• Wholesale Integration: The ability to import electronic invoices directly from suppliers. You should look for AI tools that make this easy.
• Product Catalogues: Access to pre-loaded product data so that scanning a new item automatically populates the description and category.
• Seasonal Management: The capacity to track which items perform best during specific periods, such as Mother’s Day or Christmas, to help you plan your orders more effectively.

2. The power of curated bundles

Creating hampers or gift packs is a proven way to increase your average transaction value. Your software must be able to handle "manufactured goods" or "kit" building. This means when a hamper is sold, the system automatically deducts each individual component, the candle, the chocolate, and the card, from your inventory in real time.

3. Integrated omnichannel selling

With more customers browsing online before visiting in person, your physical store and your website must speak to each other.

• Stock Synchronisation: Whether you use Shopify, WooCommerce, or Magento, your POS software should update your website the moment an item is sold in-store.
• Click and Collect: The system should manage online orders seamlessly, allowing you to set aside items for local customers to pick up.

4. Meaningful customer loyalty

In a competitive market, repeat customers are your most valuable asset. Move beyond simple "points" systems, which customers often find confusing or forgettable. Instead, look for:

• Automated Vouchers: Systems that can print a discount voucher on the bottom of a receipt based on the customer’s spend, encouraging a return visit within a set timeframe.
• Customer Profiling: The ability to record special dates or preferences, allowing for personalised service that reflects the local, community feel of a gift shop.

5. Embedded AI tools

Smart gift shop software will have AI tools that help save time and provide you with insights that without such tools might take weeks or months to reach you. AI is a game changed for local small retail businesses and in many practical ways it is helping these businesses compete more effectively than ever before. A word of caution though: make sure the AI tools are real and not merely marketing fluff.

6. Genuine local support

Retail doesn't just happen between 9 and 5, Monday to Friday. When choosing a provider, consider their support structure.

• Availability: Ensure you can speak to a real person on the phone during your peak trading times, including Saturdays.
• Training: The software should be intuitive enough for seasonal staff to learn quickly, but robust enough to provide deep data for the business owner.

Let's get to the point:

The best software for an Australian gift shop is one that disappears into the background of your daily operations. It should protect your margins, reduce your paperwork, and provide clear insights into what is actually selling.

By prioritising a system that understands the nuances of gift retail—rather than a generic "one-size-fits-all" POS, you can spend less time behind a screen and more time curated your collection and serving your customers.

Take your time. Do your research. Only start to look at software once you are certain as to your needs and wants.

One final and most important piece of advice:

For each gift shop software system you consider, take the time to understand the real total cost of ownership. Software software companies, for example, impose a tax on every sale, taking a percentage of your sale price for their own revenue. Other software companies do not do this.