August 13, 2020
Published by 
Dan Isard on August 13, 2020
Dan Isard on August 13, 2020Editor’s Note: This is the second article in a two-part series on the results of a survey The Foresight Companies commissioned on the effect COVID-19 has had on how consumers think of funeral service. Last month, I began to share my thoughts about the future of funeral service, based on facts collected from a nationwide survey of more than 2,500 consumers. In case you either don’t remember or did not read last month’s article, we surveyed people throughout the United States and asked them to tell us their thoughts on more than 80 points of interest dealing with consumers’ expectations of the funeral and cemetery professions. We asked them to tell us what their thoughts were before COVID-19, during their self-isolation period, and what they perceived would be their expectations post COVID-19. We asked them this on the weekend just […]
July 22, 2020
Published by 
Gabriel Ngo on July 22, 2020
Gabriel Ngo on July 22, 2020One of the hottest topics coming out of the Foresight Funeral and Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study has been Pricing. Gabe Ngo, Director of Business Development, provides some insights on how to be more transparent with pricing. Question #1: How do we best address price transparency, given the complex design of the GPL? Question #2: How do I put my complicated FTC mandated pricing online in a way the consumer will understand and not drive the consumer away? Gabe Ngo: These are two great questions that I would like to attempt to tackle in answering them together. Yes, General Price List (GPL) requirements are complex and complicated—most notably for the lay person and consumer to follow and understand. On the surface, it is actually quite easy to just have your GPL scanned and posted on your website in the name of […]
July 17, 2020
Published by Dan Isard on July 17, 2020
Dan Isard on July 17, 2020Editor’s Note: This is the first article in a two-part series on the results of a survey The Foresight Companies commissioned on the effect COVID-19 has had on how consumers think of funeral service. On Jan. 1st, we all thought Corona was a beer. Now, it is the virus that has killed so many, sickened so many more and indelibly struck at all aspects of our lives and livelihoods. It is a moment in our history more impactful than the Battle of Concord, the attack on Pearl Harbor and the multiple attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, all rolled up together. Funeral service stood tall during the initial outbreak. Many went into the hot zones to help the living care for their dead. Many worked long days for numerous weeks under conditions that were a risk to their own safety. This […]
June 26, 2020
Published by 
Nicole Vullo on June 26, 2020
Nicole Vullo on June 26, 2020Pandemic drives funeral industry to speed up adoption of technology By Danny King, Houston Chronicle Contributor June 22, 2020 COVID-19 has forced Houston’s prominent funeral services industry to look to the future to better honor those who’ve passed. With coronavirus-related state mandates limiting gatherings to 10 people until late last month, funeral home operators continue to be obligated to reduce the number of an event’s attendees to 50 percent of capacity for indoor spaces. As a result, such businesses have rapidly turned to online tools such as Facebook Live and Zoom to allow more people to attend funerals virtually while more are regularly adopting the practice of selling their products online instead of in person. “Broadly, the industry has been 10 to 15 years behind the times from a technological perspective,” said Chris Cruger, chief operating officer of Phoenix-based funeral […]
June 16, 2020
Published by 
Foresight on June 16, 2020
Foresight on June 16, 2020“Funeral homes adjust to virtual demand” was the top story in the Daily Independent on June 15th, highlighting key findings in Foresight’s groundbreaking study created to understand consumer attitudes, perceptions and behaviors about the funeral and cemetery industry prior to, during, and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Chris Caraveo, a reporter for the Daily Independent, recently interviewed Chris Cruger, Chief Operating Officer of the Foresight Companies, to review the key findings of our Funeral and Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study. Daily Independent refers to the new fact that 75% of consumers want pricing online — a practice virtually unheard of in the funeral home industry prior to the Covid-19 pandemic — and many consumers will not do business with providers who do not deliver transparency. “The resulting business implications the study points to are colossal — especially for a sector largely unchanged […]
June 11, 2020
Published by 
Curtis Rostad on June 11, 2020
Curtis Rostad on June 11, 2020The 2020 Funeral and Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study that the Foresight Companies recently completed made it very clear that consumers want price information online. In fact, over half of them said that they would not do business with a funeral home that did not clearly show their pricing on their website. That is a huge statistic–the potential of half of your consumers choosing a competitor simply because you are not being transparent with your pricing. This should not surprise anyone We are all used to shopping online. Can you imagine Amazon without prices and having to call to get a price on an item before you bought it? Of course not. You would not tolerate that and increasingly, consumers are saying they will not tolerate that with funeral service either. There are two common pushbacks from funeral homes when we […]
June 5, 2020
Published by Foresight on June 5, 2020
Foresight on June 5, 2020On June 4th, we were honored and pleased to share with you, The Foresight Companies 2020 Funeral and Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study: Insights & Key Findings Webinar. We hope that the information presented was insightful and eye-opening for you and your business especially during these uncertain and trying times. We are happy to share with you some content we feel will be most useful as we learn to adapt our business operations to the new normal. Watch the recording of the webinar now to learn about our study! The COVID-19 Pandemic has presented us all with unparalleled challenges we never expected. We here are at The Foresight Companies want to be your resource for all things related to managing your business operations. All of us here at Foresight want you to know that we are moving forward, together. Rely on us […]
June 3, 2020
Published by Foresight on June 3, 2020
Foresight on June 3, 2020The COVID-19 pandemic has forever impacted consumer attitudes and behaviors in three key areas of the funeral and cemetery business including the buying and shopping process, the necessity of physical presence to support loved ones in their time of need, and the influence of technology on both. The video below from ABC 13 Houston gives more insight into our Consumer Behavior Study on the Funeral & Cemetery profession during the COVID-19 pandemic. (This video was reshared with permission from ABC 13 Houston)
May 28, 2020
Published by 
Nina Renee on May 28, 2020
Nina Renee on May 28, 2020“Coronavirus Pandemic Forces the Funeral Industry Online” was the top story in CNBC Business News on May 27th, referring to key findings in Foresight’s revolutionary study designed to understand consumer attitudes, perceptions and behaviors about the funeral and cemetery industry prior to, during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Jane Wells, a prominent reporter for CNBC news, recently interviewed Chris Cruger, Chief Operating Officer of the Foresight Companies, to discuss key findings of The Foresight Companies 2020 Funeral and Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study. CNBC highlighted the fact that the $20 billion funeral and cemetery industry is being forced to meet the challenging desires of the customer. Wells noted that online price transparency and live-streaming of funeral services may be the norm going forward, even as the country begins to open up. She also emphasized that people are increasingly preplanning their funeral […]
May 28, 2020
Published by Nicole Vullo on May 28, 2020
Nicole Vullo on May 28, 2020REGISTER TODAY FOR OUR LIVE WEBINAR Thursday, June 4, 202010:00 AM (Arizona/PDT) / 1:00 PM EDT (One Hour) The pandemic has significantly altered consumer attitudes and behaviors in three key areas of the funeral and cemetery business – the buying and shopping process, the necessity of physical presence to support loved ones in their time of need, and the influence of technology on both. These new attitudes and behaviors will change the way funeral and cemetery professionals conduct and grow their business. Don’t be left behind!This according to The Foresight Companies 2020 Funeral and Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study. The pandemic has necessitated consumer use of technology to adapt their behaviors to a business steeped in tradition, and the survey makes clear that these behavior changes are here to stay. For example, 75% of consumers now want pricing online – a practice virtually unheard of today, and […]
May 27, 2020
Published by Nicole Vullo on May 27, 2020
Nicole Vullo on May 27, 2020New survey measures transformations to a historically unchanged industry with lasting implications on buying, celebrations, practices, and physical infrastructure The pandemic has significantly altered consumer attitudes and behaviors in three key areas of the funeral and cemetery business – the buying and shopping process, the necessity of physical presence to support loved ones in their time of need, and the influence of technology on both. This according to The Foresight Companies 2020 Funeral and Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study. The pandemic has necessitated consumer use of technology to adapt their behaviors to a business steeped in tradition, and the survey makes clear that these behavior changes are here to stay. For example, 75% of consumers now want pricing online – a practice virtually unheard of today, and many consumers will not do business with providers who do not deliver transparency. In […]