From walk-in only to a 24/7 online storefront

🥐 Case Study

From walk-in only to a 24/7 online storefront

Cake Zest by Mc Laren is a brick-and-mortar baking supply and custom cake business that engaged Iktaro Solutions to establish a structured online sales channel — a fully functional Shopify store, backed by domain configuration, professional email setup, and ongoing technical support.

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The Challenge

Cake Zest by Mc Laren operated exclusively from a physical location, relying on in-store walk-ins and manual handling of custom cake orders. The business had no digital storefront, no secure way to take payments online, and no systematic process for custom order inquiries — every sale depended on a customer being able to visit in person.

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The real limitation wasn't the product or the reputation — it was that the business had outgrown a purely walk-in sales model, with no channel for the customers who couldn't make it into the store.

They also wanted a professional domain and branded email accounts, and were clear that they needed ongoing technical support after launch rather than a one-off handoff.

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Our Approach

We treated this as retail digital commerce infrastructure, not just a storefront: the store, the domain, the email, and the support plan all needed to work together from day one.

Shopify store deployment & product taxonomy

Configured the shop structure, collections, and a responsive storefront, then organised baking supplies and custom cake options into a clear catalogue.

Custom order workflow

Built a clear workflow for custom cake orders so inquiries no longer had to be tracked manually.

Secure payment integration

Integrated a reliable payment gateway alongside a cash option, to keep online sales inclusive of existing customer habits.

Domain, SSL & branded email

Registered and configured the domain with SSL, and set up professional business email accounts.

Shipping, SEO & ongoing support

Set up shipping and local pickup, basic on-page SEO, and moved the business onto an ongoing technical retainer for post-launch changes.

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The Results

The engagement gave Cake Zest a scalable foundation it never had before: a store that takes orders while the physical shop is closed, and a stock process that no longer depends on manual tracking.

The store didn't replace the physical shop — it removed the ceiling on it. Sales are no longer limited to the hours someone can stand behind a counter.

24/7

fully operational online store

Automated

fully automated stock management

Branded

professional domain & email accounts

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The Takeaway

A 24/7 store is only useful if it fits how the business already runs. The most valuable part of this project wasn't the platform choice — it was mapping the existing custom-order and stock process first, then building the store around it.

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What made this work was resisting the urge to over-build. A right-sized Shopify setup with a real support plan behind it beat a more elaborate build the owner couldn't maintain alone.

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