IQOS ARKADIA FLAGSHIP IN-STORE EXPERIENCE
This was a team project involving multiple stakeholders, including an outsourced interior studio called Parisotto. NiCE was in charge of the in-store experience design for the IQOS flagship store in Warsaw, Poland. Our focus wasn’t just on the retail layout but on crafting the complete consumer journey — how visitors experience the brand once they enter.
I translated the brand guidelines into tangible elements, blending natural materials with a subtle tech feel. We designed key touchpoints like the front wall installation, counter displays, interactive flow, and the scent-testing zone, shaping how people explore, interact, and connect with the brand in the space.
Visualising Awe
Facade
We had an eye-catching ‘Visualising Awe’ area at the entrance, using a large screen with dynamic visuals to draw customers in.
Scalability of Visualising Awe
To adapt the concept to different store scales, we suggested flexible forms — from a full-screen awe area to columns and counter types, so the experience could work in stores of various sizes.
Pause for Pleasure
We call this area Pause for Pleasure — it’s meant to hold customers for a moment so they can discover the brand story or see new launches like ZYN and VEEV. It includes display windows with transparent screens that highlight the products inside.
When customers interact with the screen by touching it, the visuals change to reveal more information or highlight different products. The shape is from IQOS iconic "key shape" to organic natural shape.
Scalability of Pause for Pleasure
Use the same language across different store sizes.
Past Exploration
We explored concepts like an interactive counter with a parabolic speaker overhead — so when customers placed a scent block, the screen and audio would work together to create a fully immersive sensorium experience. Eventually, however, the client decided to go with a simpler solution: a transparent display window with a touch screen.
Sensorium Counter
Sensorium Counter
Flavour Exploration Zone
An experiential area where three scent devices mimic vaping aromas, engaging customers through visuals and fragrance after the Pause for Pleasure Zone.
Past Exploration
In the beginning, we envisioned bringing an artisan touch to the sensorium experience — placing natural flowers and herbs under a glass cover, so people could see something real and organic, and smell the scent through a trumpet-like attachment.
Holistic experience
Another approach I considered was focusing on human gestures — what makes a movement feel natural. Picking a flower to smell, for example, is an instinctive action that creates a more holistic and intuitive experience.
Unfortunately, this method wasn’t chosen in the end due to the cost of the devices, so the final option leaned more toward a commercial approach.
Sensorium Devices
I designed the sensorium devices for the countertop, featuring scent stones and essential oils inside the container. When people approach the parabolic hood, they can hear music that’s linked to the scent
SFP WORLD
This is the commercial area where people can easily grab and go with consumables, so display and storage are key. Since IQOS offers a variety of flavor packs, we kept the wavy wall white to let the colorful packaging stand out and do the talking.
