Baby boomers will not go quietly!

Personalisation: the hottest trend in the funeral industry

George Dickinson, a Professor of Death and Dying, researched the phenomenon of baby boomers and personalised death trends. He said it is yet another way for the "me generation" to demonstrate their individuality and reject the rigid institutions of their parents' time:

It is part of the individualism of our age and the logic of absorbing consumerist values.

There is so much choice in every other aspect of our lives that it almost seems an outrage not to have choice in death. The trend towards personalising funerals is driven by our “culture of choice”.

This trend toward personalisation could well mark the beginning of a new phase in bereavement.

In recent years sales tools, to create personalisation features, have exploded in the funeral industry. From humble beginnings of picture boards and memory tables, personalisation has gone high tech to video tributes, online memorials and videotaped funerals.

MKJ (leading researcher in the funeral industry for the past 20 years) conducted focus groups and found a large majority of the respondents had attended funerals that diminished the religious influences, and elevated personalisation. The consensus from the focus groups was that the personalised funerals were more interesting and meaningful than traditional funerals they had attended.

Other research studies undertaken by MKJ for the purpose of identifying which services the consumer perceives of greatest value showed that, from a list including personalised funerals, online obituaries, online prearrangement and online purchase of merchandise, personalisation was selected as the most important in every study.

Changing attitudes: is the industry changing fast enough to meet consumer’s needs?

A ground breaking report, Funeral Rights, slams current funeral practices for failing the public and urges people to overcome the taboos surrounding death by speaking out about what kind of funerals they really want for themselves. The study is based on the findings of the Funeralcare Forum led by Claire Rayner OBE and established by the UK's leading funeral director, the Co-operative Group.

The report, which is backed by extensive research over a number of years, reveals that many people admit to a "secret disappointment" with the funeral service they've arranged. The overwhelming majority say they're satisfied but when questioned further, only half say it could not have been improved.

Claire Rayner said: "In a world where many other service sectors have had to adapt to meet modern needs, it is clear that funerals have some way to go in meeting society's expectations."

The report also found changing attitudes: 80 per cent want personal touches for their own funeral and 47 per cent wished they’d known what the deceased really wanted for their funeral. The British are not alone in this debate. My research from other countries such as USA, Japan, Germany and Australia confirms these trends.

Will Australia follow the UK lead in eco funerals?

Just as awareness of environmental issues is on the rise in day-to-day life, environmental concerns are now also a consideration in death. MINTEL's exclusive consumer research shows that 63 per cent of Brits like the idea of an eco-coffin, while about the same number (64 per cent) like the idea of a “green” funeral.

The UK “green movement” has lead to rapid growth in the number of natural burial sites. In 1993, there was only one ground, now there are more than 220 sites operating, with more planned to open in the future. In 1993 only a handful of crematoria and cemeteries would accept cardboard coffins, but now almost every crematorium accepts them.