The question posed in the headline is interesting.  What is happening in Great Britain may be a precursor of what could happen in North America about the billing amount to consumers for the growing trend of Direct Cremations.  A recent 2025 survey of 200 funeral directors and 6,000 adults showed that Direct Cremations without services are now chosen by 15.3% of Brits — up from 12% just last year.  You can read about the survey in this article from Funeral Service Times which may, however, put up pay a wall for you.

The survey also showed, however, that  Great Britain’s independent funeral directors have “reduced the cost” of Direct Cremations 0.6% in the past year with the average price now being US$ 2,524.  The survey and report, conducted by Funeral Solution Expert (FSE) and the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF), noted that “. . .Market leader Pure Cremation charges £1,495  (US$ 2,014) for an at-need direct cremation – £378  (US$ 510) less than the independent average, but its prepaid plan has climbed 25% in three years to £1,995 (US$ 2,688), higher than many local (funeral home) equivalents.”

Declan Maguire, immediate past president of SAIF made these comments on the pricing situation, “While on the face of it national operators still appear cheaper, the final cost of a direct cremation with a big brand can work out the same or even more than an independent funeral director. This is because small firms tend not to disaggregate their prices, meaning the advertised cost is exactly what a consumer will pay.”

When you couple that thought with the FSE finding that “most bereaved families prefer their loved one to be cared for within 15 miles of home” you begin to see some of the challenges national online cremation providers face.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  I’ve been in tune with branding and building brands since the 10th grade when a speaker who owned a used car business named “Sun Auto” came to our business class to discuss how he built his business.  I distinctly remember this person telling us when he came to town there were other family-owned automobile businesses and he had to forge a market for his cars.  He successfully did so with billboards with a simple “Sun logo” all over town while the other dealers just used their names such as Smith Autos, Johnson Autos, etc.

That story is one of the reasons that upon becoming the manager of our funeral home I immediately visited with an advertising agency about adopting a logo for our funeral home.  Up until that time all the funeral homes just operated as family names with no other identity.  We continue to use the same logo and marks today with some simple up-to-date changes.  And, I think the identity played a more than casual role in our success.

I continue to wait for a true national cremation provider in America.  There are some “wannabees” and some of them are with very big companies who have cremation provider businesses under a separate consumer brand (name).  However, in my thought process, none of these entities have a true national profile.

I recently read the following in a Senior Note Prospectus from Service Corporation International (SCI):  “We are well known for our Dignity Memorial^® brand, North America’s first transcontinental brand of deathcare products and services.”

I don’t agree with that statement because I really don’t see “Dignity Memorial” known as a house-hold brand name.  Maybe I’m wrong but I think that is a stretch.  Quite frankly, I don’t think SCI has put enough of an effort into the branding of their funeral homes with this name as in most cases it is still the “acquired local name” that has pull in the local markets.

And, I think that “acquired local name” pull is one reason that there is no true national brand for funeral homes or direct cremation providers in North America at this time.  I think that same reasoning proves to be a headwind for those that want to establish a national network of cremation centers.

Another headwind to these “wannabee” providers is the vast amount of “flyover” country in America.  While the density-rich urban areas of our country are perfect for the high-volume, low-margin direct cremation operators there is no such opportunity in flyover country where volumes will be low because of the population density issue.  Pure Cremation may be finding that their costs are rising as they move from serving London to serving the all of England.

So, maybe this “cost realization” of serving larger geogrpahic areas to those that want to be identified as a “national brand” will raise the price of online direct cremation operators.  And, if it does, then the ability of local independent operators to compete on price will be coupled with most families desire to be served by a company within 15 miles of home and be a well-needed shot-in-the-arm for local operators . . . .  and another obstacle for their online direct cremation competitors.

Here are some Direct Cremation operators with large (but not as yet national footprint):

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

I don’t know what Death Care will look like ten years from now but I do know that change happens, and in some way, the logistics of it will be different than today.  This recent article from Forbes titled “Tech and Deathcare:  A new challenge to an old industry” ends with the following statement:  “Deathcare is one of the last major industries to avoid being disrupted by consumer tech and Memoria may well become the next Uber or Netflix”.

Earlier in the article Forbes pointed out that Uber and Netflix “leveraged” technology to redefine transportation and entertainment to become the category leaders.  In essence, “they used technology to remake the landscapes of their industries.”

The article then focuses on Memoria and hypothesizes that they could be the company that does that in Death Care.  Forbes and article author Paul Klein make an argument that “Most families have little idea what to do when a loved one passes and most of the steps that follow are offline, confusing, and emotionally draining. Many funeral homes demand that business be done in person, and online services are fragmented and focused on specific aspects of the bereavement process such as purchasing a casket or flowers.” 

They then point out, in their opinion, that with Memoria “families have a new source of support: digital, transparent platforms that give families control during one of life’s most difficult moments and are beginning to redefine leadership and purpose in the funeral industry.”

Klein further points out that “the technology explains available options, making a traditionally complex process simple and clear. Customers select what they need, check out in one seamless transaction, and their (Memoria) team handles the rest, coordinating everything behind the scenes. It’s a fully integrated, end-to-end experience that brings transparency, control, and ease to one of life’s most difficult moments.”

Again, according to the article, Memoria received funding in 2023 and in 2024 reached a milestone of $1 million in ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue).  They are now focused on expanding services like cremation and memorial planning to their Death Care products system.

They acknowledge that “the company’s biggest challenge has been navigating regulation and determining how to responsibly expand into services like cremation and memorial coordination.” 

Here is the website for Memoria

Related — Memoria founder Aurelie Biehler on Crunchbase

Funeral Director Daily take:  Putting Memoria in the Uber or Netflix class is a tall order, very premature, and certainly not deserving yet.  However, they do appear to have big ambitions and a plan to get larger.  And, any start-up that reaches $1 million in revenue fairly quickly has customers.

It appears from visiting their website that up until recently they have sold products.  However, you will now find obituaries and testimonials which indicate that they are probably doing direct cremation at this time.

In looking at the website Memoria claims they do “end-to-end” funeral service which is highlighted by this process:

1. Shop from our curated selection of funeral products
2. Arrange a cremation through our local partners
3. Organize a unique memorial with your dedicated advisor
4. Publish a free obituary on our website

 

They further publicize what they call the “Memoria Way” which consists of:

1. Arranged from the comfort of home
2. Personalized to your Wishes
3. End-to-End experience
4. Lower and Transparent costs

 

Will this be the path Death Care clients choose?  I’m sure that it will be for some.  However, online death registration, cremation services, payment, and obituaries is nothing new.  There are several companies in America that do it very well right now.

But will Memoria do it nationally?

Scaling the business to nationwide scale is where the difficulty comes in.  Recently, the company Eirene, based in Canada, raised finances to do something very comparable.  They eventually had offices in six or seven North American locations but appear to have left the direct to consumer cremation business. . . They have since resurfaced but no longer offer cremation service, seemingly offering resources and support to the bereaved.  Here is their new website.

While Memoria has a nice looking website and if the $1 million in revenue is accurate they have a good start.  However, I’ve had great discussions with a leading CEO of a national firm who explained to me that “trying to build a national cremation business using third-party crematories as part of the system cannot be sustained”.  He convinced me that to get the financial margins required, the company needs to own its own crematories.

That’s how Pure Cremation has done it in Great Britain and how Service Corporation International does it with Neptune Society (in almost all cases they use SCI crematories).

I made a quick phone call to the number on the Memoria website and received an answering machine. My opinion is that they don’t understand the importance of the First Call and are more than likely underfunded for what they want to do.

The next Uber or Netflix?  I’m not so sure. . . .but I think there is room for a national provider in the direct cremation and memorialization business.  Is Memoria that company. . . . . I’m not convinced.

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

For the past 20 years or so since the advent of online news by the legacy television news broadcasters there has been a “blurring of the lines” between news and advertising.  I happened to run across this apparent “ad-vertorial” for national online direct cremation company Tulip Cremation the other day and just wanted to post it to Funeral Director Daily to show how some companies who may compete with you are gaining traction.

This apparent video ad-vertorial, which I think is well done is somewhat, in my opinion, masqueraded as a 4-minute “Local Living” story by Las Vegas’ NBC  Channel 3.  However, running on the content concurrent with the story is a tag-line “Sponsored by Tulip Cremation”.  More than likely, although we cannot be assured so, this is a tip that the media time is “bought” media time by Tulip Cremation that looks like a feature story.

There is nothing wrong with this, and it generally allows for good promotion of your business because, unlike an interview, the advertising company can generally direct the questions it wants to get across.

Here’s my thoughts on this percieved “advertorial”:

• It gets across the low-pricing of Tulip as you can see the prices on the laptop computer screens at times
• It tells the consumer how easy it is. . . .at death, expecting a death, or pre-planning
• It allows the consumer to see that it could be convenient

And, here’s a couple of negative thoughts on this presentation:

• Maybe Tulip should offer a “Concierge” service and deliver the remains in person to the family.  The options of “Receiving them in the mail” or “stopping by our locations to pick them up” was a turn-off to me
• I didn’t go through the online pre-planning sign up, but what about informing and options for “After Cremation Memorialization Options” such as urns, Eterneva, Parting Stone, Better Place Forests, etc as part of the experience.  In my opinion, not only would it put valuable and needed options into the minds of the consumers, but it could bring in ancilary revenue to Tulip.

Again, my reasoning for bringing this forth today is just to show funeral homes and crematories in and near larger cities some of the competition you are up against. . . especially in the “Direct Cremation with No Services” part of our offerings.  The price point and “news type” information on a topic like this might very well “extend the geographic reach” of the product putting this product in competition with smaller, rural funeral homes.

Hard to Tell — News item or advertorial??? :  The Morning Blend — Fox 47 News  – Lansing (MI)

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”