Are we in the midst of a paradigm shift, from “Services selection” to “Memorialization selection”, by the consumer

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As things seem to do in my life, circumstances came together this week to have me reflect on changes in the Death Care profession/industry.  First of all, here’s three items that came together to make me think about changes in our businesses.

1. I attended the funeral of a long-time member of my Bible Study.
2. I researched and produced an article that appeared in Tuesday’s Funeral Director Daily about the Hollywood Forever Cemetery and their “Premium Product” offerings.  You can access that article here.
3. I recalled and then revisited the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) recent press release about Americans choosing cremation at record rates.  You can access that article here.

What it all got me to wondering is if the American consumer is in the midst of, or will soon be “Selecting Death Care” by their “Memorialization” choice rather than their “Service” (such as cremation, burial, church service, etc) choice.

Here’s part of my thought process  —  for almost all of my career as a funeral director, consumers at-need or pre-need would come into the funeral home and tell us of their Death Care ideas.  If that choice included the use of a cemetery, such as in earth burial, entombment, or urn placement, they usually asked us about our thoughts on the different cemeteries.

In that format I would suggest that the consumer “selected” Death Care via the funeral home provider they chose.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

However, in today’s world, especially when a cemetery like Hollywood Forever offers “free cremation” to those who purchase “premium” cemetery memorialization I think a different process may be in place.  In cases like that, the cremation, or direct cremation,  seems to me to simply be a “means to the end” and the consumer is not concerned about who handles the physical means of turning the dead human body into the cremated remains.  They are more concerned about their purchase for “Memorialization”.

In this situation I would suggest that the consumer “selected” Death Care via the memorialization provider they chose.

This thought further deepened in my mind at the funeral of my friend.  While he was buried with a traditional service through my old funeral home I found myself at the reception luncheon visiting with another local couple about who happened to be about my age. As any retired funeral director knows, sitting in this position we become open game for all kinds of Death Care questions.

Well, this couple let me know that they are going to be cremated but more importantly, and what is most on their mind, is where they will be permanently memorialized.  As I listened, it dawned on me that their main concern is not about their funeral, the service, or who will cremate them, but where will they be permanently memorialized.  And, for one like me who believes in “permanent memorialization” I don’t think that is an uncommon thought.

So, getting back to Hollywood Forever’s offer of “Free Cremations”. . . . . my guess is if this couple bought a “premium” niche or columbarium from someone who offered “Free Cremation” with that purchase, they very well would take them up on that offer.  My guess is that with this couple, and many others, if the permanent Memorialization purchase is what they want, they would be happy to accept the “Free Cremation” and, if they wanted a memorial service, would do so at their church without a funeral home participating.

Finally, in looking at the aforementioned NFDA press release it predicts by 2045 an 82.3% cremation rate as opposed to today’s 63.4% rate.  It predicts a burial rate of only 13.0% in that same year as compared to today’s 31.6%.  Probably even more ominous in today’s “Service” selection vs. “Memorial” selection article it shows that the “Religiously Unaffiliated” has almost doubled in recent years with no signs of that stopping.

And, if we are not affiliated with a church or somewhere else with a history of “Services” will “Services” be less common and the idea of picking one’s Death Care providers by the who or where they pick their Memorialization option be more common?

I don’t have that answer but I think it is a situation that needs looking into.  While funeral homes have always been “Businesses” they have not always been “Consumer” friendly or “subtly aggressive” in customer acquisition. . . . . many times simply sitting back and making an income out of the consumer’s necessity when the time arrived.

In a world of new “Customer Acquisition” techniques by others in the greater Death Care world are funeral homes vulnerable to be left behind, or not even thought of, in some consumer choice instances?

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