Are Baby Boomers Really Changing The Funeral Profession Forever?

The US Census tells us that by 2030, all Baby Boomers will be 65 or older.

This means two things…

One is that Boomers will want to be making decisions about their end-of-life wishes sooner than later.

Two is that many of them will be planning and assisting with the passing of their family members, friends and community.

That means this will be the most active generation in the death profession right now.

So how to better serve them? Offer them what they’re asking for!

In order to do that, we must debunk any myths we may have around Baby Boomers. Because let’s face it, the Baby Boomers are changing the funeral profession forever. And there’s no turning back.

Let’s debunk these Baby Boomer myths one by one:

 

Myth #1: Baby Boomers aren’t interested in conversations about death

Not only are Baby Boomers not scared to talk about their end-of-life options, but in this study funded by the Funeral Service Foundation, many Boomers said they have a huge interest in talking about death. According to that study, after sharing their wishes for their own death event with researchers, “many interviewees hugged their interviewer because they finally had a chance to talk about how they want their end-of-life to be”. Talk about an opportunity to delve in with the Boomers!

 

Myth #2: Baby Boomers don’t want a funeral

It’s true that a recent survey on Baby Boomers has found that 31% of all respondents don’t want a funeral. However there is more to the story. In the same FuneralWise survey, Baby Boomers said they do want a celebration of life. In fact, nearly 50% of respondents said that. So for Baby Boomers it seems that they either want to celebrate and create something meaningful, or not gather at all for their final goodbye. This generation is an all-or-nothing generation, and that means it’s up to our industry to educate them on their options.

 

Myth #3: Baby Boomers want to keep their funeral traditional

In the same study mentioned above by Funeral Wise, only 11% of Baby Boomers reported wanting a traditional funeral. That’s only 1 in 10 people! With cremation and green burial interest on the rise, it’s obvious that changes must be made to our offerings. Our offerings should no longer reflect the needs of the past consumer, but those who are in front of us now! The only way to find out what your community’s Boomers’ want is by asking them, and listening deeply. And we encourage you to do just that 🙂

 

Myth #4: Baby Boomers are out of touch with (or not interested in) adopting technology into their lives

Let’s consider the facts. Seventy-eight percent of Boomers are online. And 71% of them are on social media. On top of that, Baby Boomers spend more time consuming content online than any other generation

In fact, roughly 25% of Boomers spend 20+ hours each week consuming content in the virtual world. This all means that Baby Boomers are more than interested in adopting technology into their lives, and especially in their end-of-life planning. This may be why so many tech start-ups are sprouting up new pre-planning tools and platforms. 

 

Myth #5: Baby Boomers aren’t concerned with wellness trends

One of the newest wellness trends is, strangely, death. Death Doulas. Grief Retreats. Grief Coaches. Soul Midwives. Death Cafes. Death Positive talks. These are all slowly becoming huge topics in the wellness community, which is dominated by the Millennial generation. However, to assume Boomers are not into these wellness trends and conversations would be missing a major bus. 

In fact, 68% of Baby Boomers rank a healthy lifestyle as top priority for them. And, more and more Boomers are starting to dominate the wellness industry online too as influencers. This means that following all the trends the Millennials are going crazy on might just be worth your time. Because soon enough, the Boomers will be on them too. 

 

What Boomers really want

From our own statistics, we’ve found what Boomers want, and offer some resources for you to dive deeper into each of these needs:

  • A celebration of life (read more on this topic)
  • Unique, meaningful funeral options  (read more on this topic)
  • To pre-plan their funerals (read more on this topic)
  • To research their funeral options online  (read more on this topic)
  • For their funeral to be their crowning performance  (read more on this topic)

 

How the funeral profession can adapt

We recognize adapting to change is not easy. Especially when you’ve been doing the same things for generations! In this new age of consumerism we see that the customer, or client family, is truly the star of the show. Without adapting to their needs, we risk becoming irrelevant or out of touch with the program. So remember to pay attention, listen, and most importantly… adapt. Or… let your funeral business die. It’s as simple as that.

 

A funeral website platform that can adapt

Thankfully, f1Connect is a funeral home website platform that is constantly adapting with the needs of today’s client family. Learn more by scheduling a free, in-depth website consultation with one of funeralOne’s Website Success Specialists. To schedule your consultation, click here or give us a call at 800-798-2575, ext. 5!

 

What else have you learned about Baby Boomers? Tell us about it in the comments below!

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