more than adding the form to the website
allowing families to order an urn or a casket. In
their opinions, understanding the real problems
consumers are faced with, questions they are
going to have when arranging funerals, is the key
to successful implementation of e-Commerce
solutions today. That means presenting the
offer more transparently, in a way that allows
families to plan the whole ceremony peacefully
in their homes, giving them a chance to get all
information online before contacting the funeral
director directly.
Of course e-Commerce is not very popular yet. It is
a desired solution for those people who like to do
things on their own, who like to feel more in control,
as they live online and organize a lot of everyday
events online. Instead of visiting the funeral home
to see what is offered, they prefer to do this online.
It doesn't mean that they don't want to involve
the funeral director, but means that they want to
be well educated before making any decision. The
process as a whole becomes more efficient.
For funeral businesses, having online solutions like
e-Commerce means that the company is up-to-
date and meets the expectations of the consumer,
even if they are not using this solution very often
yet. By implementing it, funeral companies have
the opportunity to shape the customer experience
with this communication channel (not many people
have had the opportunity to arrange a funeral
online), build trust and its position as an innovative
and responsive funeral home. Having e-Commerce
available on your website means that they can truly
serve families 24/7. It means for them spending less
time worrying about having staff work as salespeople
and simplifying the whole process of sales.
Online shopping in the funeral industry...
no one will shut the door in front of your
face :) As a manufacturer and distributor of
funeral accessories, Carmen has relied on
online sales for many years. We have been
successfully
running
an online
shop
for
over 6 years. In addition to stationary and
representative-based
sales,
e-Commerce
is
another distribution channel for our products.
Carmen exclusively supplies companies in the
funeral industry. With us, funeral firms, coffin
manufacturers, stonemasons or florists can
quickly and easily familiarize themselves with
the offer, select the products they are interested
in and place an order to the address indicated.
Approximately 90% of shipments are completed
within 1 day. When ordering a fixed minimum
amount, transport is free of charge.
Aneta Zdyb & Wojtek Kitajewski
owners of CARMEN company,
www.carmen.lublin.pl , Poland
Currently in Spain, companies that provide funeral
services with their own means, have web pages in
which most of their content is informative about
locations of their centers, services, rates, mourning
assistance, post-mortem procedures, pre-need,
information of the deceased who are in their
facilities, with the possibility of sending notes of
condolence or acquiring flowers to send them to
the wake. Many of them also offer the possibility
of requesting quotes. In the last two or three years,
websites have appeared that are intermediaries,
some of them with price comparators or direct
providers with another brand, offering the
contracting of services online.
Josep Ventura
representative of PANASEF for the FIAT-IFTA
14
No. 102 – SUMMER 2023 | THANOS MAGAZINE
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