Why Vicky Cakes Values Privy as a True Partner for Growth

In 2009, Cortney Sargent tried his mother-in-law Vicky’s pancakes for the first time on Thanksgiving morning. A few pancakes in, he knew there was something there. The recipe had been in the family for 45 years. It was simple, nostalgic, and unforgettable.

After years of encouragement and a little inspiration from Shark Tank, Cortney and his wife launched Vicky Cakes on Mother’s Day 2019 to honor Vicky’s sacrifices as a single mom.

Today, the brand sells 13 pancake and 10 syrup flavors. The recipes use simple, pronounceable ingredients and include dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free options.

“We don’t see buyers as ‘customers’” said Cortney Sargent, Chief Operating Officer at Vicky Cakes. “We don’t call them that. We call them cousins. We call them fam.”

The business is growing, but the tone has never shifted. That mindset drives everything.

Challenge

As the brand expanded, so did the audience. Social channels brought visibility, and those platforms helped Vicky Cakes reach new households. But they didn’t offer ownership of the relationship.

Email and SMS became the place where real conversations lived, allowing the brand to speak directly to its audience in a way that felt personal. The challenge was ensuring communications matched the brand’s values.

Vicky Cakes serves distinct groups, such as moms buying for school-age kids, households focused on ingredient transparency, and gluten-free customers who need different messaging and different product visibility. Sending the same message to everyone wouldn’t work.

“I don’t see email marketing as a way to just get sales,” said Cortney. “It’s really to build a bond and a relationship with your audience.”

The team needed tools that allowed for nuance without adding operational drag. As a growing team, they couldn’t afford complexity for the sake of sophistication. They needed flexibility, segmentation, and reliability, all without constant tinkering.

Solution

Privy became the backbone of how Vicky Cakes manages direct communication. Email and SMS are core to how the brand nurtures its “cousins.” Privy gives the team the structure to do that intentionally.

“Privy is kind of like the tires to our vehicle,” said Cortney. “We really couldn’t go without Privy.”

Targeted Displays Based on Behavior

Displays quickly became one of the most valuable tools. Instead of showing a generic pop-up to every visitor, Vicky Cakes tailors displays based on page behavior and category. Someone browsing gluten-free products sees messaging that reflects that interest. Returning customers receive a different language than first-time visitors.

This shift came from listening closely. At one point, a gluten-free customer emailed asking why they kept receiving messaging that didn’t apply to them. That feedback prompted the team to rethink how they segmented communication and how they used category-based displays.

Segmentation That Supports Real Conversations

Privy allows Vicky Cakes to segment their audience based on behavior, interest, and purchase history. That makes it possible to speak differently to gluten-free customers, syrup buyers, or long-time repeat loyalists.

“Segmenting is an underutilized tool,” said Cortney. “Privy allows us to segment our audience and have more tailored conversations.”

The structure behind the scenes supports a tone that feels relaxed and genuine on the surface.

A Seamless Shopify Integration

On the technical side, the Shopify integration works without friction.

Customer tags created in Shopify automatically sync into Privy. That gives the team more control over targeting without adding extra steps. There’s no constant maintenance required. It runs in the background, which is exactly how a small team needs it to function.

A Real Partnership

Technology alone doesn’t explain Cortney’s loyalty.

He has used other platforms before. His experience with Privy feels different because the relationship feels different. Direct access to real people. Honest feedback. Suggestions that don’t disappear into a ticket queue.

For a growth-stage brand scaling operations and preparing to move into a larger facility, having a responsive partner matters. The team is focused on deepening customer connection, improving open rates and click rates, and strengthening profitability. They want to grow without losing the warmth that defines the brand.

Results

Vicky Cakes continues to expand production capacity and scale operations. Syrup demand is strong, sometimes exceeding inventory. The contact list continues to grow. The opportunity to build deeper relationships grows with it.

Privy supports that next stage of growth by giving the team:

• A reliable direct channel through email and SMS
• Displays tailored to behavior and category
• Segmentation that reflects real customer differences
• Seamless Shopify synchronization
• Access to a support team that challenges and listens

The marketing foundation now matches the brand’s philosophy. Communication feels consistent with the way Vicky herself would treat someone standing in her kitchen.

For Cortney, the recommendation is straightforward and said, “Just do it. You’re not going to be lost in the sauce.” That’s the difference when software feels like a partner instead of a platform.