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Good news for small businesses across the country, American Express’ popular Shop Small campaign is back this August. With it comes a limited-time offer designed to help you boost sales. Shoppers who register their eligible American Express Card can earn 5 Bonus Points for every dollar they spend with participating small businesses, up to 1,000 points. That means every merchant accepting payments from American Express card members in-person with Zeller Terminal or Tap to Pay can benefit from increased, frequent spend this month. It’s a strong incentive at a time when more Australians are actively choosing to shop local. In fact, according to a recent study commissioned by Roy Morgan , 73 per cent of shoppers plan to buy more Australian-made goods, and 84 per cent say they’re more likely to purchase when they know something was made locally. Whether you’re new to Shop Small or have taken part before, here are four simple, effective ways to help your business make the most of the campaign. 1. Check your listing. Ensure you're listed correctly as a participating business on the American Express Shop Small map . Accurate listings help customers discover you more easily and encourage new foot traffic through your doors. If your business is not listed, please reach out to Zeller Support on 1800 935 537 or email us at support@myzeller.com and we'll work with the American Express team to get you on the map. 2. Promote your Shop Small participation. Letting customers know that your business is participating in Shop Small this August (and what their benefit could be) will drive increased patronage. Display signage prominently at your checkout counter and on your windows. This instantly signals to American Express card members that shopping with your business comes with some extra benefits. American Express provides free Shop Small signage, including stickers and window decals. Order yours here under the "featured" tab. Clear signage can significantly boost visibility and increase customer visits. 3. Refresh your website, share on your socials. Update your website to announce your Shop Small participation, and mention the special August bonus points offered to American Express card members prominently. Also, check your Google Business Profile is up to date with correct opening hours, location details, and recent photos. 4. Engage your local community. Connect with your community by participating in any relevant local events and offering special Shop Small promotions. Community involvement makes your business memorable and encourages repeat visits. August is your chance to capitalise on the Shop Small buzz, so let your customers know you're participating and help them feel rewarded every time they shop local! Terms & Conditions: Amex Membership Rewards T&Cs here. Qantas Points T&Cs can be found here. Velocity Points T&Cs can be found here.

in.cube8r is a one-of-a-kind Melbourne retail gallery that breaks all the rules of traditional retail, enabling hundreds of local artists to sell their creations and keep 100% of the profits. We spoke with in.cube8r’s owner, Elle-May Michaels, to learn how her unconventional business model works, the challenges of running a bustling multi-artist marketplace, and how partnering with Zeller has eliminated payment friction while supporting her mission of artist empowerment. Incubating a creative marketplace for artists. Walking into in.cube8r, you never know what to expect. With two locations (a long-running Fitzroy gallery and a newer Melbourne Central store), in.cube8r is home to around 280 “Cubers” – local painters, jewellers, fashion designers, and makers of all kinds, each renting a literal cube of space to showcase their work. Unlike a typical boutique that carefully curates stock and takes a hefty commission, in.cube8r flips the script. “It’s like an artist market, but in a retail store. Retail, but not retail.” Elle-May says. “It breaks the rules where you’re supposed to have a niche and so on. I like that it's a little bit chaotic, it makes it fun.” in.cube8r’s model puts artists in charge of their own micro retail space. They pay a membership fee and a small daily rent for a cube, but keep all the proceeds of every sale – a novel arrangement compared to traditional retail. For Elle-May, this approach creates a safe sandbox for creativity. “There’s security in the model – we rent a space to the artist like a market stall, and they keep 100% of sales,” she explains. “Unlike a curated homewares store that has to worry about price points and trends, we can say, ‘If you want to try that weird green, go for it.’ That doesn’t really exist anywhere else.” Over nearly two decades (and under Elle-May’s ownership for the last nine years) in.cube8r has grown into a creative community. Artists renting cubes are fondly called “Cubers,” and many stick around for years. Elle-May and her team actively mentor their makers in marketing and business skills to help them thrive. “Before in.cube8r, I worked in marketing & communications, which helped me advise on things like marketing, systems and growing their business, and people started staying longer as Cubers,” she recalls. It’s a successful if unconventional retail ecosystem built on artist empowerment, but it also comes with some unique operational challenges, especially when it comes to payments. High-volume sales means no room for payment friction. On a busy day, hundreds of purchases flow through in.cube8r’s registers – from $5 handmade cards to $500 artworks – creating a high-transaction, high-noise environment. With so many sales and such a unique commission-free model, it’s essential that every transaction is seamless. Covering in.cube8r’s running costs relies on rental fees, since artists keep the full sale amount of their goods sold. For Elle-May, ensuring payments are seamless and transparent has always been mission-critical – but her previous payment systems weren’t up to the task. In the past, Elle-May used a Square card reader that left her constantly on edge. “We do 200 transactions a day and the store is noisy – I’d miss declined payments because I didn’t see the screen,” she says, recalling how her old EFTPOS terminal lacked audible alerts. “The Square terminals were inconsistent with making a noise when payments declined, and I lost money because of that.” Other issues piled on too, like intermittent disconnects and clunky hardware that chewed up printer paper. Processing payments had become a point of friction for both staff and customers. “I tried other terminals too, but they kept disconnecting. The thermal receipt paper left dust everywhere. It was a mess,” Elle-May says. For a fast-moving creative hub like in.cube8r, these hiccups were costing time, money and patience. She needed a better solution, one that could keep up with a bustling store and not detract from the shopping experience. A seamless switch to a solution that just works. Elle-May began searching for a payments partner that could not only meet in.cube8r’s needs today, but also grow with her vision for the future. With plans to expand to more locations, she knew any new system had to be easy to use, reliable, and innovative. “I was really looking for a provider that could meet our needs in the present but also continue to innovate as we grow,” she explains. “Having something easy to use, looks good, is cost-effective and shares our values is really important to us.” Those requirements led her to Zeller – and the decision to switch was cemented by an outstanding first impression. From the moment she reached out, Zeller made the transition smooth. “Zeller’s customer service was brilliant,” Elle-May says. “I enquired, got a call within an hour, and they came to the store that day with the terminals.” The quick, personalised service meant in.cube8r was up and running with Zeller in no time. Elle-May was also struck by Zeller’s modern, small-business-friendly approach. “Being local matters. It didn’t feel like an outdated company pretending to be modern,” she laughs, comparing Zeller to some legacy providers. “A lot of others feel like old services in a shiny new box. With Zeller, someone just came out and set everything up, added our logo, did it all.” Once Zeller Terminal was in place, the benefits for in.cube8r became clear immediately. The devices fit right in with the store’s busy environment, including bright, full-colour digital displays and clear audio alerts to communicate the transaction status. “Zeller is much better. The terminal lights up and makes a noise when something declines,” Elle-May notes, meaning no more missed payments even on the busiest days. Transactions process quickly and reliably, without the dropouts that plagued her old machines. And unlike some older EFTPOS machines, Zeller Terminal doesn’t grind to a halt if the receipt paper runs out. In fact, Elle-May has configured her Zeller Terminal not to print a merchant copy at all, cutting down on clutter. “You don’t have to jam paper into the terminal to keep it going after the roll runs out. It just works.” Making the day to day easier? There’s an art to it. Zeller has smoothed out many other day-to-day kinks in the payment process too. Refunds (even partial ones) are straightforward, so Elle-May’s team can quickly assist customers without having to phone for help. “It’s saved me time and stress. My staff can use it without needing to ask questions, and refunds are easy. If someone is over- or undercharged, it’s simple to look up the transaction in the Zeller Dashboard. Fewer problems in the store means fewer things distracting me from the pottery wheel on my day off!" Simplifying expenses with Zeller Debit Card. For Elle-May, managing small business expenses has also become significantly easier thanks to the Zeller Debit Card. Petty cash used to be a necessary inconvenience for minor daily purchases, but now those days are behind her. “Being able to use the Zeller Debit Card has been really good, it means no more need for petty cash. If we need something for the store, like stationery for example, we just take the Zeller Debit Card – no more messy petty cash.” Zeller Debit Card also streamlines in.cube8r's recurring digital payments, providing clarity and organisation to the business's finances. Elle-May explains: “I’ve also set up a digital card which I use for our online subscriptions so that all goes through one account. So I've been able to segment transactions in a way that's been really helpful.” Focusing on business, not payments. With Zeller handling the heavy lifting at the counter, Elle-May can focus on what she cares about most – supporting her community of artists and continuing to grow the in.cube8r concept. The reliability and ease of Zeller’s all-in-one financial offering means she spends less time troubleshooting payments and more time curating collections and planning events, activations, and future expansions. “The best feedback I can give is: there’s no friction,” she says of the payment experience now. “With Zeller, people don’t notice the payment process, which is exactly how it should be.” Her experience has meant that Elle-May has become an advocate for Zeller among her network of small business owners. “Would I recommend Zeller? Yes. I already have,” she laughs. “I tell them the terminals are great and the customer service is fantastic. It just works.”

If you’ve ever paid extra for a coffee on a Sunday or a meal on a public holiday, you know weekend and public holiday service charges are common in Australia to help businesses cover higher operating costs on those days. The good news is that, with Zeller POS Lite, you don’t need to fiddle with prices or do mental maths at the checkout. Our service charges feature lets you automatically add a service charge whenever you need, and it keeps things transparent for your customers. In this article, we’ll break down what a service charge is, why businesses use them, and how you can easily set one up to use with Zeller POS LIte. What's the difference between a surcharge and a service charge? A surcharge is an extra fee added on top of a sale, usually as a percentage of the transaction but sometimes as a fixed dollar amount. There are several types of surcharges, for example:  Credit card surcharges: Used to on-charge the specific amount (and no more) it costs a business to accept an electronic payment. These are tightly regulated in Australia. Service charges: Used to offset specific costs related to customer service, most commonly staff penalty rates on weekends and public holidays.  The Australian Consumer Law requires that all surcharges must (including service charges) be clearly disclosed to customers via menus, signs, or price displays. This is to ensure transparency during a transaction – and because nobody likes a hidden fee! Public holiday and weekend surcharges in Australia. Not only are public holiday service charges legal in Australia, they’re practically expected in many industries. If you operate a café, restaurant or bar, you’re probably already familiar with weekend and public holiday surcharges. Australian hospitality businesses may choose to add a weekend service charge (for example, an extra 10% on Sundays) or a public holiday service charge (such as 15% or more on public holidays such as Christmas Day or Easter Sunday) to help cover the higher wages they’re required to pay employees on those days. There’s no fixed cap on weekend or public holiday service charges, but it should be reasonable and justifiable (for example, to cover the penalty rates you’re paying your staff). This is where Zeller POS Lite’s service charge feature can really help – it prints the charge as a separate line on the receipt (both printed and digital), so the customer sees exactly what they’re paying for. How to set up a service charge in Zeller POS Lite. Setting up a service charge for your Zeller POS system is quick and easy. Here’s how to do it: 1. Find the Service Charges settings In Zeller Dashboard or Zeller App , head to Items and select Service Charges. 2. Create and customise your service charge – Tap Add Service Charge (or the + button in the app) – Add a percentage or fixed dollar amount – Give it a clear name, like “Public Holiday 15%”. This will appear on customer receipts. – If you have multiple locations, assign the charge to the relevant sites only 3. Apply as needed Your newly created service charge will now appear in Zeller POS Lite in your Zeller Terminal and Zeller App under Shortcuts . Just apply it to relevant sales and it will automatically appear on your customers’ receipts – no need for manual price edits.