Catalogs-on the Web and in print-remain a prominent part of life science marketing. The traditional role of the catalog in the life science market has been to disseminate extensive and valuable product information, and to facilitate direct and indirect orders by end-users. This role remains, but successful catalog marketing in the life sciences is changing and it requires a broader perspective and an appreciation for tighter integration of the catalog across multiple channels. Based on a survey of over 2,300 life scientists across multiple market segments, engaged in a wide variety of research and from over 50 countries, Life Science Product Catalogs: A Key Component of Multi-Channel Marketing examines the role of the catalog in the overall marketing mix. The report is designed to help life science suppliers optimize their print and online catalogs as well as effectively integrate the two media so that they reinforce one another and support the company's multi-channel marketing strategy. It examines how and why catalogs are used as well as addresses the relative usefulness and importance of various features of print and online catalogs. Additionally, it details which media (online or print) is preferred for different uses-from gathering information on a vendor's new products to learning how to use a product. For their catalogs to compete on a worldwide basis, life science suppliers must also understand how scientists from various regions prefer to look for product information, communicate with suppliers and make purchases. Thus, this year's edition also presents the survey results by major geographic regions-North America, Europe and Rest of World-to identify where certain features or tactics are more likely to be successful. It also delves deeper into how life science products are purchased. It examines the methods used to pay for products, the frequency with which purchasing agents convert orders to another vendor as well as the number of orders placed online per month and scientists' satisfaction with the online ordering capabilities of supplier Web sites. By understanding how scientists' experiences, expectations and preferences have changed since our 2003 study, suppliers can adjust their catalog's content and usability features to reflect the different strengths of print and online catalogs and the ways in which customers use them. Report Highlights Life Science Product Catalogs: A Key Component of Multi-Channel Marketing contains over 70 charts and/or tables and more than 10 cross-tabulations for the 34 survey questions. Below is a glimpse of the key findings derived from just a few of the survey questions: • North American customers-primarily in the U.S.-are more satisfied with the quality of product information available to them than scientists in other parts of the world.
• 22% of the scientists surveyed indicated that they have more than 50 print catalogs on the shelves of their labs.
• Sigma-Aldrich and New England Biolabs were cited as having the best print catalogs.
• 47% of respondents reported that their use of online ordering has increased over the past year.
• Sigma-Aldrich and Invitrogen were cited as having the best online catalog.
• Relatively fewer scientists (61%) indicated that it is important to receive a printed catalog even if the same information is available on the Web, as compared to 70% in 2003. (electronic copy includes 1 print copy) | 
