How to Increase Repeat Cake Orders: 15 Ways to Bring Bakery Customers Back
Discover 15 practical ways to increase repeat cake orders, improve bakery customer retention, use birthday reminders, loyalty rewards, reviews and customer data to grow sales.
A customer orders a birthday cake from your shop.
They spend £70. You make the cake. They collect it. Everyone loves it. Then you never hear from that customer again. For many cake shops, that one-off sale, repeated hundreds or even thousands of times adds up to lost revenue, missed opportunities for loyal customers, and a constant scramble to fill the order book instead of building a predictable business.
The problem isn't necessarily that customers don't want to come back. Often, the bakery simply has no system for bringing them back. And cake businesses have a particularly valuable opportunity when it comes to repeat customers.
Birthdays happen every year.
Anniversaries happen every year.
Mother's Day happens every year.
Valentine's Day happens every year.
Christmas happens every year.
Families have multiple birthdays and celebrations throughout the year. A customer who buys one cake could potentially have reasons to order from your bakery many more times.
The challenge is turning that one transaction into an ongoing customer relationship.
In this guide, we'll look at practical ways cake shops and bakeries can increase repeat orders without relying entirely on discounts.
Quick answer:To increase repeat cake orders, collect useful customer and occasion information when someone orders, deliver an excellent experience, follow up after collection, request reviews, remember important dates, send timely reminders, introduce loyalty and referral rewards, make reordering easy and personalise communications based on previous purchases.
Why repeat customers matter for a cake shop
Many bakeries spend considerable time and money trying to attract new customers.
You might invest in:
Instagram advertising
Google Ads
TikTok
SEO
Influencers
Flyers
Google Business Profile
Promotions
Website development
But once someone actually becomes a customer, what happens next?
If their details remain on a paper receipt or disappear inside an old WhatsApp conversation, you may have to acquire that same person all over again next year.
A better approach is to view the first cake order as the beginning of the customer relationship, not the end.
Consider one birthday-cake customer.
They could potentially later buy:
Their child's birthday cake
Their partner's birthday cake
Their own birthday cake
An anniversary cake
Mother's Day cupcakes
Father's Day cupcakes
Christmas products
A baby shower cake
A graduation cake
A wedding cake
Cakes for friends and relatives
They may also recommend your bakery to other people. This is why a good customer database can become one of the most valuable assets inside a growing bakery.
1. Start collecting customer information properly
You can't build repeat business if you don't know who your customers are.
Many traditional cake shops still record something like:
Name: Sarah
Phone: 07xxx xxxxxx
Cake: Chocolate
Collection: Saturday 2pm
That may be enough to fulfil today's order. It isn't enough to build tomorrow's customer relationship.
Consider collecting appropriate information such as:
Customer name
Mobile number
Email address
Order history
Type of cake ordered
Occasion
Occasion date
Collection date
Preferences
Previous spend
Marketing preferences where appropriate
The purpose isn't to collect as much personal information as possible. It is to collect useful information you genuinely need and can manage responsibly. For a cake business, occasion information can be particularly valuable.
2. Record the occasion, not just the collection date
This is one of the biggest opportunities for cake shops.
Imagine a customer places an order on: Collection date: 17 September 2026
Most ordering systems might remember 17 September simply as the transaction date.
But what you really want to know is:
Occasion: Daughter's birthday
Birthday: 18 September
That changes everything.
Next year, instead of hoping the customer remembers your bakery, you could remind them before the birthday approaches.
For example:
25 August 2027
Mia's birthday is coming up next month. If you'd like us to create another special cake this year, our September diary is now open.
That's far more relevant than sending:
10% OFF CAKES THIS WEEKEND!
The first message feels useful and personal.
The second feels like advertising.
Good customer retention is often about relevance and timing, not simply discounts.
3. Ask customers about important dates
A cake business naturally operates around occasions.
Think about the dates your customers might genuinely want help remembering:
Birthdays
Children's birthdays
Anniversaries
Weddings
Baby showers
Graduations
Religious celebrations
Corporate events
You don't necessarily need to ask for every date during the first transaction. Keep the ordering experience simple. But when relevant, an option such as:
Would you like us to remind you before this occasion next year?
Could help turn a one-off purchase into a recurring relationship. Make sure any marketing use of customer details complies with applicable privacy and electronic-marketing rules.
4. Send reminders before customers start searching elsewhere
Timing matters.
If you contact a birthday customer the day before their child's birthday, it's probably too late.
They may already have bought a cake elsewhere.
Instead, work backwards from the occasion.
For a bespoke cake business, an example reminder schedule might be:
Four weeks before
A gentle reminder.
Olivia's birthday is coming up next month. Our cake diary is now open if you'd like to reserve a collection date.
Two weeks before
A stronger reminder if they haven't ordered.
Just a reminder that Olivia's birthday is two weeks away. We still have limited availability for celebration cakes.
After an order is placed
Stop the marketing reminders. You don't want customers receiving:
Don't forget to order your cake!
after they've already paid a deposit.
Your customer and order systems should work together.
5. Make reordering incredibly easy
Don't force a returning customer to start from the beginning.
If someone previously ordered:
8-inch vanilla sponge
Strawberry filling
Pink buttercream
Princess theme
you already know something about their preferences.
A returning customer might want:
Something similar to last year but with a different theme.
If your previous order information is accessible, your team can provide a much better experience.
Instead of:
Can you send us all the information again?
you could say:
We can see you had our 8-inch vanilla and strawberry cake last year. Would you like the same size and flavour with this year's design?
That's a very different customer experience. Make it easy to come back.
6. Create a post-purchase customer journey
The customer relationship shouldn't stop when the cake leaves your shop.
Create a simple post-order process.
For example:
Cake collected
↓
Thank-you message
↓
Review request
↓
Customer added to appropriate segment
↓
Occasion date remembered
↓
Future reminder
↓
Repeat order
↓
Loyalty reward
This doesn't need to create extra daily work for your team.
The goal should be to automate appropriate parts of the process while keeping the communication personal.
7. Send a thank-you message after collection
A simple thank-you can make a surprisingly professional impression.
You might send:
Thank you for choosing us for Noah's birthday cake. We hope you had a fantastic celebration and everyone enjoyed the cake.
You could follow that with:
If you have any photos from the celebration, we'd love to see them.
This gives the interaction a human feel before asking for anything else. Don't make every communication transactional. Customer retention starts with giving people an experience worth returning to.
8. Ask happy customers for reviews
Once you know the customer has had a good experience, ask them to leave a review.
Google reviews can be particularly valuable for local bakeries because future customers often compare cake shops through Google Search and Google Maps.
Keep the request simple.
For example:
“We're really glad you enjoyed the cake. If you have a moment, we'd really appreciate a Google review. It helps other local customers discover our bakery.”
Then provide a direct review link.
Avoid making customers search for your business and work out where to leave the review themselves. Make it easy.
Reviews can create a useful cycle:
Great order → happy customer → positive review → new customer → great order
9. Create a bakery loyalty programme
A loyalty programme gives customers another reason to return.
But don't assume loyalty automatically means discounting everything.
There are several approaches.
Points
Customers earn points for purchases.
For example:
£1 spent = 1 point
Then points can be redeemed for suitable rewards.
Order rewards
For example:
Order five celebration cakes and receive a reward on your next order.
Birthday rewards
Members receive something special around their own birthday.
Early access
Loyal customers receive early access to:
Christmas collections
Valentine's products
Mother's Day ranges
Easter products
Limited-edition cakes
VIP tiers
High-value repeat customers can unlock additional benefits. The reward should encourage behaviour that is profitable for the bakery. Don't design a loyalty programme that generates more orders but destroys your margins.
10. Don't train customers to wait for discounts
Discounts can generate sales.
But if every email says:
10% OFF
then:
15% OFF
then:
20% OFF
customers can learn to wait.
There are other ways to create value.
Consider:
Free cupcake with qualifying orders
Complimentary personalised topper
Free delivery within a limited area
Loyalty points
Priority booking
Early access to seasonal products
Exclusive designs
Small birthday reward
Sometimes the perceived value to the customer can be greater than the actual cost to your bakery.
11. Segment customers instead of sending everything to everyone
Not every customer wants the same thing. Someone who ordered a £250 wedding cake is different from someone who bought six cupcakes.
Your customer database could contain segments such as:
Birthday customers: Send birthday reminders and new birthday-design inspiration.
Parents: Share children's cake themes and school-holiday products.
Wedding customers: Potential anniversary offers and referrals.
Corporate customers: Christmas gifts, office celebrations and employee birthdays.
Cupcake customers: Gift boxes and seasonal collections.
High-value customers: Early booking opportunities and VIP rewards.
Lapsed customers: Customers who haven't ordered for a longer period.
Customer segmentation helps make your communication more relevant. And relevance usually creates a better customer experience than sending the same promotion to your entire database.
12. Use previous orders to personalise recommendations
Previous purchase information can help your bakery recommend rather than simply advertise. Imagine the difference between these two messages.
Generic message
Order your Mother's Day cakes now!
Relevant message
Mother's Day pre-orders are now open. Since you loved our pistachio cupcakes previously, you might like this year's pistachio and rose gift box.
The second feels much more considered. You don't need complex artificial intelligence to start doing this. You need organised customer and order information.
13. Build a seasonal customer calendar
Cake businesses have natural marketing opportunities throughout the year. Create an annual calendar around occasions such as:
January
New Year
Winter birthdays
February
Valentine's Day
March
Mother's Day — depending on the year
Ramadan/Eid campaigns where relevant
March/April
Easter
May/June
Communions
Graduations
Wedding season
June
Father's Day
Summer
Weddings
Graduations
Garden parties
September
Back to school
Autumn celebrations
October
Halloween
November
Christmas pre-orders
December
Christmas
New Year
Your exact calendar should reflect your customers and local community. Don't market an event simply because every other bakery does. Use your historical sales information to understand which occasions actually generate revenue for your business.
14. Turn one family into multiple customers
One cake can introduce your bakery to an entire group of people. Think about a child's birthday party. Perhaps 25 guests attend. Twenty-five people see the cake.
Several parents ask: Where did you get the cake?
That's marketing.
Make your bakery easy to identify.
Consider:
Attractive branded cake boxes
Small branded cards
Social handles on packaging
QR code
Easy-to-remember bakery name
Great presentation
Most importantly, create a product worth talking about.
Word of mouth works best when the experience itself gives people something to recommend.
15. Create a referral programme
Happy customers can become a powerful source of new business.
A simple referral programme might reward both sides.
For example:
Existing customer refers a friend
↓
Friend places qualifying order
↓
Existing customer receives loyalty points or a reward
The reward doesn't necessarily have to be cash or a large discount. It simply needs to provide enough motivation without damaging your margins. Be careful about asking customers to provide someone else's personal contact details for marketing. ICO guidance advises businesses against this kind of viral marketing because you may not know whether the friend agreed to their details being used. A safer approach is often to give the existing customer a referral link or code that they can choose to share themselves.
16. Use WhatsApp carefully and professionally
WhatsApp is incredibly convenient for cake businesses.
Customers send:
Cake inspiration
Colours
Screenshots
Dates
Addresses
Changes
Questions
But it can become difficult to manage as the bakery grows. Important information gets buried between messages. One employee knows something another doesn't. A customer's allergy request might sit inside a conversation from three weeks ago. And using messaging platforms for promotional messages also brings privacy and electronic-marketing responsibilities.
The UK's electronic-marketing rules can apply to email, text and other stored electronic messages, including direct messages. Use messaging as a communication channel. Don't let it become your only customer database and order-management system.
17. Bring back customers who haven't ordered recently
Not every customer needs an annual occasion reminder. You can also identify people who have stopped buying.
For example:
Recently active
Ordered within the last three months.
Regular
Has made multiple purchases.
At risk
Previously ordered frequently but hasn't ordered recently.
Lapsed
Hasn't ordered for a substantial period.
Then create relevant re-engagement campaigns.
Instead of immediately sending:
WE MISS YOU – 20% OFF!
try something more interesting:
It's been a while since we baked for you. We've introduced six new celebration cake designs since your last order — take a look at what's new.
Give people a reason to return.
18. Pay attention to complaints
Repeat business isn't just about marketing.
Sometimes customers don't return because something went wrong.
Analyse complaints such as:
Cake wasn't ready
Wrong spelling
Design didn't match
Difficult ordering process
No response to messages
Cake was dry
Collection took too long
Wrong flavour
Payment confusion
Staff attitude
Delivery delay
One complaint might be an individual problem.
Ten complaints about the same thing indicate a process problem.
Customer retention begins with fixing the reasons customers leave.
19. Measure your repeat customer rate
If you want more repeat customers, measure them.
At a simple level, track:
Repeat customers: customers who have purchased more than once.
Repeat orders: orders placed by existing customers.
Average customer value: how much customers spend with you over time.
Order frequency: how often customers return.
Average order value: how much the average transaction is worth.
Referral orders: new customers introduced by existing customers.
Loyalty participation: how many customers join and actively use your programme.
Don't focus only on total monthly sales.
Understanding who generated those sales can tell you much more about the health of your bakery.
What could repeat customers mean for your bakery?
Consider a simple example.
Imagine your bakery serves 1,000 customers during a year.
If 100 of those customers return and spend an average of £70 again, that's:
£7,000 in additional sales.
If 250 return:
£17,500.
And that doesn't include additional referrals or customers who purchase several times.
This is only an illustration — every bakery's order values and customer behaviour will differ.
But it demonstrates an important principle:
You don't always need thousands of new customers to grow.
Sometimes you need to do a better job of bringing existing customers back.
Build repeat business into the original order
The best time to start thinking about repeat business isn't six months after the cake was collected.
It's when the customer places their first order.
Your process could look like this:
New customer
↓
Customer and order details recorded
↓
Occasion recorded
↓
Marketing preferences captured appropriately
↓
Great cake produced
↓
Customer notified for collection
↓
Order collected
↓
Thank-you message
↓
Review request
↓
Customer receives loyalty credit
↓
Occasion remembered
↓
Relevant reminder next year
↓
Customer reorders
That turns customer retention from an occasional marketing campaign into part of how the bakery operates.
Make sure your bakery marketing respects customer privacy
Collecting customer details gives your bakery opportunities, but it also creates responsibilities.
UK businesses using email, SMS and similar channels for direct marketing need to consider the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), alongside UK data-protection law where personal information is involved.
For marketing emails and texts to individuals, businesses generally need consent unless an applicable exception applies.
One important exception is commonly called the soft opt-in.
It may allow you to send marketing about your own similar products or services to an existing customer where, among other requirements:
You obtained their details directly.
You obtained them during a sale or negotiation for a sale.
You're marketing your own similar products or services.
You gave them a clear opportunity to opt out when collecting their details.
You provide an easy opt-out in every subsequent message.
Consent also needs to involve a genuine, informed positive choice. Pre-ticked boxes should not be used as consent.
Businesses should also avoid keeping customer information indefinitely simply because it might eventually be useful. ICO guidance says organisations should establish and justify appropriate retention periods and regularly review whether information is still needed.
If you're unsure about your responsibilities, consult current ICO guidance or obtain appropriate professional advice.
How Tolloz can help bakeries increase repeat orders
This is where managing a cake business differently can make a significant difference.
A traditional EPOS system may tell you:
£75 transaction completed.
But for a bakery, there's much more valuable information behind that transaction.
Who was the customer?
What did they order?
What occasion was it?
When is that occasion happening again?
What flavour did they choose?
How much did they spend?
Have they ordered before?
Did they leave a review?
Are they part of your loyalty programme?
When should you contact them again?
Tolloz is being built specifically around the way bakeries and cake shops operate.
The aim is to bring together areas such as:
Customer records
Cake order history
Important dates
Customer communication
Order reminders
Loyalty rewards
Review collection
Payments
Repeat-order opportunities
Sales analytics
Instead of the customer's information disappearing after the receipt is printed, bakeries can build an ongoing customer relationship.
Imagine opening your system and seeing:
Upcoming customer occasions – next 30 days
and knowing which previous customers have birthdays and celebrations approaching.
Or identifying:
Customers who ordered last Christmas but haven't ordered this year.
Or seeing:
Your most valuable repeat customers.
That's the difference between simply processing cake orders and actively managing customer relationships.
Repeat cake order checklist
Use this checklist to review your current bakery.
Customer information
Do we save customer names?
Do we collect email addresses where appropriate?
Do we save mobile numbers?
Can we see previous orders?
Do we record relevant occasion dates?
Do we record customer preferences?
Do we correctly manage marketing preferences?
Customer experience
Do customers receive an order confirmation?
Do we communicate clearly before collection?
Do we tell customers when the cake is ready?
Do we thank customers afterwards?
Do we ask satisfied customers for reviews?
Retention
Do we remind customers before recurring occasions?
Do we have a loyalty programme?
Can customers easily reorder?
Do we identify previous high-value customers?
Do we have a process for inactive customers?
Do we run relevant seasonal campaigns?
Measurement
Do we know how many customers return?
Do we know our repeat order rate?
Do we know our average order value?
Do we know which customers spend most?
Do we know which occasions generate most sales?
Can we distinguish new-customer sales from repeat-customer sales?
If you answered no to most of these questions, there may be significant untapped value in the customers your bakery has already acquired.
Don't let a great customer become a forgotten customer
Cake shops are unusual businesses.
Your customers tell you exactly when some of the most important moments in their lives are happening.
A birthday.
An anniversary.
A wedding.
A new baby.
A graduation.
Yet after creating a beautiful cake for that occasion, many bakeries simply wait and hope the customer comes back.
There is a better approach.
Remember the customer.
Remember the occasion.
Give them a great experience.
Stay useful.
Make reordering easy.
Reward loyalty.
And be there when the next celebration arrives.
Rise by Tolloz provides practical ideas and guidance to help bakery and cake shop owners build better organised, more profitable businesses. And Tolloz is being built to help bakeries turn individual cake transactions into lasting customer relationships.
Because the most valuable cake order isn't always the first one.
It's the next one.
About Tolloz: a unified digital platform designed specifically for bakeries and cake shops, Tolloz brings orders, customer records, payments, collections, rewards, website management and marketing tools together in one simple interface. By centralising daily operations, it reduces manual admin, speeds up order processing and improves cash flow through integrated payment and collection features. Built-in customer management and rewards help bakeries grow repeat business, while website and marketing tools make it easier to promote seasonal specials and manage online sales. The platform’s straightforward design means staff spend less time training and more time baking, enabling small and independent bakeries to scale without adding undue complexity.
Tolloz helps bakeries and cake shops manage orders, customers, payments, collections, rewards, website and marketing tools from one simple digital platform, streamlining day-to-day operations and freeing owners to focus on baking and customer experience.
Frequently asked questions about increasing repeat cake orders
How can I get cake customers to order again?
Start by delivering a great first experience and saving useful customer and occasion information. Follow up after the order, request feedback, make reordering easy and contact customers at relevant times such as before recurring birthdays or anniversaries.
Should a cake shop have a loyalty programme?
A loyalty programme can help encourage repeat purchases when it provides a genuine customer benefit without damaging bakery margins. Rewards can include points, complimentary products, early access, birthday benefits or exclusive offers rather than relying entirely on discounts.
What customer information should a bakery keep?
Depending on your business needs and legal basis for processing, useful information may include customer contact details, previous orders, relevant occasion information, preferences and marketing choices. Only collect information you genuinely need and manage it in line with applicable data-protection requirements.
Should cake shops send birthday reminders?
Birthday or occasion reminders can be highly relevant for cake businesses because many celebrations recur annually. However, businesses need to make sure any marketing communications comply with PECR and applicable UK data-protection requirements.
How far before a birthday should I remind a customer?
For bespoke celebration cakes, several weeks before the occasion can be more useful than contacting customers at the last minute. The ideal timing depends on how far in advance your customers usually place orders. Use your own historical ordering data to determine the best reminder period.
Can I send promotional emails to previous cake customers?
Sometimes. UK electronic-marketing rules generally require consent for marketing emails or texts to individuals, although the soft opt-in can apply to certain existing-customer relationships where all of its conditions are met. Businesses should review current ICO guidance for their circumstances.
Is WhatsApp marketing covered by UK marketing rules?
Electronic-marketing rules can apply to a broad range of stored electronic messages, not only traditional email and SMS. Businesses using direct messaging for marketing should therefore review PECR and ICO guidance.
How do I measure customer loyalty in my bakery?
Start by tracking the percentage or number of customers who order more than once, repeat-order revenue, order frequency, average customer value and participation in loyalty or referral programmes.
Should I discount cakes to get repeat orders?
Not necessarily. Constant discounting can reduce margins and train customers to wait for promotions. Loyalty rewards, personalised recommendations, excellent service, relevant reminders, priority ordering and exclusive products can also encourage customers to return.
Can a bakery CRM help generate repeat orders?
A customer relationship management system can help by keeping customer information, order history and communication more organised. A bakery-specific system can go further by connecting customer records with cake specifications, occasions, collections, payments and repeat-order opportunities.
Start your Tolloz free trial and build your bakery on better systems from day one.
This article provides general business and marketing information and should not be treated as legal or data-protection advice. Electronic-marketing and privacy requirements depend on your circumstances and can change. Check current Information Commissioner's Office guidance and seek professional advice where appropriate.