Bartesian founder and CEO Ryan Close’s business started with a simple question: “How do we create an incredible cocktail experience for home use?” Inspired by an appreciation for 1950s cocktail culture and the fact that today many people are intimidated by the idea of making their own drinks, Close wanted to bring a high-quality, seamless product to market.

The focus was never on drinking more or to excess, but on elevating the home cocktail experience. “For me, if I’m going to have a couple of drinks, I want to make sure they’re good, or I’d rather not have them,” the founder explains. “And the beauty of Bartesian is you can dial the strength up or down as you wish. You can have a mocktail.” 

From the outset, the product was the priority. Close and his team were so “hyper-focused” on getting it right that they sometimes joked they were “the world’s slowest startup.” Not only did the company have to perfect its hardware for the machine, but it also had to figure out the food science for its drink pods. That process left no budget for creative marketing, and Close says the early branding “was horrific.” 

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Still, the intentionality behind Bartesian — named to capture the company’s “artisanal approach to refined cocktail experience and luxury craftsmanship” — led to Close’s desired result: an aspirational product. 

Bartesian launched in 2019 and surpassed $100 million in direct-to-consumer sales in under three years. 

The founder never set out to forge partnerships with every retailer; in fact, the brand has turned down those that don’t align with its image, Close says. Nowadays, the brand is available in major national retailers, including Williams Sonoma, Target, Best Buy and more. 

The brand was also cautious when it came to its discounting and pricing strategy, Close adds, noting that he didn’t want to launch a “gimmicky brand” that ended up in an airport store “like a gadget.” Instead, he envisioned the product becoming as ubiquitous as home espresso machines are now.

We make sure we have something to offer during the busiest times when people have their wallets open.

Bartesian’s approach has never been about staggering deals and discounts to make a sale, but like most major U.S. brands, it would be remiss not to use Black Friday and Cyber Monday to its advantage. Last year, U.S. shoppers spent $10.8 billion on online purchases on Black Friday and $13.3 billion on Cyber Monday, according to Adobe Analytics data.  

“I’m not a huge shopper, but [around this time of year], I’m starting to look and say, ‘Okay, what do I need, what can I get that’s out there?’” Close says. “So we make sure we have something to offer during the busiest times when people have their wallets open.” 

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Bartesian closely measures customer acquisition costs, which help drive its strategy. 

 “When we say, ‘Hey, we spent $1 million in marketing in December last year, and when we had this deal live, that $1 million had 7x or 10x return on ad spend, but when we didn’t have it live, it was 3x,’ the numbers are so significant that it’s like I’m just a fool, really, if I’m not offering discounts,” Close says. 

We’re competing against ourself…it’s a real juggling act.

Managing price integrity across the company’s various sales channels is one of its biggest challenges, according to Close. Even a seemingly small shift like losing Amazon’s “Featured Offer” (or Buy Box) status, which highlights the product and allows customers to add it to their cart directly, can translate to a major revenue drop. 

“When you’re looking at doing millions of dollars in a week — which we do in this season — you having or not having that [Buy Box] badge can [be significant], the difference of a 20%-30% swing in your sales,” Close says. 

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Bartesian offered one machine, its original Bartesian Cocktail Maker, for the first five years in business. The company has since added its Bartesian Professional, which holds five one-liter spirit bottles, and Bartesian Duet, a more compact version. The product expansion adds another layer of complication to inventory management across multiple sales channels.

“ So we’re competing against ourself versus Target or Williams Sonoma or Amazon,” Close explains. “Then we could be left with inventory in January, and it ties up cash. So it’s a real juggling act.” 

What’s more, although the brand earns more through direct purchases on its website, its sales strategy can’t be as simple as trying to have Bartesian’s website “win” every single sale. “You also have to support those retailers because if they don’t have good sell-through, they’re not going to take [your product] line come January,” Close explains. “They’ll drop you.” 

Treat your customers like you would treat your family or close friends.

Despite the challenges that come with increasing offerings, Close looks forward to doing just that, noting that the additional complexity is “worth it all day long” because it means more opportunity across Bartesian’s different sales channels. 

To any business hoping to maximize its own sales on Black Friday, Cyber Monday and beyond, Close recommends leading with authenticity whenever possible. The founder says that being authentic has been one of Bartesian’s core pillars from the start — extending from the cocktails themselves, to the people the company hires and how the brand communicates with its customers.

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Close prioritizes getting people to experience the product and leading them to the best deal possible, even if that means sacrificing some margin on Bartesian’s direct on-site sales. 

“We’re not trying to trick or get one past anyone,” Close says. “If you do, that’s a short-term win. You might get short-term wins, but it’ll burn you in the end. If you’re trying to build a long-term, successful business that can be profitable, treat your customers like you would treat your family or close friends.”