Several recent studies have a lot of great news for online obituary companies. Even though most consumers initially have a preference for print obituaries, the more they learn about both traditional print and online obituaries, the more they prefer the online option. Few consumers have any experience with or spend any time thinking about, obituaries until they experience the loss of a loved one.
People Are Shocked by How Much Newspapers Charge for Obituaries
The company AdPay recently conducted an in-depth survey about what consumers knew and felt about obituaries. One of the key findings was that there was a large gap between the number of people who intended to buy a print obituary and the number of people who actually made the purchase.
Why would so many people change their mind about purchasing a traditional print obituary?
The answer is in the numbers. The study also looked at what people expected to pay and what the actual costs were. Consumers expected an obituary in a city newspaper to cost between $113 and $129. But, the actual average cost is between $263 and $326, depending on the size of the publication.
The numbers are clear. A lot of people don’t buy print obituaries because of sticker shock.
The More Consumers Learn About Online Obituaries the Better They Like Them
Another industry survey showed that even among people who initially preferred a print obituary, the more consumers learned about online obituaries the more they liked them. In other words, the more information consumers had about their options, the more they preferred online obituaries. In fact, 55.6% of people planned to only list an obituary online after receiving information about the costs and flexibility of online obituaries. 31.5% of the respondents opted for both a print and an online obituary. Just 12.9% of the respondents wanted only a traditional print obituary.
The survey found that the following were the most attractive features of an online obituary:
- Cost savings
- Guestbook for family and friends to sign
- Ability to share however you want
- The fact that the obituary would be available forever
- The ability to change or update the obituary
- Ad-free obituaries
Other Interesting Numbers About Obituaries
The data shows some other interesting things about people’s feelings about obituaries. When asked if they would consider submitting only an online obituary if it means a savings of $100 or more. Almost 75% of the respondents said they would definitely consider only submitting an online obituary.
This is particularly interesting because according to the data, most people underestimate the cost of a traditional print obituary by more than $100.
The three most popular ways people planned on sharing an online obituary were Facebook, email, and through text messages.
The most popular way for people to find a particular obituary was not buying a newspaper. The most popular method was an internet search. Given demographic shifts, it seems highly likely that internet searches will only become more popular as the main way people find specific obituaries.
Online obituaries are already growing fast. The more people learn about this option the more popular it becomes. MyObits has the best option to avoid expensive traditional obituaries. Follow this link to learn more: MyObits
