Attitudes vary among life scientists, study finds

An international survey of more than 1,900 life scientists reveals significantly different attitudes, needs and preferences in the way in which they respond to marketing from biotechnology tools companies. 'Marketing to Life Scientists: An International Comparison', published by BioInformatics, is based on responses to a 35-question survey that explored the relative effectiveness of the major marketing techniques employed by the companies supplying the world's biotechnology industry. Extensive statistical analysis and cross-tabulations were used to identify how scientists in the three largest markets - North America, Europe and Japan - learn about the products used in their labs.

In general, scientific customers prefer to learn about new products through vendor websites, printed catalogues and scientific meetings. However, while North American and European respondents usually expressed similar preferences when asked about specific marketing techniques, Japanese researchers tend to show a higher degree of price sensitivity than their counterparts elsewhere. Japanese scientists also showed an especially strong interest in learning about new technologies, and their decision to try a new product appears to be less constrained by the requirement to follow a specific protocol.

European scientists are more likely to be receptive to visits by sales representatives than are North American and Japanese researchers, and North Americans are more likely to prefer vendor websites that facilitate e-commerce.

'Segmenting customers by region is clearly important when marketing to an international audience,' commented Dr Robin Rothrock, director of market research at BioInformatics. 'But suppliers can't forget that scientists also share great similarities, especially in their desire for easy access to detailed product descriptions, price lists and protocols in print and on the web.'

'Marketing to Life Scientists: An International Comparison' contains more than 200 charts and tables depicting the responses and regional comparison for each survey question.