Insights
Notes from building software for hospitality and retail.
Practical writing for operators and the people who build for them. No hot takes - just what we have learned shipping software that has to survive a Friday-night rush. Browse by topic or start with the most-read pieces below.
- Payments & POS· 28 May 2026· 3 min read
Choosing a POS for a multi-site hospitality group: what actually matters
Most POS comparisons rank features. For a multi-site group, the things that decide success are rarely on the feature list. Here is what to weigh instead.
- Product & build· 14 May 2026· 2 min read
Five signs your venue has outgrown off-the-shelf software
Off-the-shelf tools are the right call until they quietly become the thing holding you back. Here is how to tell when you have crossed that line.
- Retail· 30 April 2026· 2 min read
Click-and-collect that actually works: a retailer’s guide
Buy online, pick up in store is simple to promise and hard to deliver. The difference is almost always one thing: whether your website knows what is really on the shelf.
- Product & build· 20 May 2026· 3 min read
How much does a custom app cost? A straight answer for hospitality and retail
The honest answer is "it depends" - but that is useless on its own. Here is what actually drives the cost of a custom app, and the ranges to expect.
- Integrations· 8 May 2026· 2 min read
What good POS and payments integration actually looks like
Anyone can claim two systems are "integrated". Whether it holds up at volume, recovers from failure and never drops a sale is a different question. Here is the bar.
- Hospitality· 22 April 2026· 2 min read
Online ordering without the commissions: what it really takes
Third-party delivery apps are convenient and expensive. Owning your online ordering can claw back margin - if you handle the parts the apps quietly do for you.
- Hospitality· 10 April 2026· 2 min read
Cutting food waste with better data, not more guesswork
Most kitchens already produce the data they need to waste less - it is just trapped in receipts and gut feel. Joining it up is cheaper than the waste itself.
- Retail· 28 March 2026· 2 min read
Inventory accuracy across multiple stores: the foundation everything sits on
Almost every retail problem - oversells, dead stock, failed click-and-collect - traces back to one number being wrong. Getting stock accurate is the highest-leverage fix there is.
- Product & build· 15 March 2026· 2 min read
Build vs buy: a practical way to decide on software
Build everything and you reinvent wheels; buy everything and you bend your business to someone else’s product. The useful question is which parts to do which way.
- Product & build· 2 March 2026· 3 min read
How to choose a software development partner (without getting burned)
The technology matters less than who you trust to build it. Here is how to tell a partner who will tell you the truth from one who will just take the brief.
- Payments & POS· 18 February 2026· 4 min read
Card surcharging is being banned in Australia from 1 October 2026: what it means
From 1 October 2026 the RBA is removing surcharging on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa - debit and credit. Here is what the ban means for hospitality and retail, and how to get ready before it starts.
- Payments & POS· 19 June 2026· 3 min read
Switching POS without the downtime: a migration plan for busy venues
Changing POS feels risky because the horror stories are real - lost data, dead service, mutinous staff. They are also avoidable. Here is how to switch without losing a shift.
- Product & build· 3 July 2026· 2 min read
MVP first: how to scope a first version that actually ships
The fastest way to sink a software project is to try to build all of it at once. Scoping a sharp first version is the skill that gets you live - and teaches you what to build next.
- Integrations· 17 July 2026· 2 min read
Connecting your POS to Xero or MYOB the right way
Syncing sales into your accounting package sounds simple until the numbers do not match. Getting POS-to-accounts right saves hours a week and a painful BAS - here is what good looks like.
- Hospitality· 31 July 2026· 2 min read
A loyalty program customers actually use
Most loyalty schemes are forgotten by the second visit. The ones that work are simple, instant and built into how people already pay - not another app to download and abandon.
- Payments & POS· 14 August 2026· 4 min read
Integrated vs standalone EFTPOS: which is right for your venue
Integrated EFTPOS connects directly to your POS so the amount flows to the terminal automatically. Standalone is simpler to set up but slower and error-prone. Here is how to choose.