Laboratory Product Purchasing Trends, United States and Europe, 2025–2026

Qualified respondents to this Frost & Sullivan survey were invited to participate in an online survey examining their laboratory’s product purchasing process in 2025 and expectations for 2026. Frost & Sullivan has conducted similar studies among the same target respondent groups since 2012. The survey provides companies with actionable trend insights from laboratory professionals to help drive business strategies and inform growth expectations. The study presents year-over-year data to illustrate laboratory budget trends, where applicable. Frost & Sullivan directly recruited professionals for telephone interviews conducted during August and September 2026. Survey participants were involved in their laboratory’s purchasing process, were familiar with their laboratories’ product budgets, and represented laboratories that used or planned to use products in one or more of the seven laboratory product categories: instruments, equipment, chemicals, reagents and kits, general lab supplies, plasticware, and glassware.

A total of 201 decision-makers participated, answering questions on purchases, budgets, buying behaviors, and purchasing preferences. Respondents were segmented by laboratory type: academic/government, biopharmaceutical, industrial, and hospital/clinical. Manufacturing; environmental testing; chemical or petrochemical; and food, beverage, or agricultural laboratories were classified as industrial laboratories for this analysis. Biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and contract research organizations were categorized as biopharmaceutical laboratories. State and federal government laboratories were grouped as government laboratories. Hospital laboratories and clinical reference laboratories were included in the hospital/clinical group.

Respondents held various job titles, including researcher, scientist, investigator, director, manager, and technician. Data included both quantitative and qualitative responses covering end-user trends, including budget expectations, purchasing process steps, product evaluation and sourcing, recent and expected instrument and equipment purchases, frequency of price comparisons, funding trends, unmet needs, product purchasing preferences, AI usage, conference attendance, and the effects of tariffs on laboratory purchasing.

Author: Christianne Ulan