If you run a lottery outlet, you know that the lottery brings in a lot of foot traffic. Like most agency work, it has pros and cons. On the one hand, it gives you a lot of business, but on the other hand, they have you on the short end of the stick. Today, a shopper who buys a Powerball ticket often grabs a card, a magazine, or a cold drink at the same time.

As it is very important to many of my clients, I listened to the Lottery Corporation Investor Day talk on YouTube , and while listening, I read the INVESTOR DAY PRESENTATION. This presentation filled many of the gaps in the talk.

The talk was a bit vague, but the presentation was good. If you are interested, I suggest looking through the presentation and missing the talk.

Here are my thoughts on what was said.

The most important point was that the lottery recognises the importance of retail (54% of draw lottery sales in 2025), but they also want to use your shop to attract new digital customers. The clear long-term plan strongly favours digital over retail. The company says digital is its main growth engine and will own the customer relationship going forward. For example, a customer might buy their first ticket at your counter, but the lottery wants them to buy all future tickets through its app. If the lottery app is used, your shop loses that sale and, more importantly, the extra impulse sales that go with it.

Also, the profit gap between digital and retail is massive. The lottery's digital operator margin is 20.5 percent, while the retail margin is only 8.2 percent. Clearly, the lottery has a strong financial incentive to move players online, where it can make more profit.

There is little there about industry consultation. The lotto agents will be told what to do and expected to do it. Again, this is a common problem with agency work.

Key Takeaways

• The lottery's 2026 strategy turns retail into a tool to attract new digital customers.
• The lottery says registered customers are worth about 2 times as much as unregistered customers.
• The lottery's digital profit margin is 20.5 percent, while the retail margin is only 8.2 percent.
• The lottery estimates that about 4.3 million unregistered retail lottery customers remain available to convert as of FY25.
• Each 1 percent lift in digital share is worth about $6 million in profit for the lottery.
• Lottery retailer pay is expected to change, but talks with industry groups will take six to twelve months.
• Australian retailers with strong POS data can measure the true basket value of lottery traffic to prepare for new pay talks.

Points

What I did was list the points as they went through it, identify the ones relevant to retailers, and put them in the following order.

Pros

Why the lottery Still Needs Retailers

The lottery still needs the retail network to succeed. The company says retailers remain long-term partners because digital-only rivals cannot copy a massive physical network. For example, a pure online app cannot give customers the friendly face and local trust that your lottery outlet provides every day.

The money is still very real for them from shops today. Retailers and venues earned about $0.7 billion in Australian newsagent lottery commissions in FY25. Those commission payments are paying the rent for many SMB businesses across the country.

Moreover, the lottery's license base is much stronger now. The Victorian lottery license was recently extended to 2068, providing long-term safety across the whole network. A longer license means you can safely spend more money on lotto.

They see the lottery brands build deep trust in the community. The lottery calls its games "permission assets" because they give the company and its retailers the social trust to operate safely. For example, customers trust your shop more because you sell familiar, safe games like Saturday Lotto.

Importantly, retail remains the primary starting point for players. The lottery admits that physical shops provide a highly visible presence in towns and suburbs. A customer driving past your big lottery sign is often reminded to walk in and buy a ticket.

New Tools and Future Plans

The new digital tools will actually help your staff work faster. In-store tools like digital prize claiming and ticket scanning reduce the cash you have to handle. For example, a customer claiming a prize digitally means your staff does not have to count out large amounts of cash from the till.

The lottery admits that the old pay model must evolve. Management openly stated that as retail becomes a place to find new digital customers, the remuneration for lottery retailers needs to change. They know the old pay model does not fit the new job they want you to do. I am dubious here, as this was promised before, and I did not see much progress from that proposal.

The lottery promises to consult with retailers before making major pay changes. The company says the next six to twelve months will involve deep talks with retailer groups. This means you have time to look at your newsagent POS data before the final rules are set.

They promise that highly productive shops could win big in the future. The lottery emphasised "quality over quantity," meaning top shops could become brand ambassadors. For example, if your shop signs up lots of digital players, you might receive special rewards or extra terminal support.

The lottery is still investing in physical games to keep them exciting. The company is planning a Set for Life refresh for September 2026. Fresh games give your regular customers a fun reason to keep coming back to your counter. By refreshing the Everyday Fun games, the lottery hopes to keep sales strong even when jackpots are small. For instance, better instant scratch games can keep your daily traffic steady year-round.

Cons

How Digital Changes Your Shop's Role

The role of your shop they want completely changed. The lottery is explicitly shifting retail from a sales channel to a tool for finding digital customers. They see your job as slowly changing from simply selling tickets to finding new app users for the lottery. This is actually what other online lotteries, such as Lottery Office, once offered retailers. This is now the main engine for the company's future. The lottery says digital is its primary growth engine, meaning the long-term focus is no longer on growing over-the-counter sales. For example, the lottery will spend more money improving its app than it will on improving your terminal.

Once digital, the lottery will own the long-term customer relationship. The lottery says digital will handle customer retention and keep players loyal between draws. If a customer buys their first ticket from you, the lottery will use email and in-app alerts to encourage them to buy their next ticket online.

Finally, registered players are worth more money. Registered lottery customers are worth about 2 times as much as unregistered customers. This is exactly why simple counter sales are no longer the lottery's main goal.

New Tools Push Players Away From the Counter

QR codes can easily shift the relationship away from your shop. QR codes on paper tickets make it very easy for players to register for the lottery. However, scanning that code creates a direct link that lets the customer play on their phone next time, without visiting you.

Digital wallets bypass the shop completely. Digital prize claiming reduces your cash handling, but it also helps customers build online wallets. For example, many customers who claim a $50 prize in their app wallet will likely spend that $50 in the app, not in your shop.

Sign-up rewards are designed to accelerate this digital shift. The lottery is considering retailer rewards to encourage your staff to collect customer details. This effectively asks you to help move your own regular shoppers online.

Greater use of dynamic digital signage takes control away from the retailer. Digital screens aim to reduce the need for printed posters and to clean up the shop. However, this gives the lottery central control over exactly what gets promoted in your shop at any given time.

Your terminal is not guaranteed anymore. The lottery says that having more outlets does not always translate into higher sales, so they are reviewing low-yield shops. If your shop only sells a few tickets a week, you might lose your lottery terminal similarly if you do not drive enough digital sign-ups.

Talks about how retailers get paid are still months away from finishing, yet you are being asked to do the conversion work right now without a final, fair pay deal in place.

The App Replaces the Shop Visit

The digital roadmap is built to keep players in the app. Upgrades like "The Reveal" make checking results on a phone much more fun and exciting. This pulls the habit of checking tickets away from your physical shop scanner.

The Auto Play feature is concerning; it is designed as a recurring revenue engine. This means a player's ticket is automatically purchased each week, so the customer never needs to walk into your shop again to buy one.

Social Play will allow the lottery to run syndicates completely through the mobile app. This pulls large office groups and social play away from the traditional physical counter.

What they are aiming for in the app is the 18- to 34-year-old demographic. This is how the lottery sees these people want to play. It will be a full entertainment destination.

Discussion

The lottery strategy 2026 is not an attack on retail. They see the shop is creating trust, reach, and easy access. At the same time, the lottery desperately wants to own the registered identity and the digital repeat revenue.

If lotteries get twice as much money, then registration is no longer just a harmless administrative task at the till. It is a commercial negotiation about who gets paid for creating long-term value.

Importantly, do not simply reject every new digital tool out of fear. Many of these digital upgrades will genuinely reduce friction and speed up the line during a busy jackpot draw.

Think I missed something important. Have anything to discuss, let me know

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.

If your business currently adds a surcharge to card payments, your window to prepare is closing fast. From 1 October 2026, the Reserve Bank of Australia's ban on surcharging across EFTPOS, Mastercard, and Visa networks will take effect. You will be affected by the government ban, and many of your payment providers will be affected. Some payment providers intend to extend the surcharge ban to include American Express, China UnionPay, and Discover, which goes beyond the official RBA mandate.

Key Takeaways

• The RBA's surcharge ban on EFTPOS, Mastercard, and Visa networks takes effect on 1 October 2026, making surcharging on debit, prepaid, and credit cards illegal.
• EFTPOS providers control terminal settings and merchant agreements so that enforcement will be practical and immediate.
• Every merchant should ask their provider two direct questions now: which cards are covered, whether any surcharging remains, and what the timeline for system changes is.

What Is the RBA Surcharge Ban?

The surcharge ban is a regulatory change, effective 1 October 2026, that prohibits Australian merchants from adding a separate fee to customer transactions made by EFTPOS, Mastercard, or Visa debit and credit cards, as mandated by the Reserve Bank of Australia. Historically, retailers added this surcharge to cover the cost of card acceptance in Australia. After 1 October, the cost of card acceptance for Visa and Credit cards will be paid by you.

How Can EFTPOS Providers Enforce the Surcharge Ban?

They control merchant terms, terminal settings, and payment workflows. It is very much in their interest to enforce this ban. From my discussions with some of them, I have been told that they intend to do this. I would be shocked if any of them do not.

Which Cards Does the Surcharge Ban Actually Cover?

The official RBA surcharge ban applies to domestic EFTPOS, Mastercard, and Visa transactions. However, while the RBA's official surcharge ban covers these networks, some payment providers are extending this internal ban to American Express, China UnionPay, and Discover cards, meaning merchants using their services will lose the ability to surcharge on these cards through their platform, regardless of the law.

What Should Retailers Do Before 1 October 2026?

Ask your payment provider these direct questions before 1 October 2026:

• Which cards will be covered by the surcharge ban on your platform, including those you do handle, such as American Express, China UnionPay, and Discover?
• What changes will be made to my terminal or POS system, and when will you be notified?

I bet you will not get a direct answer, but I do recommend you ask by email so you get a written response.

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.

I've seen how helpful a good planogram can be for SMB stores. Since I've gotten questions about them, I want to share some practical tips on making a planogram.

This can:

• Optimise your shop layout.
• Boost sales.

A planogram shows:

• What products go on the shelves.
• How to arrange your products on shelves.

It makes shopping easier and, hopefully, drives more sales.

Why Planograms Matter for Retail Shops

Planograms are visual representations of your shop's layout, showing where products are placed and how they are arranged. For most of us in retail, nothing beats a planogram for visually showing what's happening in the shop.

A Cautionary Tale

Let me share a quick story. A client of mine wanted a shop fit-out. She told me that as her partner was a carpenter, he made what she wanted. He built it all right. Then she looked at the finished fit-out and said, “This is what I asked for, but not what I wanted.” A planogram could have saved her a lot of disappointment.

Uses of Planograms

• Maximising sales by product placement.
• Improving customer flow.
• Optimising shelf space.
• Enhancing visual merchandising.
• Tracking profit.
• Identifying shoplifting hotspots.
• Analysing the number of sales per area.

I've had clients whose sales have jumped by tweaking their store layout based on a well-crafted planogram.

The Great Debate on Professional Planogram Software

When I started discussing planograms, our competitors all suggested that people use professional packages. Now you can use professional software, and it's pretty reasonable. However, they did not notice that these planograms look nice and are not straightforward to make or use.

Pros and Cons of Professional Software

Professional planograms: you need to learn a lot before using them effectively. In my experience, if you're considering purchasing professional planogram software, I suggest opting for a monthly subscription. These costs are relatively reasonable; you have lost little if the package fails. Here is a decent discussion on this.

Most of us would be better off hiring someone who knows what they are doing rather than buying or renting such software.

Here would be a typical result from a professional planogram.

Here is a manual one.

A diagram of your shop with your best sellers listed as:

• Blue = Good
• Yellow = Moderate to bad
• Red = Very bad
• Blank = Zero

It visually shows the shop's sales, but there is no denying that the professional one looks better. However, I think the manual one is clearer and more useful to most SMB retailers.

Step-by-Step Guide to Making a Planogram

When making a planogram, keep it practical. You do not need to show every minor detail in the shop. What matters is including the information that helps you make decisions. A good question to ask yourself before adding any details is whether this extra information is important to you.

Step 1: Gather Your Tools

You'll need:

• A couple of large sheets of paper.
• Some grid paper.
• Pencil and eraser. A pencil's big advantage is that, unlike a pen, it's easy to rub out mistakes.
• Ruler.
• Triangle right-angle ruler.
• Ruler with shapes (circles, triangles, squares), if possible.
• Tape measure or laser distance meter, or just pace it out.

Pro tip: I prefer a laser distance meter. They're relatively cheap now, and one person can do all the measurements quickly.

Step 2: Measure Your Shop

At a minimum, your planogram should show:

• The front door and counter.
• All walls.
• All fixtures and shelves.
• Aisles and open walkways.
• Power points, pillars, or anything fixed that affects the layout.
• The main product areas or departments.

Now:

1. On grid paper, draw a rough outline of your shop.
2. Measure the largest dimension of your shop.
3. Write down this measurement on the grid paper.
4. Start at the rear of the shop and go around, measuring the outer parts. Write down every measurement.
5. Start at the rear left of the shop and measure key details from left to right.
6. Work your way to the front.
7. Double-check by measuring from front to back.

Step 3: Draw Your Layout

Start with the rough sketch to get a grip on the situation. I find it useful to draft the initial version on scrap paper, work out many of the kinks, and only then start on my actual planogram.

• Check that the measurements make sense.
• Do not kid yourself that it's all correct; assume there is something you have done wrong.

Step 4: Draw Your Final Draft

• Grab the larger paper to draw your shop layout.
• Get the larger measurement, generally the shop length first.
• Use this measurement to make a scale on your paper. Use a decent scale, for example, 1 cm = 1 metre or 2 cm = 1 metre. If you use something like 1.7 cm per metre, you are just asking for a calculation headache; use 2 cm.
• Draw the other measurements.

Pro tip: In my experience, even experts take a few attempts. If you're not doing it a lot, you may need more, and that's perfectly normal.

Step 5: Copy Your Planogram

You now have a floor plan; make many copies. Later, you'll use these for different objectives, and it will save time because all you will need to do next quarter is use this floor plan.

Step 6: Use Your Planogram

Mark on your planogram what you want to measure: dollar sales, unit sales, profit, shoplifting rates, and so on.

Select the appropriate report from your POS software, and divide the products into four groups:

• Blue = Good
• Yellow = Moderate to bad
• Red = Very bad
• Blank = Zero

Then mark the items on the planogram.

Step 7: Review and Refresh Your Planogram

A planogram is not a set-and-forget document. Once it is in use, review it. I know retailers who review it weekly, but I would suggest reviewing it quarterly. This keeps your shelf layout reflecting what customers are buying and how your range is changing.

A practical method is to review it at the start of each quarter: look at the quarter just finished, then look at the coming quarter from last year. This gives you a balanced view of recent and expected performance.

For example, at the start of Q2, run a Q1 report and compare it with last year's Q2. You may need to adjust for your future plans. That makes it easier to see which products need more or less space, and whether your current layout aligns with how customers shop.

What you will find is that you will catch issues that are easy to miss in day-to-day trading, such as slow sellers taking up too much room, fast sellers being underspaced, or seasonal lines staying on display longer than they should. A useful planogram helps you evolve as your shop does.

Conclusion

Your planogram does not have to be perfect. It does not even have to look professional. It simply has to help you see the shop more clearly and make better layout decisions. The worst hand-drawn planogram that you use is better than a polished one that sits ignored.

By taking the time to create a planogram, you're investing in your shop's future.

Happy planogramming!

FAQ

Q: What is the difference between a floor plan and a planogram?
A: A floor plan shows the physical shape of the shop, while a planogram shows how products or categories are arranged in that floor plan.

Q: What is a planogram?
A: A planogram visually represents some of your shop's features.

Q: Why do planograms matter for retail shops?
A: Planograms help people visualise what is happening in the shop. They assist in optimising space, improving customer flow, and maximising sales.

Q: Do I need professional planogram software?
A: Not necessarily.

Q: How do I start creating a planogram?
A: Start with the most significant dimension, usually the shop's length.

Q: What's the best way to measure my shop?
A: A laser distance meter is recommended because it's quick, accurate, and can be operated by one person.

Q: What should I include in the floor plan?
A: The entrance, the counters, walls, fixtures, shelves, aisles, and any fixed features that affect how the space works. I suggest adding the power points too.

Q: Where should best sellers go?
A: It depends. What is very important is that the customer notices them.

Q: How do I tell which parts of the shop are performing well?
A: A simple way is to mark areas by performance, for example, using colours to show strong, average, and weak parts of the shop.

Q: How often should I review my planograms?
A: I find in practice that for most shops, a quarterly review is a practical rhythm because it is frequent enough to catch problems without becoming a burden. In practice, what you find is that your customers do not want frequent changes.

Q: How do I know if the change was good?
A: Use your POS reports.

Q: How many attempts does it usually take to create one?
A: Even experts typically need three attempts: a rough sketch, a detailed version, and a final draft.

Q: What scale should I use when drawing one?
A: Use something that is easy to calculate.

Q: Why should I make many copies?
A: Multiple copies allow you to use the planogram for different objectives and planning purposes.

Q: Can a planogram help prevent layout mistakes?
A: A planogram can help visualise the layout before implementation, potentially avoiding costly mistakes in shop fit-outs.

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.

We all rely on the Point of Sale (POS) system for essential ordering, staffing, and seasonal planning. Part of what we are looking for in AI is advice that may lead to ideas of what to do next, missed stock opportunities and hidden risks. What we did was benchmark several commonly used free and paid AI to see how they performed for such use. The results quite stunned us.

What Are POS System Reports Reviewed By AI?

We decided to print a sales report from our POS system and asked for an AI review. We use several newsagencies and have a sales report listing over 2 years' worth of about 100,000 items that have sold. A shop selling $500,000 a year at an average unit price of $10 per item sells 50,000 items; this is hardly what one would call a big shop. In retail, you need about 2 years of seasonal figures to compare, say, Feb this year with Feb last year. Doing that requires a lot of data; it's not just the items, but also sales quantities, prices paid, discounts given, GST, etc., and we discovered that many AI systems couldn't handle this workload.

Which AI Tool Reviews POS System Reports Best?

Going over the reports, it was found.

Meta AI, a free service, produced the most useful answer. It easily processed the massive amount of information, built useful monthly tables, and provided good stock recommendations. I was shocked that the free one did the best job.

Conversely, the remaining AI tools demonstrated common ways in which AI will underperform when faced with shop data. For instance, Gemini, which is so highly regarded, typically analyses about 50% of the information we supplied and then stops.

How Did Each AI Tool Perform?

Below is our breakdown of how the different AI tools handled the data loads from fairly small retail shops, from best to worst.

• Meta AI: This AI tool effortlessly handled massive data and provided free, actionable advice, making it the best option for major stock decisions despite missing complex margin analysis. Sample report, we got on the top.
• Claude: This model produced sensible category assignments, but its answers were too vague for ordering, so it is best used for spotting broad seasonal trends.
• Local AI: This AI excels in data security and privacy, but its analytical depth is average.
• Gemini: Nice formatting, looked nice, but broke down under the data load.
• ChatGPT: This famous AI tool figures were correct, but its reporting was pretty useless.

Note that data security is most important to you; only local AI can do that, but that is another issue for another post.

What Are the Next Steps for Retailers?

The next steps for retailers involve starting with one specific report and running it through your chosen AI tool to test its true data capacity. For example, export your heavy monthly category performance data and explicitly ask the AI to suggest three immediate merchandising changes for the shop floor.

Always verify the totals against your original Point of Sale (POS) system export before taking any physical action. We were shocked to see how badly Gemini performed here.

Conclusion

Clearly, pairing your POS system with an AI report can provide you with better information, but you need to check the results.

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.

What is much easier and quicker for retailers than sifting through a POS report to understand their data is looking at a simple visual screen. Here I will show you how to convert a standard PosBrowser report into a simple AI-generated dashboard. It is not only easier to review but also to share with others.

And it only takes minutes to do.

What Is a PosBrowser AI Dashboard?

A PosBrowser AI dashboard is a visual summary generated from an exported report that automatically turns raw figures into charts and graphs and highlights them.

Here is the basic process.

1. Run your usual report in PosBrowser and save it as a PDF. Remember the name you saved the report under.
2. Click on meta.ai.
3. Please type the + in the box and upload your PDF into an AI assistant.
4. Now ask the AI to produce a dashboard that shows the exact metrics you want, for example, if I printed out a report on stock sales by category, I might ask for a dashboard that shows the exact measures you need.

 

Create a stock valuation dashboard by department, top 20 categories, ageing stock, and sales trends over time.
 

Note: For this example, I specifically used Meta AI because it is currently free. Since most of my clients do not have paid AI accounts, I wanted to select a tool that is highly accessible to everyone. While you can use other AI platforms, Meta AI is a great starting point if you want to test this process without any extra cost.

How Do You Check an AI Dashboard Against the Original PosBrowser Report?

The AI can turn a text-heavy report into a cleaner visual summary within seconds or minutes, depending on the platform and file size. However, you must review the visual output against the original report before sharing it with staff or using it for decisions. AI does make mistakes.

Below, you can see a sample stock valuation report beside the dashboard generated from the same data. The example below shows how a standard POS report became an AI dashboard.The green arrow is where you can add departments to examine.

How to Proceed

I suggest starting off with a few reports you know well, such as a total report. Test how it goes and use this example to improve your requests.

Enjoy.

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.

Today, many prefer to use AI rather than hand-enter supplier invoices into their POS System. If you are ready to scan these invoices, let us know.

Many people have questions about doing this, so here are some questions I have received over the past few months.

What is AI supplier invoice processing?

AI supplier invoice processing is when your POS Software reads supplier bills that are sent to you. It uses AI to extract information from the invoice and enter it into your POS system, so you don't have to type everything manually. AI processed supplier invoices, reducing manual entry and speeding up data entry. People do report saving hours. Its accuracy is equivalent to manual data entry. Since you get a check at the end, the accuracy is rarely a significant problem.

Speed and Accuracy of a typist vs AI?

Here are some observations that I worked out for a single-page invoice, admittedly on a run of invoices.

When humans process an invoice, they do not just read words; they must scan, find specific fields, verify totals, and manually key data into the POS software. Humans take about 12 minutes per invoice. This includes locating vendor details, invoice numbers, and line items, and manually retyping them into the POS System. Interestingly, when I tested a trained typist, she took 4 minutes to type an invoice, mainly because she did not have to look at the keyboard as often, and she typed much faster.

An AI OCR invoice processing took 2 seconds per invoice, as it reads the whole document and then extracts the figures.

So the AI OCR processes invoices 60-360 times faster than a human, depending on your training. Its accuracy was much higher.

Where humans will win is with handwritten or complex invoices, like what we sometimes see coming from places like India.

Here are some questions people have asked me about these AI invoices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will the ATO accept digital copies of receipts and invoices?

A: Well, now you are getting the invoices electronically and entering them manually. As for the invoice, you still have the digital version sent by email or the paper one sent with the goods.

Q: How do OCR tools handle multi-currency invoices from AliExpress or eBay?

A: Double-check it, as I have seen it confuse US and Australian dollars and go wild with the invoice in Indian rupees.

Q: Do AI tools understand line items?

A: It understands line items; with line credit notes, people have reported mixed success.

Q: How do you stop ABN errors?

A: It's not doing any checks on the ABN number. Again, you need to do it manually.

Q: How does it handle duplicate invoices?

A: It is a very real problem with AI. The supplier sends an invoice by email, so people enter it in. When the goods arrive, they OCR the invoice and use AI to process it. Because it is so much faster than manual typing, it happens much more often with AI.

Q: Why does your AI tool say VAT instead of GST?

A: People are importing British invoices that have VAT.

Q: Can AI handle all suppliers' invoices with OCR?

A: Almost all, but I have seen some problem ones. Most suppliers today use accounting software to issue invoices, and they can send them to you electronically. At first, you'll need to monitor each supplier to see how it goes.

Q: Does it have a cost?

A: AI is not free; it's very cheap, but it's not free.

Q: What is the break-even point for switching to AI processing invoices?

A: I have asked several people that question with mixed results; one of my clients can type at 65 words a minute, I assume her answer would be very different to mine. It depends on how many invoices you process, how quickly your typist works, and the condition of the invoices.

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.

We lock the shop door every night, secure the till, and run a stocktake. However, if a laptop goes missing or someone copies your files, your confidential information could be completely exposed. To keep your POS system and back office running, you probably have many staff members and occasionally repair technicians accessing it. This shared access creates a problem for your sensitive information.

Everyday Risks in Retail

While sharing system access with staff keeps the shop floor moving, it does create security problems.

• Employees snooping through documents on back-office PCs.
• Unattended computers left unlocked while you help customers browse greeting cards or magazines.
• Stolen devices from your shop, car, or home.

These risks can expose confidential information, so we recommend a simple tool like VeraCrypt to protect your information even when your computers are out of your control.

How VeraCrypt Works

POS Solutions has been recommending VeraCrypt for years.

It is one of the simplest and most effective tools for securing confidential retail data. It is a free, open-source program. It acts like a digital safe on your device. You can use it as usual, or drag your private files into it. Without your password, no one can open or read anything inside it.

How secure is VeraCrypt

In 2008, in the Brazilian Banker Case. Police seized five hard drives from a suspect that were fully encrypted using a predecessor to VeraCrypt. The Brazilian National Institute of Criminology failed to crack them for five months, so they went to the FBI. The FBI spent 12 months attempting to break the encryption but ultimately failed.

In a 2015 U.S. case involving a former police sergeant, the U.S. government was unable to access the data.

Based on this, I can say that VeraCrypt is exceptionally secure.

Getting Started

You can easily set up this level of security for your own files without any special IT skills.

1. Download VeraCrypt for free from its official website.
2. Install and run it.
3. Create a new volume and select a size. I suggest 4GB for your files.
4. Select the default AES encryption and set a strong, unique password of at least 12 characters that includes letters, numbers, and symbols.

Mount the volume so it appears as a new drive letter, say I:

• Move your sensitive files to I: and work as usual with the files on I:
• Dismount the volume when finished to safely lock everything away.

You still need to back up the encrypted file just like any other information. People tend to forget that computers are mechanical devices and they can fail like any other machine.

Mistakes to Avoid

Even simple tools work best with good daily habits to ensure your data stays secure.

1. Simple passwords: Avoid "password123". This is the first thing a hacker will try. Pick something memorable but unique that only you know, like your wedding song, the singer and year.
2. Suspicious filenames: Prevent suspicion by giving your vault an obscure video file name rather than "Private Payroll", say something like "Zootopia_2"
3. Leaving volumes mounted: Always dismount your volume when stepping away from the computer; this only takes seconds.

VeraCrypt vs BitLocker

A common question is why we prefer VeraCrypt to Microsoft's built-in BitLocker, which is heavily pushed by one of our competitors. Here is why VeraCrypt provides a much better solution.

The Functional Differences:

BitLocker is designed to lock the entire computer; this is not required in most shops. Plus, BitLocker automatically unlocks at startup, meaning any staff member using the till has access to all the data on that machine. VeraCrypt requires a password, giving you control over who can see your private files.

The Technical Problems with BitLocker:

Recently, BitLocker has suffered from major technical issues that can severely disrupt a business. In both October 2025 and April 2026, routine Windows security updates contained bugs that caused PCs to enter an "infinite BitLocker recovery loop". We have seen people locked out of their own computers as a result. Not good for a retailer to be locked out of their POS system at the start of the day.

The YellowKey Exploit:

Even worse than the bugs is a newly discovered vulnerability, "YellowKey. If what is said is correct, then someone can bypass BitLocker protection without a password. It is now being debated whether Microsoft built a backdoor into BitLocker after reading the information. I think they did.

The Trust Factor:

VeraCrypt is open-source and audited by independent experts. Its code is fully visible, meaning it is unlikely to have a hidden backdoor. BitLocker is closed, meaning you must trust Microsoft.

Conclusion

VeraCrypt is one hell of a good cyber protection.

FAQ

Q: I caught staff snooping on the back-office PC through the network. Can VeraCrypt help?

A: Yes, even if someone snoops on your computer, no one can read, or even detect, what is inside a VeraCrypt volume, unless they know the password.

Q: I forgot the password to my locked folder. How do I recover my files?

A: You cannot retrieve the information unless you can remember the password. This is one of the biggest problems we have with VeraCrypt, and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

Q: Is VeraCrypt hard to set up?

A: Not at all. I have set up many VeraCrypts and never had a problem. You need about 4GB of space on the computer, and choose a strong password (I suggest at least 12 characters). You do not need any special tech skills to get started.

Q: If I leave the computer to serve customers, are my files safe?

A: On your computer, your files are only safe if you dismount (lock) the volume before stepping away from the computer to the shop floor.

Q: Is VeraCrypt actually secure against hackers?

A: VeraCrypt is incredible. Real-world cases involving the FBI and international police forces have shown that without the password, even government agencies cannot crack the AES encryption.

Hackers will typically program your name, dates of family births, etc., and search for passwords, so avoid weak, easily guessable ones.

Q: Will VeraCrypt slow down my POS system?

A: A little. In practice, the files that need this level of security rarely require super-speed operation.

Q: What should I name my locked folder so it doesn't attract attention?

A: Avoid suspicious or obvious names like "Private Payroll" or "Confidential Data". I suggest using an obscure video file title, e.g., "The Shawshank Redemption (1994).AVI".

Q: Do I still need antivirus software if I encrypt my files?

A: Absolutely.

Update notes: I wrote an article on this a few months ago, but recently, YellowKey changed a lot here, so I totally rewrote the article 

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.

Your suppliers and business partners often look you up online before they meet with you. It's how business is done today. The main source is LinkedIn. A bad LinkedIn profile will hurt your business. It will make you look less credible. I have a fix for this here that takes at most 20 minutes.

What happened recently is that after a career change, I updated my own LinkedIn profile. Did not think much about it until a week later, when I checked LinkedIn before a meeting with a bank official about some upcoming changes. It told me what sort of a guy he was and what he was in the bank. Then, almost immediately, I had a meeting with a retailer, and just before I talked, I automatically checked him up on LinkedIn too. That profile told me almost nothing. He did not look very credible.

Ultimately, that contrast exposed a gap. So I checked some more and found many of my clients also had poor LinkedIn accounts, so I decided to make a tool to fix them.

Key Takeaways

• LinkedIn profile quality shapes first impressions before meetings, supplier calls, finance discussions, and store visits.
• Specific retail detail makes a business easier to trust than vague labels such as 'Owner' or 'Self-Employed.'
• Personal credibility helps readers understand the experience, systems knowledge, and operational skill behind the shop.
• Retail context explains what you sell, who you serve, and why your business is worth contacting.
• AI assistance improves wording best after accurate facts about the business are already in place.
• Twenty-minute updates are enough to improve a headline, About section, Experience section, and Skills list.

Core Definitions

• LinkedIn profile is a public professional summary that explains who you are, what your business does, and why someone should trust your business.
• Retail LinkedIn optimisation involves updating your headline, About section, Experience section, and Skills so readers can understand your business quickly.
• LinkedIn headline is the first short description most people see, so it should state your role, shop type, and product focus.
• Business credibility on LinkedIn involves specific facts about your store, your customers, and the experience behind the business.
• AI rewriting involves improving clarity after accurate facts about your products, location, role, and strengths are already in place.

What Is a LinkedIn Profile for a Shop Owner?

It is a professional page that explains the business and emphasises your role.

Why Does LinkedIn Matter for Independent Retailers?

LinkedIn matters for independent retailers because they deal with a complex network of stakeholders who verify credibility online. You also deal with suppliers, banks,

Consequently, a weak profile creates uncertainty and leaves the other person guessing what you actually do. A label such as 'Owner at Self-Employed' says almost nothing about the business, the products, or the experience behind it. For example, leaving your skills section blank deprives a prospective landlord of knowing your strong background in retail operations.

Conversely, a strong profile makes that easier. what sort of person you are, and what experience you bring to the table. Someone should be able to see in seconds what you are skilled at, what sort of operational, technical, or commercial experience you have. If LinkedIn shapes their thoughts about you before the first conversation.

How Can Shop Owners Improve a LinkedIn Profile in 20 Minutes?

Improving a LinkedIn profile in 20 minutes requires focusing only on the core sections that drive immediate credibility. Simply follow these six structured steps.

Step 1: Research other people's profiles similar to yours

What you are looking for are strong LinkedIn profiles from people like you. Pay attention to their headline, About section, Experience section, and the way they explain their business.

Step 2: Starting

If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, create one; if you have one, log into it.

Now check your existing email, phone number, and location are completely up to date. Verify that carefully. It will do you damage if these details are wrong.

Step 3: What Business Details Should You Add First?

Then, fill out your profile with the basics. Do not worry about perfect wording, spelling, grammar, etc., yet; get the facts down first so the profile accurately reflects what you did.

Make you your present position shows what the business you are in does, not just what you do in the business for example, not just I am responsible for buying, merchandising, customer service, supplier relationships, and day-to-day store operations in Johnson's Pet shop but add to this that Johnson's Pet shop which sells pet foods, toys.... in the Morrabbin area for over 30 years."

When you are happy with it, save it. Then print out your LinkedIn profile to PDF, see the green arrow below

Step 4: AI prompt

Now run the AI prompt below on that PDF. You can use any AI for this prompt. I tested it on ChatGPT, Grok and Claude.

It can turn rough facts into clearer, more professional wording without changing the real meaning, as business people want to read. Many of you will be surprised by how you sound after the prompt does its magic.

Now review it. One of the good points of AI is that you can ask it to add, change, or delete parts. A common change, in my experience, is dates.

Step 5: Updating LinkedIn

This tends to be the messy part. What you have to do is paste the newly generated text into your LinkedIn page. While doing this, make any last-minute changes you feel are appropriate.

Step 6: Review Your Profile

I find reading it aloud helps ensure it sounds like a real person and feels natural.

Make sure the facts are accurate and demonstrate your competence.

Conclusion

You have probably now spent a very profitable 20 minutes. Many people update their profiles every 3 to 12 months.

Conclusion

I do believe strongly that today we all must be as professional as possible, and a strong LinkedIn profile acts as a silent ambassador for your retail business. All it takes is just 20 minutes.

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.