Nothing Bundt Cakes creates a recipe for customer joy with Adobe Commerce
With more than 410 bakeries in the United States and Canada, Nothing Bundt Cakes has come a long way since its co-founders, Dena Tripp and Debbie Shwetz, founded the company in their home kitchens in 1997. With a 25th anniversary celebration coming in 2022, Nothing Bundt Cakes has chosen Adobe Commerce, powered by Magento, as the flexible and sustainable ecommerce platform to help fuel the next phase of its online growth.
Nothing Bundt Cakes plans to open 48 more bakeries by the end of 2022. It also expects to significantly boost its sales over the next five years by strengthening its online presence and building out its B2B sales channel. Adobe Commerce sits at the heart of its digital transformation, underpinning Nothing Bundt Cakes’ new website, allowing a stronger customer journey, and refreshing its digital content strategy.
“We’re guided by a simple principle — to deliver joy. But joy comes in different flavors, especially when you’re giving customers so many options to customize their purchase. Added to that is the challenge of conveying a sensory and welcoming experience in a virtual environment,” says Angie Eckelkamp, chief marketing officer of Nothing Bundt Cakes. “It takes a flexible platform and beautiful content to make that happen, which is exactly what Adobe Commerce delivers.”
Greater autonomy for bakery owners
Nothing Bundt Cakes has built a reputation as a progressive franchise operator. It receives more than 6,000 applications to open new bakeries each year and is committed to helping its owners succeed at every turn. It is now transforming their digital offering using Adobe Commerce. The approach is to provide a seamless online ordering experience as well providing bakery level customization.
“We want our bakery owners to have autonomy, but we also want to deliver a consistent experience to our customers no matter where they’re based. A platform approach with Adobe Commerce ticks both boxes. Owners get the flexibility to manage their business at a local level, and we ensure that the experience is aligned to our overarching goal of delivering joy,” says Nachiket Desai, chief technology officer for Nothing Bundt Cakes.
“Our owners are passionate about running a successful franchise and serving their customers,” adds Desai. “By leveraging centralized technology to simplify operations, we’ve given them more bandwidth to focus on their core business, with no added pressure.”
Sweetening the deal with Adobe Sensei
Nothing Bundt Cakes plans to use Adobe Sensei AI, to enhance its site search experience with Live Search. AI algorithms will draw on data from Adobe Commerce, providing the company a better way to get customers what they want more quickly and allowing it to adapt intelligently over time.
Nothing Bundt Cakes will also leverage Product Recommendations to adapt its digital merchandising for seasonal changes. For instance, product recommendations in early October will feature autumn flavors like Pumpkin Spice cakes while December promotions might focus on holiday gifting.
Bridging B2B and B2C experiences
Nothing Bundt Cakes is strengthening its digital offering, but it has every intention of maintaining its physical presence. “Our bakery owners are the lifeblood of our business. Adobe Commerce is simply helping us to give customers more choice by seamlessly integrating our in-bakery and online experiences,” says Desai.
This integration will play a crucial role as Nothing Bundt Cakes expands its B2B offering. Bulk and corporate orders make up a growing portion of the company’s sales, so giving customers the option to browse its portfolio and make orders ahead of time was a key concern when evaluating commerce platforms.
“The flexibility to do both a B2B and B2C implementation set Adobe Commerce apart,” recalls Desai. “We want our customers to get the same standard of experience, whether they shop in-bakery, order online or make bulk online orders with complex shipping needs.”
Redefining the brand experience
With Adobe Commerce in place, Eckelkamp is now working with her team to modernize the Nothing Bundt Cakes website and build a new product roadmap. She is also leading a brand redesign, complete with stunning photography that will help Nothing Bundt Cakes bring its products to life across channels.
“The tongue-and-cheek line we use internally is that we want customers to look at these photos and be tempted to lick their screens. Our previous platform couldn’t handle images and videos of this size, which would have totally undermined what we’re trying to do,” she says. “Adobe Commerce handles our high-resolution assets with ease, and I look forward to the day our cakes look as crave-worthy online as they do in our bakeries.”