Ralph Black Ferguson

Free Grape Society 2023–⁠now · CDON 2021–23 · Aller Media 2019–21 · Apsis 2017–19

I started where design met code: designing and hand‑coding email templates at Apsis before spending two years as a web developer at Aller Media, one of the Nordics’ largest publishers. That’s where I learned to measure what I built. A/B testing, analytics and iteration became habit.

Product management came next at CDON. I joined as a Product Manager and later became Head of Product for the consumer business, leading six cross‑functional teams. One project still sums up how I like to work: redesigning the product detail page, aligning engineering, design and commercial priorities, and increasing conversion by around ten percent ahead of Black Friday.

In 2023, I co‑founded Free Grape Society. Today I lead product and technology across product strategy, UX, engineering, AI initiatives and delivery. The function started with just me and has grown into a team of eight.

I still build. For much of the journey I was the company’s most senior developer, and I continue to use AI as part of my daily workflow — from research and prototyping to engineering and product discovery.

Design, code and product aren’t three careers for me. They’re one loop, and I keep it closed.

Three examples from Free Grape Society. Each started with a customer problem, shipped as a product, and was measured by outcomes.

Expanding from one sales channel to two

Problem

We launched selling to restaurants, expecting Sweden’s alcohol monopoly to become our route into consumer sales. Regulation made that path far less viable than expected, while research continued to point to genuine consumer demand.

Solution

I led the expansion into B2C, designing a pricing model that supported both customer groups without creating operational complexity. The rollout aligned product, engineering, design and marketing while keeping expert curation at the centre of the experience.

Impact

B2C became the company’s primary growth engine. Established a second, more resilient revenue stream.

Mixboxes

Problem

Buying wine by the case meant six bottles of the same wine. It was a poor fit for how consumers actually wanted to discover new producers.

Solution

I introduced Mixboxes: curated six‑bottle selections created by the wineries themselves. We built the feature with measurement in place from day one.

Impact

Purchase volume on eligible products roughly tripled. Increased producer engagement through curated collections.

Guest checkout

Problem

Creating an account before purchasing created unnecessary friction for first‑time buyers.

Solution

I analysed the checkout funnel, identified registration as the primary drop‑off point, and designed a guest checkout flow that preserved fulfilment and consent requirements without slowing customers down.

Impact

Purchase volume through the flow more than doubled. Reduced checkout abandonment for first‑time customers.

• Turning ambiguity into execution. I enjoy taking unclear ideas and turning them into products, roadmaps and teams that can actually deliver.
• Bridging product and engineering. Because I still design and write code, I can move comfortably between customer problems, UX decisions and technical trade‑offs.
• Building measurable products. Every meaningful feature ships with instrumentation. Data doesn’t replace judgement — it helps improve it.

Great products happen when product, design and engineering become one conversation instead of three.

Everything I build has to answer three questions, and I ask them in order:

1. What people problem are we solving?
2. How do we know it’s a real problem?
3. How will we know we’ve solved it?

The numbers matter. I instrument everything and let experiments settle arguments. But metrics exist to answer those questions — not replace them.

I’m based in Dala‑Floda, Sweden, and work remotely with teams anywhere.

If you’re building products where customer insight, design and engineering all matter, I’d love to hear from you.

ralph@ferguson.se linkedin.com/in/ralphblackferguson