CAKES AND DECORATING New-Age Cake Designs M aking an impression in the digital age requires a different type of strategy for cake decorators and bakery marketers. Cake designs must be colorful and engaging to the eye so that the customer knows they are getting something genuinely unique. Innovative cake designs at Hispanic bakeries in Houston reflect the changing times. Chocolate accents are everywhere on the tops of new cake designs, ranging from chocolate pieces shaped like chocolate straws or butterfly wings. Drip cakes, which show icing dripping down the side of the cake, are becoming even 34 more popular and are featuring more color options such as pink and black on the same cake. Summer cakes now feature dollops of buttercream frosting in shapes that resemble scoops of ice cream. Cake designers are pushing the envelope with eye-catching creations to appeal to today's customers who want their special occasion cakes to reflect their personal style or capture a special interest (like a Mother's Day with fondant decorations of a makeup case and makeup brushes on top). It's useful to know that consumers are finding your bakery increasingly through digital channels - either on a smart phone or home computer. That makes the need for having a strong website and social media presence all the more important to your bakery's future success. According to a 2018 Visa study of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the United States, 52% of consumers there were surveyed either search online or check the business website before visiting a new business. More than 60% prefer to be contacted through a digital channel, such as e-mail, website banners or a business's website. Yet less than half of SMBs conduct PANADERÍA | JUNE 19 034_Pan_Jun19_Cake.indd 34 5/24/2019 10:47:16 AM