Hidden costs of physical product demos
The 20-second version
- Physical demos cost more than shipping.
- The real product isn’t always needed.
- Interactive 3D takes the demo anywhere.
- One client saved over £200,000.
- See what you could save.
Before the demo
Selling complex life science equipment can get expensive before a customer even sees the product.
Large or sensitive instruments need specialist transport, insurance, handling and sometimes installation.
Then there are the people travelling with them, the time spent setting up and packing down, and the impact of taking valuable equipment out of the lab or demo facility.
Events make the problem bigger. Equipment can travel hundreds or thousands of miles for a few days on an exhibition stand, sometimes primarily so customers can see what it looks like or understand how it works.
Costs you can see
Shipping equipment to events, shipping it for customer demonstrations and staff travel are relatively easy to put a number against.
But they’re only part of the cost.
Every time an instrument travels, there’s wear, risk of damage and time when it isn’t available elsewhere. Sales teams are also limited by where the equipment is and who has access to it.
That can make a supposedly simple request, “Can you show me how it works?”, surprisingly difficult to answer.
The most expensive product demo might be the one you keep shipping around the world.
Keep it in the lab
Digital product experiences don’t have to replace physical demonstrations.
They can replace the occasions where having the real product in the room adds little value.
An interactive 3D experience can let a salesperson demonstrate an instrument, open it up, explain components, show workflows and explore features from a laptop or tablet.
The same experience can be used at an event in Boston, a customer meeting in Tokyo or a training session in London, without shipping the physical equipment between them.
And when the real instrument is needed, the customer can arrive at that stage already understanding the product.
The numbers add up
For one of our life science clients, reducing the need to ship physical equipment for global events, demonstrations and training helped save over £200,000.
That’s before putting a value on reduced equipment wear, keeping instruments where they’re needed, or giving more salespeople access to the same product experience.
