping you understand how shops like yours actually work.

Compare us on service, not just software

If you’re considering a change of POS software, compare our personal approach with any other software company on your list.

The tech stack is one thing to compare. Features matter, and we’re proud of ours. But software is useless without the level of service you need to get value from it. The best system in the world won’t help if you can’t get someone on the phone when your shop is busy and something isn’t working.

Ask each company you’re considering a few simple questions. Can I talk to a person when I need help? Will my training suit my business? Do your staff understand my type of shop?

We’re happy to be judged on our answers.

Talk to us

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

Contacting a human is easy.

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Too Much in “General”? How a Cleaner Department Structure Makes Small Business POS Data Work Harder

October 20, 2026
3 Min read
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Open your Tower Systems Retailer POS and look at your departments and categories. If you see duplicates, vague names, or a “General” or “Miscellaneous” category holding hundreds of products, you’re not alone.

It happens in almost every business over time. A new supplier arrives and someone creates a category in a hurry. A staff member adds a department that already exists under another name. Products that don’t obviously fit anywhere end up in a catch-all.

None of it seems like a big problem on the day. But after a few years, your data becomes hard to trust and harder to use.

Why it matters

Your department and category structure is the backbone of your reporting. When it’s messy, the reports are messy too.

You can’t see which categories are growing if half the products sit in “General”. You can’t compare gross profit across departments if the same products are split between two of them. And staff waste time hunting for the right place to put a new item.

Clean data makes your business easier to manage. It helps you make better decisions about stock, space and buying, because the numbers reflect how your shop actually trades.

How our service works

Our Department and Category Restructure service is a careful, practical clean-up, tailored to each business. This is a small business focussed service that’s helping retailers achieve a clean dataset.

We start with an AI assisted review of your full product database. From that, we create a proposed department and category structure that suits the way you sell.

We then send you a spreadsheet showing the proposed structure. You review it and either approve it as supplied or tell us what you’d like changed. Nothing is updated in your POS until you’re happy.

Once approved, we rebuild the structure in your Tower Systems Retailer POS. Duplicates are merged. Vague categories are replaced with meaningful ones. Every product ends up in the right place.

What to know before you start

Two things sit outside the service.

If you use an accounting link, you may need to update its setup after the restructure. We’ll guide you through this, but the accounting changes themselves need to be made by you or your accountant.

If you have a website, menu links that point to departments or categories may need updating. We’ll help you identify what needs to change. If you’d like us to make the website menu changes for you, we can quote on that separately.

The result

You end up with clean departments, clear categories and a logical product hierarchy. Your staff find things faster. Your reports make sense. And you have a dataset you can actually use to manage your business.

The Department and Category Restructure is currently $499, down from $999.

Find out more and book at store.towersystems.com.au/products/department-and-category-restructure, or reach out to support.

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Running your shop when you’re not in it

October 19, 2026
3 Min read
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Most independent retailers want to be on the shop floor. Life doesn’t always allow it. A holiday, a sick day, a trip to see family, a second job. There are plenty of reasons you can be away from the shop.

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

Remote management is normal in small business retail

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

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

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

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

The numbers come to you

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

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

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

Alerts when something doesn’t look right

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

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

Admin on your own time

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

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

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

One approach for every kind of specialist shop

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

Built for every kind of specialist retailer

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

Talk to us

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

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

Contacting a human is easy.

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Why our customers love the Tower Systems chatbot

October 13, 2026
3 Min read
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When we added a chatbot to the Tower Systems help desk, we had one goal. Help retailers get answers faster, in plain language, whenever they need them.

The feedback from customers tells us it is working.

Answers outside business hours

Retailers don’t stop working when the help desk closes. Many of our customers do their admin early in the morning or late at night.

One general store owner told us:

“I have used the chatbot recently as I generally have questions outside of working hours… The response provided was succinct and provided me with step by step instructions.”

She used it to prepare for a change of ownership and to clean up her system ahead of a stocktake. Both times, she got clear, step-by-step instructions.

Plain language, at your own pace

Not everyone is confident with technology. The chatbot lets people learn at their own pace, without feeling rushed.

“I particularly like it because I am not particularly IT savvy and I can use it at my own pace.”

Another customer said:

“It answered everything I requested, and the instructions were very easy to follow. Saved me a lot of time and I was able to learn things by navigating through the system myself.”

Discovering more of the software

One of the best outcomes is that customers find features they did not know they had.

“I’m always hesitant using chatbot type technology… Your chatbot is amazing! It quickly analyses and answers in step-by-step detail how to fix whatever trouble I’m having… Tower’s chatbot has helped me discover and utilise more of the Retailer software and its capabilities than I knew existed.”

When a customer gets more from their software, they get more from their business.

Time back in a busy week

Retailers are time poor. Every minute spent searching for an answer is a minute away from customers.

“On the retail side of the house, most of us are time poor. So when we have an issue and we ask the bot, it saves so much time, effort and frustration.”

“I’ve asked it plenty of questions and only stumped it once. I love that it puts answers in a language we can understand.”

A human is still there

The chatbot does not replace our people. It works alongside them.

“Helps with almost all my enquiries and if it can’t help, will get a human to contact me. Saves me so much time spent searching the Tower website for answers.”

In one case, a customer wasn’t confident to go ahead with the chatbot’s instructions. A team member called her to help.

That is how it should work. The chatbot handles the quick questions. Our team is there for everything else.

Thank you

Thank you to every customer who has used the chatbot and shared feedback. Your comments help us keep improving.

If you are a Tower Systems customer and haven’t tried the chatbot yet, give it a go next time you have a question.

And remember, contacting a human is easy.

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

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Toy sales are growing. Here is how local toy shops can win more of them.

October 12, 2026
3 Min read
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Australian toy sales grew 10% in August 2026 based on professionally collected industry data and are up 12% for the year to date. Games and puzzles were the biggest dollar gainer, up 38%. Building sets rose 16% and explorative toys 55%.

Licensed toys now make up 47% of all toy dollars. Pokémon, Hot Wheels, Marvel, Star Wars and Magic: The Gathering lead the way. The average toy sold for $19.19.

This is good news for local independent toy shops. The question is how to make sure more of that growth comes through your door, not the big-box store’s or an online marketplace’s.

Local indie retailers: compete on what makes you local

You can’t outspend the big players. You can outsmart them.

Local toy shops know their families, schools and community. Tower Systems toy shop software helps you turn that knowledge into sales.

Reward shoppers at the moment of purchase. Our loyalty tools let you give a reward at the counter, as a discount or as points. Shoppers feel the benefit straight away, which gives them a reason to come back to you.

Offer member pricing to local groups. You can set exclusive pricing for members of local schools, kindergartens, community groups and clubs. It is a simple way to build relationships the big chains can’t match.

Run promotions at the register. Set up custom bundles at a set price, or run buy one, get one free offers. Bundles work well for games, puzzles and building sets, the categories growing fastest.

Help people buy more

Smart loyalty is not just about discounts. It is about giving shoppers reasons to add one more item and to come back sooner. A bundle that pairs a board game with an expansion, or a puzzle with a second puzzle, lifts the sale. A reward that lands on the day gives people a reason to return before the next birthday party.

Run the shop more efficiently

Toy deliveries are often assorted, with mixed items from many suppliers. Our software handles assorted stock, and supplier invoices can be imported automatically with built-in AI tools.

You can track high-value items by serial number for warranty claims. You can print assembly instructions, age guidance and care details on the receipt.

Our AI tools are included, not charged as an extra. They can write website product descriptions, compare prices and answer questions about your business reports in plain language.

Sell in-store and online

Tower Systems connects with Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento and WooCommerce. Product details and images flow out to your website, and online sales flow back into the software. Xero integration is available too.

Local software for local shops

Tower Systems software is made locally and supported locally. Our help desk is open six days a week, including Saturday, with after-hours help for urgent system-down issues. Your licence covers unlimited computers in your shop.

The toy category is strong. Let’s help you make the most of it.

Find out more at towersystems.com.au/toy-shops.

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

Contacting a human is easy.

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Know which suppliers are really working for your shop

October 9, 2026
2 Min read
K

Most retailers have a feel for their suppliers. Some are easy to deal with, some deliver on time and some always seem to have stock that sells. A feeling only goes so far, though.

Seeing how each supplier actually performs can be hard. The information is spread across invoices, sales reports and memory, and pulling it together takes time most shop owners do not have.

Tower Systems POS software makes it easier. You can see how suppliers perform and compare them side by side.

Once suppliers are next to each other, the picture gets clearer. The strong performers stand out, and so do the weak ones. A supplier you think highly of may be delivering less than you assumed. A smaller one may be quietly doing excellent work for your business.

With that knowledge, your decisions can rest on facts.

You might give more space and attention to suppliers whose products sell well. You might review ranges from suppliers that are not pulling their weight. Or you might sit down with a supplier for a direct conversation, armed with clear information rather than impressions.

Decisions like these can improve the financial performance of your business. Shelf space is limited, and so is the cash you have for stock. Putting both behind the suppliers that work for you is one of the most practical ways to strengthen a shop. It can be money in the bank.

To get the most from supplier insights, make the review a habit. Once a quarter is a sensible rhythm for many shops. Look past total sales to margin and how quickly stock sells. Take the figures with you into supplier meetings, because a conversation backed by numbers tends to go further. And jot down why you made each change, so you can check later whether it worked.

Supplier relationships matter in local retail. Many have lasted years and carry real goodwill. Good information supports those relationships, because both sides can talk from the same set of facts.

We can walk you through how supplier comparison works in Tower Systems POS software, using the kinds of suppliers you deal with.

…

To reach us, call 1300 662 957 (AU) or 0800 444 367 (NZ), or email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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Helping your shop build healthier cashflow, step by step

October 8, 2026
2 Min read
H

Cashflow is tight for many small business retailers. Some days it feels like sliding down a hill, with bills arriving faster than the takings.

There is rarely a single fix. Healthier cashflow tends to come from steady work on the basics, done well and done often.

That is where we focus Tower Systems POS software: on the reliable steps that lead to success in retail.

The first is a deeper shopper basket. When each customer buys a little more, takings grow without needing more people through the door. Knowing which products sell together, and placing them well, helps.

Margin is another. Every sale is worth more when your pricing reflects your costs, and software that makes margin visible helps you see where it is leaking away.

Buying is a big one. Overbuying ties up cash in stock that sits on the shelf, while underbuying means missed sales. Buying from your actual sales history gets you much closer to the right quantity.

Then there is theft. Stock that disappears is cash that disappears, and tools that help you spot unusual patterns give you a chance to do something about it.

None of these steps is dramatic on its own, and none needs to be. Cashflow improves through dozens of small, sensible decisions made every week. Our software is designed to make those decisions easier and better informed.

We make POS software only for local small retail businesses. That focus shapes the reports we build and the way we think about stock and pricing.

It also means the software suits the way local shops actually trade, with small teams, limited time and owners who look after a bit of everything, from buying to rostering to serving at the counter.

Every day, the software helps the retailers we serve build healthier cashflow, one sound decision after another.

If cashflow is a constant worry, start small. Pick your slowest moving stock or your lowest margin department, make one change and watch what happens over a month. Then move on to the next thing.

If you would like to see how our software could support those steps in your shop, get in touch.

…

To reach us, call 1300 662 957 (AU) or 0800 444 367 (NZ), or email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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Why Tower Systems does not charge for extra POS terminals

October 7, 2026
2 Min read
W

Ask a POS software company what an extra terminal costs. The answer tells you a lot about how they price.

Some companies charge for their software based on how many terminals are connected to it. Add a terminal and you pay for more than the hardware, you pay more for the software too.

Tower Systems does not charge per terminal

Here at Tower Systems, adding a terminal costs nothing extra. A retailer running the software on one computer pays the same as a retailer running it on 8 computers in one location.

The price is published on the Tower Systems pricing page. Anyone can check it.

Tower also does not charge fees based on transaction volume or transaction value. Sell more, and your software cost stays where it is.

Our approach to POS software pricing is transparent and easy to follow. We’ve always taken this approach.

Why Tower prices this way

With a fixed price, retailers know exactly what the software costs. Tower is also not taxing retailers for the growth they achieve.

There has been a commercial benefit as well. Not charging for extra terminals has kept Tower price competitive. That helps local small business retailers get more financial value from the software.

We benefit from this approach too. It brings more retailers to our community – all small business retailers, independent retailers. Having a large community of locally owned businesses using our software means the costs of us doing business are spread – this is a way we can offer the pricing we do offer.

If you are comparing POS software, ask two questions of companies offering software that serves your business needs.

  1. What does an extra terminal cost?
  2. Do the fees go up as your sales grow?

The right software at the right price is a big win for any business.

Too often we see retailers who have gone for software solely based on price only to find that the price they thought it was in not the price they are paying. This is why we also p[itch transparency. Top your homework, make sure you understand the price of the POS software you are considering.

We make our pricing accessible to anyone as a demonstration of our approach to transparent accountability.

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POS software help desk support that starts with a conversation

October 7, 2026
3 Min read
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Most of us have rung a business for help and ended up stuck in a phone menu. Press one, press three, wait. When you finally reach someone, they do not know the product and can only read from a script.

That is frustrating on a quiet day. When your shop is busy and something is not working, it is far worse.

Retail is unique. Every shop has its own way of doing things, its own suppliers and its own regulars. Retail is also human, and so much of it gets done through conversation, between staff, with suppliers and with customers at the counter.

We approach Tower Systems POS software support the same way.

There are no scripts and no hoops to jump through before you get an answer relevant to your query. You speak with someone who knows the software and can work through the problem with you.

A conversation lets the support person understand what you are trying to achieve, beyond the button you pressed. Often the real question sits behind the first one. A retailer might call about a report when what they really need is to understand why margin has dropped in one department. Good support picks that up.

Conversations help with learning, too. Many retailers use only part of what their software can do, and a helpful support call can turn up a feature that saves time every week. That rarely happens when someone is reading from a script.

Support matters most at the moments you least expect. A new staff member gets stuck on a refund on a Saturday morning, or a stock count will not reconcile. At times like these, talking with someone who understands both the software and retail can get you back to serving customers sooner.

When you are choosing POS software, give support the same attention you give the feature list. Find out how you reach support and who picks up the phone. Ask whether that person will know the software well, and whether you can talk a problem through or will be pushed through a process. The answers say a lot about how a supplier sees its customers.

Small retailers deserve support that respects their time and their knowledge of their own business. For us, that means picking up the phone and having a proper conversation.

…

To reach us, call 1300 662 957 (AU) or 0800 444 367 (NZ), or email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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In business since 1981, with POS software made for today

October 6, 2026
2 Min read
I

We have been in business since 1981. Some people hear that date and picture old software with a fresh coat of paint.

The software we sell today was made for today.

Retail has changed enormously over the decades. People shop differently and pay differently. They expect different things from a local business, and the way stock is bought and managed has shifted too, sometimes quickly. Our software has kept pace.

It has been completely replaced many times, rebuilt from the ground up so it meets the needs of retail businesses now. Each rebuild was a chance to start fresh, keeping what we had learned and dropping what no longer served retailers well.

Between rebuilds, every software update brings more enhancements, and many of them start with our customers.

Customers suggest improvements through our Software Ideas platform, which you can reach from our website. The process is transparent and driven by customers, which keeps our development focused on what retailers actually need.

The people using the software every day know where it could be better. A shop owner who notices a step that takes too long, or a report that could be clearer, has something valuable to tell us. The Software Ideas platform gives them a place to tell us.

What our history does give you is experience. Over four decades we have watched retail change and worked through those changes alongside local businesses. We understand the pressures independent retailers face because we have been listening to them for a long time.

Still, a long history and good software are two different things. Our longevity shows we have stayed around and kept investing. Only the software itself can show whether it suits your business today.

So when you look at any POS software, judge it on what it does now. It is fair to ask a supplier how often their software is updated and how customer feedback shapes it. It is also fair to ask whether they have rebuilt their software over the years or kept adding to something old.

We are happy to answer those questions and show you the software as it stands today.

…

To reach us, call 1300 662 957 (AU) or 0800 444 367 (NZ), or email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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Why we sometimes tell retailers our POS software is not right for them

October 5, 2026
2 Min read
W

It might seem odd for a software company to turn away a sale. We do it when we need to.

Our software is not right for every business we speak with. When we realise that, we say so straight away.

Every sales enquiry starts with what we call our discovery process. We take our time getting to know your business: what matters to you, how your workflow runs and how you operate from day to day, from receiving stock through to serving at the counter. Those conversations tell us whether our software can genuinely help.

If we think it can, we show you in a personal demonstration. We shape it around what we learned in discovery, so you see the software doing the jobs that matter in your shop.

We also record the demonstration. A business partner who could not make the time, or a senior staff member, can watch it later and see exactly what you saw. Decisions in small businesses are often shared, and a recording makes that easier.

If at any stage we think our software is not the right fit, we tell you and explain why.

We would rather say no and wish you all the best than have you unhappy with us later.

Saying no is never comfortable. It is still the honest thing to do, and it saves everyone from a costly mistake.

Changing POS software is a big decision for a small retailer. It affects how your staff work, how you buy stock and how well you understand your business. A poor choice costs time, money and goodwill, and the retailer bears most of that cost.

Whoever you are talking to about software, there are a few questions worth asking.

Do they take time to understand your business before showing you anything?

Is the demonstration built around your workflow, or is it a general tour of features?

Will they tell you plainly if something does not suit you?

We think these are a fair test, and we are happy to be judged by them.

If you would like to start a conversation, we will listen first.

…

To reach us, call 1300 662 957 (AU) or 0800 444 367 (NZ), or email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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Advice for retailers: Insights ready and waiting when you finally have a moment

October 3, 2026
3 Min read
A

Running a local shop leaves little spare time. Most days go on serving customers, unpacking deliveries, sorting rosters and dealing with whatever else turns up. A close look at the numbers often slips to the bottom of the list.

We built our Insights Dashboard with that in mind.

The dashboard runs quietly in the background of Tower Systems POS software, collecting data from your trading and reviewing it for you. When you do get ten spare minutes with a cup of tea, the insights are already sitting there, ready for action.

The first thing it shows is what’s not working. Some stock simply does not move. It sits on the shelf tying up cash and space, and the dashboard highlights it so you can decide what to cut and stop reordering.

It also shows what you are missing out on. This is a list of items you were out of stock of at times when they would otherwise have been bought. Those sales left the shop without anyone noticing. Once you can see them, it is much easier to adjust reorder levels or talk to a supplier about timing.

Then there is what’s working. Every shop has products quietly doing good work. The dashboard brings them to the surface so you can think about how they might do even better, whether through a better spot in the shop, a stronger display or deeper stock.

Shoppers often buy certain items together, and the dashboard shows you those pairings too. Placing related products near each other makes life easier for customers. Over time, small adjacency changes like this can lift the size of each sale.

Finally, the dashboard can flag patterns suggesting stock may be going missing. Treat this as a prompt to look closer. It gives you somewhere to start that you would not otherwise have.

You do not need to become a data analyst to use any of it. The dashboard does the digging. Your part is to look at what it has found and decide what to do next.

Most owners find that acting on one or two insights a week is enough to make a difference over a year. Slow stock gets cleared, fewer sales are lost to empty shelves and the products already working for you get the attention they deserve.

We are always happy to show retailers the Insights Dashboard using examples that fit their own shop.

…

To reach us, call 1300 662 957 (AU) or 0800 444 367 (NZ), or email sales@towersystems.com.au.

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What free POS hardware actually costs

October 2, 2026
2 Min read
W

A retailer recently shared a competitor pitch with us that included seven thousand dollars of free point of sale hardware. On a social media ad, it looked spectacular.

The questions started once the retailer sat with the paperwork. How long is the contract? That had not been asked. What does the software cost each month? Not much, apparently. Is there a per-transaction fee? A small one. When the retailer added it all up, the three year total cost of ownership came out at around double what they would pay with Tower Systems.

The hardware was not free. It was funded by a per-transaction percentage that grew as the business grew. The better the retailer traded, the more they paid for hardware they thought was a gift.

We see this often. The giveaway is big and visible. The lock-in and the rising recurring cost sit in the fine print, and by the time a retailer finds them, the ink is dry.

Our advice is to slow down. Read the contract, all of it, before signing anything. If you are weighing up two or three vendors, gather every contract and ask ChatGPT, Claude or Google Gemini to compare them clause by clause. Ask for the total cost across three and five years, at today’s turnover and at a realistic growth rate. This used to take an accountant and a spare afternoon. Now any retailer can do it before their coffee goes cold.

We do it differently at Tower Systems, and happily so. Our pricing and our contract are transparent. There is no bundled free hardware and no percentage taken from your turnover. You pay a straightforward rental fee for the software and that is where our revenue ends. Easy to understand, and easy to compare with anything else in the market.

This post is for Australian independent retailers looking at POS software right now. Compare, review and decide with clear numbers in front of you.

Tower Systems develops and supports POS software for local specialty retailers, including bookshops, jewellers, garden centres, bike shops, toy shops, stockfeed and farm supply businesses, saddleries, computer shops, fishing shops, pet shops, charity businesses, landscape gardening businesses, antique shops, sewing and haberdashery shops, newsagents and more.

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Advide for retailers: Two practical checks for retail POS backups

October 1, 2026
3 Min read
A

Backup in a retail business deserves more attention than an assumption that it is running. In a busy independent shop, the person responsible for the business may not be there when the end-of-day backup takes place.

Two practical checks are the last successful backup recorded by Tower Systems’ Retailer software and the location where the backup should be stored. Together, these give the retailer a clearer starting point than relying on memory.

On the main Retailer screen, the double down arrow at the bottom right provides access to the last successful backup information. This is a quick way to check whether the software has recorded a recent successful backup.

The date matters. A backup that completed some time ago is not the same as confirmation that the current routine is working.

This check is useful whether a staff member starts the backup or it is scheduled to run automatically. An automatic task should still be checked rather than treated as something that can be forgotten once configured.

If the displayed information is older than expected, the retailer should investigate. Tower support can help clarify what the software is showing and what needs checking next.

The second step is to look at the intended backup destination. Depending on the setup, that may involve a USB drive, a cloud destination or a folder.

Check that the backup is actually reaching that location. Knowing the software has recorded a successful backup and knowing where the resulting file is stored are related, but separate, questions.

A retailer should be able to identify the destination and find the expected recent files. If the process relies on someone changing or connecting a device, responsibility for that task needs to be clear.

Neither check should be treated as a guarantee that every recovery scenario is covered. Retailers who are unsure about their backup arrangements or recovery process should discuss those questions with support.

The task does not need to become complicated. Assign responsibility, make the check regular and follow up when something looks different from what was expected.

It is also worth revisiting the arrangement when computers, storage devices or staff responsibilities change. An assumption made under the previous setup may no longer be reliable.

Tower’s human support team can help retailers understand the backup information in Retailer. For a business that depends on its sales, stock and customer records, knowing what happened and where the backup went is a useful habit to establish.

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AI supplier invoice importing: help for retailers when a file will not load

September 30, 2026
2 Min read
A

Supplier invoices do not always arrive in the same format. One supplier sends a PDF, another provides a CSV file, and a third sends a scanned document saved as a PDF. For a busy retailer, the differences may only become apparent when an import does not work as expected.

The AI supplier invoice import tools in our POS software support PDFs, scanned PDFs and CSV files. When a particular file causes trouble, sending it to support gives the team something specific to investigate.

A PDF created directly from a supplier’s system is different from a scan of a printed invoice. They may look similar when opened on screen, but the information inside them is presented differently.

Scanned documents can also be imported. A setting may need to be selected so the AI import process knows it is dealing with a scanned document rather than a standard PDF.

That distinction is worth checking before assuming the invoice cannot be used. It can also save a retailer from repeatedly trying the same approach without changing the underlying setting.

CSV files are supported too. Retailers do not need to assume that AI invoice importing is limited to PDF documents.

The supplier’s original file gives support something specific to investigate. Explaining that an invoice will not import is a starting point, but seeing the document helps the team understand what the import process is encountering.

Retailers can include the error message, if there is one, and a brief explanation of what happened. It is also useful to say whether invoices from that supplier have imported successfully before.

The appropriate next step depends on the file and the software setup. The help desk can examine the example and advise, rather than leaving the retailer to guess which setting might make a difference.

Successful importing should still be followed by a sensible check of the resulting information. Quantities, product matches and prices matter, regardless of how the information entered the system.

For independent retailers, this is a practical use of AI: assistance with a routine administrative job, with human support available when an exception needs attention. It is not a reason to stop checking important business information.

Retailers having trouble with a supplier invoice can email the file to support@towersystems.com.au with a short description of the issue. The original document is often the most useful place to start.

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Retail advice: Shop busy but profit disappointing? Start with better questions

September 29, 2026
2 Min read
R

A retailer can be busy every day and still feel unsure about how the business is performing. There may be stock everywhere, regular sales and plenty of work, yet too little money left at the end of the month.

The question Why is the business losing money? needs more than a sales total. The Insights Dashboard in our POS software offers a starting point for examining trading performance, while recognising that POS information is only part of the financial picture.

The dashboard brings together information to help retailers investigate practical questions. Which products are performing? What stock is not moving? Which items are being bought together?

Stock that has not sold for six months deserves a closer look. That does not automatically mean it should be removed, particularly where seasonal demand is involved. It does give the retailer a reason to review whether it still deserves space and investment.

Products bought together provide another useful line of enquiry. Those purchasing patterns may suggest a better way to position products in the shop.

The value comes from acting on a relevant finding. A retailer might review a slow-moving range or test a different placement for related products, rather than attempt a complete store change at once.

Busy and quiet trading periods are also worth examining. This information can inform a review of staff coverage, alongside the work that needs to be done even when sales are quieter.

The dashboard can also flag behaviour that may warrant investigation for possible theft. An indicator calls for a closer look; it does not establish that theft has occurred.

These are different questions, but each can help explain part of the business’s performance. The dashboard provides a place to begin rather than requiring the retailer to decide which report to search for first.

Retailer is not an accounting package. POS information alone does not provide the complete picture of rent, wages and other business costs.

Dashboard findings therefore need to sit alongside the business’s financial records. Strong product margins do not remove the need to examine overheads, just as high sales do not necessarily establish a worthwhile return.

Retailers can start with one question, examine the information and decide on a measured response. Tower’s support team can help customers find their way into the Insights Dashboard and turn a general concern about performance into a more specific investigation.

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Tower Systems and Gun Traders: supporting responsible firearms retail

September 28, 2026
2 Min read
T

For a firearms dealer, accurate information belongs at the centre of the business. Product listings, individual firearm records and customer details need careful attention, with clear processes for checking information before a transaction proceeds.

Tower Systems’ integration with Gun Traders Australia connects dealer POS information with the online classifieds platform, automatically publishing updated listings and reducing double handling, as outlined in the integration announcement. The practical benefit is a more connected administration process, rather than another separate set of listings for staff to maintain.

Maintaining the same product information in separate places creates another task to remember. A change made in the shop should prompt attention to the information prospective customers can see online.

Automatic publication of updated listings is a documented part of the Gun Traders integration. Dealers should still understand how their setup works and how to check that published information reflects the intended stock details.

That’s an important distinction we think. Less double handling should mean more time for checking exceptions and helping customers, not less care with the underlying records.

Our firearms software includes serial number management for new and second-hand goods, together with customer name and address recording and information accessible for reporting requirements, as detailed on its firearms software page. These functions address the dealer’s business records, rather than simply the presentation of an online listing.

For a dealer assessing software, the useful questions are practical. Can staff identify the individual item, locate the relevant customer information and retrieve the records needed for their reporting process?

Those questions should be tested against the business’s actual requirements. A general demonstration is less useful than working through the records and tasks staff handle every day.

An online listing is not an authorisation to complete a sale. Dealers should continue to apply the licensing, identity, permit and transfer checks relevant to their jurisdiction and transaction, with qualified advice where needed.

The integration should therefore be considered part of a responsible dealer workflow, not a guarantee of safety or compliance. Accurate information, trained staff and appropriate checks need to work together.

Dealers interested in the connection can ask Tower for a demonstration covering Gun Traders alongside serial number management and customer records. This is a practical way to assess the software against the business’s record-keeping needs as well as its online presence.

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