What Is Visual Merchandising? 8 Tips for Retail Businesses

From promoting an offer on the screen of Zeller Terminal to adding a QR code onto your receipts, or customising the colour of your invoices: Zeller ensures your brand is central to the payment process. When we think of brands, naturally some of the most prominent come to mind: Nike, Ikea, McDonalds. However, a strong brand doesn’t necessarily mean a big one. Small businesses are able to derive just as much benefit from a recognisable brand identity as major international companies, it’s all a question of scale. The beauty of building your brand as a small business is that you don’t have to go to huge lengths to achieve it, you just have to be consistent. Emphasising your brand at every customer touch point – whether it’s a simple logo printed on your napkins or the colour of your bathrooms – can leave a lasting impression. In this article, we offer you three innovative ways to integrate your brand into the payment process to engage customers with your business right until they finalise their transaction. 1. Add a Custom Screensaver to Zeller Terminal. Even when Zeller Terminal goes to sleep, it keeps working for your business. Thanks to this new update, you can now set a custom screensaver that will appear on your Terminal screen when it’s not in use. While customers wait for you to scan their items or pull up their order on your point-of-sale, it is the perfect opportunity for you to engage them with your brand. Whether you’ve got a new offer to promote, need to remind customers to place their Christmas orders, or want to highlight a new product or item on the menu: the large, digital screen on Zeller Terminal is the perfect place to do it. Any image can be uploaded, as long as it is sized correctly (320 x 496 px). By incorporating a QR code into the image you can invite customers to sign up to a newsletter, referral program, or competition. This is a great way of bolstering your mailing list with people you know have already interacted with your business. However you choose to use Custom Screensavers on Zeller Terminal, it’s a great way to maintain brand consistency throughout your premises. When you upload a screensaver via Zeller Dashboard, there’s no need to update each Terminal individually, it will automatically update to all the Terminals operating within the site you have selected. By featuring your logo, as well as colours and fonts consistent with your style, a slogan or key message; you will emphasise your brand identity just before your customers walk out the door. To upload a Custom Screensaver: Open the Zeller Dashboard and navigate to Sites Locate and click the site to see its settings Click the Appearance tab Upload your logo Select a background colour (Zeller will automatically recommend some colours based on your logo) Click Save All Zeller Terminals within the site will display the image when in sleep mode 2. Use receipts to engage your customers. Whether they’re printed or sent digitally as an email or SMS , receipts can be used in clever ways to help drive return business or help your customers connect with you. With Zeller, you can add a custom image at the top of the receipt, where a simple logo and/or QR code will catch people’s eye. Below this, you can add in your business details, so your customers know how to contact you, as well as your social media handles. In the case of digital receipts – these are live links that will take customers directly to your social profiles. There are two spaces, above and below the purchase details where you can add a message of 500 characters or less. You could include a brief history of your business, details of a competition you’re running, or a message or slogan that aligns with your brand. Much more than a simple proof of purchase, receipts are an innovative marketing tool that can be leveraged to instil your brand messaging. 3. Align your invoices to your brand identity You don’t necessarily need a shop front to create a strong brand. Having a clear, identifiable web presence will set you apart from your competitors, and ensure your business is the first that comes to mind when your service is required. Or even when it’s not! Your online presence doesn’t end at your website. Every interaction with your customer is an opportunity to remind them of your brand, and invoices are no exception. Zeller Invoices provides you with the best of both worlds: the ability to create and send invoices quickly, but also the flexibility to customise them to align with your brand. With different colours and layouts to choose from, space for your logo and a custom message, your clients will be able to instantly recognise your business and your service. Not only does this make it easier (and therefore faster) for your clients to pay you, but they’ll associate the service with your brand, and are much more likely to return to you next time. Bringing your brand to life across the payment process is just one of the many ways Zeller lets you tailor your financial solution. With many different ways to take payments, make payments and manage your money, Zeller’s tools are designed with the flexibility and versatility to adapt to your business. Find out for yourself by signing up for a free Zeller Account today or by contacting our Sales Team to learn how Zeller could be a great fit for your business, and your brand.

Discover how to meet the ever-evolving needs of shoppers. Retailers are no strangers to disruption. Every 50 years or so, the industry goes through a significant period of change. 200 years ago, Mum-and-Pop shops lined the streets. They were community-anchoring, catch-all drug and general stores, selling anything and everything a person might need for daily life. 150 years ago, the growth of big cities and the rise of railroad networks led to the rise of the first modern-day department stores. Think David Jones, and Myer. 100 years ago, mass-produced automobiles made suburbia more accessible, and appealing. Soon after, shopping malls and high streets formed — posing a challenge to city-based department stores. 50 years ago, in the 1960s and 1970s, discount chains began spreading like wildfire across major cities, transforming the retail landscape once more. Each wave of disruption poses a challenge to retail store owners. While these shifts do not eliminate what came before, each reshapes the landscape through redefined consumer expectations and new entrants to the markets. History proves the retail merchants that thrive are those that are able to adapt to the times, and adopt the latest technology to gain a competitive edge. Adapting to the next normal in retail Every retailer has, to some degree, a sense of what the future of the retail industry could look like — stores morphing into showrooms, with products being shipped out by drones; shoppers making purchases from anywhere, at any time, via whichever device is most convenient for them; perhaps even robotic, roaming mannequins treating walkways as a cat walk. Some are more likely than others to eventuate. Yet what seems futuristic and fanciful in 2022 may one day become the norm. There’s no doubt financial services technology will continue to develop at a fast pace, and your customers will be paying with different devices in the future. Shoppers are already using mobile phones, smartwatches and smart rings to pay for their purchases with a single tap. As shoppers grow to expect more and more from the brands they choose to support, retailers are increasingly needing to consider the customer experience and how to turn shoppers into loyal customers. The 5 trends shaping the future of retail 1. Speed and convenience Speed and convenience will be defining qualities of a top shopping experience. Your customers are becoming less patient, and place increasing importance on the ability to make purchases quickly and easily. Patience for lagging systems and long queues is waning. Every customer must be able to pay for their purchase quickly, in the most convenient way for them. The ability to place orders over the phone, and collect items curbside, is key — as is having the items they expect in stock. Having the ability to take payment via a mobile EFTPOS terminal , from wherever your customer is in-store, will help to alleviate the inconvenience of queues and enable shoppers to ponder additional purchases for longer. Retailers that simplify the purchasing process, and deliver products into their customers’ hands faster, will generate customer loyalty and benefit from repeat purchases and positive word-of-mouth. Many of these efficiencies will be made possible through a powerful, integrated retail POS system . 2. A personalised shopping experience A personalised shopping experience will be a key competitive differentiator. Time-poor shoppers want to know when you start stocking a new product that meets their needs, and have the option to streamline repeat orders. Similarly, their loyalty should be tracked and rewarded. Forward-thinking retailers will use these customer insights to inform their stock purchases, and highly targeted marketing activities. An integrated payments system will enable you to do all of the above, and more. Those retailers that take the time to understand the customer journey, and leverage intelligent tech tools to personalise that journey wherever possible, will come out on top. 3. A shift in spending power Millennials may be the largest consumer group currently, but there’s another generation garnering increased spending power: Gen Z. Discovering what drives a young consumer to shop with one brand over another is key to the long-term success of your retail store. The youngest generations of shoppers tend to be loyal to brands that value honest communication, recognise the environmental impact of their business, and make moves to alleviate that impact in some way. It could be through sustainable packaging, donation drives, or something different entirely. Transparency in production lines will also help to generate brand loyalty; your shoppers want to know where their purchases come from. Every retailer should take the time to understand the mindset of the consumers who control the largest chunk of the purchasing dollar. Retailers need to evolve with that high-value consumer to hold onto their brand relevance in 2022 and beyond. 4. Support for smaller brands In recent years, there has been a clear shift away from department stores. Fewer consumers are shopping with big brands, and instead are choosing to spend with local stores, boutiques and smaller brand name shops. When it comes to agility, smaller brands have the upper hand. With no boards or shareholders to answer to, or long-engrained brand values and traditions to consider, small retailers can adapt to consumer trends more quickly — whether that is by introducing new, simpler ways to pay, new product lines, innovative advertising strategies, or something else entirely. While larger brands will struggle to stay relevant, independent retailers can (and should) take advantage of the fast pace of change to deliver exceptional, modern consumer experiences. 5. Frictionless payment experiences A frictionless payment experience will be a key component of a positive shopping experience. In simplest terms, that means every shopper should be able to pay: wherever they want — in-store, online, over the phone, or curbside using whichever method of payment, and device, they prefer with one tap. If shoppers are required to pay a surcharge, they shouldn’t be financially penalised for choosing one payment method over another. For retailers, that means it’s even more important to seek out one low transaction rate — like that offered by Zeller. In future, payments may be able to be made through iris scanning, fingerprint recognition or even facial identification technology. The opportunities are endless. For now, it’s imperative that your store’s EFTPOS machine is able to accept payments made through digital devices, such as mobile wallets. Increasingly, the ability to accept payment via QR codes will become critical as more consumers adopt the likes of AliPay and WeChat Pay — both of which are already popular among tourists. Change is inevitable, yet the aim of retailers remains the same: to make the shopping experience more convenient for the customer. New technology will continue to emerge to enhance the customer experience, streamline payment processes, and offer retailers new ways to win and retain customers. Retailers will have to work hard to meet the ever-evolving expectations of shoppers. However, those that do will solidify their brand position amongst the next generation of shoppers, and be rewarded with customer loyalty for years to come.

With hundreds of point-of-sale (POS) providers in Australia, selecting the right one can be an overwhelming task. In this article, we outline the key factors to consider when choosing a POS, and recommend some of the best providers for your industry. If you’re a new or existing business owner, by now, you probably know  what a point-of-sale system is and how it works . The next step is choosing a solution that is appropriate to your business size and industry. To help make the right decision, read our list of considerations below and make note of which ones are the most (and least) important to your business, so that when you’re in conversation with a POS provider, you can be well equipped to ask the right questions. Then, learn which POS providers are the most popular among cafes, quick-service restaurants, dine-in restaurants, retail businesses, and bars and clubs. Important considerations when choosing the best POS system for your business. Hardware POS hardware refers to the physical devices that make up your POS system. This could include any or all of: a computer or display unit, a receipt printer, a barcode scanner, a cash drawer, and an EFTPOS machine. While large businesses may require a full suite of hardware, many smaller businesses can get away with little more than a tablet or smartphone. Portable devices like Zeller Terminal 2 (which has a POS system built-in) are often referred to as mobile POS or ‘ mPOS ’, and they provide excellent functionality, allowing merchants to do everything from managing their inventory to taking payments all from the one machine. Software The functionality of the POS software will arguably be the biggest factor in determining your final choice. If you are a retail business, you may want to prioritise a robust inventory management system – this will allow you to easily track stock levels, anticipate when popular items will run out, and stay on budget. For hospitality businesses, a floor management system may also be required to manage table seating and reservations. Additional functionality includes sales reporting, for managing cash flow; employee management, for automatically logging hours and tracking performance; and customer relationship management (CRM), for collecting customer data and implementing targeted marketing campaigns. While these are the most common and basic features of POS systems, those designed for individual industries will offer even more specialised features. Ease of use Think about who will be using the POS system on a day-to-day basis. Do you have a high turnover rate of employees? If so, consider how easy it will be to train new staff to use the software. A simple, intuitive interface will greatly reduce human error, which, in a fast-paced environment, could be critical. Integration For most businesses, their POS provider cannot just work alone, it will need to be able to integrate into a number of different systems. The accounting software,  payments provider , and/or e-commerce platform you use (or are planning to use) should ideally integrate with your POS system. By enabling information to flow easily between systems, you will greatly increase the efficiency of your operations, saving you and your team time and money. Take note of what platforms a POS provider integrates with before making a decision, as this can become a frustrating roadblock later on if it is neglected. Customer support How quickly and easily you can contact your POS provider is something that can be easily overlooked – but it’s extremely important. If you decide to go with a POS system that offers all the bells and whistles, but doesn’t have anyone to pick up the phone when you need help, this will quickly lead to frustration and potentially lost revenue. Check the provider’s website and LinkedIn: are their offices based in Australia? What are their customer service hours? Do they have a robust support centre with help articles and troubleshooting resources? Will you be assigned an account manager? Additionally, how quickly you need to get up and running is an important consideration. Many traditional POS providers require a technician to come out and set up the hardware and software, whereas newer web-based systems are often self-service and can be entirely set up remotely. Multi-location Do you run a multi-location operation or are you planning on scaling in the future? If so, it’s important to be sure that the POS software is equipped to deal with multi-venue requirements. Being able to push updates to machines at several venues at once, aggregating reporting from all venues, and monitoring stock transfers between locations, are just some of the features you’ll want to ensure your POS provider can support. Cost With varying pieces of equipment, features, minimum requirements, and pricing models, understanding exactly how much you’re going to pay for a POS service is not easy. To avoid bill-shock later on, make sure you understand exactly how each aspect of the service is priced. Are you buying the hardware outright or will you access it on a rental agreement? Is the software licence a one-time purchase or a monthly/annual subscription? Is there a cost associated with ongoing support and maintenance? Will you pay a fee each time a transaction is processed through the POS? Ensure you ask any potential POS provider all these questions before signing a contract. Best POS providers by industry The table below presents some of the best POS providers available to Australian business owners, organised by industry, with some of their noteworthy features listed on the right hand side. For a comprehensive list of features, be sure to contact the POS provider directly and request a demo before signing up. Let Zeller manage your payments. No matter how you prefer to manage your checkout process, Zeller is Australia’s leading payments provider, tailored to meet your business needs. For smaller or mobile businesses with a limited inventory, Zeller offers Zeller POS Lite, built into Zeller Terminal 2 at no extra cost. Larger, more established businesses can benefit from Zeller Terminal’s seamless integration with over 600 different POS platforms. Whether you’re looking for a simple, cost-effective mobile solution or a fully integrated EFTPOS machine with advanced features like tipping, bill-splitting, and custom screensavers, Zeller’s platform is designed to evolve with your business. Chat with our sales team today to set up Zeller POS Lite, or explore our Zeller Partner Hub to find the perfect POS integration for your business.