Frank Barker

60% of Searches End Without a Click. Here's What That Means for Science and Industrial Marketers. Over a century ago, the Philadelphia department store owner John Wanamaker made a confession that every marketer since has recognised. "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted. The trouble is, I don't know which half." For most of the twentieth century, that was simply the cost of doing business. You placed the ad. You hoped it worked. You moved on.

You’ve heard about AI search. You’ve probably nodded along in a meeting where someone mentioned “GEO” or “generative engine optimisation.” You might have made a mental note to look into it. But have you actually typed your company name into ChatGPT and read what it says back? For many marketing managers at science and laboratory equipment companies, the answer is no – or “not recently.” That’s understandable.

State of Scientific Purchasing 2026: What this year’s data means for science marketers AZoNetwork | February 2026 Scientific purchasing teams are moving faster, relying more heavily on self‑serve research, and—crucially—adding AI tools into the comparison phase. That combination changes how marketing teams need to show up: earlier in the journey, with clearer product information, fewer friction points, and content designed to be compared (by humans and machines).