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A new version of POS Solutions Retail AI ChatBot released

POS SOFTWARE

Notebooklm for retailers
Everyone is very excited to see what AI can do to help run a shop, looking at decisions like staff issues, responding to a customer complaint, checking a lease clause, questioning EFTPOS costs, reviewing slow stock, why cash is tight now, etc.

The information you often need exists somewhere, often online, in such places as a government website, in an Award, inside a supplier document, a POS report, your lease or your financial statements. The problem is finding it quickly, understanding what matters and applying it to your shop.

The POS Solutions Retail AI Notebook brings these sources together. It gives Australian independent retailers a practical AI research assistant built around trusted retail information. Add your own reports and documents, and it can help you analyse the questions that matter to your business. I doubt anyone else has anything this sophisticated for retail in our marketplace.

NotebookLM can generate answers based on sources added to a notebook and provide citations that take you back to the relevant supporting material. That makes it useful for reviewing reports, locating provisions in documents and preparing questions for advisers. 

The sources are current now, but you need to review them regularly, as employment, tax, consumer, leasing, and payment rules can change, so always check the cited source before acting. In this third version, we're checking them. So you know they are current now.

Key Takeaways

  • The POS Solutions Retail AI Notebook has 33 carefully selected sources.
  • The sources cover employment, consumer law, tax, payments, WHS, mental health, leasing, store layout and business planning.
  • It was made to be particularly relevant to newsagencies, bookshops, pet shops, gift retailers and other independent stores with broad product ranges.
  • Add your own POS reports, lease and financial records to personalise it for your specific business.
  • The notebook helps you find information, analyse reports and prepare better questions; it does not replace professional advice.
  • To request a copy, email POS Solutions for the current access and setup information.

What Is It?

The POS Solutions Retail AI Notebook is a ready-made NotebookLM workspace for Australian independent retailers. It combines regulatory information, practical retail guidance, financial benchmarks and original retail research in one searchable environment.

It is not simply an empty AI tool. The notebook starts with retail-specific Australian sources, so you can ask a question in plain language and get an answer linked to the source material in the notebook.

For example, instead of separately searching Fair Work guidance, the Retail Award and general employment material, you could ask:

“What should I check before changing the roster of a part-time retail employee?”

The notebook can help identify relevant material. Please seek specialist advice if the issue is serious. It's particularly good for explaining what these experts say in plain Australian English.

Where It Matters

We all manage a wide range of responsibilities. You may need to think about wages, stock, margins, customer rights, rent, etc. at any moment.

A good retail AI notebook does not replace your experience or judgement. It helps you find the right starting point faster and makes it easier to connect a business question with the documents and figures that may answer it. What I find it particularly good for is running different scenarios. What if I do this? If I do it, what problems could I face? Don't shy; I often tell it the idea isn't what I want. Could you suggest an alternative? Sometimes I just swear at it when it is off-topic; that works sometimes.

For a retailer, that might mean examining:

  • Gift ranges that have stopped turning after a seasonal event
  • Book-category performance by supplier or genre
  • Stationery sales before and after back-to-school
  • Gross margin and stock turn by department
  • Space allocated to cards, gifts, magazines, books and stationery
  • Magazine sell-through, returns and allocation
  • Greeting-card sales and the value of display space

Your POS system already holds important business intelligence. The notebook helps you use that information alongside reliable guidance and your own commercial documents.

What Sources Are Included?

The POS Solutions Retail AI Notebook contains 33 sources. Unfortunately, the free version of NotebookLM includes only 50 sources, so to add more, we have to remove one.

  • 31 web URLs and online resources
  • Two original Markdown or text documents

The original documents are:

  • Research Report: Workplace Crisis & First Aid Management
  • Australian Independent Retail Intelligence Report 2026, stored as retail2.txt

The sources are organised around five areas that reflect an Australian retailer's real responsibilities.

Employment and Fair Work

We included the General Retail Industry Award 2020 [MA000004], Fair Work Ombudsman guidance, and related material for common employment questions.

The Retail Award covers employers in the general retail industry and employees who fit the Award's classifications. The Fair Work Commission's consolidated Award incorporates amendments up to and including 1 July 2026. 

If that is not your award, you need to change it.

You might ask:

  • “What Award information should I check before changing this employee's roster?”
  • “What duties may distinguish a Level 1 employee from a Level 2 employee?”
  • “What records and steps should I consider before dealing with a stock discrepancy?”
  • “What should I check before ending the employment of a part-time retail worker?”

Pay rates and conditions can change. Fair Work publishes current pay guides, including a General Retail Industry Award guide effective from the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2026. [fairwork.gov]

Important: The notebook can help locate relevant guidance and give you some ideas.

Consumer Rights and Pricing

The notebook includes sources on consumer law such as guarantees, price displays, promotions, advertising, card surcharges, spam-related marketing obligations, etc. Recently we had a client who was threatened over his advertisement as it lacked some required details.

For example, you could ask:

  • “A gift item is faulty six weeks after purchase. What consumer guarantee issues should I consider?”
  • “What should our signage make clear if a 40% discount applies only to selected stock?”
  • “What should I review before changing our card surcharge?”
  • “What information should appear on a price display before a promotion starts?”

Clear pricing and accurate promotional material protect customers and reduce avoidable disputes. Use the notebook to find relevant guidance, then review the cited official source before deciding.

Tax, Payments and Performance

The notebook includes sources on tax, business benchmarks, financial reports, payment costs, gross margin, GMROI, and business viability.

This is where your own POS reports and financial documents become especially valuable. A generic AI tool cannot know whether your margins are falling, whether gifts are tying up too much capital or whether your rent is becoming harder to support. Your reports can provide that context.

For example, you could ask:

  • “Over the last 12 months, what departments grew in sales but fell in gross margin?”
  • “What stock has not sold in 12 months?”
  • “Which gift suppliers have the lowest stock turn?”
  • “Compare greeting cards, gifts, books, magazines and stationery by sales, gross profit and stock turn.”
  • “Which categories may deserve more or less floor space?”

The ATO says business benchmarks help businesses compare selected financial ratios with similar businesses and should be reviewed at least annually before lodging a tax return. For newsagents, the ATO's benchmark material identifies cost of sales as a key ratio for assessing turnover. 

Benchmarks are not instructions. They prompt you to investigate. If a figure sits outside a benchmark range, the reason may be product mix, rent, wages, location, business model, reporting differences, growth investment or an underlying problem.

WHS, First Aid and Well-being

Retail businesses need straightforward procedures for the unexpected: a medical emergency, a customer incident, a workplace injury, an aggressive situation or staff distress.

The notebook includes WHS, first-aid and mental-health material to help retailers prepare practical store procedures.

Questions might include:

  • “What should our first-aid procedure include if a customer collapses near the counter?”
  • “What should staff do immediately after an incident in the shop?”
  • “What information should be recorded after a workplace injury?”
  • “What support pathways could we include in a simple staff well-being policy?”

A retailer often carries staffing, customer and financial pressures. Having reliable support information now, with clear procedures available during a crisis, is very useful.

Of course, for an emergency or immediate health and safety risk, contact the relevant emergency service ASAP.

Store Operations and Leasing

The notebook also includes material on customer flow, store layout, visual merchandising, retail leasing, plastics obligations and business-sale planning.

For newsagencies and speciality retailers, layout is not simply about making the shop look good. It affects how customers move, what they notice and which ranges receive browsing time.

You could ask:

  • “How can I improve customer flow between the counter, greeting cards and gift departments?”
  • “Which high-margin categories should be more visible from the entrance?”
  • “Which slow-selling ranges occupy too much valuable floor space?”
  • “How can I place gift products near greeting cards to encourage sales?”
  • “What lease dates are coming up soon?”

Your lease can be one of the most important documents in the business. Once you add it to your private notebook, you can ask it to help identify clauses dealing with rent reviews, outgoings, make-good obligations, renewal options, assignment and notice periods.

That does not mean the notebook can interpret a lease as a solicitor would. It can help you identify the clauses and questions worth taking to a solicitor, landlord or leasing adviser.

The Retail Intelligence Report

The Australian Independent Retail Intelligence Report 2026 is the notebook's central strategy source. It gives the AI broader context on the commercial realities facing independent Australian retailers.

It includes:

  • Volume One: Market Reality and the Transformation Imperative, Chapters 1 to 12
  • Volume Two: Operational Benchmarks and Financial Metrics, Chapters 13 to 33
  • Volume Three: Strategic Implementation Frameworks, Chapters 34 to 49
  • Volume Four: Future-Proofing and Strategic Foresight, Chapters 50 to 60
  • Appendices A to L: Worksheets, checklists and templates

The report helps connect individual decisions. A weak category may not simply be a buying problem. It may involve stock turn, gross margin, display position, discounting, customer traffic, supplier terms or the category's strategic role in the store.

For example:

“Review my last 12 months of gift-category sales, gross margin and stock turn. Identify the five poorest-performing suppliers, then suggest the questions I should investigate before changing the range.”

Make It Your Assistant

The 33 sources provide the general retail foundation. Your own documents make the notebook specific to your business.

Start with reports that are clear, recent and useful.

Useful POS Reports

Consider adding:

  • Sales by department, category and supplier
  • Sales by item or SKU
  • Gross-profit and gross-margin reports
  • Stock-on-hand reports
  • Stock-turn reports
  • Dead-stock and slow-selling-stock reports
  • Discount and promotion reports
  • Sales comparisons by month, year, store or channel
  • Customer, loyalty or transaction summaries where appropriate

For best results, use clearly named reports covering a consistent date range. Monthly PDF or spreadsheet reports are often easier to work with than large, raw transaction exports.

A useful prompt could be:

“Review this 12-month sales-by-category report for my suburban newsagency. Identify the five largest sales declines, show whether gross margin also fell and suggest questions I should investigate before changing the range.”

Add Your Lease

Your lease gives the notebook access to dates, rent reviews, outgoings, options and obligations that can shape your fixed costs.

Try asking:

“List the important dates in this lease coming soon, including rent reviews, option deadlines, notice periods and expiry dates.”

Add Financial Documents

You may also add tax returns, BAS statements, profit-and-loss reports or balance sheets that you are comfortable storing in your Google account.

These documents can help you investigate questions such as:

“Using my financial statements and the benchmark sources in this notebook, which expense ratios need further investigation, and what are three possible reasons for each?”

Protect Your Information

Use sensible precautions to protect your privacy.

Your POS reports, lease and financial records may contain commercially sensitive or personal information. Before uploading to your notebook, review the access settings and sharing permissions.

For a retailer using your notebook, the practical protection is:

  • Use a strong, unique password for the Google account.
  • Turn on Google two-step verification.
  • Keep the notebook private rather than sharing it publicly.

Share it only with specifically invited Google accounts if staff or advisers need access. I suggest not sharing it with anyone. You can always send the relevant material without giving them access to the notebook itself.

Ask Better Questions

The best questions are clear about the report, time period, store type and decision you need to make. Ask clear questions, and you'll get clear answers.

Try questions such as:

  • “Based on the Retail Award, what information should I check before changing this employee's roster?”
  • “Summarise the consumer guarantee principles relevant to this customer complaint.”
  • “Review my merchant statement and identify EFTPOS fees I should question.”
  • “Which departments have declining sales and declining gross margin?”
  • “What stock has not sold in 12 months, and how much capital does it represent?”
  • “Which greeting-card and gift ranges produce the strongest return on stock investment?”
  • “What lease obligations and dates should I put into my calendar?”
  • “What are the main first-aid and emergency procedures this shop should have?”
  • “Which categories appear to deserve more floor space?”
  • “What questions should I take to my accountant after reviewing these reports?”

The most effective approach is to give the notebook context.

Instead of:

“Why are sales down?”

Try:

“Review this 12-month sales-by-category report for my suburban newsagency. Compare gifts, greeting cards, magazines, books and stationery. Identify the largest sales declines, show whether gross margin also fell and list the questions I should investigate before changing the range.”

Important Limits

The POS Solutions Retail AI Notebook is designed to help you find information, analyse reports and prepare better business questions. It is not legal, tax, financial, employment, medical or emergency advice.

Although this notebook is set for low hallucinations, they do happen. The notebook may misunderstand a question, miss an exception, work from incomplete business data or rely on a source that needs updating. Also remember you know a lot more about many things than this AI assistant, so like anyone you ask for advice, check before acting.

What I find useful is using it before I meet an expert to become better prepared; some examples might be:

  • Identify relevant Award clauses before speaking with an HR adviser.
  • Review sales and margin trends before meeting your accountant.
  • Locate lease dates and clauses before consulting a solicitor.
  • Prepare a store safety checklist before seeking WHS guidance.
  • Investigate stock and category trends before committing to a buying decision.

That is where the real value lies: less time hunting for information, better questions and more productive conversations with the people who advise your business.

Get a Copy

The POS Solutions Retail AI Notebook is available to blog readers who want a practical AI assistant for their retail business.

To request access:

  1. Email POS Solutions and ask for the Retail AI Notebook.
  2. We will provide the current access and setup information.
  3. Create your own copy under the Google account you control.
  4. Add selected POS reports, such as sales, margin, stock and category reports.
  5. I suggest adding your lease if you want help finding key dates and commercial obligations.
  6. I also suggest adding relevant financial reports, BAS statements, or tax information to review financial performance and benchmarks.
  7. Add more sources if required.

What to do?

Email POS Solutions today to request your copy of the Retail AI Notebook. Create your own private copy, add the business information you want it to analyse, and start turning POS data, retail guidance, and commercial documents into more useful decisions for your shop.

 

Detailed notes on how to use NotebookLM are available here. I would say plan about half an hour to go through the details. 

Written by:

Bernard Zimmermann

 

Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director at POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience. He consults to various organisations, from small businesses to large retailers and government institutions. Bernard is passionate about helping companies optimise their operations through innovative POS technology and enabling seamless customer experiences through effective software solutions.

 

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POS Solutions at 43: Australia's Ultimate POS System Story

POS SOFTWARE

 

POS Solutions birthday cake, 43 years
After 43 years, we have seen cash registers almost disappear, and we now have cloud- and network-connected POS systems. Cheques and cash are almost gone.

Today, , POS Solutions turns 43, and yet many retailers we meet are still missing the efficiency gains that four decades of point-of-sale experience can deliver.

Here's how a St Kilda bedroom startup became Australia's leading newsagency and POS System software provider and what that journey means for your business.

POS Solutions

POS Solutions is an Australian Point of Sale (POS) system provider founded on 8 September 1983 by self-taught programmer Bernard Zimmermann in a St Kilda flat in Melbourne. Today the company develops POS software and supplies POS hardware for independent retailers across Australia.

It operates from its head office at the Fiveway Business Centre in Keysborough, Victoria, supporting retailers across Australia and New Zealand.

Long before "point of sale" was a household phrase. We recognised that computers could transform how shops managed stock, sales, and customers.

Why Does 43 Years of POS Experience Matter?

Experience matters in POS software because retail punishes downtime. Every minute a till is offline costs money and real customers.

How Did POS Solutions Begin in 1983?

Our first trade show many many years ago.

 

POS Solutions began on 8 September 1983, when its founder, me, started writing custom software from the bedroom of a St Kilda flat. I was a self-taught programmer with deep retail knowledge and a passion for technology. I believed computers could help retail run better and set out to prove it, one customer at a time.

At the time, most independent retailers ran their shops on paper, memory, and gut feel. I had a one-person philosophy that still shapes the company today. Every feature is from a real retailer's request. We listened to our customers first, then did our best to deliver. This founding habit has never left us.

My early program replaced shoeboxes of receipts with searchable records. I remember one of my first clients telling me he could finally see which product lines actually made money, rather than guessing.

43 years in, and I have loved every minute of it. Turns out they are right: if you love your work, you never work a day.

How Has Australian Retail Changed Since 1983?

Australian retail has transformed completely since 1983, shifting from cash and lay-by books to tap-and-go payments and real-time stock control.

Cards now account for roughly three-quarters of all consumer payments in Australia, while cash has fallen to just 13% of transactions. EFTPOS arrived and changed the checkout forever. Then came barcode scanning, the GST in 2000, and integrated card terminals. Then tap-and-go, online shopping, and soon QR codes. Each wave forced retailers to adapt within months, not years. Each wave rewarded retailers with flexible systems and punished those locked into rigid ones.

As a result, POS Solutions is the market leader in Australian newsagency and well established in POS systems.

How Did POS Solutions Grow into a Market Leader?

POS Solutions grew into a market leader by specialising deeply, supporting relentlessly. Our theme never changes: steady growth built on listening to retailers.

What Has POS Solutions Delivered for Retailers in 2026?

In the past year, POS Solutions has focused on payments, compliance, and practical support. These are the three areas where retailers feel change first. Sometimes the issues are unglamorous, such as when a recent Windows update broke receipt printers across many shops; that hands-on support, not just software, has kept the company relevant for over four decades.

What Can a Modern POS System Do for Your Shop?

A modern POS system manages your entire shop from one screen. It handles sales, stock, payments, staff, and reporting and pays for itself in the minutes it saves at every sale.

 
  • It tracks every item from sale to delivery, flagging slow movers before they eat your cash flow.
  • Sales can be completed in 1.6 seconds thanks to its commercial-grade SQL.
  • It integrates EFTPOS, eliminating double-keying. Helps with end-of-day reconciliation errors.
  • Reporting dashboards that turn your sales history into decisions.

Conclusion: Here's to 43 Years

Here's to 43 years of retail innovation and to the next chapter we'll write together.

Written by:

Bernard Zimmermann

 

Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director at POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience. He consults to various organisations, from small businesses to large retailers and government institutions. Bernard is passionate about helping companies optimise their operations through innovative POS technology and enabling seamless customer experiences through effective software solutions.

 

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Last-Minute Father's Day Merchandising 2026

POS SOFTWARE

Father's day 2026

We now have the Roy Morgan report on the likely Father's Day 2026 shopper. We expect more shoppers and a smaller budget than last year, which makes sense if more people are shopping. The Roy Morgan report on Father's Day is here.

https://www.roymorgan.com/findings/more-shoppers-smaller-splurges-as-aussies-prepare-for-fathers-day

The critical question for your bottom line is whether they will spend their money with you, or take their business to another retailer that has designed a more visible and convenient shopping experience.

I think we would like them to release it earlier so we can better use the report to prepare.

Key Takeaways

  • Father's Day trading peaks in the final forty-eight hours; Saturday should be good.
  • Physical shelf rearrangement is now your primary sales lever
  • Make sure your Point of Sale (POS) data is set up to give you insights into which gift categories and price points are moving
  • Make some stock consolidation to group Father's Day products into a single high-traffic display near the entrance
  • Father's Day items can work on the front counter, as they are now impulse sales
  • Get ready now

What Is Last-Minute Father's Day Merchandising?

Last-minute merchandising is the process of repositioning existing stock to maximise visibility and convenience in the final trading days before the event. Now ensure that your stock is highly visible and easy to purchase. For example, a Father's Day-type book sitting on a shelf in your book section should be moved to a prominent position. Why not make a table with a sign; it's a great idea. By reorganising your shop floor, you make it much simpler for customers to find it.

Why Are the Final 48 Hours Critical for Father's Day Sales?

The commercial stakes are incredibly high in the final forty-eight hours of a retail campaign. Most Father's Day sales are last-minute purchases. Don't leave Father's Day stock scattered across normal shelving; few of your customers will hunt for these items on their own.

How Can Newsagents Use POS Data to Guide Shelf Adjustments?

Using your POS system, run a top-sellers report for the last seven days to see the current customer demand. Plus, look at the week ending 7 September 2025 to see what sold last year. If it sold well last year, why not in 2026?

How to run the Top Selling Items report

Now that we've covered the value of the Top Selling Items report let's walk through how to generate it in your POS system. I'll use our point-of-sale software as an example, but the process is similar across most platforms.

Here are the simple steps:

Go to Register reports.

 

Register menu

 

Now select "Top N Stock Sales for a Given Period."

 

Stock report

 

You will want about 30 items with the last seven days' sales for your shop, and you will get a report that looks like this:

 

Specifically, you should review your POS dashboard to check:

  • Which greeting cards, books, or magazines have sold faster than expected this week
  • Which specific gift items are running low? It is too late to order more now, but you may have a substitute product you can display. Last-minute shoppers are not fussy.
  • Which categories are moving? They need to go into a better spot.
  • Which price points are actively selling?

For example, if your POS data reveals that grooming-related items are moving much faster than puzzles this week, you should immediately shift your shelf space toward grooming products and pull the puzzle display back for now.

v

How Do Front-of-Counter Displays Drive Impulse Purchases?

The front counter is your last opportunity to add value to an existing transaction. Every customer who is already purchasing a Father's Day card is an ideal candidate for an impulse add-on. This is the fastest and most cost-effective way for newsagents to lift average transaction value.

What also works well is a stand of Father's Day goods under $10.

Conclusion: How Do You Make Your Existing Stock Work Harder?

In the final forty-eight hours of the campaign, Father's Day 2026 is entirely a merchandising challenge rather than a buying challenge [21]. Spend less than an hour moving your stock to where customers can actually see it, setting up impulse prompts at your front counter, and ensuring your displays are prepared.

Written by:

Bernard Zimmermann

 

Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director at POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience. He consults to various organisations, from small businesses to large retailers and government institutions. Bernard is passionate about helping companies optimise their operations through innovative POS technology and enabling seamless customer experiences through effective software solutions.

 

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You Can Use Gemini Notebook to Run a Tighter, Smarter Shop

POS SOFTWARE

Notebooklm for business

 

You already track sales through your point-of-sale (POS) system; there is a lot to read, and who can go through it all? No one. Can you go through all the legal documents we get again? No one. We're all suffering in business from information overload.

I think we can all benefit from a system like NotebookLM, which helps close that gap by turning your existing documents into instant answers. This guide shows you exactly how to set it up, what to upload first, and where it earns its keep in your business.

Key Takeaways

  • Operational efficiency improves when scattered business documents move into one searchable workspace.
  • Financial data becomes instantly readable, without waiting days for your accountant to reply.
  • Marketing plans can be generated for free using your own sales history and a holiday calendar.
  • Commercial lease terms and accountant reports get translated into plain English on demand.
  • Staff documents, including operating procedures, return policies, etc., can be drafted in minutes instead of hours.
  • NotebookLM's free tier is quite generous.

What Is NotebookLM?

NotebookLM is a secure, private AI research tool marketed as Gemini Notebook. It answers only from the specific documents you provide. For example, if you ask it to summarise a supplier invoice, it won't guess, and it will quote the exact clause and page it pulled the answer from. This significantly cuts AI hallucinations and guesses.

For every answer NotebookLM gives you, you can check the information source in seconds. That verification step matters much in business, because a wrong number in a lease summary can cost real money. The big problem with AI, in my experience, is that it often uses US sources that don't apply in Australia.

Why NotebookLM Matters for SMB Businesses

NotebookLM matters because independent retailers don't have a dedicated analyst, marketer, or paralegal on staff as large organisations do. They do not even have the time to study it. NotebookLM effectively hires a research assistant for you for free, one that reads faster than any human and never gets tired of your questions.

How Do You Set Up Your First NotebookLM Notebook?

Setting up NotebookLM takes under a minute if you already have a Google account. Navigate to notebooklm.google.com, sign in, and open your first workspace. It is that fast to start.

Follow this simple first-session walkthrough:

  1. Create one general "sandbox" notebook to experiment with.
  2. Upload two or three files, such as a few supplier invoices.
  3. Ask a basic question, like "Summarise the key terms in these invoices"
  4. Ask how much it is in total.
  5. Where are these suppliers?
  6. etc

Just get a quick feel for how it works.

Once you're comfortable, let's start getting serious.

How Do You Set Up Your First Serious NotebookLM Notebook?

I suggest you create one general notebook rather than splitting notebooks on day one. We all need to learn to walk before we learn to run. Once you understand how NotebookLM works, we can go on to setting up individual notebooks for specific jobs such as Christmas advertisements, a commercial lease review, or a seasonal stock plan. For now, start small and grow.

Load up this notebook with some of your documents. The more, the better for experimenting with how the system works. For example, upload your store's refund policy, a supplier invoice, and a staff roster. Now ask a question about your refund timeframes to see how it responds.

What Sample Documents to Upload First?

Use these files to test finance, stock, legal, and marketing questions. Specifically, I suggest these:

  • Accountant's profit and loss statements, as they will show your major expenses. Tax returns, etc.
  • Point-of-sale (POS) sales, profit, margin, and stock reports will help you analyse good stock, dead stock, peak trading hours, payment types, etc. I like to import them as PDFs.
  • Commercial lease documents: ingesting rental contracts lets you extract critical terms and review dates.
  • Retail holiday and promotional calendars are readily available online. We supply such a calendar free here, which I am pleased to say is highly regarded: The Ultimate Retail Marketing Calendar 2026 - Australia Edition

After you get a feel for what is happening, a one-hour YouTube walkthrough is the best next step. First, I recommend this tutorial, which gives a clear, practical tour of the product. Next, spend about an hour going through this video.

https://youtu.be/WexPjiptQXU

While you go through it, click along inside this notebook.

I like to pause after each step and repeat the action. For example, when the presenter uploads a source and asks a question, do the same with your POS sales report so the lesson sticks. This hour of practice is a skill well worth learning.

There is a fair bit to learn, but once you have done it, you will find the program a delight to use.

Here are some use cases that I use, and I think you will find NotebookLM useful for:

Centralise Documents

Documents come all the time, and we tend to lose them.

Now, typical cloud-based document management software costs between $15 and $100 per user per month,

An SMB business using NotebookLM can do it for free, since NotebookLM works well for this task.

One workflow worth adopting: I upload files to a dedicated OneDrive folder first and then import them into my notebook. Unfortunately, NotebookLM keeps a copy, not the original, so use this workaround. First, search for the document inside the notebook. Next, confirm the file name matches what you need. Finally, retrieve the original from OneDrive if you need the original.

Marketing

Most independent retailers don't have the budget for a dedicated marketing manager, so this fills a genuine gap.

NotebookLM can do it for free and build you a monthly/yearly marketing plan once you upload your sales history and a retail holiday calendar.

Start by asking NotebookLM to find sources on how other Australian retailers run seasonal marketing, then try these prompts:

  • "Create a Facebook marketing plan for the next month."
  • "Recommend which upcoming holiday seasons I should prepare for."
  • "What products should I stock ahead of Father's Day?"

Financial Analysis

Few of us have the skill or knowledge to understand our accountant's statements. What we need is someone to explain them in plain English in seconds. So upload your P&L statements, tax returns, and relevant POS reports. Because everything stays grounded in your own numbers, the answers reflect your actual business rather than generic advice.

Useful prompts include:

  • "What are my top revenue streams and largest operational expenses?"
  • "Explain what these accountant reports are telling me."
  • "Compare my net profit margin, current ratio, and asset turnover over the last three quarters."

Upload rental agreement changes, government budget announcements, or business proposals to extract what directly affects you.

Most importantly, before sending anything to your accountant, ask NotebookLM to audit for unusual transaction patterns, duplicate entries, or irregular cash movements. Catching errors yourself is cheaper than paying your accountant to find them and fix them later.

Legal Documents

NotebookLM can turn a dense commercial lease into a plain-English summary. Few of us have an in-house lawyer, so this is one of the highest-value use cases available. Try these three approaches:

  1. Ask NotebookLM to read the rental agreement, explain it in plain terms, and flag potential risks.
  2. Upload the previous version of the rental agreement to compare exactly what has changed.
  3. Ask it to specifically analyse liability risks, unfavourable payment terms, or hidden fees you need to consider before you sign.

For example, magazine return/credit processing. You'd want to upload your distributor agreements and returns policies to answer "What's the credit window for [Publisher X]?" or "Summarise the damages claim process for damaged stock."

Of course, always treat these answers as a first pass, not a replacement for a solicitor on anything with real financial exposure. Anything AI is ultimately risky.

Improve Store Operations

What I like is that NotebookLM can draft a professional Store Operations policy from scratch in minutes. Let us face it, a scrappy handwritten policy taped to the counter doesn't impress staff or customers. Few take it seriously once they see it. A professionally written document is different.

Return policy (an example)

Let us say you want a return policy; here's a practical sequence to follow:

  1. Upload return policies from comparable stores if you can find them
  2. Also upload return policies from major retailers
  3. Ask NotebookLM to explain how a typical return policy works, then amend it for your shop.
  4. Once you are happy with the result.
  5. Generate a scenario-based quiz from your finished policy. Make amendments if required.
  6. Now ask it to make a professional, step-by-step infographic for staff and customers.

Slide Decks and Videos

  • NotebookLM turns Point of Sale (POS) reports into slide decks, infographics, and narrated Video Overviews from uploaded files.

For example, ask it to build a presentation from weekly or monthly sales reports, and it creates professional, presentation-ready slides. I find this useful for highlighting key points, making your comments more credible.

You can also create animated explainer videos. I like that you can pause anytime, ask questions, and get plain-English explanations. For example, if a video shows a drop in weekend lottery sales, you can stop and ask why that line moved compared to the previous quarter.

Retail CRM

  • A retail Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is a central hub that collects customer interactions and builds shopper profiles. It automates targeted campaigns, stores order histories, and segments customers by purchasing behaviour to encourage repeat visits. For example, a Melbourne florist can group customers by occasion, then send tailored offers.

Moreover, CRM is now considered vital in retail. Our POS systems already include a free CRM version you should keep using. You can feed selected CRM exports, customer emails, or purchase summaries into NotebookLM. For instance, upload a month of loyalty emails and ask which customers have gone quiet since their last high-value purchase.

Current Pricing and Usage Limits

The best part: NotebookLM's free plan gives most SMBs everything they need to get started. If you feel you need more, there are paid plans. Here's the current Australian pricing, which I confirmed directly on Google's official page: https://notebooklm.google.com/plans

  • Free — $0/month: 50 sources per notebook, 100 notebooks, 50 daily chat queries.
  • Google AI Plus (NotebookLM Plus) $7.99/month: up to 300 sources per notebook, up to 500 notebooks, up to 500 daily chat queries. If you have a kid in school, it's half price for them.
  • plus more

About the free tier, 50 sources per notebook is generally adequate for most SMB retailers, I think. If you hit the cap, consider making more notebooks. I often find that removing dubious or unnecessary sources helps.

The bigger frustration is the daily chat limit. If you're deep in an urgent problem and hit the ceiling, NotebookLM stops answering until the next day, which happens only occasionally but can be genuinely disruptive at the wrong moment.

I would suggest starting with the free tier before committing to anything paid. Create your notebook now, try it out for a while, and decide whether you need a bigger plan.

Data privacy

Google states that content is kept private. Overall, it's pretty good; you do need to make sure that only authorised people can access your notebook. Since the information is in the cloud, police or courts can access your notebook if they want. Australian privacy laws are very good protection for individuals but terrible for the government.

Alternatives

I am very happy with NotebookLM, but I've also seen several other products that are excellent. Logically.app and SciSpace spring to mind. If you use either ChatGPT Plus, Claude Projects or Perplexity, they all have a Project feature that can do much of this too on your existing account, much like NotebookLM.

Conclusion

NotebookLM gives you a genuinely useful, document-grounded AI assistant at no cost to start. Give it a try; you may be surprised how much time it saves. If there's enough interest, I'll run a webinar to help people get started.

 

Written by:

Bernard Zimmermann

 

Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director at POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience. He consults to various organisations, from small businesses to large retailers and government institutions. Bernard is passionate about helping companies optimise their operations through innovative POS technology and enabling seamless customer experiences through effective software solutions.

 

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How to Use AI Role-Playing in retail

POS SOFTWARE

AI role-playing-in-retail

 

One idea we pioneered in our market space that I think would be useful to readers here is roleplaying. I will show how it works with a real-life example: testing possible products with AI Customer Roleplay.

You already know your regulars by name and can predict what they'll buy on a Tuesday morning. But have you ever tried a new product idea before buying stock, only to have it sit on the shelf and become dead stock? Here I will show you how AI roleplay works. It can uncover pricing issues. It allows you to test your sales pitches for the product. Also, show missed opportunities before you spend a penny on the stock.

Key Takeaways

  • AI roleplaying helps retailers simulate customer conversations.
  • Customer personas built around real shopper habits make the exercise far more useful.
  • Price sensitivity often surfaces quickly in roleplay.
  • A structured AI prompt turns a vague chat into a repeatable, realistic sales rehearsal.
  • Retailers benefit from this low-cost testing method.
  • The exercise is not a replacement for real customer data.
  • A modern POS system used by Australian retailers can provide real sales data to confirm or challenge what the role-play suggests.

What Is AI Roleplaying for Retail?

AI roleplaying is a practice where you ask an AI tool to act as a specific type of customer, then hold a simulated sales conversation as if you were serving them in your shop. You describe the shop, the customer, and the product, and the AI responds as the shopper likely would. This creates a low-risk space to test your pitch, pricing, and assumptions before committing real money to the stock.

Roleplay conversations expose blind spots that spreadsheets can't show you. For example, a newsagent testing a new fridge planner might discover through roleplay that the price point matters more than the product's features.

Why AI Roleplaying Matters for Small Retailers

Small retailers often can't afford to get a stock decision wrong. Every dollar tied up in slow-moving inventory is a dollar you can't spend on stock that actually sells. AI roleplay gives you a way to pressure-test an idea for the cost of a few minutes' typing, rather than the cost of a box of unsold products.

Retailers who test pricing before launch reduce dead stock risk significantly — Source: Retail Doctor Group, 2025. This matters even more where margins are tight and shelf space is limited.

Moreover, roleplay surfaces objections you might never hear directly. Real customers rarely explain why they walked past a product without buying it. An AI customer will tell you exactly why the price feels wrong or the benefit doesn't land.

How Does AI Roleplaying Actually Work in Practice?

Setting Up a Realistic Customer Conversation

The process is simple: you ask the AI to act as a particular type of customer, then have a conversation with it as though you were serving that person in your shop. This works best when you give the AI a detailed persona and a clear shop description, not just a vague "act like a customer" instruction.

For example, a Melbourne newsagency owner might set the scene as Dingley Village Newsagency, describe the foot traffic from a nearby Woolworths, then introduce a specific customer type before testing a product pitch.

A Worked Retail Example: Meet Sarah

Imagine a customer named Sarah, aged between 35 and 50, with school-aged kids and a weekly shopping centre routine. She has a busy household and a reasonable income, and she values products that save time or solve problems. Sarah often visits a newsagency because she's already at the centre and needs something quickly.

In one test, the AI played Sarah while a reusable magnetic to-do list for the fridge was introduced. The conversation showed that Sarah liked the concept immediately. She could picture herself managing school forms, sports rosters, and family jobs.

However, she was comfortable paying around $24.95, while $45.95 felt too expensive. That single data point raised several practical questions worth answering before ordering stock:

  • Is the larger version worth the higher price?
  • What makes it different apart from size?
  • Could it be displayed with coloured markers as an add-on sale?
  • Is there a lower-priced version that may sell more easily?

The roleplay also suggested that usefulness mattered more to Sarah than looking "professional." For her, a family organiser needs to be practical, not stylish. This kind of insight rarely shows up in a spreadsheet, but it appears quickly in a simulated conversation.

Building Five Customer Personas for Your Shop

Since shoppers respond differently to the same product, I suggest testing a range of relevant personas to give you a clearer picture. For many of my clients, I would suggest these useful personas:

Sarah, the Routine Shopper

A busy parent on the weekly grocery run who values convenience and buys children's books, activity packs, birthday cards, teacher gifts, and magazines.

Bill, the Loyal Community Senior

A long-term local who enjoys routine and friendly service, buying TV guides, puzzle books, specialist magazines, greeting cards, and lottery products.

Jill, the School Parent

Someone who needs stationery, project supplies, party items, pencil cases, wrapping paper, and children's gifts, often at short notice.

Tony, the Last-Minute Gift Buyer

A busy professional or parent needing a thoughtful, non-generic gift and card for an event happening very soon.

Paul, the Home-Office Professional

A local working from home or running a small business, needing notebooks, pens, mailing supplies, and filing products without waiting on delivery.

Testing a product idea against all five personas takes less than an hour and can reveal which customer segment actually wants what you're planning to stock.

Which Products Suit Each Customer Persona?

Matching products to personas helps you decide what to test first and what to stock with confidence. Each persona has a distinct set of product categories they're likely to buy, based on their habits and shopping triggers.

  • Sarah, the Routine Shopper, buys children's books, school-holiday activity packs, birthday cards, teacher gifts, wrapping paper, and lifestyle magazines.
  • Bill, the Loyal Community Senior, buys TV guides, puzzle books, specialist magazines, greeting cards, and lottery products.
  • Jill, the School Parent, buys stationery, project supplies, party items, pencil cases, wrapping paper, and children's gifts, often bought at short notice.
  • Tony, the Last-Minute Gift Buyer, buys thoughtful gifts and cards for events happening very soon, favouring items that don't feel generic.
  • Paul, the home-office professional, buys notebooks, pens, mailing supplies, and filing products, prioritising items available without waiting for delivery.

Testing a new product against this list first can save you a roleplay session. For example, a reusable magnetic fridge planner clearly fits Sarah and Jill, so those two personas are the logical starting point for roleplay testing, rather than Bill or Paul.

This kind of persona-to-product mapping also helps when you're deciding where to place new stock in the store. A product that suits Jill's short-notice shopping style, for instance, belongs near the front counter, not tucked away on a back shelf.

What Should a Good AI Customer Roleplay Prompt Include?

A strong prompt gives the AI enough structure to stay in character while still reacting realistically to your pitch. A well-built prompt separates the shop details, the customer persona, and the response rules into clear sections. This stops the AI from breaking character or inventing product details you haven't provided.

You can copy, paste, and adapt the prompt below. Replace the shop and customer details for each exercise.

# ROLE
  You are taking part in a realistic, face-to-face conversation in a retail shop.
  You play the CUSTOMER.
  The user plays the SHOP OWNER.
  Stay in character throughout the conversation.

  # SHOP
  You are visiting this shop:
[enter here your shops details for this example I will use:
  Dingley Village Newsagency is a family-run newsagency in Dingley Village
  Shopping Centre, Melbourne. The shop sells magazines, newspapers, books,
  greeting cards, gifts, stationery, wrapping paper, children's items and lotto.
  The shop is located in a busy local shopping centre and benefits from regular
  Woolworths foot traffic. Customers often visit while doing everyday errands.]

  # CUSTOMER PERSONA
  [Paste the customer persona here for this example I will use 
Sarah, the Routine Shopper, buys children's books, school-holiday activity packs, birthday cards, teacher gifts, wrapping paper, and lifestyle magazines.]

  Adopt this customer's personality, household situation, and spending habits,
  needs, and shopping triggers consistently.
  If a detail is missing, make a sensible assumption that fits the persona.
  Do not contradict information already given.

  # SESSION SET-UP
  At the beginning, choose a mood that suits the customer and time of day:
  rushed, relaxed, purposeful, browsing, tired, or open to suggestions.
  Keep that mood consistent unless the conversation naturally changes.

  # RESPONSE RULES
  - Stay in character. Never mention AI, prompts, roleplaying, testing, or personas.
  - Use short, natural Australian English, usually one to three sentences per reply.
  - React like a genuine customer, not someone trying to help the owner make a sale.
  - Be interested when the product suits the customer, but be realistic about price, quality, usefulness, and convenience.
  - Do not agree with every suggestion. Raise reasonable questions, objections, or doubts where appropriate.
  - Do not introduce unrelated shopping needs unless the owner asks what you are looking for.
  - Focus on the product or topic introduced by the owner.
  - Ask realistic questions, such as price, size, quality, durability, age suitability, how popular it is, and whether it is available in other styles or colours.
  - Do not invent facts about a product. If the owner hasn't provided enough information, ask a question instead.
  - Small, low-cost items may be impulse purchases. More expensive items may require thought, comparison, or a reason to return later.
  - Let the conversation end naturally when you decide to buy, decline, or think about it.
  - Occasionally include a subtle action in the sentence, such as "I pick it up for a closer look," but do not overdo this.

  # OPENING
  The shop owner says:
  [Paste the opening sales question or product introduction here for this example I will use a magnetic todo list that sticks to a fridge ]
  Respond directly to that product or question. Do not change the subject.

How Do You Apply Roleplay Insights to Real Stock Decisions?

Roleplay conversations are only useful if you act on what they reveal. The exercise works best when you treat it as a hypothesis-generator, not a final verdict. Once you spot a pattern — like price resistance or a weak benefit pitch — you can test it against real numbers.

Test 1

I wanted to find out how a reusable to-do list that hangs on a fridge would go in my shop, so here is how the conversation went.

Sarah: I shift my shopping bag to my other arm and glance towards the display. "I haven't actually, but with the kids' footy and netball rosters to juggle, it sounds like an absolute lifesaver. Are they the magnetic whiteboard ones or something else?"

Owner: They are good; they are magnetic, so they stick to the wall. You can write what needs to be done, and once it's done, rub it out. I prefer the big size.

Sarah: I step closer to have a proper look at the display. The big size is definitely the way to go with three kids and their endless sports rosters. Do they come with the markers included, or do I need to grab a pack of those too?

Owner: They come with a black marker, but I suggest that you buy a red marker so you can colour-code them: red for urgent and black for the rest.

Sarah: I pick up the large board and nod. That's actually a brilliant idea. I can put all the urgent school forms in red so my husband doesn't miss them. Where do you keep the red markers?

Owner: You can just stick both markers on the top.

Sarah: I check the top of the board and spot the little magnetic holder, which is perfect for stopping them from getting lost in the kitchen drawer. I'll take the big board and a couple of red markers; how much are we looking at?

Owner: $24.95.

Sarah: I hand the board and markers across the counter, thinking that's a very reasonable price to keep the household running smoothly. I'll tap when you're ready; I need to get back to the trolley before the kids start whinging.

Owner: That one is actually $45.95; the $24.95 is the other one you pointed to.

Sarah: I put the large board back on the shelf and pick up the smaller one instead. Ouch, forty-five bucks is a fair bit for a fridge board! I'll grab this smaller one for twenty-five and a couple of those red markers; it'll probably do the job just fine.

Owner: Are you sure the other one is a lot better?

Sarah: I pause, the smaller board in hand, and glance back at the larger one. Is it just the extra space, or does it have better magnets or something? I don't mind spending the extra twenty bucks if it's actually worth it, but I don't want it taking up half the fridge door.

Owner: I know, the bigger one, though, is more professional-looking.

Sarah: I tap the smaller board against my hand and let out a small laugh. It's just going to get covered in the kids' sticky fingerprints anyway, so looking professional isn't exactly a priority! I'll stick with the smaller one; it'll be less overwhelming on the fridge door.

Seems like Sarah thinks size is very important, and she does not want to spend $45.95, but she is prepared to pay $24.95.

Test 2

I then asked my prompt:

Owner: "Have you seen this book? It's a new translation of the new movie Odyssey from Geek; it's very detailed."

Sarah: I step closer to have a look at the cover you're holding. Is it the novelisation of that new movie, and is it more of a graphic novel or a proper chapter book? My youngest is always after those heavily illustrated ones.

Owner: It's actually a very big, detailed translation, highly regarded, not for young kids.

Sarah: Oh, right, so it's a bit too heavy for the younger ones. I turn the book over to check the price tag on the back. I might consider it for my Mum, but I'm in a bit of a rush doing the Coles run today—how much are you asking for it?

Owner: $75.95.

Sarah: Seventy-six dollars! I slide the heavy book back across the counter. That's a bit to much sanyway the kids are waiting out in the car, so I'll give it a miss today.

Owner: We have a cheaper one, it's old but I will tell you what it does not change that much, it's $20.00.

Sarah: I glance at the cheaper copy you pull out. Twenty dollars is much more reasonable for a classic that hasn't changed in a few thousand years, I suppose—does it have decent print size, or is it one of those tiny pocket editions?

Owner: It's only one size.

Sarah: I pick up the twenty-dollar copy to have a quick look. Is it a nice hardback or just a standard paperback? If the print is decent, I might just grab it for his birthday next month.

Seems like Sarah is not going to buy it.

What the Exercise Reveals

The goal is not to predict exactly what a real person will do. The value comes from revealing assumptions you may not have noticed. For example, you might discover:

  • A product has a good purpose, but the price is too high.
  • Your explanation focuses on a benefit customers don't care about.
  • A smaller or cheaper version may have broader appeal.
  • A product needs a better display or sign to explain what it does.
  • An add-on item, such as markers included with a fridge planner, could boost sales.

What Are the Next Steps for Trying This Yourself?

Start small and stay consistent to build a useful habit. Follow these steps to run your first AI role-play test:

  1. Pick one product you're considering stocking or are already unsure about.
  2. Choose or build a customer persona that matches your actual shopper base.
  3. Copy the prompt template above and fill in your shop and persona details.
  4. Run the conversation and introduce the product exactly as you would in person.
  5. Note any price resistance, objections, or missed benefits that come up.
  6. Check the insight against your point-of-sale system reports once the product is in-store.

This type of AI role-playing extends well beyond retail, too. It can help you prepare for a bank meeting, a health inspection, a supplier discussion, a staff conversation, or a difficult customer question.

Conclusion

Give AI Role-Play a Try Before Your Next Order. Any AI should be able to handle it currently. I think Facebook's Meta AI is both good and free to use, worth looking into now. Try it.

AI role-playing won't replace real conversations with real customers or hard sales data from your point-of-sale system. But it gives you a fast, low-cost way to stress-test a product idea, spot pricing problems, and rethink your pitch before you spend a dollar on stock. Give it a try with one product you're considering — create a believable customer, introduce the item, and see where the conversation goes. You might be surprised by what it makes you think about.

I find such exercises very useful. I used it in business recently to prepare for a bank meeting and another one with a health inspector.

If you try it, I think you will find this type of roleplaying useful too.

Written by:

Bernard Zimmermann

 

Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director at POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience. He consults to various organisations, from small businesses to large retailers and government institutions. Bernard is passionate about helping companies optimise their operations through innovative POS technology and enabling seamless customer experiences through effective software solutions.

 

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The Surcharge Ban Is a Kick in the Guts — And I Think the RBA Knows It

POS SOFTWARE

We're already absorbing rising rent, wages, and supplier costs, and now you will soon add new card processing fees. From 1 October 2026, the surcharge disappears, and despite what the RBA said, I don't think the banks will eat the difference.

Key Takeaways

  • The surcharge ban removes your ability to pass card acceptance costs to customers at the till from 1 October 2026.
  • Reduced interchange fees are meant to offset retailer losses.
  • Banks are already adding new fees elsewhere.
  • Rewards programs are shrinking.
  • AMEX and other uncapped cards were left out of the RBA's review, yet many providers will stop you from surcharging on them in their system.
  • Retailers could absorb fees as high as 2% with no way to claw that back at the register.
  • Price-controlled products like Lotto put retailers in an impossible squeeze, since the price isn't theirs to change.
  • Acting now is premature; the real numbers won't show up until your October and November merchant statements land.

What Is the Card Surcharge Ban?

The surcharge ban is a rule change stopping retailers from adding a fee when a customer pays by card, regardless of transaction size. Before this, a $4.50 coffee or a $12 lunch could carry a small surcharge that covered what the bank charged the retailer for accepting that card. The RBA calls this "removing an inefficient cost" and a "consumer win." I call it removing transparent cost recovery and ensuring no one notices where that cost goes instead.

Labor's election policy was narrower: ban surcharging on debit cards only. That part made sense to me as most people pay by debit now, so pricing should reflect the payment type most customers actually use. But the RBA didn't stop there. It extended the ban to credit cards too.

Why Does This Matter for Retailers?

This matters because the RBA's promised savings are theoretical. Currently, they are talk. The RBA claims retailers will save $910 million a year once interchange fees drop. I don't believe that, but I am prepared to accept it if I see it reflected in my own processing costs, not before. Let us see what shows up on your merchant statement too.

I expect providers will modify their fee structures to claw back margin. I've already seen one supplier add a standalone "security fee". Conveniently, the security fee was included in the interchange fee. Now I see they have stripped that cost from interchange and made it its own fee. Tell me, do you think your bank fees will move down? From what I see, every major bank has announced changes effective 1 October 2026; from the list, little is down, and I think a fair chunk of those changes exist to recover exactly what the RBA estimates they'll lose.

What's Happening to Rewards Programs?

Here too, the card rewards are shrinking as issuers adjust for lower interchange income, and I've felt this personally. My own rewards program cut back significantly, and the change that stung most: I can no longer convert points into Coles Gift Cards. That was one of the few ways to turn points into something close to cash that my family could use.

Why Did AMEX Get Left Out — And Does It Even Matter?

The RBA's interchange review didn't cover AMEX and other overseas-scheme cards, so they remain technically uncapped. For some reason, the RBA didn't touch them. Yet plenty of credit and debit providers will stop surcharging on these cards anyway in their system. If you want to surcharge on these items, you need to do it yourself. Our POS system lets you do that.

How Will This Change Customer Payment Behaviour?

Retailers will now be forced to absorb fees as high as 2%.

Now I predict a measurable shift toward credit cards, away from debit and cash. Why wouldn't customers switch? No surcharge, up to 55 days interest-free, better chargeback protection, I get some free repairs too in some cases, and better rewards points. The thing that used to push many people to debit, the surcharge,  is gone. I'd go further: I think many cardholders will upgrade from regular to premium credit cards specifically to chase better rewards, now that there's no price penalty.

I suggest that you watch your POS End of Day reports over the next few months to see if your debit card share drops and your credit share climbs.

What Should You Do Before October?

Little, I wouldn't act in a rush now. There's nothing to gain by guessing now, as it's too early to make good decisions. Plenty of retailers are already raising shelf prices in anticipation. The cafe near me that I like has already increased its prices.

One issue concerns me the most: Many products like Lotto, where retailers don't control the price. You can't raise a lottery ticket price to cover a higher card cost, so any margin hit there comes straight out of your fixed commission. If you are in Lotto, I would ask them about that.

My advice: wait till October. Let your first couple of merchant statements come through under the new rules, then work from actual numbers instead of dubious RBA projections or bank press releases.

Conclusion

The surcharge ban sounds like a consumer win on paper, but for retailers, it's a cost shift dressed up as reform. Keep an eye on your merchant statements, watch how your payment mix moves, and don't rush shelf-price decisions before you've got real data in hand.

For a rundown of specific bank changes, ahead of the October ban, click here:
Details of credit and Debit card overhaul ahead of October surcharge ban

Written by:

Bernard Zimmermann

 

Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director at POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience. He consults to various organisations, from small businesses to large retailers and government institutions. Bernard is passionate about helping companies optimise their operations through innovative POS technology and enabling seamless customer experiences through effective software solutions.

 

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Look at Australian Men's Grooming Products for your shop

POS SOFTWARE

Men's grooming products
When I went to Europe, what struck me was how many shops similar to my clients were stocking men's grooming products. Which brings up the obvious question: why not here?

Key Takeaways

  • The Australian men's grooming market was valued at AUD $800 million in 2025 and was growing at 8 percent.
  • Margins are good
  • You can start with a small counter display for a few hundred dollars.
  • Please use your POS System to automatically track sell-through, margins, bundles, etc
  • It's a great category for Father's Day, Birthdays, Christmas, etc.

How Do You Find Products That Actually Sell?

You don't need to guess. Start with what is already proven to sell in Australia.

The first point to note is that the market has two main categories: mass and premium. The problem with mass is that sales are good, but because they're low-value, you don't make much. Consider 50% of AUD $7.00 on a mass product vs. 50% of AUD $40.00 on a premium item.

Go to local shops in your area that sell these products. Look at what they display prominently at the counter and on the shelves. What you are looking for is their movers. See if they are the sort of product you would be comfortable selling, and if so, make a list of the types of products they are. Use your camera to take pictures.

Now, when you go back, check Amazon Australia Best Sellers in Men's Grooming. If it is a top seller, it will probably be listed there.

Then ask your wholesalers what they recommend.

Now check AliExpress trending. Search for products like shaving brush, safety razor and sort by orders. Products with 1,000+ orders have proven demand.

Where Do You Source the Products?

You have two paths, and most smart retailers use both.

1. AliExpress for low-cost entry and hardware

AliExpress is suitable for testing with small quantities and a low outlay. For example, a shaver might cost AUD 6.50 plus AUD 3.00 freight.

To get your true landed cost in AUD, you must add banking fees, GST, freight, and other charges.

AUD $6.50 product + AUD $3.00 freight + AUD $0.95 GST = AUD $10.45 landed. If, say, you can sell it at AUD $38 EX, you make AUD $27.55.

2. Australian wholesalers and brands for compliance and speed

Warning: chemicals have rules. You can safely import razors, brushes, bowls and stands from AliExpress. Chemical products such as cosmetic creams, oils, sunscreen, etc are different. Please be very careful when importing these items. All cosmetics sold in Australia must include an English ingredient list, your business name and address, and comply with AICIS rules. With sunscreen oil, you need a TGA listing to claim SPF 50+.I suggest that, unless you know what you are doing here, you avoid these products.

Also check labelling. Some small exporters print in Chinglish, a Chinese-influenced English. It looks terrible on a product and kills trust. Australians will take US or English spelling, but Chinglish no. Chinglish broadcasts a bad product.

How Should You Market Men's Grooming Products?

I recommend the front counter. Once you get a feel for the product, move it to an appropriate position. Use your POS system to monitor sales and profit in AUD by tracking sell-through, margin, bundles, reorders and customer repeat purchases in real time.

How Should You Display It?

Initially, put it at the front counter. We are experimenting, and you need to see how the product will sell. Once you get a grip on the product, move it to a more permanent position.

See how you go!

How Does Your POS System Track Sales and Profit in AUD?

Your POS System will tell you how good a product is. I would suggest creating a separate department in your Point of Sale (POS) system called "Men's Grooming." Put every new grooming item there. That way, you can run a report for sell-through, AUD margin, bundle performance and reorder points without mixing it with your existing categories.

What Is the Future for Australian Retailers Who Add Men's Grooming in October 2026?

The future for Australian retailers who add men's grooming in October 2026 is expected to go up. It looks good, with a market growing at over 8%. These are a great gift line. Start small and see where it takes you.

Written by:

Bernard Zimmermann

 

Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director at POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience. He consults to various organisations, from small businesses to large retailers and government institutions. Bernard is passionate about helping companies optimise their operations through innovative POS technology and enabling seamless customer experiences through effective software solutions.

 

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End-of-Day POS Reconciliation: A Checklist for Retailers

POS SOFTWARE

End-of-Day POS Reconciliation
End‑of‑day reconciliation is the process of comparing what your POS says happened (sales, refunds, payouts, payments) with what actually happened in your till, EFTPOS batches and bank deposits. It must be a daily habit in business, and it is critical, as you're dealing with high transaction volumes, mixed payment types, and a wide product range. Implementing a disciplined end‑of‑day POS routine is essential for a retailer to tighten cash control, catch errors early, and turn daily sales data into better decisions.

The goal of end‑of‑day

The objective is not just "balancing the cash drawer"; it's to confirm that:

  • POS totals by payment type equal your physical cash and EFTPOS/card batches for the trading day.
  • Non‑sales movements (refunds, payouts, debt collection, supplier cash payments) are properly recorded and explained.
  • Key sales, stock and customer patterns are captured so you can refine rostering, stock and merchandising.

When this is done well, your accounts, tax records and management reports all line up, and discrepancies are small, documented and understandable.

Daily end‑of‑day checklist

Run your close in the same order every time. A typical 10–15 minute routine looks like this:

  1. Close the trading period in the POS
    • Confirm today's date, store and registers.
    • Ensure there are no open sales, parked transactions or draft invoices that belong to today.
  2. Generate and print key reports
    • End‑of‑day summary (Z‑report/closing report) with totals by payment type.
    • Customer, product, hourly, payment type and register breakups (see next section).
    • Refunds, voids and discount/price‑change reports.

    Print and file these; keep paper copies, as they are the best proof for ATO audits.

  3. Count and reconcile each cash drawer
    • Take each drawer to a quiet area, count by denomination, and record the total on a cash count sheet.
    • Separate the opening float from the day's takings.
  4. Reconcile EFTPOS and card payments
    • Close the batch on each EFTPOS/card terminal and print the batch totals.
    • Match these against POS card totals for the same period.
  5. Review non‑sales money movements
    • Confirm payouts, cash supplier payments, refunds and other withdrawals are recorded and supported by receipts.
  6. Investigate and document variances
    • Record any differences between POS and physical/batch totals, note the date, the reason if known, and have a supervisor/owner sign off. In many cases, this evidence has proven invaluable.
  7. Secure cash, back up and lock up
    • Prepare the bank deposit, reset floats for tomorrow, secure cash in the safe, and ensure the POS has synced/backed up the day's data.

The essential reports to run

Your POS can provide much more than a single closing total. At end‑of‑day, focus on these views:

Customer breakdown

Analyse customer transactions to understand basket size, repeat visits and key segments. For a Dingley Village newsagency, this helps you see how family shoppers, commuters and "quick lotto and milk" customers behave across the week.

Product/dissection breakup

Review sales by product category to spot top‑performing items and slow movers: magazines, books, cards, gift lines, stationery, lotteries and add‑on items. While it's fresh in your mind, a spike of anything can be very enlightening.

Hourly breakup

Hourly sales let you see trading peaks and quiet periods across the day.

Payment type breakup

Tracking sales by cash, EFTPOS, credit card, gift voucher and other tenders makes reconciliation faster and highlights shifts in customer behaviour. For example, sustained growth in card/contactless usage may justify changing your EFTPOS plan, while cash‑heavy periods might call for more frequent cash drops to the safe.

Register breakup

If you run more than one till, check which register or cashier has problems. Many people do it several times a day. Separate closes per register reduce cash mixing and make it easier to identify where variances are coming from.

Optional graphs

Graph views are useful while you're still learning patterns, but experienced retailers often revert to tabular reports for speed and clarity. Use graphs when explaining trends to staff or in management meetings.

Cash reconciliation: the simple formula

For each drawer, use this formula:

  • Opening float
  • Plus: cash sales
  • Minus: cash refunds
  • Minus: cash payouts/withdrawals

Equals: expected drawer total.

Compare this expected total to your counted cash. Record the difference (over or short) every day, even if it's small. Consistent small variances often reveal training issues or chronic process errors.

EFTPOS and card reconciliation

Card payments don't live in the till; they live in terminals, processor batches and bank deposits. At end‑of‑day:

  • Run the batch/settlement report on each terminal and note the total card sales and refunds.
  • Match this against the POS card total for the same period; they should agree.
  • If integrated EFTPOS is used, confirm the POS shows the batch as settled and note any failures before you leave.

Later (often the next day), match processor net deposits to your bank statement, taking fees into account. Doing a clean daily match POS → batch totals makes weekly and monthly reconciliation much easier.

Handling discrepancies and variances

Your article already emphasised "Investigate discrepancies immediately"; turn that into a small policy:

  • Set a threshold: e.g. variances under a few dollars are logged and monitored; above that, they trigger recounts and manager review. In my experience, any variance is worth chasing.
  • Document every variance: amount, drawer/register, cashier, probable cause (incorrect change, missed payout entry, EFTPOS error, etc.). Staple these notes to the printed closing report or attach them to the digital record.
  • Escalate material differences ASAP, not weeks later when memories have faded.

This habit protects you if there's ever an ATO enquiry, insurance claim or internal investigation.

Inventory and exception review

End‑of‑day is also the right moment to review "exceptions" – things that distort margin and stock numbers:

  • Refunds and returns, especially for higher‑value books and gift lines.
  • Voided sales or deleted transactions, checking for patterns around particular staff or categories.
  • Manual discounts and price overrides, which can signal pricing errors or misuse.

For magazines, books and cards, spot‑checking top sellers and frequently refunded items helps you catch mis‑priced lines, missing barcodes or shrink quickly, rather than discovering them at stocktake time.

Roles, sign‑off and multiple registers

To avoid "everyone thought someone else did it", always define roles clearly:

  • Cashiers count and record their own drawers using a standard cash count sheet.
  • A supervisor/owner reviews the reconciliation, variances and reports, then signs off.
  • Each register is closed separately, with its own report and cash count; cash is not mixed between tills before counting.

This creates a clear chain of custody for cash and closing reports, which is useful for both trust and external audits.

Security, cash handling and backups

A good close ends with clean numbers and secure assets:

  • Separate tomorrow's float from today's takings.
  • Prepare the bank deposit (cash and coins).
  • Please never leave significant cash in the tills overnight.
  • Confirm that your POS has synced with the cloud, or that backups/exported reports have finished successfully, before shutting down systems.

Using your end‑of‑day data strategically

Once the mechanics are solid, use your daily reports to drive decisions:

  • Hourly and customer breakdowns inform rostering and staffing
  • Product/category breakups show which magazine ranges, kids' books, cards and gift lines deserve more space, better placement, or promotional focus – and which lines should be marked down or retired.
  • Payment type trends help you negotiate EFTPOS fees, plan cash handling procedures and decide whether to introduce new payment options.

This is where end‑of‑day stops being "admin" and becomes a daily management tool.

Updated FAQ

How long should end‑of‑day take?

With a well‑set‑up POS and a disciplined routine, most small retailers can complete end‑of‑day in 10–15 minutes. It can blow out if variances are large, reports aren't configured, or staff skip steps during the day.

Can I automate end‑of‑day?

You can automate parts of the process – exporting sales data, emailing reports, even pre‑filling reconciliation sheets – and this often saves time. However, a daily human review of cash, card batches, refunds, and exceptions is essential; the closer you are to the event, the easier it is to investigate and resolve issues properly.

How often should I perform these procedures?

At least once every trading day. Delaying end‑of‑day reconciliation makes discrepancies harder to trace and increases the risk of compounding errors in your accounts and tax records.

What if my cash drawer doesn't balance?

Treat every variance as a signal:

  • Recount the drawer, verify the float, and check that all payouts/refunds are recorded.
  • Review the POS cash report and receipts for any obvious mistyped amounts or missed entries.
  • Document the variance and reason; investigate recurring patterns across days or staff.

Written by:

Bernard Zimmermann

 

Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director at POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience. He consults to various organisations, from small businesses to large retailers and government institutions. Bernard is passionate about helping companies optimise their operations through innovative POS technology and enabling seamless customer experiences through effective software solutions.

 

Add new comment

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