e now live in a world where
e-Commerce has left its mark
on every possible industry, mainly
thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sale of products and services online is
now an everyday reality for individual
customers,
and
increasingly
for
business customers, including those
in the funeral industry. The "digital
transition" is already a reality in the
funeral sector. However, there is still
some resistance to digitalization by
funeral homes, for various reasons.
One is that it is a traditional and
reliable sector, and also because it is
a business with old habits and is largely
family-owned. Entrepreneurs who want
to show openness to customers' needs
should bet on innovative e-Commerce
solutions and technologies today. Both
funeral homes and families can benefit
from having e-Commerce available.
There are 3 main factors driving the e-Commerce
adoption in the funeral industry:
• rising costs and lack of transparency – people
now prefer planning funerals in front of the
computer and they want to know about the
service as much as possible, they want to find
and compare products/ services online and
they want to make decisions without rushing.
• increasing
popularity
of
e-Commerce
in
daily life – according to www.statista.com
in 2021, retail e-Commerce sales amounted
to approximately 5.2 trillion U.S. dollars
worldwide. The main reason for the growth is
the generational shift and change in the way
of communication (the point of contact with
the customer more and more often begins on
the Internet) and the increasing technological
sophistication of the devices that serve this
communication.
• meeting consumer preferences – we live in
a time when a large number of individuals stay
away from their families, for work and other
reasons. Their commitments and schedule
prevent them from being present in person to
We’re still far away from
having an app where
someone can make a funeral
arrangement, but consumer
needs are definitely changing.
Many families still feel
most comfortable going to
funeral homes, as opposed to
a faceless service.
In Finland, online funeral services are still relatively
uncommon, but are growing rapidly. Customers
are beginning to demand online services in the
funeral industry, such as eHautaus.fi, which offers
the ability to arrange a funeral online.
eHautaus.fi is a virtual funeral service that allows
customers to arrange all necessary funeral services
and bookings remotely from their homes. Our
customers are typically over 45 years old, living
in large cities or rural areas across Finland, and
looking for a convenient way to arrange funeral
services from a distance. Many of them are
arranging a funeral for the first time and may be
unfamiliar with traditional funeral arrangements.
They are also accustomed to managing all
aspects of their lives online and appreciate
the
convenience
that
eHautaus.fi
provides.
The advantages of online commerce include
scalability and geographic expansion, which
attracts larger players to replace smaller ones.
Finland’s funeral industry is fragmented into
hundreds of small operators, but the number
of players is likely to decrease in the future. The
biggest challenge of online commerce is the lack
of familiarity and locality, but changing norms are
reducing this issue.
Ville Sutinen
CEO, Hautauspalvelu eHautaus Oy,
eHautaus.fi , Finland
THANOS MAGAZINE | No. 102 – SUMMER 2023
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