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Life Science Catalogs 2008: Comparing Print and Online Resources
In the life science market, scientists are increasingly using multiple channels to obtain information in support of their research and product ordering. Product catalogs are one of the primary channels by which scientists learn about a life science products and services. Traditionally, print catalogs have served as an essential resource for detailed information on products and ordering. Increasingly, however, scientists are turning to the Internet for such information. To better understand how members of The Science Advisory Board use print and online catalogs, we surveyed over 1,000 members to find out what is important to them about print and online catalogs, how they use each type, and how their needs are changing.

In general, catalogs are the most useful to scientists when they include product applications and protocols. Scientists mainly turn to catalogs to obtain background information for their research and to troubleshoot their experiments. Not surprisingly though, when it comes to generating ideas, two thirds of scientists do not use catalogs to identify a research topic or form a hypothesis.

How Catalogs Are Used to Support Research Activities

More content and greater accessibility have made online catalogs the format of choice for obtaining product-related information, including applications and protocols. Online catalogs that contain such relevant information that is instantly searchable, retrievable, and downloadable serve as a reliable resource to scientists.

While print catalogs are not a primary source of research-related information for most scientists, they are used to support many stages of the research process, especially during an actual experiment. Catalogs stacked on lab shelves often serve as convenient and available references when an experiment is in process.

Is There a Future for Print Catalogs?
Scientists tend to use online catalogs for obtaining:

Product information irrespective of product category
Research-focused activities (e.g., reading application information and protocols, troubleshooting an experiment, etc.)
Ordering-related tasks (e.g., new product releases, price and product comparisons, etc.)
Given scientists’ preferences for online over print catalogs, The Science Advisory Board wanted to find out from members if print catalogs are still important -- and why.
Despite scientists’ preference for online catalogs, the vast majority of them -- approximately 80% -- refer to print catalogs at least once a month. In fact, slightly more than one half of scientists use print catalogs more than once a month.

On average, life science labs maintain about 35 product catalogs, which is a notable decline from the 46 print catalogs labs maintained in 2005 (when we last surveyed members about their catalog preferences). Scientists who frequently use print catalogs work in labs that have around 39 print catalogs, while scientists who infrequently use print catalogs work in labs that have around 30 print catalogs.

The Role of Online Catalogs
Scientists spend an average of 2.6 hours per week viewing online catalogs, which is one hour more than they spend viewing print catalogs. Frequent users of online catalogs spend twice as much time as infrequent users visiting online life science catalogs. Additionally, frequent catalog users accessed twice as many online catalogs over the past 12 months as infrequent users.

Interestingly, scientists typically use slightly more print catalogs than online catalogs on an annual basis. The combination of fewer catalogs and an increased length of viewing time as compared to print catalogs suggest that scientists are spending more time per online catalog than they do per print catalog. This longer time interval is likely indicative of the vast amount of content contained in many online catalogs and may reflect scientists’ willingness to access and use such information.

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On a lighthearted note, we presented the following scenario and question to members who participated in this study.

In an effort to "think outside the box" and design a catalog (either print or online) that REALLY captures scientists' attention, a leading life science vendor has decided to borrow catalog design concepts from mainstream catalogs. You are the consultant for this project. What catalogs might inspire you and why?

To find out what your fellow members thought, read their recommendations here.

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