June 2025 The Changing Landscape of Death Care:
What You’ll Learn: Key Research Points
Through consumer research conducted within the past year, Batesville has identified several key trends signaling that families’ priorities are shifting, and, along with that, their expectations are changing. For those in the death care industry, it’s important to understand this evolution and meet families where they are. In this guide, we’ll share the data you need to know and provide you with ways to use it to your advantage.
Before we get into the trends, here are three main points to consider when reading:
• 67% of consumers had only planned 1 or 2 funerals — most arrive overwhelmed and under-informed.
• Consumers expect transparency, personalization, and online accessibility — often doing research or even purchasing products before contacting a funeral home.
• Funeral homes that adapt quickly will build stronger connections, greater trust, and long-term loyalty
How We Gathered this Data
• Conducted both B2B and B2C interviews
• Quantitative and qualitative
• Completed 60 minute 1:1 interviews with 30 respondents
• Surveyed 500 respondents
• Geographically, demographically representative sample of the population.
• Consumers planned funeral within last 4 years
• Funeral Professionals work directly with families in making arrangements as part of regular responsibilities
How Batesville Can Help: Deliver exclusive insights through consumer research and innovative new burial, cremation and remembrance products, as well as technology solutions, to help you meet changing expectations with compassion and confidence.
Trend No. 1: Personalization & Modern Memorialization
Key
Insight: Today’s families want services and products that feel meaningful — and personalization is the expectation.
• 75% of at-need and 71% of pre-need consumers strongly agree personalization is important.
• Only 53% of funeral directors agree — a gap worth closing.
• Online is now preferred over funeral homes for purchasing memorial products.
For today’s families, a meaningful funeral is a personal one. More than ever, consumers are expecting services and products that reflect their loved one’s life, passions, and personality. The opportunity is clear: personalization is no longer a luxury—it’s a baseline expectation. Funeral professionals who embrace this trend can deepen emotional connections and deliver truly memorable experiences.
CLOSING THE PERSONALIZATION GAP
What This Means for You
Offering personalization options (and making them visible early) differentiates your business, increases your ROI and gives your families what they are looking for.
What You Can Do
• Incorporate personalization options across services and merchandise.
• Use tools like digital showrooms or preview renderings.
• Follow up after the funeral with memorial product suggestions.
How Batesville Can Help
With a broad range of personalization options across both burial and cremation, Batesville’s Family Choices® helps families celebrate the unique life of their loved one. From LifeSymbols® designs and display medallions to decorative casket panels and engraved urns, these meaningful details add depth and distinction to every service. Additionally, our line of remembrance jewelry and keepsakes offer families yet another way to pay tribute to and remember their loved one.
Through the Family Choices® Digital Showroom, families can interact with 3D product renderings and see realtime personalization updates—creating a truly customized experience that reflects their loved one’s story and meets today’s expectations for meaningful memorialization.
Trend No. 2: Planning in the Age of Uncertainty
Key Insight: Consumers often start their funeral planning journey feeling confused, overwhelmed, and digitally dependent.
• 67% of consumers had little to no prior funeral planning experience.
• Only 25% of at-need consumers felt familiar with the process, compared to 41% of pre-need
For many families, the funeral process begins at a time of deep emotional stress. With little prior experience and a heavy reliance on digital resources, most are unprepared for the decisions ahead and have more questions than answers. This creates a crucial opportunity for funeral professionals to offer clarity, support, and trusted expertise from the very beginning throughout the entire process from pre-need to after need.
What We Heard from Families
“I had no idea how to begin.”
“I wish I had more resources.”
“It’s overwhelming when you’re grieving.”
What This Means for You
You have the opportunity to become a trusted guide — not just a provider.
What You Can Do
• Offer planning tools and educational content online like FAQs, checklists, and explainer videos.
• Position your staff as expert advisors, not just facilitators.
• Develop and build relationships with family members to make them feel comfortable from in-person arrangement meetings to text messages and emails to ensure they have the resources and support needed through every phase.
How Batesville Can Help
Families are overwhelmed and unsure of where to start. Many, unsurprisingly, turned to online resources to try to get a handle on their situation. However, much of what can be found online is inaccurate or may not apply, especially when it comes to pricing. We leverage our nationwide reach to provide families with helpful, accurate resources that educate them about the process and then connect with them with local funeral homes through our Funeral Home Locator tool.
WHAT ARE FAMILIES SEARCHING FOR?
Topics Researched Online
Funeral products
Funeral planning process
Product and service packages offered by funeral homes
Funeral home
Funeral Service
General information about funerals (what to expect, etc.)
See the Digital Showroom in Action
Batesville’s Family Choices® Digital Showroom was designed to help funeral professionals support families by offering a guided, interactive experience with 3D product renderings, real-time urn engraving, and curated selections based on their loved one’s interests. It provides the support families want and a consistent way for funeral home staff to walk families through the selection process, ensuring families are educated on all their options.
Learn More
Trend No. 3: Price Transparency & Financial Preparedness
Key Insight: Unexpected costs create confusion and stress — even among families who’ve preplanned.
• 67% of consumers had little to no prior funeral planning experience.
• Only 25% of at-need consumers felt familiar with the process, compared to 41% of pre-need.
Today’s families face a wide range of unexpected costs, often at one of the most emotionally difficult times of their lives. Whether they’re planning ahead or navigating an at-need situation, financial stress is a common theme with some families reporting final costs were much higher than expected. Many families express a desire for simple, upfront pricing, and explanations of payment options that are clearer. By proactively offering this transparency, funeral professionals can build trust, ease anxiety, and help families feel more confident in their decisions.
What We Heard from Families
“I lacked clarity on pricing… I wish there was a simple guide.”
COST EXPECTATIONS VS. REALITY FOR FAMILIES
What This Means for You
Financial transparency builds trust and reduces family anxiety.
What You Can Do
• Publish simplified pricing tiers and planning packages online.
• Share payment options and insurance processes early in the arrangement process.
• Educate families on reasons and explanations of what is included in each price.
How Batesville Can Help
Clear, simplified pricing begins with the right tools. Batesville’s Digital Showroom helps funeral professionals walk families through product choices and pricing in an intuitive, guided format, while enabling real-time personalization through 3D renderings and engraving previews.
Get in Touch
Contact your Sales Representative with questions or call 800.622.8373 to get connected with our sales team and start developing a plan that works for your business.
How Batesville Can Help
See the Digital Showroom in Action
Additionally, our sales consultants work with you to develop a customized merchandising plan and pricing strategy that aligns with your families’ needs and your business goals. This personalized approach helps you stay competitive and continue delivering the highest level of service.
Learn More
Trend No. 4: Product Purchases are Happening Earlier... and Elsewhere
Key Insight: Around a quarter of families purchase funeral products online prior
to contacting the funeral home, often from wholesale sources.
• 38% of pre-need and 37% of at-need consumers purchased products (mainly jewelry, urns, and cremation containers) through Amazon; 26% of pre-need and 12% of at-need consumers purchased products from Costco
• Pre-need families opting for burial often bought headstones and plots before contacting the funeral home, unlike at-need families. Families choosing cremation pre-purchased similarly at any stage of need.
• Many families would rather be presented with memorial products during planning or several months after, not directly after the funeral.
Families are becoming more proactive—and more price-conscious—when it comes to memorial products. With easy access to online marketplaces, many are choosing to purchase items like urns, remembrance jewelry, and even headstones before they ever walk through a funeral home’s doors. This shift signals a need for funeral providers to offer convenience, competitive options, and a digital-first approach to product presentation and sales.
WHERE ARE FAMILIES PURCHASING?
Did you know? Pre-need families were more likely to shop via wholesale sources?
Pre-Need planners were more likely to rely on wholesale sources for purchases, more likely purchasing jewelry and urns, while At Need consumers went elsewhere.
Source of Purchase
What This Means for You
Families are looking for more avenues and streamlined ways to purchase funeral products. Many also consider online to be a more ideal purchase location for memorialization products than funeral homes.
What You Can Do
• Explore direct-to-consumer options
• Streamline product selection and simplify presentation
• Provide educational resources that effectively communicate product choices
• Remind families several months following the funeral there are resources for these products
How Batesville Can Help
The Family Choices® Digital Showroom provides a streamlined, personalized product selection experience, helping families find meaningful options in a simplified way within the funeral home
See the Digital Showroom in Action
Learn More
Consumers Say the Ideal Time to Learn About Memorialization Products
During funeral planning
A few months after funeral, but within the first year
Shortly after the funeral
In conjunction with special anniversaries
Don’t want to learn
Additionally, we can help provide resources and content geared toward educating families about their choices, especially when it comes to remembrance products.
Trend No. 5: Supporting Families After the Service
Key Insight: Post-funeral responsibilities are overwhelming — but most support efforts stop at the graveside.
• 53% are very open to assistance with aftercare products like grave markers and keepsakes.
• 52% of burial consumers are highly interested in a “What’s Next” guide.
• 33% (burial) vs. 19% (cremation) show strong interest in aftercare video content.
The need for care doesn’t end when the service does. In fact, for many families, the most challenging part begins after the funeral. From managing estate details to navigating grief, there’s a growing desire for continued support, but digitally and through in-person communication. Yet many families feel alone in this phase. By extending your care beyond the ceremony, you can provide meaningful guidance, encourage ongoing engagement, and reinforce your role as a compassionate, trusted partner.
What This Means for You
Supporting families after the service strengthens your brand and extends engagement.
What You Can Do
• Provide branded “Next Steps” guides.
• Offer follow-up emails with supportive content and optional services.
• Launch a digital hub for grief resources and product education.
• Bring the digital and in-person experience together both during the planning stage and aftercare
After Planning but Before Service
How Batesville Can Help : Batesville’s funeral home websites provide an always-on digital presence that extends your care beyond the service. With our help, you can build a library of grief resources, educational content, and create customizable obituary pages, helping families feel supported long after the ceremony ends. It’s a simple, scalable way to maintain meaningful engagement and reinforce your commitment to compassionate service.
Interested in a Website Built by Batesville?
Request a Demo
Did you know? In-person communication is preferred by consumers.
FUNERAL DIRECTORS’ COMMUNICATION TYPE
Families Want
Today’s families are planning differently, and they’re bringing new expectations to every stage of the funeral experience. From navigating the process online to seeking more transparency and personal meaning, consumers are reshaping what it means to serve well. presentation and sales.
Here’s a quick recap of what you need to know:
They expect personalization.
One-size-fits-all services no longer meet families’ needs.
1 2 3 4 5
They’re arriving unprepared.
Most families have limited experience and feel overwhelmed from the start.
They want clarity.
Pricing and planning options need to be easy to understand and accessible up front.
They’re shopping around.
With more purchasing happening online, loyalty can’t be taken for granted.
They’re still grieving after the service.
Continuing support builds lasting relationships.
Adapting to these trends isn’t just about keeping up; it’s about standing out. Funeral homes that embrace new tools, educate with compassion, and offer flexible, personalized experiences are the ones that will earn families’ trust and loyalty for generations.
The Good News? We’re Here to Help
Batesville understands the changing landscape of death care and we’re here to help you navigate it. From our Family Choices Digital to powerful personalization tools and more, we offer more than just products.
Let’s work together to help you meet today’s families with confidence, clarity, and care
Ready to put these insights into action? Call your Batesville representative today and learn how we can help you.
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