SAIF Golden Charter

Customer demand for online pricing

New research shows that 86% of people would like to compare the cost of funerals before contacting a funeral director.

The independent study, carried out on behalf of localfuneral.co.uk, evidences the clear customer demand for the transparent pricing of funerals. Meanwhile, the Competition & Markets Authority has flagged transparency as a key focus of its continuing investigation into the funeral sector.

The survey also suggests that displaying pricing increases trust in a local funeral business, with 76% of respondents agreeing with that statement.

When online pricing was added to localfuneral.co.uk late in 2019, Jeff Gascoigne of A. J. Gascoigne & Son told SAIFInsight why his firm had chosen to add this information to their listing.

“Traditionally, families have used the same company where they’ve received a good service in the past, and word of mouth is also a big factor. However, in this age of technology, more people are looking online for services and localfuneral.co.uk is featured heavily on funeral searches.

“That means if you’re not on there, you won’t get noticed. If your prices aren’t listed then there’s a good chance you’ll be overlooked by the customer as they want to know upfront what they’re getting for their money.”

Since then, many more independent businesses have listed the price of a simple funeral on their profile. This acts as a guide price which can then be tailored depending on the individual needs of the family when they get in touch.

Malcolm Flanders, Director of Emerging Market Insight at Golden Charter, said: “With the number of enquiries made through the site increasing by 26% during April to July this year, compared with the same period in 2019, it’s clear that localfuneral.co.uk represents a great opportunity for Independents to reach families searching for a funeral director online.

“The new normal is seeing more people than ever using the internet and making your prices visible is a business imperative. What’s more, localfuneral.co.uk, which is exclusive to independent businesses, is completely free to both funeral directors and customers, so there’s no reason not to give it a try.”

All Independent funeral directors who are members of SAIF, the NAFD or the IAFD are eligible to join.

For support with adding pricing to your profile or setting up your business profile on localfuneral.co.uk, by email, or call 0141 938 6384.