Baked By Melissa has several peak sales periods during the year, including Pride Month in June, Halloween, Valentine’s Day and the December holidays, but its cupcakes, which are available for delivery nationwide, are particularly popular on Mother’s Day. CEO Melissa Ben-Ishay has a theory about why this one particular Sunday in May is such a bonanza for the 16-year-old company.
“Not only does our demographic consist of a large percentage of busy moms who need easy gifting solutions, but also because moms look out for other moms,” said Ben-Ishay in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. “Thousands of gift messages show that Baked By Melissa’s purchasers are sending gifts to not only to their mom but also their mom friends, their work mom, mother-in-law, their grandma, dog moms and more.”
The retailer’s ability to deliver nationwide in one to two days (with same-day delivery in Manhattan) and its freshness guarantee are other reasons for the brand’s success on Mother’s Day — particularly since gifts for this holiday are often purchased at the last minute. Ben-Ishay noted that a “significant amount of our orders for Mother’s Day come in the week before the holiday.”
Sweet Treats for Mother’s Day Travelers
Baked By Melissa also realizes that traveling on a big holiday can be stressful, so this year it inaugurated a partnership with airline JetBlue to offer a free three-pack of cupcakes at its store in JFK Airport’s Terminal 5 to travelers who show their JetBlue ticket.
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The retailer also supports those trying to become mothers. For every 25-pack gift box (its most popular Mother’s Day gift item) that’s purchased, Baked By Melissa will donate $5 to the Baby Quest foundation to help fund fertility treatment grants.
Communication and Demand Forecasting Ease Peak Period Pressure
Preparing for the rush of orders during this and other peak periods requires strong internal coordination: “We’re a close-knit team and we’re constantly communicating internally to meet the demand,” said Ben-Ishay. “Our bakery team is amazing and works incredibly hard during this time to keep up with the order volume and make sure everything is as streamlined as possible.”
Baked By Melissa also has the advantage of years of past performance to accurately predict how many cupcakes to bake and when to bake them. “As a brand that’s been in business for 16 years, we’ve been able to home in on our demand forecasts year after year in preparation for every peak sales period,” said Ben-Ishay.
Keeping Customers Front and Center
Baked By Melissa has grown through the years by focusing on its products’ quality and the brand’s authenticity. “Our treats are still handmade with premium, name-brand ingredients like real Oreos, Skippy Peanut Butter and Smucker’s Jelly,” said Ben-Ishay. “Our innovative packaging lets us ship anywhere in the country, helping customers foster connection and share love through dessert.
“Our high-quality gift boxes have limited-edition designs for holidays that change yearly, creating more customer excitement,” she added. “We also regularly collaborate with like-minded companies to create meaningful partnerships that align with our values, with brands like Claussen, Squishmallows, Tabasco and more, which have allowed us to develop exciting one-of-a-kind flavors that we know our customers will love.”
Baked By Melissa’s ability to predict which flavors are likely to appeal to its customers stems in large part from simply listening to customers. “We’re always focusing on customer feedback and looking for ways we can improve by communicating with our customers either via social media, our email newsletters and more, to collect feedback on what they liked and what they’d like to see more of,” said Ben-Ishay. “We make every decision through the eyes of our customer, so we incorporate that feedback and directly apply it to next year’s strategy to make every year better than the last.”
