Walmart Takes Cakes to the Next Level

Walmart is taking its well-established bakery game to the next level with online ordering and new products to further extend its established track record, which includes the distinction of selling one of every four cakes sold in the U.S., according to a recent report on Yahoo Finance.

The Bentonville, Ark.-based mega-retailer—which also reportedly sells enough sheet cakes to circle the earth and the equator—is rapidly becoming a destination for cakes for everything from birthdays and anniversaries to graduations and weddings.

As Walmart expands its online ordering and product offerings, it is poised to capture an even larger share of the cake marketplace.

Online cake ordering is available from select stores with more being added every month, according to Walmart’s website. The site, which touts, “Themed cakes online ordering is coming soon,” also invites shoppers to go to the Custom Cakes Ordering page to design a personalized cake for pickup in-store.

Meanwhile, customers can peruse the many themed cake designs online for ordering over the phone or in person at Walmart stores, including sports, licensed characters, milestones and special occasions.

“We're giving you a solution for your party without having to come to the store first to place that order. You're now able to do that online,” Kinna Thomas, senior buying manager of cakes for Walmart, told Yahoo Finance. “And I'll tell you, that's probably the thing we are most excited about, and we call this 'the year of the cake' because of that.”

“The move to modernize the cake ordering process and add new products is part of the company's broader strategy, which has focused on omnichannel,” reports Yahoo Finance.

A year ago, Walmart began testing online ordering for its classic sheet cakes and it is now chainwide in offering in-store decorating.

Walmart’s “Cakes for Any Occasion” section of its website is designed to be user-friendly. Users can shop the cake category by event (birthday, boy, girl, etc.); select the sheet cake size or choose from its two-tier and three-tier round cakes, as well as cupcakes; and determine cake flavor (white, yellow, chocolate, marble, Rainbow Blast), fillings and icing.

Walmart even offers a free “smash” cake (a first birthday rite of passage) with the purchase of a special order bakery item of $14.98 or higher.