The need for change: Becoming a price transparent industry

The internet has changed everything for consumers. At the touch of a button or swipe of a phone screen, you can check a price and shop around for where, when and how you can get your goods or service at the best price. The retail industry has made major strides in innovating within this arena whether it’s facilitating an offline-online shopper journey, enhancing services through online channels or by price matching. But why are the needs and wants of consumers being met - and even anticipated - in one sector but almost ignored in another?

The funeral industry is vastly different to day-to-day retail but at the core of both sectors is the commitment to provide a service. And in a field which is so emotionally-driven, meeting people’s needs should be the number one priority.

The shocking reality is that the average cost of a simple funeral has reached a price of nearly £4,000. That’s a major financial spend. If you were buying anything else with this price tag – such as a wedding, holiday or car – you wouldn’t hesitate to shop around. And 85% of consumers expect funeral prices to be published online* which enable them to do so. However, this is not the case. Having worked as a funeral arranger and also, sadly, organising my own family’s funerals, I’ve seen first-hand how the bereaved suffer from the lack of price transparency in the industry. Funeral directors will know what a big emotional step it is to meet a funeral arranger and discuss the death of a loved one; it’s certainly not something people want to repeat several times in a bid to shop around. Moreover, you want the best for your loved one and may not feel that you can push back on cost or be seen to be ‘skimping’. I’ve experienced this from both sides of the fence. The industry needs to be more innovative about how it tackles price transparency and ensure that it’s supporting the bereaved at a time when they need it most.

It was shocking to read the recent story about how an Australian website was threatened with legal action from funeral directors after the founder posed as a mystery shopper to publish funeral prices online. As an industry, why are they so protective over their prices? The About the Funeral price comparison site is a different model from this Australian example, only featuring funeral directors’ pricing who sign up to the site and so maintain the accuracy of it. We also publish reviews which provides a way for people to sift the basic facts and provides the subjective information that completes the picture of the value of the service. However, we do experience resistance from some quarters who say they are against publishing their pricing online. Perhaps the fear is that they may not be the most affordable but a funeral isn’t about getting the cheapest deal, it’s about the best value; getting a package or service that’s right for the family at a price they can afford and even reducing the potential risk of a funeral director not getting paid.  

To me, it’s not just about meeting consumer demand; it’s about the responsibility we all have to someone suffering from a loss. From experience I know that when you’re bereaved, you don’t have the emotional energy to shop around.  People could end up paying more than they can afford because their usual consumer savviness has been overtaken by emotion - and that has consequences for the entire industry.

I’m proud that the funeral directors who have signed up to About the Funeral are vociferous about this very message and I strongly believe that these advocates are the leaders of a disruption that’s long overdue for the industry.

* According to the 2016 YouGov poll ‘Funerals Matter’ commissioned by the National Association of Funeral Directors and Cruse Bereavement Care

About the Funeral:

About the Funeral is a price comparison and review website, enabling visitors to tailor a funeral to their exact wishes and compare funeral directors on price and quality of service. Users are then free to contact the funeral director after considering all the options, in their own time, and when they are emotionally able. As well as comparing funeral prices, About the Funeral also compares the costs of prepaid funeral plans.

About the Funeral has launched thanks to financial support from investment fund Inspire Wales, backed by some of Wales’ best entrepreneurs; including the founders of price-comparison website GoCompare, including the CEO Hayley Parsons and Finance and Marketing Director, Kevin Hughes, who is also on her board. Work is now underway to finalise the site which includes a free bereavement support and funeral planning magazine with expert advice from counsellors, legal and financial professionals as well as bereavement survivors.

Kim Bird:

Kim Bird is founder and MD of About the Funeral. With a background in IT sales and marketing, Kim moved to become a funeral arranger 18 years ago alongside volunteering with SCI, now Dignity, one of the UK’s largest funeral plan companies.  

Kim is also a member of the Cross Party Group for Funerals and Bereavement at the National Assembly of Wales, and a member of her own local Cruse Bereavement Care committee.  She has even received support from Rt Hon Frank Field MP, Chair of the Department of Work and Pensions which is responsible for the funeral payment benefit available to those who simply haven’t the means to pay for even the most basic funeral.

Source: Brand Content - http://brandcontent.co.uk/