It’s no secret that consumers’ increasing preference for cremation is impacting the traditional funeral home business model. Because cremation services generally produce lower revenue, many funeral home owners are expanding their product and service offerings. Others are discovering ways to serve the needs of new groups within their communities.

As reported in IBISWorld industry research and echoed in the NFDA’s 2023 Cremation & Burial Report, “It is predicted that funeral homes will continue to expand their array of extra services offered to families; increase their focus on niche markets to differentiate themselves; and draw attention to their value-added services, such as … serving groups with diverse cultural and religious preferences.”

Cultural differences play a significant role in funeral practices and the better we understand the religious and cultural diversity of our communities, the greater our opportunity to serve those groups. Ask yourself three questions:

1. What is the religious and cultural makeup of my community?
2. Am I proactively reaching out to diverse groups?  
3. What am I doing to better understand and accommodate unique funeral customs and rituals in my area?
   

Foundation Partners’ Valley Memorial Park team serves many Mexican families in the Portland suburb of Hillsboro, where nearly one-third of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino. Annual Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations, held in late October/early November, are extremely important to these families. Rooted in the rituals of the aboriginal American Indian cultures that evolved in Mexico and Central America and later adopted as All Souls Day in the Catholic Church, Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday in which the spirits of the dead are believed to return home and spend time with their relatives. Families build alters and decorate them with yellow marigolds, candles, family photos and tissue-paper skulls to honor their deceased loved ones. Food and beverage offerings are a large part of the celebrations.

During Valley Memorial’s Dia de los Muertos celebration, the community gathers to “revel in the spirit of those who live on in our hearts.” Residents are invited to bring photos or mementos of their deceased loved ones to contribute to a communal alter, share in stories, enjoy Mariachi music and dine at food trucks. A local Catholic priest conducts a brief service in Spanish at the altar, which is placed at the foot of the statue of Our Lady of Guadeloupe, who holds a special place in the religious life of Mexico.

While the majority of Mexican Americans still choose traditional burial, cremation is increasingly popular among families of Mexican origin in the Portland Metro Area.

In a country where ancestors are honored and death is regarded as a constant presence, another Mexican tradition is the wish to be buried in one’s place of origin. At Mexico City International Airport, more than 300 bodies arrive each month and this is just one of many ports of entry for remains from the U.S.

Our bilingual team at Samaritan Funeral & Cremation Services, with two locations in Phoenix, Arizona, is on the front lines of repatriation of remains for the area’s Mexican population. English is a second language for 30 to 40 percent of Samaritan’s clients. Our team works closely with the local Mexican consulate and has built a solid reputation for compassionately and professionally serving families who wish to ship their loved ones’ remains back to their native countries.

“No other funeral home in Phoenix does as many ‘ship outs’ as Samaritan,” said Venitria Curtis, lead funeral director. “Traditional burial remains the most popular choice for Hispanic families in our area, but that is slowly changing with many more Mexican American families choosing cremation. In the past, we would not even discuss cremation with a Hispanic family, but today that conversation has become much more acceptable. The trend began about eight years ago, but the COVID-19 pandemic played a big part in accelerating acceptance of cremation among these families.”

Although the Vatican forbade cremation for centuries, the Church amended its Code of Canon Law in 1963 to lift the ban on cremation with several caveats, including: ashes must be placed in a proper vessel in a “sacred” place and may not be scattered or divided among family members. Cremation has been gaining popularity in American Catholic communities ever since. The Vatican provided further instruction on the disposition of cremated remains in 2016 and, today, nearly one-third of American Catholic families opt for cremation.

Additional guidance from the Vatican on handling cremated remains was issued in December 2023 in response to the increasing numbers of Catholics who want to scatter the ashes of their loved ones in nature. The Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith upheld the rule mandating that the ashes of the deceased be preserved in a consecrated place, but also said family members could request "a minimal part of the ashes" be kept in a sacred place of "significance for the history of the deceased person." The dicastery also said a parish or diocese could establish "a defined and permanent sacred place" where the cremains of multiple people would be commingled and preserved together. 

While the new instructions may seem like good news for many Catholics, the practical application of these rules are not crystal clear. Steve Trevino, a 45-year funeral service veteran, founder and current funeral director at Ponderosa Valley Funeral Services in Parker, Colorado, said this issue has caused many discussions with families over the years.

“As active members of the local Roman Catholic community, my wife, Nanci, and I serve a large number of Catholic families and they have been requesting options for memorializing their cremated loved ones for a long time,” Steve said. “We don’t represent the Church, but we share the rules as we know them, and this issue has caused many families to walk away from those discussions very disappointed. Many have opted to disregard church rules. The bottom line for funeral professionals is that our obligation is to each family we serve and it’s their decision. We always advise families to seek the advice of their priests.”

Steve and Nanci reached out to several local priests following the dissemination of the new guidelines and received feedback contrary to the popular interpretation of the new rules. This is an area that will require further clarification from the Vatican and one that funeral professionals in Catholic communities will be wise to monitor.

The shift in ethnicities and increasingly diverse funeral traditions across the United States will only accelerate in the years ahead. As funeral professionals, it’s our job to learn about and appreciate the different cultures and religions present in our communities. We need to make ourselves seen in these communities and let families know we are available and ready to serve them in keeping with their unique customs and rituals surrounding death and mourning. Do your research, build relationships and provide support to all segments of your changing community. Differentiating your funeral home by understanding and accommodating all types of funerals will help you remain a trusted service leader for years to come.

Winter Park, Florida-based Foundation Partners Group is one of the industry's most innovative providers of funeral services and the second-largest funeral home group in the country based on the number of families served. Foundation Partners owns and operates a network of over 250 funeral homes, cremation centers and cemeteries across 21 states. Our deep understanding of technology and customer experience-centered approach allows us to deliver truly innovative and compassionate care to the families we serve. Visit www.foundationpartners.com to learn more.   

As a deathcare practitioner, you play a crucial role in supporting families during one of the most challenging times of their lives. Grief is messy and unpredictable, and knowing how to offer compassionate and thoughtful support can make a significant difference. Here are five strategies to help you support grieving families effectively.

Elizabeth Kübler-Ross's five stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—were based on observations of terminally ill patients. These stages are not universal or linear. Grief is deeply personal and unpredictable, more like a Choose Your Own Adventure book than a roadmap. Your role is to help families begin to navigate their unique journey through grief, and help them take care not to prescribe to a specific path or pattern.

It’s normal to feel uncomfortable when supporting someone who is grieving. Avoid using clichés or making unhelpful remarks like, "He's in a better place," or "At least you can have more children." These comments can inadvertently diminish their grief. Instead, acknowledge your discomfort and offer sincere support: "Sometimes it’s hard to know what to say, but I want you to know I’m here for you.” This honesty shows grieving individuals that they are not alone and that their feelings are valid.

Grief can linger for weeks, months, or even years. As a deathcare practitioner, you can help families find the additional support they need. Keep a list of local resources, such as group counseling or therapy, that may benefit them. Websites like ForGrief.com connect grieving individuals with a range of support options, including downloadable resources, Grief Chats™ with professionals, community support, and online courses tailored to their needs. Share these resources on your website, via your social media outlets, or as part of your aftercare program. Providing these resources shows that you care about their long-term well-being.

Grieving is emotionally and physically exhausting, and people may feel guilty about taking breaks from their grief. Encourage them to take "grief breaks” during the funerary activities. Similar to recess for kids, activities like a brief walk or simply few moments away from the events can help a person who is grieving to recharge. Remind your families that taking time to rest does not minimize their grief nor encourage denial. Instead, it helps them maintain their strength to continue their grieving process.

Working with grieving families daily can lead to death and grief overload. To be at your best for your families, it's crucial to care for yourself. Use resources to assess your own burnout level and ensure you’re getting the support you need. Taking vacations, exploring hobbies outside the deathcare and grief space, and making time for exercise are all beneficial. During working hours, check in with your staff after particularly challenging arrangements, encourage regular breaks, and set reminders to stay hydrated. These practices will help maintain your well-being and effectiveness, and help you help those who are grieving.

Remember, grief has no timeline. In your role, your support means offering compassion and respect, walking the path with those who are grieving, and letting them know they are not alone. You don’t need to have all the answers—your presence and willingness to help are often enough. By employing these strategies, you can make a meaningful difference in the lives of grieving families, providing them with the support and understanding they need during such a difficult time.

This is the sympathy business. On a regular basis, we’re expected to offer up our condolences, well wishes, and sympathy.
 
But empathy, a word which often gets confused for the same thing, is even more important to our success. Sympathy is defined as “feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else’s misfortune.” Empathy, on the other hand, is “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.” In short, you can be sympathetic without being empathetic. But empathy will make you not only more effective at caring for the bereaved, but at managing your business.
 
The classic “burial-or-cremation” dichotomy is illustrative of this point. Even those who know better often let our language betray the misunderstanding that there are essentially only two kinds of people in the world: the conservative, religious, pro-burial traditionalists; and the liberal, postmodern, pro-cremation rebels. While it’s perhaps a step in the right direction to understand that not everybody wants the same thing, it’s not nearly a step far enough.

The reality of how the modern American — your customer — sees the world and your business is far, far more nuanced. McKee Wallwork’s proprietary research methodology, IDEALS®, asks thousands of people across the US hundreds  of questions on their Interests, Desires, Emotions, Attitudes, and Lifestyles to discover market Segmentation. This psychographic segmentation research conducted by my firm has shown seven segments that people statistically sort themselves into, and each is much more complicated than a simple preference on burial or religion.
 
For example, if I were to tell you that a heavily tattooed atheist was about to walk through your door to make arrangements, you might have some assumptions about that individual. But the 14% of the population who my firm has nicknamed “Free Spirits” (the most likely segment to have tattoos, and the most likely to identify as atheist) is also the most likely segment to have posted condolences on your firm’s website, the most willing to talk about their own funeral plans, and the least likely to express opposition to a viewing (that’s not a typo). In many ways, the individual you’re liable to write off as a direct-cremation loss is actually highly interested in what you offer.
 
Or, while 40% of the market (a rapidly shrinking number, by the way) is what you might call a traditional funeral consumer, roughly a third of that group is motivated primarily by the quality, and even status symbol, projected by the funeral; another third is motivated by local ownership; and another third is motivated primarily by religion. These three sub-categories look very similar (in life and on paper), but confuse them at your own risk, because the reality is they will prioritize very different needs.
 
At the other end of the spectrum is who we call the “Distanced and Decided.” These are the classic cremationists, but our research revealed an interesting nuance: community size (household size, proximity to family, frequency of communicating with family) seemed to be a driver in these folks’ decisions just as much as politics or religion. In other words, they’re prone to cremate primarily because they don’t believe anyone would come to their graves. This kind of insight reveals how our profession is impacted by societal and cultural shifts, and how new products and services will always be needed, tailored to evolving subcultures.
 
Or, consider the youngest segments planning funerals. They split statistically into two camps: one, the “Resolute Rookies,” are more removed from death than perhaps any group of people in human history: they don’t know anybody who has ever died, and they think they can avoid the whole business as a result. But another cohort their same age is a funeral director’s dream: they understand that funerals are for the living, represent a post-Boomer pendulum swing back toward tradition, religion, ceremony, and viewings, and represent perhaps the most affluent category in recent memory who is ready to spend on funerals (long driveways and long bills).

The point is this: there’s no silver bullet, and while there is value in letting go of the “all-things-to-all-people” concept that is a burden and a distraction to your business, there’s even more value in thinking really intentionally about empathy. When we look closer than the simple choices and assumptions, we’ll be able to venture a guess at not only what people are asking for, but why. And when we do that, we can lead them toward the considerations and options that not only make for good business, but good grief.
 
We don’t have to be a profession or a business. Our success will only come insofar as we do both. And the better we become at listening, looking deeply, understanding motivations, and seeking to provide people with what they really need (as opposed to what we think they should ask for), the more successful we will become — both as business owners and as servants to hurting families.

What do consumers want? This is the $64,000 question everyone involved in the death care profession is trying to answer. You know your aftercare surveys are overwhelmingly positive. You track your online reviews and celebrate the positive ones, while addressing the negatives. You know your community and encourage engagement with local groups. Your reputation is your brand and you sleep well at night knowing the top-notch service you provide.

At the same time a vocal minority of volunteer funeral consumer advocates have been telling the FTC staff for years that funeral service is criminal and in need of close scrutiny. Despite record low complaints, the Funeral Rule remains in place and is likely to be revised.

Over the past three years, I have been the lead staff person working with the CANA board, members and other death care leaders to craft comments and responses to the FTC’s proposed revisions. On September 7, 2023, I was privileged to participate in the FTC Workshop: Shopping for Funeral Services. In addition to representing our profession to the regulators and consumers, the event provided a chance to listen to the arguments and requests set forth by consumer advocates and industry reformers. You can watch the recording yourself on the FTC’s website, but here are my key takeaways on how consumers view the funeral profession.

Opening and closing remarks from the FTC focused on how unique the funeral profession is and how important the Funeral Rule is to the FTC. Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter opened the workshop by describing how the Funeral Rule protects customers when they are grieving and vulnerable, and also promotes competition – two reasons the Rule is central to the mission of the FTC. The commissioner quoted NFDA average funeral costs pointing out that funeral expenses carry the third largest price tag after a home or car, but they are the only obligation everyone will universally experience.

From the title of the workshop, “Shopping for Funeral Services,” to the selection of panelists, the FTC staff focused on the transactional nature of death care. Consumer advocates are dedicated to lowering prices and educating consumers about the elements of funeral service that are necessary and those that are optional. The General Price List (GPL) is their primary tool used for these purposes.

Associate Director of the FTC’s Division of Marketing Practices Lois C. Greisman closed the workshop by thanking panelists and the hundreds of attendees who attended in-person and online. She hailed the workshop as a success because the day held lively conversations designed to dig into pressing concerns. There were many disagreements during the course of the discussions, but it was an important opportunity to reimagine the future.

​During the event, consumer groups advocated hard for posting the GPL on existing websites, particularly for businesses that complete sales online. They maintained that posting a PDF or adding content to a website would be marginally expensive to the business and would build trust. These are difficult arguments to refute.

Some consumer advocates admitted that the GPL is confusing and not ideally suited as a standalone planning document. They conceded that it is designed as a tool that is best used in conversation with a funeral director. However, the GPL is up for discussion. That means consumer advocates are empowered to suggest many additions and changes to GPL-required items (including third party crematory fees and other "hidden" fees) and disclosures (like the legality of home funerals, embalming disclosure to include federal and state law reference and then business capacity/policy).

The common ground between all workshop participants was an acknowledgement of the necessity for consumer education on selecting and planning funeral goods and services. Members of the profession tended to argue that the GPL was a tool used in consultation with a funeral director. The advocates argued for posting it online and then having the consumer approach funeral providers with informed questions or selections.

Throughout the day, there was a strong emphasis on how much the funeral profession and consumer preferences have changed over the past 40 years. It was repeatedly observed by reformer panelists that consumers want more control over and participation in funeral planning and activities.

Industry protests against mandatory price posting were countered with accusations of hiding and thievery. Obviously, it’s true that transparency builds trust and many CANA members who post their pricing cited that as a primary reason. However, simply posting the GPL alone will not address the issue because, as we know, shopping for funeral services is a unique and complex experience.

My takeaway is that consumer groups, like the Funeral Consumer Alliance and Consumer Federation of America, are focused on transparency and the ease of price comparisons. This can lead to the creation of comparison websites and concierge services—or even a Consumer Reports-style comparison survey or report.

Just as the profession prefers not to be required to post pricing, consumers resent being forced to use funeral providers who aren’t transparent.

The discussions about the logistics of posting pricing online, assuming it becomes required, centered on details. The consumer advocates on the panel debated format: HTML vs. PDF, mobile-friendly versions, and other accessibility questions. Should the FTC require a specific font, size, color, or document format? Or set general requirements that GPLs are “clear and conspicuous”? Should there be machine- and human-readable requirements? Consumer advocates were arguing for uniformity to assist their work in comparing GPLs, but failing to recognize that funeral providers are businesses who are actively pursuing calls. Technology will change, but market forces will ensure funeral providers meet consumer needs to earn their business.

We also discussed that the primary purpose of a funeral provider’s website is to post obituaries and service information. A secondary purpose is to facilitate online condolences and the third is to sell funeral goods and services. This information is based on research CANA conducted among members, and it was well received by the panelists. The research showed that, among CANA members who post pricing, fewer than 1% of website visitors clicked on the pricing information. Additionally, the use of apps or social media largely supports backlinks to the provider’s website and is, therefore, not a replacement for a website.

Advocates countered this argument by pointing to the fact that the death rate is about 1% of the population. While true, the death rate and clicks on pricing information have no direct connection. It is an interesting coincidence, I suppose.

Discussions around fees were largely non-controversial. There was agreement on the advantages of the ability to discount basic service fees and the difficulties of requiring listing of cash advance items, including third party crematory fees, on the GPL. Basic service fees fall within control of the funeral provider, but cash advance items do not.

There also seemed to be acknowledgement that “Direct Cremation” has become a package in the consumer’s mind. Cremation services have changed during the 40 years of the Funeral Rule, and one required item, Direct Cremation, does not meet the modern consumer’s needs. This is an exciting opportunity for our profession to influence the FTC on this topic.

Everyone acknowledged that the number of complaints received by the FTC was astonishingly low. Consumer advocates argued that the low number of complaints is irrelevant because most consumers don't know how or where to complain. This is a decidedly weak argument as consumers certainly know how to complain to state boards or to consumer groups—who should point them to the state boards and FTC.

I wish there had been more conversation about customer service versus actionable complaints. Wishing you knew more about options before making decisions is not an actionable complaint. Being told you had to embalm when you didn't could be actionable.

On the breaks and during meals, I took the opportunity to speak with consumer advocates to network and build some trust. I heard overwhelmingly that consumers want to trust funeral providers. Where we differ is how to achieve that. Listen to Caitlin Doughty,  Founder of the Order of the Good Death, make that point in the recent Ask a Mortician video. Her opinions aren’t necessarily the views of CANA, but it’s worth a watch.

The Workshop closed with a panel looking to the future. Despite some confusion on the part of one panelist about state regulatory issues versus the Funeral Rule, the comments were revealing. The same consumer preferences that are driving the cremation rate increase are fueling challenges to the Funeral Rule – participation, personalization, and possession.

Looking to the future, the focus was on new forms of disposition, which currently compose less than 1% of dispositions in the states in which they are offered. But interest in new dispositions such as alkaline hydrolysis and natural organic reduction are also driven by these preferences. Green or natural burial isn’t new at all, but rather was the standard practice until the embalming “fad” became popular over the past 150 years.

Throughout the Workshop, there was a strong emphasis on consumer choice and simplifying the GPL. Since the current GPL format and requirements relate to casketed, embalmed burial and cremation is merely an add-on, is it time to realign the GPL entirely to focus on memorialization first, then disposition and body preparation?

Everyone in the room with me that day acknowledged that the Funeral Rule was designed for a world that no longer exists. Burial and embalming are in decline. Consumer control and participation are increasing. It isn't always about price—and NOR and AH should not be grouped with cremation for that reason, as well as environmental reasons.

I was left with several outstanding questions:

• Where does/should consumer education ideally happen? Is the GPL enough? Online by a third party? In the arrangement room? All of the above? None of the above?
• How do we overcome death aversion to reach consumers?
• Are there opportunities to work with consumer advocates to promote our profession and bridge the disconnect?

The process continues. The true impact of these revisions will be revealed over coming years and decades. But these are big questions to grapple with and our future depends on it—so I urge you to stay involved. CANA certainly will be!

As of the start of this week, 711 comments have been submitted post-Workshop, mostly by consumers. To read their thoughts and to submit your own remarks by the October 10 deadline, visit https://www.regulations.gov/document/FTC-2023-0034-0001/comment.

While many things have changed in our profession over the past few years, there’s one thing that has not; deathcare consumers still want and need professional guidance in making appropriate end-of-life plans for their loved ones. That’s good news for funeral service professionals and just one of the findings of new consumer research I look forward to sharing next month at CANA’s 2023 Cremation Symposium.

The new primary research, conducted late last year on behalf of Foundation Partners Group, involved more than 1,000 online survey respondents and dozens of focus group discussions with consumers who have planned a funeral over the past five years. The results paint a clear picture of the evolving wants, needs and preferences that drive the deathcare choices of today’s families. Understanding these new consumers, and the similarities and differences between different segments, will be key to successfully managing funeral service businesses in the future.

From the thousands of data points collected, we isolated key insights that help us answer two key questions about the needs of modern deathcare consumers:

1. How do consumers interact with deathcare providers now and what do they want in the future?
2. How should we change our messaging, services, products and channels to meet consumers’ needs?

One important finding is that focusing on spending alone is too simplistic. While families may differ in income levels and intended spend, consumers do not select deathcare providers based on economic factors alone. Providers who focus on price, fail to take into consideration the key needs and motivators that drive consumer decision-making.

We found two key factors that are most important in determining the best service style and fit for contemporary consumers. There are unique attitudes and behaviors that drive the ideal deathcare experience for each segment.

The first is the level of support they desire during the planning process. Do they want to do all their planning in person or are they fine working with us via phone, web and email? Do they want to keep it simple or create an elaborate event guided by tradition and ritual?

The second is the level of personal involvement. Do they want a funeral director to hold their hands and walk with them every step of the process? Or are they confident in their ability to create experiences that honor their loved ones on their own?

Based on these varying desires for support and guidance, we divided consumers into three distinct segments and gave them descriptive labels that reflect their attitudes and behaviors. Understanding these different consumer mindsets and decision factors will help us to better understand the best ways to connect with them and support them in a way that builds trust.

During my session we will explore each of these groups in more detail and zero in on the core needs that are universal across all segments. And we’ll talk about the evolving role of technology in deathcare and how thoughtfully integrating technology can improve the consumer experience.

We’ll also share direct comments from consumers regarding things that would have made their experience better to create a roadmap to success in the future.

I look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas!

The funeral industry is not exempt from start-ups and innovative ideas that go nowhere. I’m sure you could think of one yourself – one of them might even have been yours – but I won’t call out any here.
​
That’s why it’s not wholly surprising that the most common question I get from the media, regulators, and curious practitioners is “Is human composting real?” To which I say, “Yes.”
There is a unique energy around legalizing natural organic reduction, in that most legislation has been consumer-driven, with support from practitioners. As one of the most progressive organizations in this space, CANA is the first death care association to answer these questions and provide insight from a funeral profession perspective. Informed by more than 100 years of experience in emerging technologies, we were eager to host some of the earliest NOR practitioners at our events and offered opportunities for question-and-answer sessions to explore this groundbreaking idea. Now we can compile what we know – and what we have yet to figure out – here, for you.

Natural Organic Reduction, also known as, NOR and Natural Reduction are the terms used in legislation and regulations related to this process, so that’s how CANA refers to it. More commonly used terms by the media or general public are Human Composting, Soil Transformation, or Body Composting, which are descriptive and useful for understanding the process more broadly. Some practitioners have coined proprietary terms like Terramation and Recomposition to describe their specific business offerings.

NOR was first legalized in 2019 in Washington. Colorado and Oregon followed in 2021 and Vermont and California in 2022, with several other states considering the practice in the coming years. To legislators, it is a thing.

But what kind of thing? Here’s where it can get interesting.

Compost is organic material that has decomposed to a nutrient-rich soil. At home, compost is food scraps and yard waste. For farms, it might be the livestock or the crops after harvest. Soil is, in fact, a mixture of decomposed organic matter with other naturally occurring elements like gases, liquids, living organisms, etc.

Once the waste decomposes, it can’t be separated from the other soil around it to say “that’s the orange peel, that’s the eggshell, and that’s the dandelion” — it’s all one piece of earth.

Human composting is the same but different. First, you can’t add a human body to your compost barrel: it’s illegal and it’s not what most people have in mind when they think of a proper send-off. Second, humans are large animals and require a sizeable quantity of other organic material to mix with during decomposition. Plus, anyone who composts knows that you need to keep air circulating and bacteria alive so that the matter decays rather than molds or rots. For human composting, this is where the professionals come in.

The interest in composting for human disposition is not new. Mary Roach’s Stiff, first published in 2003, shares the story of Tim Evans, then a graduate student at the University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility, who working to find a way to compost human remains. Evans had to aerate the compost pile and acknowledged that “It was hard being out there” to properly tend to the composting remains. The real need was to make composting doable within a reasonable timeframe, in compliance with regulations regarding body disposition, and in an acceptable manner for families.

SAME BUT DIFFERENT

In all states, the law allows for cremation and burial. As we’ve discussed before, some states have expanded their cremation law to include alkaline hydrolysis (aka water cremation, Aquamation, Resomation, etc.) Burial is easiest to understand: intact body placed in the ground (or crypt, mausoleum, etc.). Cremation and alkaline hydrolysis take the intact body, put it through a process using a combination of heat and/or chemicals so that just the bone matter of the body remains. But NOR takes an intact body and goes through a process that results in soil. There are no ashes to place or keep or scatter, no DNA to identify your loved one from other soil, generally no way of preventing comingling of remains with others’ (often prohibited in all cremation laws), and maybe not even a place to visit (depending on where the soil ends up).

When Katrina Spade and Recompose were exploring how to get Recomposition legalized in Washington State, the process was not legal anywhere in the world. With input from law professor Tanya Marsh, who focuses on funeral law, the company decided that the most straightforward way of bringing NOR to the public would be to create a new statute for human reduction. That’s why some states are creating a new disposition category of “reduction of human remains” with subcategories for cremation, AH and NOR. The common factor in each is that they accelerate the reduction of human remains in a facility, using specially designed equipment.
​
It is CANA’s position that natural organic reduction is a unique form of disposition, not a type of cremation, and should be regulated separately. This means there are three ways of reducing a human body more quickly than burial: cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, and reduction. Each offers a unique process that requires specific equipment and training, and provides choice for families to do what feels right to them.

The differences we’ve described, as seen in the chart above, are the reason that these three reduction methods must be regulated separately. While the core of a death care professional’s job doesn’t change with the process — they take custody of the deceased, care for their loved ones, carry out the family’s wishes, and ensure that the remains get where they need to go with dignity and care — the processes themselves are very different.

The funeral profession’s first concern is always the dignified treatment of the deceased, and in the case of new processes that requires the training and knowledge to do it right. For regulators, that means setting the standard to measure the safety and ability to perform the process. This includes considerations for location and traffic, the environment and emissions, and employee health and safety. Both funeral professionals and regulators are dedicated to providing options to the public that meet all expectations for safety and excellence.

An internet search will highlight a few practitioners in the Pacific Northwest and the American Southwest who appear in news articles discussing this new option for consumers. Because human reduction is only beginning to be legalized, there are currently few options for the public to choose NOR. Funeral homes that currently offer NOR have carefully created their own vessels and developed their own technology, processes and proprietary mixes of organic material to reduce a human body to soil. That means that the process is pretty much limited to those who are willing to undertake the same sort of research and development process themselves. The only other option is for existing practitioners who offer NOR to partner with other funeral service providers to serve their families – though some of these providers are already operating at capacity.

Current cremation and alkaline hydrolysis regulations require equipment manufactured specifically for the process (hence, purpose-built). They require this to standardize the process and ensure the health and safety of the operators and public seeking these options. The lack of manufacturers of body composting vessels is a barrier to entry for many who would add it as an option for their communities – at least for the moment.

Without the uniform equipment, each practitioner’s process is proprietary, but there are a few things about the science in current methods that are universal. First, the only things that go in the vessel are organic matter. That means the body, either bare or shrouded only in organic natural fibers, the plant matter and bacteria, and little else. Brie Smith of Return Home advises families that, “If it can go through your gut, it can go through our vessel,” meaning that families can place meaningful keepsakes in, too, so long as they can be composted. Unwrapped Twinkies? Yes! That penny you swallowed on a dare? No—or rather: it’s going to come out the other side.

The reduction of the body takes anywhere from 7 weeks to 12 months, depending on the practitioner and their process. Loved ones are encouraged to be present when the body is placed, or “laid in," and to visit during the reduction. During the transformation, the vessel will run hot, spiking more than 130°F as microbes get to work. This high temperature also kills pathogens, bacteria and viruses that might be present in the body (though some medical conditions prevent NOR and some viruses and prions are not killed by NOR). Each provider also has a proprietary method for ensuring that air and matter circulates so the compost process generates soil.

When the process is complete, families can receive approximately 27 cubic feet of soil from the reduction of their loved one – enough to fill the bed of a pickup truck. As Earth Funeral Group of Washington says, “The nutrient-rich soil created during the process is used for land restoration and improving soil health. Healthy soil is paramount to a healthy ecosystem as it filters water, provides nutrients to plants and animals, sequesters carbon, reduces landslides and flooding, and helps regulate global temperatures.”

For a farmer or gardener, this volume of soil can be wonderful. Others can choose to take a portion of the soil to use on their own property or to keep at home in an urn or jewelry or some other keepsake, just as they do with cremated remains (though the soil needs to be sufficiently dry first). Remaining soil is then spread by the practitioner in nature. The Natural Funeral in Colorado offers a “laying out” ceremony when the resulting soil is spread on personal or public lands.

Cremation has gained popularity over the past 50 years largely because it offered an alternative to burial. It offered new options and captured the imagination of people seeking a new ways of personalizing their funeral. As in life, people want to express their values in death. Providing diverse options are good for families to personalize their experience. NOR practitioners report that their early adopters are “a diverse mix of people from all over” – that’s why so many states are moving quickly to make the option legal.

While there is opposition to the practice from outside and inside funeral service, there is an energy for NOR that we don’t see very often in funeral disposition legalization. The general public is excited for the option, legislators are energized to bring innovative ideas to the fore, and practitioners are curious if the participation in CANA’s recent events is anything to go by. Some funeral homes are poised to bring NOR to their community as soon as they can.
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Any time I’m asked about a new form of disposition, the inevitable next question is how fast it will grow. Will NOR replace cremation? Or will it speed up the decline of burials? Would early adopters have chosen burial or cremation if NOR was not an option? As I often say, my crystal ball is broken. Only time will tell. CANA’s own statistics show that, like widespread adoption of any new technology, a critical mass must make that choice before it takes off. CANA’s Annual Statistics Report will be tracking these data as the law changes to allow this form of disposition, so look for more content on the topic.

When the US economic crisis of 2008, forced individuals and families to become more budget-conscious. As a result, people got resourceful and creativity flourished, especially when it came to memorializing loved ones. In some cases, this meant the funeral director was cut out of the equation entirely or left on the outside looking in.
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I don't think it has to be that way. You can reposition your role and partner with these DIY people, these family members that want to work behind the scenes and bring additional value to their life tribute event.

I want you to think about the family members that you've sat across from who are the DIY consumer. I want you to think about yourself and your friends and family who have the DIY bug and think about the feeling when you complete a DIY project. It is that sense of satisfaction. It is happiness that you feel. The new Man Cave is the She Shed! It's where the DIY consumer gets the solitude, the focus, and the space to complete these projects. These projects that are an instant mood enhancer for them. And that's how these family members feel. This isn't just something that they do on a whim.

And the most famous DIY-ers? Martha Stewart has been around for decades. Chip and Joanna Gaines started with one home decor store and now they have their own television network. Ben and Erin Napier and the Property Brothers are part of the HGTV Family. Brit Morin is known as the digital Martha Stewart, and Tommy Walsh is one of the most well-known international DIY personalities.

And now, because of YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, we've seen the explosion of DIY bloggers all over the world. Some bloggers have their own sites or they use social media sites to reach out to potential DIY-ers. And it is their eagerness to provide video tutorials – step-by-step guides – to invite and encourage people to be a part of the DIY world. It is evident that the DIY world is expanding and here to stay.

Data shows that 50% of DIY consumers are female and 52% are between the ages of 24 and 44 – a mix of Gen X and Millennials. We know that DIY projects are directly tied to life changing events: a graduation, an engagement, getting married, having a baby, buying a home, and, we can add, the death of a family member. Every time there's a milestone or something big happening in their family, they have an event. They bring people together. They honor old family traditions. They start their new traditions, and it's not just about their immediate family, but they bring in their extended family and they also reach out to their large social circle of friends to be a part of those special moments.
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And, because of that, a life tribute event will most likely be the topic of conversation among many of the attendees. It will be the word-of-mouth marketing that funeral homes want! But—guess what? That funeral director will fade into the background and simply be seen as the person who provided the place and took care of the disposition.

Here are three ways to partner with those individuals to help you and your entire team avoid getting left out of the conversation when a DIY consumer appears in that arrangement conference.

SPEAK TO YOUR CREDIBILITY
The words “licensed funeral director” carried a lot of weight for many, many years. Then, we needed to say “licensed funeral director and cremation specialist.” Now we need to add a third line of credibility, and that is your “creative” credibility. That DIY consumer needs to hear, in the very beginning of that arrangement conference, that you are creative, that you're willing to explore ideas, and that you have resources to execute their vision.

BE THE IDEA GENERATOR
What I hear most from funeral directors is that they don't have the extra budget or the extra time to do the “wow” factor for a family. I understand that, so think of yourself as an idea generator instead. It builds your credibility. It says: We are creative. We want to help you. For example, "it was interesting to hear about your sister's involvement with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. I was thinking of a few different ways we could honor that part of her life."

KEEP RESOURCES HANDY
Have websites, magazines, and books available for your funeral directors to enable them as idea generators. Know the websites that consumers are going to directly. These are three from my extensive list of websites:
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beau-coup.com is a wedding and baby shower website (I forewarn you), but they have every possible keepsake, covering all different hobbies and interests, and can be personalized with shipping options to ensure items arrive in time for a tribute.

stylemepretty.com collects wedding ideas from all over the world to find out what brides are doing, what the trends are, and what resources that they're utilizing. If I was looking for tropical - Hindu - Jewish funeral ideas, I could go to Style Me Pretty to get some inspiration. And that's what you're going to find: a combination of cultures, hobbies and interests that bring it all together. And it's not just pictures: it is the resources and the vendors, too.

pinterest.com is ideal for free consumer research. Hop on and type in the search box “my funeral” or “mom's funeral” or “dad's funeral” and look at all the Pinterest boards that have those names. And these are just the public-facing samples! These are the ideas that people are collecting, that they're thinking about, so when the time comes, they go to their Pinterest board and see what they've collected over the past couple of years for a loved one or for themselves.

"When families participate, they remember. When they remember, they grieve. And when they grieve, they love." Remembering Well, by Sarah York
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That's the impact that you can have on these family members who want to have those DIY moments with other family members behind the scenes before that tribute takes place.

Earlier this year, our Foundation Partners marketing team embarked on a three-pronged research project to better understand the online habits of the post-COVID deathcare consumer. After conducting hundreds of online surveys, one-on-one interviews and focus groups, we partnered with CANA in November 2021 to present the results in a webinar entitled, “How Consumer Attitudes Toward Online Deathcare are Changing.” Our presentation team included Sally Camm, whose firm Astound Commerce conducted the research, Luke Frieberg, president of eFuneral, Foundation Partners’ Vice President of Marketing Scott Ankerholz and me.

Our panel of digital marketing experts shared five broad consumer trends impacting deathcare and outlined steps you can take today to stay ahead of the curve. If you missed it, no worries; simply click here to watch the recording and download the slidedeck.

After hundreds of surveys and conversations, five key trends emerged that are impacting the deathcare purchase journey.

1. WELLNESS
Consumers are increasingly focused on wellness, which encompasses not just physical but mental, spiritual and environmental concerns as well. As a result, younger consumers (under 45) want to engage in a different, more positive conversation about death and deathcare. In general, they have a broader definition of death preparedness than previous generations. Instead of who will get what, the conversation is more about how they can have their affairs in order — emotionally, spiritually and relationship-wise — so they can enjoy their lives now and ease the burden on family members.
With this in mind, you may want to expand your preneed marketing efforts to include younger families. Additionally, your services don’t have to stop after memorialization or permanent placement services are done. Today’s families appreciate aftercare services, like grief support, assistance obtaining death certificates and other “concierge” services that help them navigate the myriad of tasks required to close the affairs of a loved one.

2. INDIVIDUALITY
As the focus on religious funeral services wanes in the U.S., families are opting for services that celebrate the life and uniqueness of the individual. Nearly a third of consumers who completed our online surveys reported that religion did not factor meaningfully into how they considered making funeral arrangements. As more funerals become joyous occasions and celebrations of life, we have the opportunity to unleash our creativity to help families say farewell to loved ones in style. This will create new revenue streams as we reimagine funeral services.

3. TRANSPARENCY
During our in-person interviews with both at-need and preneed consumers, 95 percent cited transparency as one of the major reasons for their choice of a deathcare provider. In their 2020 Funeral and Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study, The Foresight Companies found that 75 percent of consumers said they want pricing available online and will not do business with providers who are not transparent. Fifty-two percent said they will ONLY do business with companies that provide online pricing options.

But these consumers are not just looking for price transparency; they also want process transparency. Why? Because process transparency puts them in charge and, during the highly stressful at-need time, it allows them to maintain some semblance of control when their lives have been changed forever. Consumers have become accustomed to tracking their online transactions and their expectations during the deathcare journey are no different. Deathcare providers who can offer up-to-the-minute notifications of things, like when loved ones will be cremated and when those remains will be ready for delivery or pick-up, will have an advantage over their competition.

4. OMNICHANNEL SERVICE
Today’s consumers want an integrated, seamless journey across digital and physical experiences – online, by phone and in person. While recent consumers of deathcare services report that in-person remains their preferred method of arranging, we saw a greater willingness among those who have not yet purchased to turn to online arrangement options.

Luke Frieberg shared a case study in which an eFuneral partner encouraged families to review their options on their website before the arrangement meeting. Some of these families completed their purchases on the website, while others came into the arrangement meeting with more clarity around their decisions. Of those families that completed their purchases online, 93 percent upgraded the casket generating additional revenue. Overall, the cost of arrangements made online were 20 percent higher compared to purely in-person meetings and resulted in additional revenue. The firm also reported that families were more relaxed and that funeral directors had a better experience when meeting in person after providing this online option.
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5. TIME STARVATION
Time, and the lack of it, was a primary concern in our interviews, particularly among the at-need consumer. At a time of high stress, especially during COVID, consumers look for us to remove the friction from the decision-making process and to do it in a timeframe that suits them. One of the key ways consumers save time is by doing online research themselves to narrow the selections before they call. Our online cremation consumer survey also showed that both cremation users, and non-cremation users, value the convenience of online arrangements and the ability to browse options on their own terms. Both consumer groups reported that they were either “somewhat satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their experience.

The first cremation in the United States took place in 1876 in Washington, Pennsylvania. Nearly 100 years later in 1972, the national cremation rate was 5%. A mere 45 years later in 2016, the national cremation rate exceeded 50%. During that period of growth, the cremation rate grew predictably and steadily between 1-2% a year. Consumers have driven this trend in recent history and the profession has tried to keep up with their preferences.

Since they are in charge, it’s important for us to understand why they are choosing cremation and what their experience is.

We talk a lot in this profession about change. A lot of people don’t like change and aren’t comfortable with it, and some in the industry have been slow to change. Over the years many funeral directors and cemeterians have cited “cremation” as the primary threat to their businesses, however cremation is merely a form of disposition. What they are referencing is a business model that assumes cremation is equivalent to “direct cremation,” or one that is dependent on casket or vault sales to succeed. As cremation rates climb, these businesses experience declining revenue and profits. However, cremation is not going anywhere so those who have not yet adapted need to do so immediately in order to stay relevant and profitable.

CANA has a proven history of over two decades of tracking, projecting and just plain getting it right when it comes to statistics. Benchmarking is the primary use of statistics like this. Business owners look at their cremation rate compared to state and county rates to measure market share and track their competition. These data can also be useful when seeking financing for growth or setting value of a business.
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But cremation rates and numbers are only part of the picture and raise new questions. Why have cremation rates grown at different speeds across the country? Why are consumers choosing cremation?

As the cremation rate began approaching 50% nationally, CANA embarked on new research to learn more about what is behind the numbers. We evaluated consumer trends and used US census data, demographics, and the Pew Religious Landscape Study and overlayed all of this data with the cremation rates. For this research we focused solely on the US as comparable census data was unavailable from Canada.

Once you know a bit more about the cremation rate in your state and the surrounding states, it’s time to understand why some people choose cremation faster or slower than others in the community. We’ve all heard about the cremation consumer. But that person doesn’t live in one section and then you go after them and serve them. They live everywhere in all communities and in all states.

How can we connect with consumers if we are speaking different languages? This post highlights some of the language disconnects uncovered during the research.
The Pew Religious Landscape Study revealed that the fastest growing portion of Americans were those who claimed no affiliation with organized religion. They answered “none” when asked for their affiliation and have been referred to as Nones ever since.
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Through this milestone project we confirmed that women are making the cremation decision. Additionally, if there is no religious affiliation we know there is a greater chance they will select cremation. We also know this happens in the preneed sale as well.

During the height of the first wave of the pandemic, restricted to a social distance, afraid of an unknown disease, and with the dead coming too quickly for some hotspots to handle, many predicted that cremation rates would skyrocket. After all, cremation satisfies a lot of criteria: it allows for the remains to be present at a future service, purifies the remains from disease and pathogens with fire, and reduces a large box to a small box more convenient for storage and transport.

We asked ourselves what this meant for all of our research. We had studied growth rates, demographics, conducted focus groups and poured over more than 20 years worth of data – did any of it still count when everything else had been upended?

CANA’s analysis as presented in the 2021 Annual Statistics Report says it does. At our request, our statistical consultant checked the data over and over again but found that the cremation rate actually slowed from previous years down from 1.6% growth to just 1.5%. Despite the excess deaths and the gathering restrictions, the cremation rate followed a predicted growth rate. CANA Members will get to see for themselves soon when the Report is released.

Despite a challenging year, the changes that funeral service faces are predictable, measurable, and something professionals can face head on.

More than 90 percent of online experiences for consumers start with a search engine. Whether these consumers tap on their phone to query Siri or type a key phrase into Google's browser bar, the result is the same for your deathcare firm.

If you're not drawing a clear line between search engine results pages and your own website or offers, you're missing out on revenue opportunities.

This is one reason content is king—and has been for years. But it's no longer enough for content to don a crown and hold court over your marketing strategy.

The king has lots of competition for search engine optimization, and if neighboring kingdoms (aka your competitors, if you're still humoring this extended metaphor) are generating better quality content, your SEO performance could suffer.

And by "suffer," I mean your pages won't show up at the top of the search results—or potentially at all. Which means you have less of a chance of connecting with people who might be interested in cremation and related services now or in the future.
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What's a king to do about this conundrum? Luckily, Google itself publishes a battle plan that helps you create high-quality content that's more likely to perform in Search Engine Results Pages or SERPs. It's called the Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines.

Google publishes these guidelines for its human search quality evaluators. Actual humans (yes, that's rare these days) review pages to determine whether they meet the needs of a potential search in a high-quality manner. The higher a page is rated by evaluators, the higher it might potentially rank in search results.
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Evaluator scores aren't the only thing used to rank a page—Google algorithms are complex, after all. But the evaluator guidelines do provide important clues into exactly what Google considers important when it comes to content

The guidelines comprise roughly 170 pages of small text, which is obviously a lot of information to get through. But you don't have to read everything in the evaluator guidelines to understand how to create great cremation services content. Consider this quick formula for high-quality content from Google:

PAGES MUST HAVE A PURPOSE

High-quality content serves the purpose of the page. If your page doesn't have a purpose (which might be to inform, entertain, or assist readers), the content can't be high quality.

Or as Google puts it, pages "created with no attempt to help users, or pages that potentially spread hate, cause harm, or misinform or deceive users, should receive the lowest [quality] rating."

REMEMBER THE E-A-T ACRONYM

​When pages do have a positive purpose, Google rates the quality of their content according to "E-A-T." The acronym stands for expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.
Per Google, E-A-T content…

Google likes the word satisfy. It appears in the evaluator guidelines more than 130 times in various forms. A high-quality page satisfies the needs of the searcher and the promise you made in meta descriptions and headings.

If you promise a complete guide to preplanning, your content should certainly be more than 500 words and cover all the questions someone has about that topic.

If your link is a buy link for an urn, the page should include everything a person needs to make a final purchasing decision. The shopping cart process and customer service options should also satisfactorily meet the needs of your cremation clientele.

Ultimately, Google's SERPs have one job, and that's to match searchers with pages that best meet their needs. By creating high-quality content that follows the above formula, you increase the chances that Google thinks your page is a good bet for the relevant keyword searches.

In turn, that increases your chances at winning the click, driving more traffic, making more sales, and proactively competing with the other kingdoms in your niche.