Funeral Directors: As we stand at the threshold of 2017, check out the feedback I’m getting from the public during my presentations on funeral planning and end-of-life issues. Let’s take a look into the crystal ball and ponder funeral trends the industry will face in the New Year.
Climbing Cremation Rates
When I ask my audiences about their burial versus cremation preferences, at least two-thirds of the people choose cremation. The national average cremation rate has now surpassed 50% and continues to climb. If you don’t already offer cremation services, your business will be left behind. Find out what you need to do to offer cremation services in your area.
Cost Concerns
The top questions asked at my presentations are, “Where can I get the cheapest cremation in town?” and “Why are funerals so expensive?” Cost concerns have been and will continue to be very important to consumers.
With 75% of adults avoiding pre-need funeral planning, sticker shock sets in when they see current funeral costs at-need. Many will react by looking for the least expensive option. What will they find when they ask you about your services and prices, and how will you draw them into a conversation?
Price Lists Online
You already know the rules: the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule requires you to provide your General Price List upon request, either in person or on the phone. But people are shopping online. Is your price list available when and where people are looking for funeral services and prices?
The website www.Parting.com started a free zip code-searchable database of price lists, comparing local provider prices for traditional funerals, cremation memorial services, and direct cremations. Parting.com offers funeral directors a no-risk marketing option of pay-for-performance leads. When the site sends you a paying customer, only then would you pay a fee.
Home and DIY Funerals
The baby boomers brought natural childbirth home from the hospital. With this Silver Tsunami generation approaching their own mortality, you may see a growing interest in home after-death care and Do-It-Yourself funerals.
The National Home Funeral Alliance, www.HomeFuneralAlliance.org, empowers families to care for their own dead by providing educational opportunities and connections to resources that promote environmentally sound and culturally nurturing death practices. Find ways to work with your local home funeral advocates to support this movement and you may get business you might not otherwise.
Green/Natural Burial
Along with a rise in home funerals, baby boomers also have increased interest in green/natural burials. You know when Dignity Memorial® opens a Green Burial Council (GBC) certified cemetery, as they did with Cedar Lawns Funeral Home and Memorial Park in Redmond, Washington, this is a trend to embrace.
The corporation sees that demand for natural options is outpacing its expectations. Learn more about what it takes to incorporate green burial and funeral practices into your services and become GBC-certified at www.GreenBurialCouncil.org. You can find plenty of cutting edge green burial products at Passages International.
“Nones” Continue to Grow
According to the Pew Research Center, the number of religious “nones,” those Americans who do not identify with a religious group, continues to grow. While nationwide surveys in the 1970s and ’80s found that fewer than one in ten U.S. adults said they had no religious affiliation, fully 23% now describe themselves as atheists, agnostics or “nothing in particular.”
Non-religious families will not be satisfied with a “rent-a-minister” officiating at a loved one’s memorial service. You need to know your local certified funeral celebrants who can make the event all about the person who died. A meaningful, memorable “good goodbye” that leaves religion out of the proceedings will make a positive impression on the friends and relatives of the families you serve. Find local celebrants through www.InSightBooks.com and www.CelebrantInstitute.org.
Online Funeral Products
With growth in home/DIY funerals, members of the general public will be looking to the internet to purchase caskets, urns, cremation jewelry and other funeral products. Keep apprised of online options and be prepared to educate families about the pros and cons of outside purchases.
Costco.com offers metal and wood caskets and urns in the funeral section of their website, with everything under $3,000. Amazon.com offers affordable urns and cremation jewelry. Perhaps by 2018, those items will be delivered by drone!
Gail Rubin, CT, pioneering death educator
Gail Rubin, CT, is a death educator who works with organizations to connect with Baby Boomers concerned about end-of-life issues. She uses humor and funny films to teach about end-of-life topics. Gail is a Certified Funeral Celebrant, a pioneer of the Death Café movement in the United States, and an informed advocate for pre-need funeral planning. She’s the author three books, including her latest, KICKING THE BUCKET LIST: 100 Downsizing and Organizing Things to Do Before You Die. Download a free 50-point Executor Checklist PDF at www.AGoodGoodbye.com