Understanding Products V2

Overview

Products V2 updates how BakeSmart organizes customizable products inside the system. The goal is to make product setup easier to understand, reduce clutter in the product catalog, and provide a clearer structure for how customizable products are built and sold.

For bakeries already using BakeSmart, moving to Products V2 is designed to be straightforward. Existing products remain intact and are reorganized within the new structure. Most bakeries will not need to rebuild or recreate their products.

Products V2 separates the building blocks used to construct products from the products customers actually order, allowing BakeSmart to support both fully custom orders and controlled customization.

Core Concepts in Products V2

Products V2 introduces three concepts that work together:

• Templates
• Components
• Signature Items

Each plays a different role in how customizable products are created and sold.

Templates

Templates define how components are created and organized.

A template establishes the structure used to generate a group of components and determines how those components are sorted and filtered within the system.

For example:

Template
Custom Cake

The template may define that cake components are organized by:

• Size
• Shape

Templates also determine whether or not the components within the template are composed of layers or not.

Template settings also determine whether or not it has Selection lists attached to it. Selection Lists are categorized as:

• Flavor
• Filling
• Frosting

Using this template, BakeSmart can generate components such as:

• 6" Round Cake
• 8" Round Cake
• 10" Round Cake
• Quarter Sheet Cake
• Half Sheet Cake

The template defines the rules that determine how those components are grouped and sorted.

Templates help keep component lists organized and ensure consistent product structures across the bakery's catalog.

Components

Components are the building blocks used to construct customizable products.

Components are typically generated using a template and represent the base structure of a product.

Examples of components include:

• 10" Round Cake
• 8" Round Cake
• Cupcake Base
• Cookie Base

Components can have selections associated with them, such as:

• Flavor
• Frosting
• Filling

Components themselves are not sold directly to customers. Instead, they provide the structural base used to build sellable products or fully custom orders.

Separating these building blocks from the product catalog helps keep the catalog focused on items customers can actually purchase.

Signature Items

Signature Items are sellable products built from components.

A Signature Item defines how a product can be ordered and how selections are applied during the ordering process.

Signature Items can behave in two ways.

Configurable Signature Items

A Signature Item may allow selections to remain available when the item is ordered.

Example:

Signature Item
10” Round Cake

Selections available during ordering:

• Flavor
• Frosting
• Filling

The bakery controls which options appear for each selection. This allows customization while keeping product choices operationally manageable.

These items may be used by store staff or made available to customers through eCommerce.

Preconfigured Signature Items

Signature Items can also have selections preselected by the bakery.

Example:

Signature Item
10” Carrot Cake

Behind the scenes this item is built from:

Component
10” Round Cake

Selections applied:

• Flavor → Carrot Cake
• Frosting → Cream Cheese
• Filling → Cream Cheese

These selections are locked, meaning the product is sold exactly as defined.

This allows bakeries to offer fixed menu items while still using the same underlying component structure.

Additionally, if Components themselves can be assigned to a signature product at the time of ordering. For example:

Signature Item
Carrot Cake

Available Components to choose from at time of order:
08 Round Cake
10 Round Cake
12 Round Cake

Selections applied:

• Flavor → Carrot Cake
• Frosting → Cream Cheese
• Filling → Cream Cheese

This allows the user or customer (in ecommerce) to be presented with fewer options up front, making it easier to find what they’re looking for and decide what to purchase.

Cake Builder vs Signature Items

Products V2 supports two different approaches for creating cake orders.

Understanding the difference between these two workflows is important.

Cake Builder

Cake Builder is designed for fully customizable cakes.

Cake Builder uses components directly, allowing all associated selections to remain available during ordering.

Example:

Component
10” Round Cake

Selections available:

• Flavor
• Filling
• Frosting

The staff member selects these options during the order process.

Cake Builder is primarily intended as a staff ordering tool. It replaces the previous workflow where bakeries accessed fully customizable products through categories such as:

• Custom Cakes
• Custom Cookies
• Custom Cupcakes

Instead of selecting size or shape directly from a product category, staff now access those structures through the Cake Builder.

Cake Builder is not available through eCommerce, although bakeries can choose how they structure their internal ordering workflow.

Signature Items

Signature Items are structured products built from components.

Instead of full customization, Signature Items allow bakeries to control customization by:

• restricting available options
• preselecting selections
• locking selections entirely

For example, a bakery may offer:

• 10” Round Cake with limited flavor options
• 10” Carrot Cake with predefined selections

Both products use the same underlying component structure but behave differently when ordered.

Signature Items are commonly used for:

• menu products
• eCommerce listings
• controlled customization

Cake Builder remains the tool for fully customizable cakes, while Signature Items provide a structured ordering experience.

Why Products V2 Exists

Previously, product building blocks and sellable products were often mixed together in the same product lists. This made product catalogs harder to navigate and created confusion about how customizable items were structured.

Products V2 separates these concepts so that:

• Templates define product structures
• Components represent the building blocks
• Signature Items represent the sellable products

This structure reduces clutter, improves product organization, and makes customizable product setups easier to manage.

What Happens When You Switch to Products V2

Switching to Products V2 does not require rebuilding products.

When a bakery moves to Products V2:

• Existing products remain intact
• Existing custom products are automatically converted into components
• Product data is reorganized internally by BakeSmart

Bakeries do not need to:

• export product lists
• re-import products
• recreate their catalog
• rebuild existing product configurations

The change primarily affects how BakeSmart organizes customizable product structures within the system.

Summary

Products V2 improves how BakeSmart organizes customizable products by separating product structure from sellable products.

Key concepts include:

• Templates define how components are created and organized
• Components are the building blocks used to construct customizable items
• Signature Items are sellable products built from components
• Signature Items can allow customization or have selections preconfigured by the bakery
• Cake Builder uses components directly to create fully custom cakes

This structure simplifies product organization while allowing bakeries to support both fully custom orders and structured product menus.

Keywords

BakeSmart products
Products V2
Templates
Signature Items
Components
Cake Builder
Custom cakes
Product catalog
eCommerce products

• export product lists
• re-import products
• recreate their catalog
• rebuild existing product configurations

The change primarily affects how BakeSmart organizes customizable product structures within the system.

Common Questions About Products V2

Do I need to rebuild my products when switching to Products V2?

No. Moving to Products V2 does not require rebuilding your product catalog.

Your existing products remain intact and are reorganized internally within the new structure. In most cases, bakeries will continue using the same products they had before.

Do I need to export and re-import my products?

No. There is no export or re-import process required when switching to Products V2.

The system updates how products are structured internally. Your existing product data remains in place while BakeSmart reorganizes it to work with the new product model.

What happens to my existing custom products?

Existing custom products are automatically converted into components.

Components become the building blocks used to construct customizable products, either through the Cake Builder or when creating Signature Items.

You do not need to recreate these items manually.

Will my existing orders or workflows change?

Existing orders will not change.

The primary workflow adjustment for most bakeries will involve how fully customizable cakes are created during order entry.

Previously, many bakeries accessed customizable cakes through categories such as:

• Custom Cakes
• Custom Cookies
• Custom Cupcakes

and then selected items like size or shape directly from the product menu.

With Products V2, teams will instead use the Cake Builder to access the appropriate components when creating fully customizable cakes.

Cake Builder allows staff to select the component (for example, a 10” Round Cake) and then apply selections such as flavor, frosting, and filling during the order process.

Cake Builder is designed primarily as a staff ordering tool. It is not intended for customer-facing use and is not available through eCommerce, although bakeries may choose how they structure their ordering workflows internally.

What is the difference between Cake Builder and Signature Items?

Both Cake Builder and Signature Items use the same underlying components, but they serve different purposes.

Cake Builder
Used for fully customizable cakes. Staff select a component and then apply selections during the order process.

Signature Items
Structured products built from components. The bakery may restrict which selections are available or predefine them entirely.

Cake Builder supports full customization, while Signature Items allow bakeries to create controlled menu items or eCommerce offerings.

Do I have to use Cake Builder?

Only if your bakery sells fully customizable cakes.

Cake Builder replaces the previous workflow where bakeries used categories such as:

• Custom Cakes
• Custom Cookies
• Custom Cupcakes

to access fully customizable items.

Instead of selecting size or shape directly from a product list, staff now open the Cake Builder and choose the appropriate component before applying selections.

Bakeries that primarily sell fixed menu items or limited customization through Signature Items may rarely need to use Cake Builder.

Can a Signature Item still allow customization?

Yes.

Signature Items can allow selections during ordering, such as flavor, frosting, or filling. The bakery controls which options are available.

Alternatively, selections can be preconfigured and locked, creating a fixed menu item.

Both approaches use the same underlying component structure.

Will standard bakery products change?

No.

Standard retail products such as:

• muffins
• pastries
• breads
• cookies sold individually

continue to function exactly as they always have.

Products V2 primarily affects customizable products such as cakes, decorated cookies, and cupcakes.

Why did BakeSmart introduce Products V2?

Products V2 creates a clearer structure for managing customizable products.

By separating components (building blocks) from signature items (sellable products), BakeSmart can support:

• fully custom cakes
• controlled customization
• fixed menu items

while keeping the product catalog easier to manage.