Middle-aged: Plans should be bought outside funeral home
New research by funeral planning firm, Golden Leaves has revealed that 62% of middle-aged consumers, believe funeral plans should be purchased outside of the funeral home.
A survey which questioned 1,050 consumers between the ages of 50 and 85 on their perceptions of the funeral planning sector, also revealed that over a third of consumers aged 50 – 65 felt anxious or distressed with the idea of having to visit a funeral parlour in order to purchase a funeral plan.
This behaviour was confirmed by the fact 65% of respondents within this age bracket who had purchased a plan, had done so via a funeral planning firm, financial advisor or legal services company. In analysing the responses, both consumer behaviour towards purchasing the product and perception towards funeral parlours, does change with age.
Results showed over half of consumers between the ages of 66 – 85 didn’t believe funeral plans should be associated with ‘later life’ planning products, while 84% said they didn’t feel anxious or concerned with having to purchase a funeral plan directly from a funeral parlour.
Barry Floyd, managing director of Golden Leaves, said: “This latest research is extremely telling and very much aligns with Golden Leaves’ experience of consumer behaviour in the purchase of funeral plans spanning the last decade at least.
“For many people, entering a funeral parlour can seem a finite experience, yet they understand the importance of having a funeral plan in place to avoid burdening their loved ones with associated costs.
He added: “Therefore, for consumers in the 50–65 age demographic, aligning funeral plans with other ‘later-life’ planning products, such as will writing, is a natural association that focuses on the importance of maintaining control, whilst removing it from a morbid funeral parlour environment.”
