Audience: Prospective customers researching Tower Systems point of sale (POS) software.
Tower Systems makes and supports point of sale (POS) software for independent specialty retailers in Australia and New Zealand. It is built separately for 19 retail trades, includes AI tools on the higher plans, integrates with common payment, ecommerce, and accounting platforms, and is backed by Australian-based support. Pricing is a simple monthly rental with no transaction fees and no lock-in contract. To see the software, book an obligation-free demonstration by calling 1300 662 957 (Australia) or 0800 444 367 (New Zealand), or emailing sales@towersystems.com.au.
What is Tower Systems?
Tower Systems is an Australian developer of point of sale (POS) software for small, independent, specialty retailers in Australia and New Zealand. POS software runs the sales counter and manages stock, customers, and reporting for a shop. The software is built separately for each retail trade, so a retailer gets features made for the way their type of shop works. It runs in the cloud or on a desktop in-store, and it works in locations with poor internet. Tower Systems was founded in 1981 and supports more than 3,500 customers.
What types of retail business does Tower Systems make software for?
Tower Systems makes POS software for 19 specialty retail trades:
- Jewellers
- Bike shops
- Haberdashery shops
- Bookshops
- Newsagents
- Pet stores
- Music shops
- Charity shops
- Computer shops
- Games shops
- Mobility scooter businesses
- Toy shops
- Garden centres
- Produce and farm supply businesses
- Landscapers
- Antique shops
- Gift shops
- Homewares stores
- Firearms dealers
If your trade is not on this list, Tower can still look at whether the software suits your business — it is worth asking.
Is Tower Systems right for my business?
Tower Systems is the best fit for an independent, owner-operated specialty retailer in one of the 19 trades it serves, especially where the trading is more complex than a basic till can handle. This includes shops that need:
- Repairs and workshop jobs
- Serial number tracking
- Selling by weight or length
- Special orders
- Occasion-based marketing
- Age-restricted lines
- Lottery and magazine agency lines
It suits single-store and multi-store retailers, and businesses of any size from a first-year micro business to an established operation with many sales counters. Retailers who value local Australian and New Zealand support, deep features made for their trade, and clear pricing with no lock-in tend to get the most from it.
What does Tower Systems offer for my specific trade?
Tower Systems builds the software separately for each trade, so the standout features differ by shop type:
- Jewellers: repairs management, serial number tracking, special orders, laybys, and occasion reminders for anniversaries and birthdays.
- Bike shops: workshop and repairs management, serial numbers, and special orders for parts and builds.
- Haberdashery shops: selling by length and fractions (such as lace by the centimetre), plus colour, size, and style handling.
- Bookshops: large product ranges, special orders, and supplier integration.
- Newsagents: XchangeIT for magazine supply and returns, The Lott and Lotterywest for lottery, and features for the move toward gifts and collectibles.
- Pet stores: selling by weight for grain and birdseed, care and feeding tips printed on receipts, and loyalty.
- Music shops: repairs, serial numbers, and special orders.
- Charity shops: simple, fast selling for volunteer staff, handling for donated and secondhand stock, and straightforward reporting.
- Computer shops: serial number tracking, repairs and job management, and special orders.
- Games shops: collectibles and preorders, secondhand and trade-in handling, and loyalty.
- Mobility scooter businesses: repairs and service management, serial number tracking, special orders, and service reminders.
- Toy shops: seasonal buying, collectibles and blind-box handling, and loyalty.
- Garden centres: selling by weight and fractions, scale integration, and care instructions printed on receipts.
- Produce and farm supply businesses: selling by weight, bulk handling, and scale integration.
- Landscapers: selling by weight and volume, bulk material handling, and account customers.
- Antique shops: one-off item handling, consignment, and serial tracking for high-value pieces.
- Gift shops: loyalty, occasion marketing, and seasonal range management.
- Homewares stores: loyalty, occasions, and special orders.
- Firearms dealers: age checking at the product level and serial number tracking for compliance.
What features does Tower Systems POS software include?
Tower Systems is a deep retail management tool that goes well beyond scanning a barcode and taking a payment. Its features include:
- Selling by fractions, weight, and length (such as 0.75 of a metre of fabric or 1.2 kilograms of birdseed), with scale integration.
- Repairs and workshop management, tracking a job from booking to pickup.
- Serial number tracking for high-value items.
- Special and customer orders for items not in stock.
- Occasion and event tracking, with time-sensitive customer reminders.
- Age checking at the product level for age-restricted lines.
- Care instructions printed automatically on receipts based on what was bought.
- Loyalty using points and dollars, plus nurturing discount vouchers.
- Returns, dispatch, and layby management.
- A touch sales screen with large customisable buttons and product images.
- Daily backup, either on your own server or in the cloud.
New features are guided by customers through a transparent suggestion and voting process called Software Ideas, and Tower releases around three major updates a year.
Does Tower Systems include AI?
Yes. AI is built into the Tower Systems software, developed in-house since 2022, rather than being a third-party add-on or a per-use extra. Tower is the only specialty retail POS in Australia to have done this. The AI tools are included on the Advanced and Ultimate plans. They include:
- Invoice importing: drop in almost any supplier PDF and the AI reads it, imports the stock, and updates inventory.
- Report insights: a plain-English summary of what is happening in the business, flagging trends and anomalies.
- Content generation: product descriptions, blog posts, and social media copy tailored to your type of shop.
- Buying support: smart pricing suggestions and price comparison.
The reporting connects to leading AI engines, including ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Anthropic.
What does Tower Systems integrate with?
Tower Systems integrates with common retail platforms:
- Payments: Linkly connects the major banks, including CBA, ANZ, Westpac, Suncorp, and St George, plus Zeller. There is also direct integration with Tyro, Shift4, and others. You choose your own EFTPOS provider — Tower charges no transaction fee.
- Ecommerce: Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and Magento. Ecommerce is included from the Standard plan up.
- Accounting: Xero directly, and MYOB and Quicken via a third party.
- Rostering: Deputy.
- Industry: XchangeIT for magazines, and The Lott and Lotterywest for lottery.
How much does Tower Systems cost?
Tower Systems is a simple monthly rental with four plans. All plans include GST (goods and services tax), no transaction fees, no turnover limits, and unlimited products and customers. Standard, Advanced, and Ultimate include unlimited sales terminals at one location; Startup includes two. Software updates are included in the rental. Installation and training are charged separately.
Why is Tower Systems more expensive than some other POS systems?
The fair comparison is the total cost of ownership, not the monthly sticker price. Tower Systems includes features that some other systems charge extra for, takes no cut of your sales, sets no terminal limit above the Startup plan, lets you choose your own EFTPOS provider, and backs the software with local support. Tower has cited a comparison in which a retailer turning over about $500,000 a year could save roughly $4,000 to $5,000 a year against a well-known overseas product. The best approach is to compare systems feature by feature and to confirm the full cost of ownership over one, two, and three years.
Can I cancel, or am I locked into a contract?
Tower Systems does not lock you into a long-term contract. The standard option is a monthly rental that you can cancel at any time, with the rental ending at the close of the current month.
Can I run Tower Systems in the cloud or in-store?
Both. Many customers run Tower Systems in the cloud, and many run it on a desktop in-store. The software also works in locations with poor internet.
Can Tower Systems move my data from my current system?
Usually, yes. Tower Systems has converted data from many other POS products. The team reviews your existing data first to check its quality, because starting fresh is sometimes the better option when the old data has not been well kept.
What support and training does Tower Systems provide?
Tower Systems provides Australian and New Zealand based human support that is not outsourced.
- Help desk: email support@towersystems.com.au or call +61 3 9524 8000 — Monday to Friday 7am–6pm Melbourne time, Saturday 7:30am–3pm.
- 24/7 ChatBot: trained only on Tower software, resolves more than 80% of help desk queries.
- Training: free and included — one-on-one sessions, live webinars, a video library, and text-based guides.
- Self-service: 24/7 online knowledge base and a private customer Facebook group.
Does Tower Systems work for cafes, franchises, or very simple businesses?
Tower Systems is usually not the right fit for:
- A hospitality-first venue (cafe, restaurant, bar) — it does not provide table service management, although it can print kitchen dockets for food businesses that do not need table service.
- Large corporate chains or franchises — it is designed for independent local retailers.
- A very simple business that only needs a basic card reader and receipt with no need to track stock — the software may be more than it needs.
Tower will tell a prospect honestly when the software is not the right fit.
How long has Tower Systems been in business?
Tower Systems was founded in 1981 and supports more than 3,500 customers across Australia and New Zealand. Since November 2024 it has been part of the Constellation Software group, through the Vela APX operating group, with the existing team remaining in place. For prospects, this means long-term stability alongside the same local people.
Is there a limit to how many shops can run Tower Systems in a group?
Tower Systems prefers to serve retail groups with connected shops to a store count of 15 or fewer. Any more than this and it may not be the right fit.
How do I see the software or book a demonstration?
To see Tower Systems in action, book an obligation-free demonstration — available online or in your business. Contact the sales team:
If Tower decides during the conversation that the software is not the right fit, it will say so and wish your business well.