Philip Morris International (PMI) has opened its new IQOS corner at Kansai International Airport’s (KIX) recently renovated airside international departure area at Terminal 1.

Situated in the Kansai Airports Retail & Services operated KIX Duty Free walkthrough store, the IQOS corner showcases the heated tobacco sku’s latest design language, including digital technologies, for legal-age customers.

Adapted to passenger flows, the counter offers several experiences to visitors such as the IQOS discovery area, which displays its products in a sensory environment and a guided trial area for adult consumers to engage with IQOS and its Terea tobacco sticks.

The IQOS community area invites adult consumers to learn about IQOS and connect with other adult users.

Meanwhile, a product news area houses displays of the latest products complemented by visual merchandising to foster interaction.

Digital touchpoints

PMI points to easy-access digital tools integrated into the physical environment, providing information while helping shoppers conveniently transact, for example through mobile payments.

A new IQOS interactive station uses RFID for 3D product visualisation, comparison, configuration and shop assistance by bringing physical products to life.

Staff can utilise dedicated payment solutions in the area through mobile tablets to process transactions.

Meanwhile, the Terea flavour advisor can be used to find and compare preferential flavours suited to an adult consumer’s needs and save their preferences.

“With the opening of our new IQOS corner in Kansai International Airport we have reinvigorated our IQOS brand presence and redesigned our in-shop consumer experience to bring delight but also functionality to our travelling legal age consumer journey,” commented Edvinas Katilius, Vice President PMI Duty Free.

“We continue to demonstrate our constant commitment to delight our legal-age consumers in travel retail with our premium and innovative IQOS corner and we are looking forward to welcoming travelling legal-age nicotine users to experience the latest in IQOS travel retail.”

Smoke-free products accounted for approximately 36.2% of PMI’s total net revenues, according to its third quarter 2023 results.

The company has a stated ambition to roll out its smoke-free products to 100 markets by 2025, a year in which it expects to switch at least 40 million PMI cigarette smokers – that would otherwise continue to smoke – to smoke-free products.

Smoke-free products such as IQOS Iluma Prime are forecast to account for more than two-thirds of its total net revenues by 2030.