Online bakery retail spans ambient shelf-stable products (biscuits, shortbread, fruitcakes) through chilled celebration cakes requiring next-day delivery to fully bespoke custom cake orders. The category is strongly occasion-driven (birthdays, weddings, corporate events) with significant repeat gifting potential. Migrating to Shopify suits the product mix, though bespoke orders require custom flows beyond standard checkout.

Product categories

Celebration cakes: Birthday, wedding, anniversary. Bespoke and semi-bespoke options.
Traybakes and brownies: Ambient shelf-stable slices. Popular gift and hamper items.
Artisan biscuits and shortbread: Branded tins, seasonal designs, corporate gifts.
Celebration cupcakes: Dozen boxes for occasions. Chilled delivery.
Gluten-free and free-from cakes: Growing market with specific allergen requirements.
Corporate and event catering: Branded cake pops, corporate biscuits with logo.
Wedding cakes: Complex bespoke orders. Consultation, deposit, final payment.

Allergen labelling

Bakery products commonly contain the highest number of allergens of any food category:

Cereals containing gluten: virtually all standard cakes and biscuits contain wheat flour
Eggs: in almost all cakes and sponge products
Milk: butter, cream, milk in most recipes
Tree nuts: walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts in specific products
Peanuts: less common but important to flag cross-contamination risk
Soya: in some margarine, dark chocolate decorations
Sulphur dioxide: in some dried fruit used in fruitcakes
Full Natasha's Law compliance: ingredients list and highlighted allergens on all product pages
Gluten-free products: note "made in a kitchen that handles gluten" if cross-contamination risk exists — critical for coeliac customers

product.metafields.food.allergens = "Contains: Wheat, Eggs, Milk, Soya. May contain: Nuts, Peanuts."
product.metafields.food.vegan = "false"
product.metafields.food.gluten_free = "false"
product.metafields.food.gluten_free_facility = "false"       // separate facility = safer for coeliac
product.metafields.food.shelf_life_days = "5"
product.metafields.food.storage = "Room temperature / Refrigerate / Freeze"

Custom and bespoke cake orders

Bespoke celebration cake ordering is a significant revenue stream but doesn't fit standard Shopify checkout well:

Enquiry form: complex custom orders (wedding cakes, sculpted cakes) typically start with a contact/enquiry form, not direct checkout
Semi-custom: some bakers offer a fixed cake design with custom message and flavour choice — this works well with Shopify line item properties
Deposit model: take a 50% deposit on booking, remainder on collection/delivery — Shopify supports partial payment via Deposit app or manual invoicing
Lead time: note required lead time on all celebration cake products (typically 1–2 weeks minimum; weddings 3–6 months)
Personalisation fields: "Name on cake," "Age," "Message," flavour choice as line item properties or product options

Perishable delivery

Fresh cakes and chilled products require specific delivery handling:

Next-day delivery: most fresh cakes dispatch same or next day — note cut-off time ("Order before 12pm for next-day delivery")
Delivery day selection: use a date picker app (Delivery Date + Time by Omega, or Cowlendar) to let customers choose delivery date
Non-delivery days: block Sundays/Mondays from delivery options (most couriers don't deliver on these days)
Packaging: insulated packaging for chilled cakes in warm weather; rigid outer box for fragile decorated cakes
Royal Mail and standard parcel carriers: avoid for fresh products — use APC Overnight, DPD, or specialist food couriers

Gifting configuration

Gift message: enable at Shopify checkout (Settings → Checkout → Gift options)
Occasion selection: birthday/anniversary/thank you/congratulations dropdown as product option
Gift wrapping: add-on at checkout for premium ribbon/box packaging
Corporate gifting: branded biscuit and brownie packs with company logo — minimum order, contact form
Corporate volume: 20+ boxes with same delivery address — flat rate shipping for corporate orders

Post-migration checklist for bakery and cake stores

Allergens: full labelling on all products (Natasha's Law); gluten-free facility status noted if relevant
Shelf life: clearly stated from dispatch; storage instructions noted
Custom orders: enquiry form for bespoke cakes; lead time displayed on all celebration cakes
Delivery date selector: date picker app configured; non-delivery days blocked
Personalisation: name/message line item properties on birthday and celebration cakes
Gift options: gift message and wrapping configured at checkout
Perishable shipping: specialist next-day courier configured; ambient vs chilled products in separate profiles

Migrating a bakery and cake store from WooCommerce to Shopify (2026)