For Katelyn (Kate) Day, founder of Cake Creations by Kate (CCBK), the recipe for success isn’t just about cakes—it’s about passion, innovation, and building trust. From a young age, Kate knew that baking was her calling. After studying as a pastry chef, she turned that passion into a thriving cake business.

“I’ve always had a passion for baking, so I knew once I finished school, this is what I really wanted to do for my career. Seeing people love my products made me want to bake for the masses.” — Kate Day

As her custom cakes became more popular, Kate faced the common challenges of running a small business—managing payments and dealing with fraud. That’s when she discovered Hello Clever, a real-time payment solution that helped her streamline operations.

Solving Real Business Problems

As Cake Creations by Kate grew, Kate faced struggles that many small business owners know all too well: delays in payments, fraudulent transactions, and chargebacks. For a bakery that custom-makes every cake, losing money to fraud or waiting on delayed payments put real pressure on operations.

“As a small business, this is really difficult because it directly impacts me—I don’t get paid if I make the order, and I can’t just resell it. It’s a real struggle for businesses like mine.” — Kate Day

On top of that, Kate found herself bogged down by administrative tasks, which took her away from what she loved most—baking.

“I’m just creative. I love baking. I don’t know how to deal with all these things, and it puts a lot of pressure on me to get it sorted before production starts.” — Kate Day

Addressing These Challenges

Switching to Hello Clever’s real-time payment system and PayID made a big difference. With instant payment confirmations, Cake Creations by Kate could accept orders and keep production moving without worrying about chargebacks or fraud.

Zero Fraudulent Transactions

“I’ve noticed a massive change with Hello Clever—it’s the only company where we’ve had zero fraudulent transactions. That’s a huge win for us. Now I can focus on what matters: the baking.” — Kate Day

Instant Payments that Keep the Kitchen Running

Weekend orders were another pain point for Kate. Slow payments, especially over weekends, delayed production and created bottlenecks.

“I found a lot of payment gateways can be slow, especially on weekends. If that payment comes through late, it can halt production because we might need custom items to kick off the next week’s orders.” — Kate Day

With Hello Clever’s PayID system, payments are processed instantly, helping Cake Creations by Kate keep production on schedule.

“We love using Hello Clever’s PayID. It makes the transaction process quick and easy. Customers pay, we get the money instantly, and it takes the pressure off our admin team. That way, we can focus on getting orders out faster.” — Kate Day

Innovating with Australia’s First Cupcake Vending Machine

Beyond custom cakes, Cake Creations by Kate ventured into new territory with Australia’s first cupcake vending machine. With Hello Clever, the vending machine offers seamless payments through PayID, making the experience easy for customers.

“We’re proud to have the first cupcake vending machines in Australia. We’re rolling out multiple payment methods, including Hello Clever’s PayID, which generates unique codes for smooth transactions.” — Lachlan Matheson (General Manager, CCKB)

Australia’s first cupcake vending machine by Cake Creations By Kate (CCBK).

A Sweet Success: Hello Clever’s Instant Cashback Campaign

Cake Creations by Kate ran their first 5% Instant Cashback campaign through Hello Clever, and the results were promising. The campaign encouraged customers to spend more and generated an increase in sales. It’s important to note that these figures reflect transactions processed via Hello Clever’s platform, not the bakery’s total sales.

Cake Creations by Kate bakery increased sales with Hello Clever's Real-Time payments and Instant Cashback Rewards

Note: These figures compare Hello Clever transactions during the 38-day campaign period to the previous 38 days. These numbers reflect Hello Clever transactions only, not the bakery’s overall sales across all platforms.

“Our customers love Hello Clever cashback. Who doesn’t love free cash, right? For the customer, it’s amazing—they’re saving money on something they love. For us, it drives up the average spend.” — Kate Day

“The best thing about Hello Clever’s cashback is the instant reward. The moment customers pay, the cashback is available in their app, so they keep coming back and spending more.” — Lachlan Matheson (GM, CCKB)

A Piece of Cake: Seamless Integration & Local Support

Integrating Hello Clever into Cake Creations by Kate was smooth, thanks to Hello Clever’s support team. The bakery experienced no disruptions and quickly started benefiting from the platform’s features.

“The integration process with Hello Clever was really simple. We worked with their development team, reviewed the APIs, and had everything up and running with our Shopify store in no time. Their widget made it easy to set everything up in just a few hours.” — Lachlan Matheson

A Promising Future Ahead

Since switching to Hello Clever, Cake Creations by Kate has experienced a significant reduction in stress, fraud, and chargebacks. The real-time payments and Instant Cashback Rewards have also helped grow their loyal customer base.

“I’d recommend Hello Clever to any business. They take the time to understand what you need and streamline everything. It’s been a great experience working with them.” — Lachlan Matheson

“Switching to Hello Clever was one of the best decisions we’ve made. It’s secure, fast, and gives both us and our customers confidence. If you’re not using Hello Clever, you’re missing out. Join the Hello Clever family!” — Kate Day

View the full case study here

Case studies

A Recipe for Success: How Cake Creations by Kate Grew with Hello Clever’s Real-Time Payments