DTC1051: Bachan Brand Breakdown

Good morning,

Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:

1️⃣ Unlocking more revenue opportunities on Bachan’s site

You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Moonlite, Djablo Sauce, and Marrow. 👋

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‍🐙 Tapping into Bachan’s Cult Following To Accelerate AOV

Bachan’s is a California-based sauce brand founded in 2019 by Justin Gill, inspired by his grandmother’s Japanese barbecue sauce recipe.

Built around clean ingredients and a preservative-free process, the brand redefined “Japanese BBQ sauce” for a U.S. audience, delivering a umami-rich alternative to traditional American BBQ.

What started as a family recipe has rapidly scaled into a national brand, now sold in 11,000+ retail locations, including Costco, Whole Foods, and Target.

The site does an excellent job communicating the heritage, quality, and flavor of the product.

However, the Pilothouse team shares that there’s a clear opportunity to better guide users toward purchase and unlock incremental conversion and AOV gains.

Evaluation of UI/UX (Interface & Experience)

1️⃣ Homepage & Navigation

The mobile navigation prioritizes a “Shop” CTA above the fold, which is strong. However, the subcategories (Barbecue vs. Dipping vs. Gifts) introduce friction by forcing users to think too early in the journey.

💡 Pilothouse Tips:

✅ Make the navigation more visual: A visual mega-menu that shows the bottles and star ratings on hover reduces cognitive load and helps with decision-making.

✅ Add a "Bestsellers" tab: Show the most popular items right in the main nav. Anchoring users to fan-favorite products is one of the fastest ways to improve conversion rates, especially for new visitors.

2️⃣ Product Discovery & Collections

Bachan offers a mix-and-match option for its BBQ sauces and dips as an easy upsell.

But the ‘mix and match’ isn’t visible on high traffic pages like its collections page. That’s a big missed opportunity.

💡 Pilothouse Tips:

✅ Add a sticky banner: Make the Mix & Match builder impossible to ignore by adding a sticky banner at the top of the collections page. This is the chance to upsell!

✅ Include more persuasive copy: The line “The more you mix, the more you save,” might not be compelling enough to get browsers over the line.

Instead, consider more direct language, like “Build Your Custom 4-Pack & Unlock Free Shipping.” This shifts the message from passive savings to an active reward.

3️⃣ Product Detail Page

The PDP foundation is strong: high-quality imagery, clear pricing, and a clean layout. However, a few refinements can significantly improve conversion efficiency.

Here are some Pilothouse recommendations:

Above the Fold Improvements:

• Improve image gallery usability: Make navigation more visually obvious.
• Reduce excess white space: Bring key information into immediate view.
• Add customer reviews: Place beside the product title to reinforce trust instantly.
• Utilize strikethrough pricing: Use when applicable to highlight savings.
• Remove or relocate the recipe book widget: It disrupts the buying flow and blocks key product information.

After:

Below the Fold Opportunities:

• Display USPs more prominently: Bring dietary and quality badges (Vegan, Non-GMO, Preservative-Free) closer to the Buy Box.
• Bridge the gap between product and usage: For example, a user on the Yuzu Citrus PDP should immediately see “3 Ways to Use Yuzu” directly below the fold without having to click away from the PDP.
• Add more recipe inspo: Add a list of favorite foods customers can use with the sauce or introduce a shoppable recipe carousel tied to each SKU to drive both education and incremental units per order.

4️⃣ Checkout Experience

As a Shopify store, the checkout process is inherently secure, but reducing the number of steps to purchase is critical.

💡 Pilothouse Tip:

✅ Include express checkout placement: Inject Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Shop Pay directly into the slide-out cart drawer.

Do not force mobile users to click "Checkout" and manually enter their address if they have a digital wallet ready.

This bypasses the multi-step form entirely and can lift mobile conversions by 50%.

Conversion Blockers (The "Leaky Bucket" Issues)

1️⃣ Low Shipping Threshold

The current pricing structure creates an unintended ceiling.

Bachan sells a single bottle for $9.49, but the free shipping threshold is $35.

Which means a customer has to purchase four bottles to hit the threshold.  

Currently, the site doesn't do enough to visually pull them across that $35 finish line during the shopping experience.

On top of that, the only cart incentive is the $35 free shipping threshold.

While that is a great baseline, it accidentally creates a "spending ceiling."

Once a customer hits the $35 mark, their goal is achieved, and they head straight to checkout. There’s no additional incentive to push beyond that point, which limits AOV and total revenue per session.

💡 Pilothouse Tips:

✅ Push AOV with tiered cart unlocks: Feature a Tiered Progress Bar that unlocks different rewards as the cart value grows.

• Tier 1 ($35): Free Shipping
• Tier 2 ($55): Free Sauce Packet or Branded Basting Brush
• Tier 3 ($75): Free Merch (e.g., Octo Socks or Sticker Pack)

✅ Run an A/B test using a cart app like UpCart or Rebuy.

• Control: Current $35 Free Shipping Bar.
• Variant: Add a $60 Tier that unlocks a high-margin $25 merch item (e.g., "Spend $60, get a Free Field Guide Tee"). Measure if the margin given up on the shirt is offset by the massive spike in users jumping from a $35 cart to a $60 cart.

By blending your sauce catalog with your merch catalog directly in the cart drawer, you turn the shopping experience into a game where users feel they are losing out if they don't hit the next tier.

2️⃣ Missing ‘Subscribe and Save’ Continuity

BBQ sauce is a highly consumable product, but there is no prominent "Subscribe & Save" option on the main shop feed.

In Bachan’s reviews, customers mention they "drink the stuff" and run out too fast.

Customers are looking to repurchase. Forcing loyalists to manually re-order introduces unnecessary friction and lowers Customer Lifetime Value (LTV).

💡 Pilothouse Tip:

✅ Integrate an app like Skio or StayAI: On the PDP, default the selection to a 10% discounted "Subscribe & Save (Delivered every 30 days)" option, and position it directly above the Add to Cart button.

3️⃣ Recipes that Sell

The brand features over 350 recipes, which is fantastic for SEO and engagement, but that same content can sometimes distract from conversion.

💡 Pilothouse Tip:

✅ Make the recipe pages directly shoppable: Add an "Add Bachan's to Cart" or "Buy the Sauce for this Recipe" floating sticky button on all recipe pages to convert high-intent readers seamlessly.

AI Search Readiness

Bachan’s is well-positioned to win in AI-driven discovery, but the current site structure doesn’t fully support it.

LLMs prioritize structured, answer-first content and authoritative signals across the web. Bachan’s should make its brand, products, and expert content easier for models to understand, trust, and cite.

💡 Pilothouse Tips:

✅ Implement structured schema: Use this across key pages like Product, FAQ, Article, Recipe, etc.

✅ Build answer-first content: Focus on core queries like:

• “What is Japanese barbecue sauce?”
• “What makes Bachan's different?”
• “How do you use it?”

✅ Expand off-site presence: Build authority through media features and creator content.

Recommended Site Structure:

• /our-story → Founder-led narrative and brand mission
• /faq → Concise, structured Q&A
• PDPs → Complete product and usage information
• /recipes → Practical, searchable use cases

This positions Bachan’s as the authoritative source for its category across both search engines and AI systems.

The takeaway?

Bachan’s has already built what most brands struggle to achieve: a differentiated product, a loyal customer base, and strong brand equity.

The opportunity now is operational, transforming that demand into a more optimized, conversion-driven ecommerce experience.

By reducing friction, guiding purchase behavior, and introducing stronger AOV and retention mechanics, Bachan’s can turn an already great brand into a best-in-class DTC growth engine.

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DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.

Please note that items in this newsletter marked with * contain sponsored content.