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Editor's Note: Beginning in 2003, Matthews Cremation Division (MCD)
conducted an intensive consumer research study on all aspects of cremation.
Conducted by market strategy firm Competitive Resources, Inc., the study
focused on six major topics:
This article is the fifth in that series.
It's a well-known fact that the consumers (and the media) love a scandal,
so it's no surprise that both have been paying extra attention to the recent
crematory scandals. Recent Matthew's research shows the after-effects are
clear: almost all of the consumers participating in a recent study felt more
concerned about the way crematories are run, and were interested in ways to
protect themselves (and their loved ones). Even when they can't cite a scandal
by name, they know that "problems" can happen, and they're interested in
ways to prevent them.
The challenge gets more interesting when we consider the possible solutions.
Even though consumers clearly want to know more, there is a strong resistance
to knowing "too much" about what goes on inside the crematory. While there
are certainly some people who want to know, see and do everything, our
research showed the majority of consumers are selective about the involvement
they want. It's a love-hate relationship - they love having the control,
but they hate visiting the crematory to get it.
Chain of Custody - Influence of uncertainty
No one
could have predicted that the tiny town of Noble, GA would change the
cremation industry forever. Unfortunately, the Tri-State crematory tragedy
(and the media explosion that followed it) touched the psyches of consumers
all over the country. People who would never have given a second thought
to funerals and cremations are now feeling uneasy. In our research, some
participants even used the term "chain-of-custody" to describe their concerns.
In a post Tri-State world, consumers are suspicious about both the process
and the result. Because they're fairly uninformed about cremations, however,
their suspicions are vague, and difficult to pin down. They want to know
that "things are being done right" but they don't have well-founded opinions
about how we make that happen.
What they have instead is uncertainty, and lots of it. But if that's the
bad news, the good news is they generally trust the funeral home to resolve
it. They want a credible, sincere reassurance from their funeral directors
that they're on top of the situation - that their loved ones will be handled
with dignity and professionalism regardless of where the cremation is
actually performed.
Consumers' Addiction - Information and Control
One
of the biggest changes in retail is the consumers' insatiable desire for
information and control. We see it in the growth of Internet shopping, and
of course in the explosive growth of big-box retailers like Home Depot and
Wal-Mart who offer so much under one roof. Consumers are choosing to spend
their money and time where they can be in control. The huge selections
and 24-hour availability let them buy on their own terms - what they want,
where they want it, and when they're ready to shop. Then if anything isn't
to their liking - they feel perfectly entitled to return it. They're
addicted to having more information and control in every part of the process.
It's not surprising to find that same urge for information and control
in the cremation business. We see it in the growth of comparison shopping
and the demand for more selection. Above all, we see it in the demand for
accountability, where they expect (and require) that the funeral director
take personal responsibility for every aspect for the cremation.
We also see it in the growing preference for one-stop shopping. Once
they've developed a relationship with the funeral director, our consumers
would clearly like to make the most of it - by having the funeral home
handle as much of their deathcare need as possible - everything from cap
panels to catering.
The most obvious opportunity for information and control came in our
discussions of an "on-site" crematory. Our consumers were unanimously
positive about the funeral home owning its own cremator. For them it meant
having a chance to leverage their trusting relationship with the funeral
director - reducing the possibility for error and the odds of being "taken
advantage of" financially.
The alternative - an off-site, third-party crematory - elicited negative
comments from our consumers. They talked about a greater need for reassurance,
and many shared stories of their stressful experiences with third-party services.
Compared to the trust they felt with their funeral directors, the off-premise
approach made them feel out of control, and opened the door for real doubts.
Time isn't always a luxury
The issue of time was
another example of our consumers' love-hate relationship with the industry.
On one hand, choosing cremation afforded many of our families considerably
more time - a luxury they clearly loved. Having time to plan the service
and fly-in distant relatives was a strong positive.
On the other hand, they felt strongly negative about any extra time in
the handling of the cremation itself. Some of the most common negative
comments were related to delays in cremating the body, or delays in returning
the remains. Most consumers felt that it was reasonable to expect the
return of cremated remains within 2-3 days from arranging these services.
One quiet, soft-spoken woman shared the story of waiting nearly a week
to get her mother's cremated remains. She was haunted by the mental image
of her mother "just lying there waiting" for days. As her story unfolded,
it was clear that these haunting images resonated with the other participants
in the session. Even if nothing like this had happened to them, it was all
too easy for them to imagine that it might. These same people were very
willing, almost eager, to believe that a funeral home with its own crematory
wouldn't allow this kind of thing to happen.
Clearly, turnaround time on cremation is a sensitive issue for many people.
In today's media environment, they're ready and willing to interpret any delay
as likely evidence of a problem - conjuring up their own visions of a loved
one "just lying there."
Putting Their Money Where Their Mouths Are
When we
encountered these strong positive feelings about the on-site crematory, we
quickly put them to a more practical test: pricing. We asked our participants
if they would be willing to pay more for a firm with an on-site crematory.
Their responses were quick and clear - a definite yes.
We took successive groups through a range of costs - $100 more, then $200
and $300 more than a firm using third-party services. These consumers
recognized the investment involved, and were willing to pay more for the
added security and convenience of an on-premise crematory. It is important
to also note that while most people were willing to spend the additional
monies, there was still a disclaimer - a cap placed on the value of these
services. "I'm willing to spend more, but it has to be within reason."
Clearly whatever goodwill we generate will be neutralized if we cross the
line and make the price difference hard to swallow.
The Execution Chamber
During our research sessions,
we discussed an industry trend to design crematories with a chapel or viewing
window for families to make their last goodbyes before the cremation itself.
This trend is growing rapidly, and many of our funeral colleagues speak
positively about theirs and their families' experiences with it. At Matthews
Cremation Division, we even designed a prototype viewing room that we brought
to a national convention.
When we unveiled this concept for our consumers, their response took us
by surprise. We showed a number of different approaches, with curtains,
formal and informal chapel settings, etc. Despite the fact that they all
felt a final goodbye was important, the setting itself was overwhelmingly
negative.
Their comments were telling. Some compared it to an execution chamber,
where the convict was about to receive his lethal injection. Others compared
it to a morgue, identifying the loved one's remains. There was near unanimous
agreement that they didn't want that to be their last view of a loved one.
All the warm feelings associated with the final goodbye were neutralized by
the cold, impersonal reality of the industrial equipment. Clearly any final
viewing space needs to be completely different from the cremator itself.
Family Participation?
There is also a growing number
of crematories that have remote control panels (and separate viewing rooms)
that allow the families to participate in starting the process. When we asked
our consumers about their comfort level with this idea, the answer was a
resounding "no thanks!" While in some cultures, the rituals associated
with preparing the body and participating in the cremation process are
essential components for life everlasting, this was clearly not the case
with our consumers. Direct involvement was a definite negative with these
consumers and too much information made them really uncomfortable.
The concept of a remote control panel and direct family participation
made many of our consumers cringe. I believe we may have stumbled down a
dangerous path with family involvement strategies like these. We have to
keep in mind the excellent advice of Professor Roger Blackwell, who said:
"We must be especially careful to avoid doing better those things
we shouldn't be doing at all."
In trying to dress-up and improve the opportunities for family involvement,
we may be misunderstanding our competitive situation. While consumers are
definitely, strongly positive about an on-site cremator, we shouldn't
mistake this for a wish to actually see it. Where we believe we are doing
a good thing by keeping the family involved, removing doubts and creating
security, the exact opposite may be developing.
Imagine that a family has a choice between two firms: one that requires
a viewing at the crematory and another that uses bracelets or some other
system to give a reliable reassurance. Assuming comparable pricing, which
one will the family choose? In our quest to create a marketable asset for
ourselves, we may in fact be creating a market liability.
In summary, it's clear that consumers are positive about an on-site
crematory, and they are willing to reward our investment by paying more
for our service. Still, we must not lose sight of why many of them choose
cremation in the first place. They want more service, accountability,
information and control. At the same time, they want fewer decisions and
less involvement. This is a delicate balance we have to accept and embrace
in order to succeed in today's business climate.
Steven Schaal is the Division Manager - Sales and Marketing for the
Matthews Cremation Division. He can be reached at sschaal@matw.com.
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