We have received a few reports of another issue with Linky EFTPOS from people who have installed the latest Microsoft update. We are not sure, as we cannot find any official Microsoft or Linkly statement to confirm the link. 

What we can say is that some report to us that their Linkly-integrated EFTPOS terminals displayed "Pinpad Offline" and some that the Linkly client application is not appearing in the Windows system tray. We think it's a communication error between Linkly and their EFTPOS terminal. 

What I did was to uninstall the latest Microsoft update and then turn off both the computer and the EFTPOS terminal. Then, I started it up again. What I suggest is that if you are experiencing Linkly EFTPOS issues after a Windows update, turn off the computer and the EFTPOS terminal, then turn them on again. If this does not work, please get in touch with Linkly Support or your bank’s merchant services.

Maximising retail sales requires planning around key retail dates today. Use this retail calendar to prepare for the major sales events in 2025.

Why a Retail Calendar Matters

By mapping out the year’s key sales events and niche holidays, you can:

-Anticipate consumer demand
-Allocate resources efficiently
-Time your marketing to reach customers when they’re most likely to buy these products

Use your POS system in conjunction with this calendar to facilitate historical data analysis, enabling you to make informed purchasing decisions and focus on products that sell well in your shop.

-Analyse last year’s sales data for each event and adjust your approach accordingly
-Automate reminders for stock ordering and campaign launches
-Measure after the return you made for each event

Here are the most critical retail dates for the remainder of 2025.

Retail calendar 2025

Below are the most significant retail events from July to December 2025. Mark these dates in your calendar.

July 2025 (Now)

-Stocktake sales ‍

September 2025

September 7: Father’s Day

-AFL Final season

October 2025

October 31: Halloween

November 2025

Tip of the month: Today, Australians spent more in December than in November, with massive amounts over Black Friday week. Tap into this demand with curated gift guides that encourage product discovery, followed by coveted limited-time deals.

November 4: Melbourne Cup Day

-Christmas season begins

November 29: Black Friday

December 2025

-Christmas season continues

December 24: Christmas Eve

December 25: Christmas Day

December 26: Boxing Day

December 31: New Year’s Eve

Remember, every shop will have unique sales opportunities beyond these events. Review your own sales data to identify additional key dates relevant to your niche. Some I think are worth many considering are:

eg Fashion shops - Winter sales (now)

October 19: National Gardening Week

Click here for more ideas 

Written by:

Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director of POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience, now retired and seeking new opportunities. He consults with 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.

Australian retailers are today exploring AI-powered POS analysis to gain deeper insights from their POS system reports. While AI offers substantial potential, it is crucial to understand its current limitations, especially when integrating it with POS system analytics in today's business.

What I would like to discuss is the issue of utilising the information in your POS System to drive an AI analysis. It is something that my company was one of the first to explore with OpenAI, the creators of what is now ChatGPT, years ago.

Data Quality and System Integration

Like any advice, the effectiveness of AI-driven POS analytics depends on the quality and completeness of the information we give it. If the information you feed it has errors, then I doubt analysis will help. That is why a manual review of the information you are feeding the AI is so critical. It is also why many are saying that now is the best time to utilise AI to review your stock, as the information in your POS System has been verified during the stocktake you have just completed.

These data challenges lay the groundwork for further issues, such as the risk of AI hallucinations, which we explore next.

Hallucinations

Hallucinations are not just an AI problem. In human conversation, topics often drift, leading to another topic. AI can behave similarly, sometimes producing nonsensical or, worse, convincing but incorrect results.

The significant issue here, at worst, is that the AI has said something so convincing that it's difficult to dispute its accuracy. Our clients have sent me such examples.

In contrast, programmers audit traditional POS system reports, which are based directly on actual transaction data and clients' stated needs. It provides you with focused information on the real needs of the business and greater reliability for informed business decisions. An example is a report generated by an AI system, Perlexity, that incorrectly identified a non-existent sales trend a newsagent sent me. If the newsagent had listened to it, they would have ordered a lot of unsellable stock.

Local Market Dynamics

AI systems often lack a sophisticated understanding of local market conditions, regulatory requirements, and cultural factors that significantly impact Australian retail operations. This limitation becomes evident when AI tools recommend a strategy to one of our clients based on an American holiday or season that is of minor significance in Australia. A classic example, which I recently discussed here, was a gardening tip from the US, where the seasons are reversed. An excellent tip for gardening in spring is of little use to an Australian retailer in autumn. 

When you ask an AI for advice, you have, like any other advisor, to tell it of what we call localisation issues that your shop faces. For example, say you are a pet supplier. There is a significant difference in the advice someone would give you if you are a large retailer with a small department for pet supplies or a small business exclusive pet retailer. Before asking for advice, specify as much as possible; for example, it's better to say, rather than

"What can you tell me I should do based on this information?"

say

"My Pet Shop is in the Dingley Village Shopping Centre, which is a well-established neighbourhood retail hub anchored by Woolworths, which generates steady daily foot traffic and creates strong cross-shopping opportunities for specialty stores like my pet shop. The centre's tenant mix is focused on essential services, making it resilient to economic fluctuations and attractive to the local community, which is characterised by above-average incomes and a family-oriented demographic. While Woolworths' in-store pet section, internet and nearby major pet chains present direct competition, the centre's strong local customer base and consistent visitor flow provide a solid foundation for us.

Now, what can you tell me based on the information from my POS System that I am giving you now?"

I find using AI to create such a summary works well. Once you have it store this description as you will often need it once you start analysing with AI. Many AIs allow you to make a character for your shop. I will discuss this more in another post.

The information you get now is much more relevant.

Transparency of the advice

Due to the way AI operates, it's often impossible to follow the reasoning. We call it a "Black Box". We know what we put in, and we see what we get out, but how does it go from in to out? Most of us, if we do not understand the logic, are reluctant to use it, and with the hallucination issue, it may be dangerous to follow its advice.

Historical Patterns

What I love about AI is that it's terrific at finding incredible patterns in your information. Still, it can struggle to adapt quickly to sudden market changes or unprecedented events that it is not aware of. Retail markets often change rapidly, requiring immediate strategic adjustments.

What you need to do here is tell the AI when this happens.

"redo as what you should have taken into account ....blaa blaa blaa........".

Like any advisor, you often need to give them another go if they get it wrong.

AI often requires multiple attempts to achieve satisfactory results.

Technical Implementation and Operational Requirements

Successfully utilising AI analytics for POS data requires some practice to build up your technical expertise. It's not hard, but like most things, it does take some practice. The more you use it, the better results you will get and the more you will get out of it.

Please, based on my experience, the most reliable way to feed your POS data into an AI tool is by exporting reports as Excel or CSV files. Excel is better, but some AIs do not like it. If so, use CSV. Both provide a standardised format that the AI is designed to process. When you supply your information, do not simply import your existing reports to get quality insights. The less you ask the AI to guess, the better.

Creating an Excel or CSV file is simple in our POS System. From any report, press the red arrow.

However, most POS Systems can export your reports into Excel or CSV.

Use Excel or CSV, not the report, which often invites trouble. 

Actionable information

Having extensive volumes of information is rarely much use; what we need are actionable insights. Many experience that when this happens, paralysis reduces decision-making efficiency rather than enhancing it. What I suggest you do is, if the AI does this, ask it, "What actionable steps that directly support our business objectives and operational improvements can you make from this?"

The Essential Role of Your Expertise

For AI today, human judgment is essential. It's your business, your livelihood and ultimately your decision. It's crucial to double-check before making business decisions.

How to use AI for Retail

The key to successful AI implementation lies in viewing its limitations as opportunities for strategic improvement. Retailers who set realistic expectations and thoroughly validate can gain advantages while ensuring operational reliability.

AI is brilliant, but you need to be thinking too.

Written by:

Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director of POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience, now retired and seeking new opportunities. He consults with 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.

How to Calculate Inventory Shrinkage and Damaged Goods: 2025 Guide for Australian Retailers

Inventory shrinkage and damaged goods continue to rapidly erode profitability for Australian retailers, making retail loss prevention an increasingly important priority. With your latest stocktake complete, now is the ideal time to calculate these critical rates, as you will never have better figures. Good inventory control transforms a retail business.

Inventory Shrinkage and Damaged Goods

Let's define what we are talking about first. Inventory shrinkage refers to the loss of stock that occurs when actual inventory levels are lower than what your computer records indicate, which we refer to as the perpetual stock. Common causes of losses include theft, administrative errors, and other similar issues.

Goods that, due to damage, cannot be sold at full price are classified as damaged goods.

Calculating your Inventory Shrinkage rate

To accurately determine your inventory shrinkage rate, follow this process that leverages your POS system's inventory management tools.

Begin by establishing your perpetual stock value. This figure represents your theoretical inventory level, as reported by your POS software, before any physical stocktake.

Now you have the physical stocktake that you have just done.

In our POS system, we have a comparison report that automatically provides the figures for losses. Focus exclusively on products physically carried in your store, excluding non-stock sales such as lottery tickets or service revenue, to ensure the calculation accurately reflects inventory movement. We can do something similar with your lotto system, as lotto does have a report of what you should have sold. I will address this in a separate post.

The shrinkage formula is as follows:

=(Perpetual Stock Value) - (Physically Counted Inventory Value)/(Perpetual Stock Value) x 100%

Example

A retailer with a perpetual stock value of $100,000 in a department finds, after the stocktake, that their stock is $98,500, and sales of stock products total $70,000 for the period. The shrinkage rate would be:

=(100,000 - 98,500)/100,000 x 100 = 1.5%

This calculation shows that 1.5% of the stock was lost to shrinkage. That rate, unfortunately, is not uncommon. Some of you may be surprised by how high your figures are. Shrinkage rates have increased this year. They increased the previous year as well.

Industry Benchmark for 2025

The retail shrinkage rate for Australian retailers is about 1.4%.

Every 1% shrinkage causes about a 3.5% drop in profit.

A rate above 2% highlights the need for immediate investigation and remedial action.

Calculating Damaged Goods

The calculation for damaged goods is as follows:

=(Damage Stock Value)/(Cost of Stock Product) x 100%

We refer to this as the damage rate, another significant contributor to inventory loss. These damaged goods cannot be sold at full price.

Looking at them, we can often determine the cause.

Inventory Management and Loss Prevention Strategies

Effective inventory management is crucial for minimising both shrinkage and damaged goods. Analysing losses by category, department, or location allows you to pinpoint where problems are occurring. Recording the reasons for missing or damaged items—such as theft, receiving errors, or poor storage—provides actionable insights for process improvement.

With a modern POS inventory management system, you at least have real-time tracking of the problem.

Conclusion

After determining the overall measurements of your inventory shrinkage and damaged goods, you may want to dive deeper into specific departments by performing this analysis across departments, as well as consider doing it by key items and locations. Using this, you can pinpoint areas of concern. 

Written by:

Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director of POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience, now retired and seeking new opportunities. He consults with 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.

A stocktake sale is a promotional event designed to move excess, slow-moving, or outdated inventory directly after your annual stocktake. Retailers throughout Australia use these sales to convert stagnant stock into cash. You will now notice increased promotional activity, both in-store and online, as businesses compete to offer attractive deals. Hopefully, now you are or have completed your annual stocktake. While the paperwork may be nearly finished, this period presents a unique opportunity: to make a stocktake sale. It can help you clear out surplus stock and get some cash into the business.

A stocktake sale is not merely a seasonal tradition; it is a practical, results-oriented strategy that delivers proven and measurable business benefits.

The Strategic Timing of a Stocktake Sale

Launching a stocktake sale immediately after your inventory review is a highly effective approach for several reasons.

First, consumer expectations are heightened at this time of year. Shoppers are now seeking bargains. They are driven by widespread advertising that highlights stocktake sales offering significant discounts. By aligning your sale with this demand, you can drive increased foot traffic and capitalise on consumers’ readiness to spend.

Second, your inventory data is at its most accurate immediately following a stocktake. You have precise information on which products are underperforming, nearing expiry, or simply occupying valuable space. Now you can make the best decisions with the best information.

Third, clearing out slow-moving stock frees up capital and shelf space, giving you a significant boost to cash flow when we all need it to pay the bills coming now for next year.

Tips

A good stocktake sale should be short and limited to create a sense of urgency among customers. Limiting the duration and availability of your stocktake sale can make it more appealing and exclusive to customers. Your regular customers may become suspicious if you go on for too long.

Promotion is inexpensive and easy to accomplish. All you need is a sign on the window and a stand with the goods in your shop. You don’t need to spend a lot of money or time promoting your stocktake sale. Use simple and effective methods. If you have a social media account for your business, you can use it for free to promote your store.

Conclusion

Making a stocktake sale is excellent to clear old stock, boost sales, and promote your business.

Written by:

Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director of POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience, now retired and seeking new opportunities. 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.

AI art generators have revolutionised how retail shops create professional, eye-catching marketing images. Today, any retailer with no graphic design experience can design custom visuals for free. Whether you want to update pamphlets, POS displays, or social media with unique, on-brand images, AI art offers a practical, accessible solution as creating professional, eye-catching pictures for your retail shop’s marketing can now be done for free, as today’s AI art generators make it possible for small business owners to design custom visuals with no graphic design background required. If you’re looking to refresh your pamphlets, POS displays, or social media with unique, on-brand images, AI art is a practical solution you can start using straight away.

Recently, I needed images for a POS Solutions pamphlet. Despite having no artistic background, I was able to create several professional visuals in minutes. See above. I liked them all, so I will leave it to our marketing guy, Garth, to decide which one, if any, to use.

Now I’ll share my process and tips to help you do the same for your business.

To get started, you need two things: an art prompt and an AI art generator. The generator takes your written description, known as a prompt, and transforms it into a high-quality image. Best of all, you can use these images commercially for free. For retailers, this means you can easily create pictures that match your shop’s personality and brand.

I decided on Flux, which is free, but it requires some technical skill to set up, and it also requires a high-end computer. But there are many others now free that can run on any computer. I suggest looking at ChatGPT and Grok, both of which make lovely images for free.

It is easy to do, write your image prompt, which is 

Draw "what you want to have an image of"

and wait.

Here are some image prompts that I use for you. These are for you to experiment with 

**Bauhaus Functionalism**    An ultra-realistic image re-envisioning the POS Solutions logo through a stark Bauhaus lens. The logo is constructed from fundamental geometric shapes using primary colored glass and polished chrome. The 'P' is a red circle and rectangle, the 'O' a yellow circle, and the 'S' a series of blue curves, all rendered in smooth, solid-colored glass. The "Solutions" text is built from thin chrome bars. The sculpture is placed within a minimalist architectural space with bare concrete walls and a simple grid window. The lighting is stark, functional, and direct, casting hard-edged shadows, reflecting the movement's emphasis on form, function, and industrial modernism.
 

**Gothic Obsidian**    An ultra-realistic, high-resolution image of the POS Solutions logo as a monolithic sculpture carved from polished black obsidian and smoky quartz. The acronym "POS" features bold, heavy forms, with the stylized 'S' elegantly overlapping the 'O' in a fluid, obsidian curve. Above it, two italicized bars are chiseled from the same dark crystal. To the right, "Solutions" is etched in a finer, translucent smoky quartz, while the "Smart software" tagline is subtly engraved in matte grey slate. The entire sculpture rests on a cold stone floor within a vast, dark cathedral interior. Dramatic, high-contrast chiaroscuro lighting, reminiscent of a Caravaggio painting, streams from a distant stained-glass rose window, casting long, colorful shadows and highlighting the sharp, reflective edges of the obsidian. The mood is somber, epic, and reverent, blending corporate form with ancient gravitas.

Render the POS Solutions logo as an ultra-detailed, hyper-realistic glass sculpture, with "POS" crafted from deep navy blue transparent crystal, each letter bold and heavy. The stylized is enlarged and curves gracefully over the its surface polished to a high gloss, refracting light in intricate, gem-like patterns. Above the  two thick, italicized bars, also in navy crystal, are sharply beveled and highly reflective. To the right, "Solutions" is depicted in a thinner, elegant, sans-serif font in translucent navy crystal, while beneath it, "Smart software" is rendered in a soft matte grey crystal. The logo is set against a softly blended pastel background, with gradients of blue and pink, and is surrounded by vibrant, prismatic shadows and highlights. Studio lighting accentuates the reflective and refractive qualities of the crystal, creating an atmosphere that is elegant, dreamy, and technologically sophisticated.
 

Modify each by removing POS Solutions and replacing it with your shop name, the brand you are promoting, etc. 

An exercise I find helpful is creating something you like, then asking the AI, 'Here is my prompt, make it better,' and seeing what it comes up with. If it is not what you want tell it so and ask it to redo. 

Once you’ve created your images, use them across your marketing materials, eg pamphlets, social media, website banners, or in-store signage. Consistent, original and high-quality visuals help your shop look professional, making a real difference in how customers perceive your business. Google ranks them well, as each image is original. Google likes original material.  According to Shopify, retailers using original images see up to 30% higher engagement rates.

Try out the example prompts above, and see how easy it is to create stunning visuals for your retail business. 

If it all seems a bit too hard, please let me know, and I'll create some images for you. I have to have something to do with my retirement.

Written by:

Bernard Zimmermann is the founding director of POS Solutions, a leading point-of-sale system company with 45 years of industry experience, now retired and seeking new opportunities. 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.

There are few key differences and notable changes for EOFY 2024/5 to 2025/6

As such this is still valid for your EOFY accounting.

The only major change for SMB retails is that you need to adjust the Superannuation Guarantee (SG) rate as it rises from 11.5% in 2024/25 to 12% in 2025/26. This is the final step in the legislated SG increases, so you must update payroll systems and budgets accordingly.

You must act now if you want to use the Instant Asset Write-Off for this year's tax return. The $20,000 threshold for eligible businesses (with less than $10 million aggregated turnover) only applies to assets first used or installed ready for use by 30 June 2025. Purchases after this date may be subject to different rules or thresholds.

Written by:

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.

If you are like me and like to work while listening to interesting discussions, I would like to recommend the NAB Morning Call podcast. It's an Australian business podcast. The podcast is a daily 15-minute business podcast produced by National Australia Bank that delivers market insights specifically tailored for Australian business owners. The NAB bank has clearly put a lot of effort into producing it.

The podcast's strength lies in its real-world examples and data-driven discussions that directly impact business operations.

Memorable Episodes Worth Your Time

Some I found quite memorable, for example, what happened when the bank discovered a man about to transfer $500,000 to a scammer in China. He planned to send the money to his online fiancée, someone he had never met in person despite corresponding for over a year. He was lonely, he meet someone nice online and what do you do, when you know its a fraud, what do you say to such a guy?

Beyond fraud prevention, the podcast tackles critical business survival topics. A standout episode featured 'Back from the brink: How to save a business in distress,' where Michael Fingland, CEO of Brisbane-based turnaround specialists Vantage Performance, discusses what a company can do in the 11th hour to avoid being shut down. 

Another one I liked was on what retail customers are now buying in shops. I liked that they had data from people's credit cards, so they knew exactly what people were buying and what their analysts thought the public was going. 

Why NAB Morning Call Stands Out

If you are interested in this stuff, I think you will find it helpful (actionable) for SMB owners with SME business advice.

The podcast maintains high production values and has received consistently positive listener reviews, with ratings of 4.8-5.0 stars on Apple Podcasts. 

For SMB owners like myself who want to stay informed about economic developments that could impact their operations, the NAB Morning Call provides an efficient and authoritative source of daily market intelligence. 

Format and Accessibility

It is published daily at around 7 a.m. AEST is available on weekdays and most major platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

You can also get it here  if you are not set up for Podcasts.

Written by:

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.