Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Funeral eCommerce: Generate Revenue From Your Funeral Home ...

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The future of your funeral firm comes down to one thing ? adapting to today?s families. Thanks to the Baby Boomers and the explosion of the Internet, your families? and community?s preferences have changed. In order to survive, you?ll need to tap into those changing needs.

If you?re like most funeral professionals, you?re probably searching for better ways to support the emotional needs of your families, and build a deeper connection with your community. Wouldn?t it be great if you could achieve these goals without increasing expenses for your funeral home or your families?

The good news is you can. As an added bonus, you?ll increase your revenue and your bottom line? but how? Funeral homes across the country have discovered a solution to help them do just that. It?s called funeral eCommerce, and it presents a huge opportunity for the funeral profession.

The Opportunity for the Funeral Profession
eCommerce is a well-established online tool that has brought success to many companies (think Amazon and eBay). With $240 million already being spent on sympathy gifts and flowers online every year, eCommerce taps into a newfound revenue stream for the funeral profession.

So how exactly can you leverage this powerful tool to support your families and generate revenue? Try opening an eCommerce store on your website offering sympathy gifts and flowers.

Using funeral eCommerce gives you the ability to sell flowers and sympathy gifts online, positioning your website as a one-stop-shop for your families and community.

Funeral eCommerce: The Facts

? 66% of people prefer to shop online vs. in-store

? 73% of consumers do at least half of their shopping online

? 4 out of 5 consumers shop online for a broader selection

? 97% of online shoppers are motivated by the convenience of shopping online
Why You Should Start Selling Online
?Offering eCommerce on my website isn?t about selling products. It?s about making the selection of a gift or flowers more personal for the community by offering it from a place they already trust and are familiar with.? ? Mandy Rodriguez, Brown Funeral Home & Cremation Services

Increase the Level of Service You Provide Your Community
Your community is eager to support a family who has experienced the loss of a loved one. When a death occurs, your funeral firm?s website is often the first place they go. They?ll visit your site to read an obituary, find out service times, leave a condolence, or sign the online guestbook. Using eCommerce on your website transforms it into a valuable resource that provides a family with a convenient way to show grieving families how much they care.

When you offer families the opportunity to purchase sympathy gifts through your website, you?ve simplified what could be a difficult, time-consuming situation for them. Thanks to you, they won?t have to deal with the hassle of getting to the local florist or gift shop before closing.

?When my uncle passed away I was extremely concerned about his wife and family. So I took the time to go to a local gift store to search for the right gift. I then needed to have it wrapped. All of this took about an hour. I wish I could have purchased the gift directly on the funeral home website.? ? Theresa Berquist, Illinois

Help Your Families Through the Grieving Process
88% of grief therapists agree that sympathy gifts and flowers are an effective aid in the grieving process. By adding the ability to make these purchases on your funeral home website, you?re helping your community support the emotional needs of your families without adding to their funeral service expenses.

Even more, out-of-town families or people who can?t make it to the service can still comfort your families by sending flowers or gifts when they need it most. In fact, more than 80% of online sympathy gift purchases are from out-of-town families.
Uncover a Newfound Stream of Revenue
It?s no secret that funeral firms have been taking a hit over the last couple of years?experiencing more pricing pressure and higher cremation rates?resulting in an overall decline in revenue.

eCommerce uncovers a new, untapped revenue source for the funeral profession. By incorporating an eCommerce store into your funeral firm?s website, you?re tapping into the $240 million industry that already exists. Keep in mind that eCommerce doesn?t take away from the products and services you currently offer. It?s simply an extension of your services for those who are already looking for them online.

Turn Website Traffic Into Dollars
Remember the old adage ?If I had a nickel for every time?I?d be rich?? Well, now you can get a nickel for every visitor to your website. With an eCommerce store, there?s an opportunity to turn every visitor who is reading obituaries, looking up service times and signing online guest books into a paying customer.

Results will vary depending on the funeral eCommerce solution your funeral firm chooses and the products you choose to sell on your website, but with the right solution, you can a earn commissions on every product sold.

Typically No Effort or Investment Required
If you choose the right funeral eCommerce solution, your staff won?t have to take on any new responsibilities. The right vendor handles all of the logistics ? from coordinating with your favorite local florists, to ordering, billing, shipping, and even customer service.

Best of all, some solutions won?t cost you a dime ? regardless of your current website provider. That means if your firm decides eCommerce isn?t for you, there?s no risk or investment to put into it.

Opening an eCommerce store on your website is easier than you think. Every day, more and more funeral homes are turning to this powerful online tool to support their families better and grow their revenue like never before. FBA

Joe Joachim is the CEO and Founder of funeralOne, a technology company transforming the way the world honors life and deals with loss. funeralOne?s solutions include: website design, aftercare, funeral eCommerce, and personalization software. For more information call 866.790-6402, or email info@funeralone.com, or visit the informative website at www.funeralone.com/FBA.

Source: http://www.funeralbusinessadvisor.com/?p=7212

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