Sergey Kasilov is quietly redefining how people experience shopping in the heart of the Netherlands’ retail tech scene.
Sergey is the founder of Product Atelier, a startup that works with leading brands and shopping destinations like De Bijenkorf, Nike, and IKEA to transform ordinary retail encounters into moments of creativity, connection, and joy.
Product Atelier’s installations bring together laser engraving, UV printing, CNC machines, embroidery, and interactive digital screens to let shoppers personalise what they buy. From perfumes to macarons, even fresh fruit!
“We decided people don’t just want shopping, they want an experience,” Sergey explains. “They want something very unique, very special.”
What began as an experiment has evolved into a thriving business that turns traditional retail into live, collaborative art. “In so many places, shopping can seem like a very routine process,” he says. “We want to change that and create experiences and interactions with products and brands that people will remember.”
Turning Shopping into a Show
“For us, we see products as an opportunity for personalisation and creating one-off pieces in collaboration with the customer - we give the power to them to co-create,” Sergey says. “The material can be glass, metal, even fruit. We can engrave a name or unique design onto an orange. The point is to make something unique.”
This creative philosophy has seen Product Atelier bring to life activations that blend imagination and emotion; from macarons printed with customers’ photos in a café, to cosmetic stones engraved with personal symbols.
“By transforming something that can seem transactional, we make it a personal experience. People receive not just a cake or a stone,” Sergey says. “They receive something one-of-a-kind, with their memory attached.”
The Power of Co-Creation
For Sergey, the real innovation isn’t just the technology, it’s shopper participation. “The main idea of our customization show is not only printing your name on the product you buy,” he says. “We want people to take part in the process. We involve them and their creativity. We want to make them co-creators of their own product.”
Through interactive drawing screens, visitors can sketch memories and instantly see them engraved or printed onto real products.
“We ask people, do you remember how to draw with a pen? Suddenly, they’re drawing their mom, their house, their memories. And then in a second, they receive it engraved on a glass, a perfume bottle, a MacBook.”
Each creation becomes personal, meaningful, and irreplicable. “If you draw it by hand,” he says, “it will be absolutely unique to that specific moment. It becomes very special.”
Bringing Happiness Through Retail
Ultimately, Sergey’s mission is emotional. “For me and my team, the most important part is to see the light in people’s eyes,” he says. “When children draw and then see their drawing on a real product, it’s magic. For that moment they forget their problems. They’re focused on creating something unique. That’s very important for us.”
Offline retail, he believes, is where this magic can truly happen. “Online shopping is fast but has no feeling,” he says. “In a real shop, you can touch, feel, and see if it’s yours. With personalization, you can make it 100% yours.”
The Toolkit Behind the Magic
Product Atelier’s activations rely on a balance of sophisticated machinery and simple, elegant interfaces. “We use CNC machines, laser engraving, UV printing, embroidery, and we often combine them,” Sergey says. “But what’s most important is to make the process easy and beautiful for the customer.”
That’s where espresso Displays come in. “We want people to co-create, and that means giving them a screen where they can draw, write, and design,” he says. “When I first saw espresso Displays, it was love at first sight. The design, the packaging, even the violet cable. And the magnetic pen connection? People love it. It feels like magic.”
Inspiration from Work in Different Locations
Sergey thrives in energy and movement of busy environments. Rather than sitting behind a traditional desk, he moves around to find spaces, places and views that inspire his creativity.
“I like the power of big cities,” he says. “I get so much of my energy in busy shops, talking to people, helping them. And when I need to think, I go to the library in The Hague. There are people everywhere, but no one disturbs you, I just watch, and ideas come.”
The Future of Retail Experiences
For Sergey, retail isn’t just about selling. It’s about human connection. “Our world is full of problems,” he reflects. “But if we can give people even a minute of happiness, that’s something powerful.”
With innovators like Sergey leading the way for how brands and products connect with customers in retail, we can’t wait to follow his future projects. An active proponent to sharing his latest work and ideas on LinkedIn, our team loves following his pioneering journey.
With tools, print technology, interactive displays like espresso Displays and tablets, retail can become something more profound than transactional commerce. It can become an act of joy, co-creation, and shared imagination.
The Power of Joy in Retail
In retail, customer joy isn’t just a nice byproduct. It can be the most powerful form of brand engagement. “When people are happy, they remember you,” Sergey says. “They connect that feeling with the brand, with the product, with the place.” His approach turns fleeting transactions into lasting memories, where emotion becomes the ultimate differentiator.
By creating moments of genuine delight, whether through a personal engraving or a child’s drawing brought to life, Sergey shows that joy is not just emotional currency, but a competitive advantage for any brand that dares to create it.
Follow Sergey's Story:
You can follow all the action, updates and connversation via Sergey's LinkeIin feed: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sergey-kasilov/
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