Author: mark

I am a Director of newsXpress, a marketing group for newsagents keen for a bright future. You can reach me on +61 418 321 338 or mark[at]towersystems.com.au

Newsagency software from Tower Systems helps newsagents run healthier and happier retail businesses

The newsagency software from Tower Systems is key to helping newsagents, including newsXpress members, to run more current and successful retail businesses.

From differentiating and local-business tuned loyalty facilities to tools that nurture community group support to time saving supplier integrations to easy online selling, the Tower Systems newsagency software plays a vital role in guiding greater success for the 1,700+ newsagents who use the software.

This software for newsagents is designed with newsagents, to serve specific needs newsagents have in their businesses. It serve us valuable business insights designed to maximise opportunities for newsagent business owners and employees.

It is not your usual POS Solutions software. This is newsagency specific POS software.

This newsagency software is packed with benefits, including:

  • Connect with Slyp for digital receipts.
  • Connect with Deputy, Tanda or Planday for easy roster management.
  • Connect with suppliers – this software is XchangeIT compliant.
  • Connect with other suppliers – we accept many different electronic invoices.
  • Leverage you. If your knowledge is a differentiator, offer it through structured opportunities in the software.
  • Save time with each management of magazine putaways.
  • Cut bad debts with strong customer and sub agent account management.
  • Replace LayBy with easier buy now pay later where you are paid right away.
  • Ensure compliance with structured age checking for tobacco products.
  • Easily handle special customer orders. Bring product in for a specific customer and have them notified automatically by email or text when the goods are in and ready.
  • Business differentiating loyalty. Stand out from the crowd. Have customers coming back to you for this.
  • Maximise the basket with easy to use one-time shopper loyalty tools.
  • School and club pricing profiles. Set pricing rules based on customer type.
  • Pre-orders – Easily pre-sell a delivery so that when the stock arrives you can manage distribution and billing efficiently.
  • Differentiate with informative receipts. These can include product care, use and safety information based on what customers buy.
  • Differentiate with bundles. Selling items bundled together makes price comparison hard.
  • Market to customers based on past purchases.
  • Save time by importing electronic invoices.
  • Sell more with a direct connect to buy now pay later services.
  • Cut mistakes with integrated EFTPOS.
  • Cut accounting and bookkeeping fees with integration to Xero and others.
  • Easily sell online with a direct to Shopify / Magento or WooCommerce link from your POS software.

This newsagency software is packed with plenty more.

All these featured and the backing of an awesome help desk team are the reason more newsagents in Australia use this software than all other newsagency software products combined.

The other huge differentiator for Tower Systems is that it owns and runs newsagency businesses and has done since February 1996. Walking in. the shoes of its customers has proved to be invaluable in terms of newsagency software innovation.

This software offers:

  1. Exclusive greeting 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.

Not all newsagency software is the same. See for yourself.

newsXpress leverages unique opportunities to power success

newsXpress is genuinely unique in the newsagency marketing group mix.

We leverage the Tower Systems retail experience. Tower serves 3,500+ independent retailers across 10 retail channels. Data insights from these channels provide early insights that we leverage for newsXpress members.

The value of this dataset is extraordinary.

The work by Tower Systems with toy shops, homewares businesses, and gift shops has been instrumental in newsXpress members broadening the appeal of their businesses.

Through this we can speak to key metrics such as return on floor space, return on labour, and return on investment, and through these help you cultivate more value from your business.

We own, and run our own shops, as playing fields where we experiment for our members with their full knowledge, and guidance.

We were first with a consumer-facing online offer at the group level, and at an individual store level.

We have an active new shopper strategy, focussed through several suppliers that do not partner with any other marketing group.

We will disagree with you sometimes. If you ask our opinion, our feedback will be honest, and backed by evidence. We owe you the truth.

We do much more than this, leverage much more than this. So much is outside what is traditional for newsagents, and this is where we cultivate value.

Helping newsagents enjoy their transforming businesses

Okay, this is important.

Enjoying your business helps you make better decisions. It also helps those with you in the business make better business decisions.

Through our newsXpress community you have friends you can have a laugh with, and folks you can trust to decompress with.

In our Zoom meetings and other contact points we, together, have a laugh.

We listen, and share with you. We nurture your resilience and, sometimes, help you find enjoyment when it may not have been obvious.

It really comes back to why you are in business. The answer to this varies. Understanding it is key to the enjoyment you feel and achieve.

The business itself becomes enjoyable when speed bumps are overcome and stormy weather guided away. Having access to your own business mentor can help achieve these things.

Success is enjoyable. We encourage and help to find success so you can feel the happiness it brings.

We understand, too, that enjoyment can be different for each of us. We are keen to know what enjoyment feels like for you, to make sure that we tap into enjoyment in a way that is meaningful to you.

Next, let’s turn to the how …

Not everyone thinks their dad is a super hero

Not everyone thinks their dad is a super hero or their best friend, or a saint. Sometimes, finding the narrative that feels right for Father’s Day can be difficult. We have cards that don’t gush too much, cards that simply wish Happy Father’s Day, and that’s what plenty of people want.
When considering cards for our shop we know we serve a broad range of feelings and many different situations. For Father’s Day we have sought out cards to celebrate dads in many different ways.

How newsXpress helps newsagents cultivate value in. their businesses

The value of a product depends on its gross profit, what you sell it for less what you paid for it. The real value of a product is the gross profit less the labour, and retail space costs for the product. The value of a product over a year is these things times the quantity of the product sold.

If you sell a gift for $250 with a GP% of 50%, you make $125.00. That’s the same as the GP you would make from around 380 newspapers, 85 magazines or 100 or so lottery tickets.

newsXpress helps its members grow profit, and through this cultivate greater value for their businesses, and from that flows enjoyment.

Can anyone sell items worth $250 or more? In our experience, yes!

But, value is about more than the ticket price of an item. Other factors:

  • Buy price. We help you buy better.
  • Stock turn. We help you understand this and improve it.
  • We help you reduce the cost of theft.
  • We help you cast your business differently, to help improve shopper stickiness

We offer advice and support on these, data driven advice, helping you to maximise every value opportunity. Evidence is key, your evidence.

We know that if we help you maximise value at the transaction level, it plays out wonderfully when the time comes for you to sell your business.

newsXpress helps newsagents cultivate value in and from their businesses

Value is key in any business, especially in local indie retail like newsXpress. You need to think about both the value you create today and the value your business will have when you sell it.

The newsagency channel was created in the 1880s to distribute a magazine through the goldfields of Victoria. Some of the agency arrangements put in place then can still be seen in business arrangements today.

But while we respect the history of the channel, the future for our shops is the future. It’s nothing like those goldfield days.

newsXpress works to provide its members with opportunities of and for the future, opportunities for value.

What you sell, how you sell, when you sell, and who you sell to are all up for grabs. It all starts with the narrative of your business, how you pitch yourself.

How far you go is up to you. We’ll pitch ideas and opportunities, but what you do with them is up to you. Once you decide, we can help with the practical steps.

We understand that old-school products and services are valuable, but their value is declining. But you’re not alone. We’ll help you, work with you, hold your hand, and encourage you – as much or as little as you want.

Let’s talk about how we can help you create more value for your business today and in the future.