The Proving Drawer Custom orders,without the group chat.
How this home bakery replaced a 40-message Instagram DM thread per order with one proper custom-order app.
Every custom cake orderlived inside a DM thread.
The Proving Drawer took every order through Instagram DMs — flavour, size, filling, date and deposit scattered across days of back-and-forth. Orders were regularly double-booked because nothing lived in one place.
A full e-commerce platform was quoted at £6,000+ and came with inventory management the baker didn't need for a one-person operation. Appin500 built the one form that actually mattered.
I was baking AND running a call centre. I just needed the second job to disappear.”
Strip the storefront.Keep the order form.Protect the calendar.
Turn the DM thread into a form
Every question the baker used to ask by hand became one structured order form: flavour, size, filling, date, deposit.
Attach a real calendar
Order dates now check against actual capacity, so two custom cakes can't land on the same Saturday by accident.
Ship the order form first
Gallery browsing and payment came in a later phase. The first job was simply to stop double-bookings.
Five things that stoppedthe group chat chaos.
Feature 01: Guided custom order form
Flavour, size, filling and date, captured once, correctly, instead of across a dozen messages.
Feature 02: Live availability calendar
Customers only see dates the baker can actually take on.
Feature 03: Deposit request on booking
A deposit link goes out the moment an order's confirmed, no chasing payment separately.
Feature 04: Order gallery for inspiration
Past designs, organised by occasion, so customers stop sending forty Pinterest links.
Feature 05: Pickup reminder notifications
An automatic reminder the day before pickup, so nobody forgets their own cake.
Nine days.One inbox, not forty messages.
Before you Take a Leap
Can you build any app for £500?
No. £500 is the starting point for a tightly scoped MVP with one core function. We’ll tell you what fits, what needs a larger package and what can wait for a later phase.
Is this a working app or just a design?
The agreed deliverable is a functional first version, not only static screens. The exact platform, features, backend and handover are defined before work begins.
Will I own my app?
You receive the project source code after final payment. Any third-party components remain subject to their own licences, which are identified during handover.
Can I add features later?
Yes. We can quote separately for additional features, integrations and ongoing support as your product grows.
How quickly can I launch?
Starter projects target 7–14 days after scope approval and receipt of required content and access. Complex features and app store review can take longer. Your quote confirms the delivery plan.
That app idea? Let’s hear it.
You don’t need a perfect brief. Just tell us what you have in mind — we’ll help you find the right first step.
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