"Picqer was made for me! It couldn't be easier."

About CakeStoreXL

Tamara van de Pol started the Dutch wholesaler CakeStoreXL.nl in 2013. The wholesaler serves a variety of businesses, from small entrepreneurs to large cake shops, offering both original and sustainable baking products.

Meeting market needs

"There was a lot of dissatisfaction in the cake market. Materials were poorly available, delivered poorly, and cost astronomical prices. The selection of stencils and other tools was also very limited. I wanted more, so together with my husband, I decided we could start our own wholesaler. Before we even realized it, the decision had already been made," says Tamara with a laugh. CakeStoreXL meets market needs by offering original and sustainable baking supplies at a good price with great service.

The baking products are conceived, designed, and produced in-house. The range includes nearly 1,000 unique products. As a true wholesaler, they only supply stores and bakeries through their webshop.

From their spacious warehouse in Andelst, they ship orders on the same day they are placed. Shipping is done via PostNL and pallet shipments through a local carrier.

Gaining insight into inventory and margins

Tamara wanted to have more control over her inventory management. Picqer turned out to be the solution. This user-friendly warehouse software gives her immediate insight into her inventory and helps her serve her customers quickly.

"We wanted to stay close to our numbers, so we were looking for a product that could give us insight into our inventory and margins," says Tamara. "Picqer ensures we have control over our stock. We print a monthly inventory list and check if there are any discrepancies. It works really well and helps keep the business healthy."

The search for the right system

Tamara was looking for an affordable inventory management system that would give her insight into her stock, save time, and be easy to learn. Finding a system that met her needs turned out to be quite a search: "Before we came to Picqer, we had already been to several other providers. I was shocked by the prices I saw. These systems also had all kinds of functionalities that weren't applicable to us. I could already imagine spending hours on the phone because I wouldn’t be able to navigate those systems myself. An inventory management system should simply do what it’s supposed to do. You shouldn’t make something harder than it needs to be. That’s how Picqer thinks too."

The choice for Picqer

Tamara was quickly convinced of the advantages of Picqer: "Picqer is cloud-based, so you don’t need to have someone on-site for hours to set everything up. That appealed to me immediately. Plus, we were able to try the software for two weeks for free. With Picqer, you don’t get stuck with long-term contracts and high costs right away. That’s a huge plus!" In addition to the free trial, it’s also possible to get a personal tour of the system. A Picqer employee shows you how the software works in practice and answers all your questions in real-time.

User-friendliness is key

The trial period went well, and Tamara got started with enthusiasm. "With Picqer, I felt like it was made for me. I can use it easily, explain it to others, and it couldn't be simpler! Entering the inventory list was super easy. If I can do it, anyone can!" Tamara jokes.

A super-fast order process

The order process at CakeStoreXL operates through various channels. Tamara receives orders via email, phone, and the webshop. Orders through the webshop are automatically sent to Picqer. Orders from phone or email are manually entered. Picqer speeds up the order-to-delivery process by automating several steps, such as sending a confirmation email to the customer. This ensures fast delivery: "If our customers order before 4:00 PM, they should receive it the next day. This system makes that possible. With just three clicks, my order is complete!"

Picqer prevents mistakes through checks

It’s easy to make a mistake when fulfilling an order. Thanks to Picqer’s checks, Tamara can prevent errors: "All our products have their own article number and barcode. We scan each product before packing it. If the wrong product is scanned, Picqer immediately gives a warning sound." Once all products are checked, the order is complete. Picqer sends the invoice directly to the accounting program and creates a packing slip and PostNL shipping label. The only thing CakeStoreXL has to do is seal the box.

Future plans: (inter)national one-stop shop for baking products

CakeStoreXL aims to become the one-stop shop for baking products for cake shops both in the Netherlands and abroad. They’ve already taken their first steps into the foreign cake market: "I currently have two customers in Belgium and am working on expanding to Germany. In these countries, they face the same issues as we do in the Netherlands. People are already shopping a lot from the Netherlands. We want to contribute to that. I can imagine that when we take this step, we will expand our package with Picqer. I’ve already discussed this with Picqer, and they said that we just need to give them a signal. We can then test the expansion for two weeks to see if it meets our expectations. It’s like trying on a pair of jeans before buying them. It’s the same with Picqer, which is a big plus!"

Picqer is highly recommended!

Tamara explains how she experiences the partnership with Picqer: "What I love about Picqer is that whenever I run into a problem, there’s always someone behind the scenes who immediately takes a look to see what’s going on. Picqer’s employees provide excellent solutions and explain what I should watch out for in the future." When asked if she would recommend Picqer to others, she answers decisively: "Absolutely! It’s a very user-friendly system and it’s cost-effective for any business."