Online shopping (eCommerce) is here to stay. Did you know that in 2022, eCommerce (online sales) hit 1 trillion dollars?

Now, more than ever, your funeral home needs an online preplanning/eCommerce tool that can meet the needs of consumers online.

The problem is, most funeral homes do not have a strategy in place to reach online shoppers. In fact, they don’t even know they need a strategy! There are many myths that funeral professionals believe about online preplanning, and these myths are keeping them from actually serving families well in the online space. Also, these myths are potentially keeping these funeral homes from capturing online market share that is silently turning to their online competitors.

Here are the specific myths that are keeping funeral homes from growing their business in the online preplanning space.

Myth #1 – Funeral homes don’t need an online preplanning tool.

In a recent funeral market study by McKee Wallwork + Co. (MW+C), results show that:

36% of respondents said they were comfortable planning a funeral online – a 44% increase since 2011.

That is over 1/3 of families. If you are not providing an option for these families, you are losing opportunities daily to capture market share before online competitors.

And the fact is, this number will only continue to rise.

Myth #2 – Online preplanning tools only sell direct cremation plans.

Many funeral professionals believe that online preplanning in the funeral profession is only good for selling direct cremation plans. That’s because these tools until recently have strictly been associated with low-cost options. The problem with those solutions is that families aren’t always direct cremation shoppers. They want to research their options and know what services exist for them. Why not help them plan with you?

There are tools available (ours is one of them) that present a variety of options to families, from cremation options to traditional funerals. From there, they select the plan that’s best for them. Read the best way to set up your funeral packages.

The best part is families will choose more expensive, custom plans if you show them the value and educate them about funerals. In fact, the largest contract completed online through our tool was over $19,000.

Myth #3 – The perfect online preplanning tool for your funeral home is too expensive.

It’s true that setting up a good online preplanning tool might take an investment. But rest assured, you are not alone, and you certainly don’t need to start from scratch developing your own tool!

For instance, our tool (read below) only requires a one-time setup fee, but we never nickel and dime you for leads that come in or charge you a subscription fee. Nor do we charge your families to create an account. Plus, we made sure to create a tool that gives families options AND promotes traditional funeral plans, not just direct cremations.

So, what is your strategy for reaching online families?

Consumers are going to plan ahead online. It’s inevitable. The question is whether or not they will plan ahead with you. In order to compete in today’s funeral market, you need a simple, cost-efficient, and convenient solution that offers families an alternative to low-cost, low-value online providers.

We believe you shouldn’t have to settle for less than the best. That’s why we’ve created an advanced online preplanning and funding tool, Arrangement Guide, that walks families through the preplanning process step by step. This journey educates families about the value of the funeral ceremony and allows them to choose the type of service that best fits their needs. Since its launch in 2020, it’s already generated over 2 million dollars in preneed for our clients.

Now is the time to think about how to serve online planners. We’d be honored to guide you. Get a demo today!

Note: Arrangement Guide is available in participating states.