Key Takeaways from the 2026 Digital Experience Benchmarks for Life Sciences

Marketers in the life sciences industry are tasked with getting the attention of Healthcare practitioners (HCPs). Often, this means reaching out on digital channels and driving engagement where they are willing to spend their time.

But nearly every digital channel is a hyper-competitive space for attention. It’s up to the life science marketers to stand out from the rest of the content that pressed-for-time HCPs regularly encounter.

But how?

That’s what we set out to answer in our 2025 Life Sciences Digital Engagement Benchmarks Report. We learned how life science professionals used webinars, content hubs, landing pages and personalized digital experiences in 2024 to build trusting relationships with audiences, and what those trends means for marketers in 2025. 

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Here’s what we found:   

Why digital interactions are preferred by healthcare professionals (HCPs)

Data from the ON24 Intelligent Engagement Platform shows engagement with life sciences digital experiences is growing faster than in other industries. In fact, according to our benchmarks report, life sciences services webinars saw: 

• • A 34% increase in total engagement 
  • A 50% surge in CTA conversions
  • A 65% increase in conversion from registration to attendance
  • 52 minutes of average duration of engagement 

But what explains this shift in engagement? HCPs are less inclined to meet in-person with sales reps, while patients and other audiences demand to find answers and information digitally, just as they do with any other industry. 

Furthermore, an increase in engagement and participation in CTAs means that HCPs are active participants in digital interactions, and take additional steps such as downloading resources or requesting information after a webinar. Marketers can capitalize on this by using valuable first-party data to drive engagement and personalization.

Why Life Science professionals see AI as necessary

Before 2020, life sciences and pharma sectors matched public and social sectors in terms of digital maturity, lagging behind industries such as banking and insurance. But COVID-19-related demands forced life sciences to catch up on how they leveraged digital tech — they started using digital tools, automation and AI as part of their response to remote working conditions. In fact, compared to 2023 there were:

• • More than 10X as many automated transcripts requested from webinars
  • 6X as many derivative content assets generated by AI from webinars
  • 2X increase in the use of AI for promotional content 

Additional research shows that almost 75% of HCPs say that they are willing to engage with AI-generated content from pharmaceutical companies.

Generative AI allows for more personalized and tailored content to effectively serve HCPs and patients. A Deloitte survey even found that many consumers perceive AI-generated content as equal to or even more valuable than human-created content.

Why the Life Science industry should incorporate on-demand experiences

Digital experiences, including on-demand events, are a must for a true omnichannel strategy. Always-on experiences allow HCPs to request demo and meeting bookings through their own time, after consuming relevant content.

Research shows that 70% of the buying journey is complete even before speaking with vendors, emphasizing the shift in how HCPs interact with reps. And since HCPs prefer a rep-free experience, meeting them where they are — through learning opportunities and interactive tools via on-demand content — is more important than ever. Our Benchmarks Report shows: 

• • 65% average webinar registration-attendee conversion rate
  • 211 average webinar attendees
  • 52 minutes of engagement time with live webinars
  • 91% increase in demo bookings per webinar

Marketers can use this significant engagement time to collect data and provide effective future interactions. Continuous engagement is key especially as HCPs can come back to on-demand webinars time and again, to solidify knowledge and engage in learning opportunities more than once. In the life sciences field, this can be especially useful as HCPs look to strengthen clinical knowledge. 

There is still a demand for further education

Continuing medical education (CME) is key for HCPs who need to accrue a certain number of credits to maintain licensure and stay up to date in a fast-paced industry. In fact, sustained year-over-year growth in continuing medical education (CME) participation shows:

• • 28% increase in certifications issued per webinar
  • 27% increase in survey responses per webinar
  • 2X more breakout attendees in 2024
  • 44% increase in physician interactions with CME content

Webinars can answer the demand for continuous, on-demand learning. HCPs engaging in CME content are doing so as active participants. Discussion-focused learning is part of their deep engagement, and this active approach is underscored by the increase of certifications issued per webinar.

Life science marketers can then use the first-party data obtained from these experiences to personalize outreach and provide actionable insights for future content development, furthering HCP engagement. Organizations that adopt high-quality virtual events with personalized content hubs — providing HCPs with learning experiences that exceed their expectations — will reap the most benefits when it comes to pipeline growth.

Why Personalized content continues to reign 

Since HCPs are less likely to have in-person meetings with sales reps, it’s imperative that personalized interactions take the stage. With first-party data and generative AI, organizations can deliver exactly that — tailored interactions that drive first-party engagement with HCPs.

For example, our report found that personalized landing pages resulted in a 3X increase in demo requests and a 2X rise in meetings booked. Personalized content is not considered a nice-to-have experience; it’s expected. In fact, research from Forrester and Adobe found that two-thirds of B2B consumers expect personalization in their professional interactions.

AI can help you meet, and even exceed, this expectation. It can help analyze first-party data, track how your audience is consuming and interacting with content, and build tailored experiences based on this information. 

A specialty pharma company reaped these benefits by using AI-driven data to determine the “next best engagement.” The result? They achieved a 10x increase in HCP reach while generating an additional $200 million in value.

Beyond meeting your B2B audience’s digital expectations, AI helps you drive marketing pipeline by securing higher conversion rates, and engaging in a more efficient sales process. Most importantly, generative AI helps build a trusting relationship with your audience which is key to future engagement.

To learn more about how you can gain a competitive advantage, check out our 2025 Life Sciences Digital Engagement Benchmarks Report or register for a demo today.