Life Science Product Catalogs: Techniques to Increase Sales

Abstract

By now we all know that "the paperless office" of the future is still just that -- "of the future." Nevertheless, more life science products are being shopped for and purchased online -- 34% of all purchases in 2007, according to BioInformatics' research. But your print catalog is still important. It keeps your company top of mind with the customer and provides an anchor for your sales force. This report examines what attracts scientists to print and online catalogs, what information they need, their preferred formats, and what guides their buying decisions. If you plan to invest in a dual-channel sales strategy, knowing the interplay between print and electronic purchasing patterns of your customers will be critical to your success.

Obtaining Product Information and Purchasing Life Science Products

This report will:

• Obtain the frequency with which scientists refer to online and print catalogs for information when evaluating a product for purchase
• Determine how life science products are purchased (e.g., manufacturer, requisition, on-site program, etc.)
• Identify how life science products are paid for/obtained (e.g., credit card, purchase order, procurement card, etc.)
• Quantify the number of product orders placed per month

Preferences for Print versus Online Catalogs

This report will:

• Assess at which phase of the research process that scientists use either an online or print catalog
• Assess at which phase of the ordering process that scientists use either an online or print catalog
• Establish what types of information scientists prefer to obtain via an online or via a print catalog
• Discover for what product categories scientists are more likely to find out more information through online catalogs or through print catalogs

Use of Print Catalogs

This report will:

• Specify the three features that are most important to include in print catalogs
• Specify the three features that are least important to include in print catalogs
• Estimate the number of hours per week devoted to looking at print catalogs
• Uncover the three most common ways scientists obtain print catalogs
• Quantify the number of print catalogs per lab and the percentage of these catalogs that are not current (i.e., more than 2 years old)
• Analyze the importance of specific features related to the production of print catalogs
• Determine how print catalogs are typically used
• Identify the print catalogs that are the "most useful", "easiest to use" and "most visually appealing"