Self-Serve Obituaries

The Future of Obituaries has Arrived

open laptop

4 Trends Transforming Today’s Obituary Marketplace

Baby Boomers are entering the end-of-life stage over the next twenty years.

The number of people passing away in the U.S. will grow by more than 50% from today through the mid-2040s, as the more than 60 million Baby Boomers age through their 70s into their 80s and 90s. Super-growth of obituaries is there for the taking, but only if newspapers respond to rapidly changing customer needs.

The demand for cremation is increasing and will exceed 50% of all death care choices by 2035 in all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. The National Funeral Directors Association Cremation and Burial Report (NPNFA) 2021 outlines this new reality: By 2040, the U.S. cremation rate is projected to reach 78.4% versus a burial rate of 16.0%. In Canada the growth in cremations is projected to be even higher: 87.9% versus a burial rate of just 10.9%.*

People of all ages are “on the move” these days, thanks to options created by the new remote economy. Baby boomers, however, are unique: they are the first generation likely to have changed cities at least once. Many are now moving a third time, by the hundreds of thousands. Both retirement and soaring home values give Boomers the freedom to relocate. According to Pew Research Center, 2 million boomers a year have retired since 2011; that number increased to 3.2 million people in 2020, when they began resigning from jobs at record levels and cashing in on massive home appreciation.

This generation of digital natives is now responsible for memorializing the Boomers who will pass away in the next decade. They are very comfortable with self-serve options, and the first death notice they write is typically a social media post. They may appreciate a supportive call center that can supply guidance for what goes into an obituary, but they do not “need help” buying online. Newspapers need to make it easy for them and meet high expectations for the online customer experience.

The Obituary Industry Needs Services to Address These Changing Trends

Print

AdPortal Obituaries, ObitPortal provide the widest funnel available for both in and out of market obituaries. Grow revenue and reduce costs with enhanced user experiences suited for both private parties and funeral homes.

The “Ultimate Obituary” featured on Toledo Blade’s AdPortal Obituary site

Online

Legacy.com simply creates the best reader experience possible, while increasing traffic to your pages, in ways that are light years ahead of other companies that simply “post obits” on your website.

Facebook

Targeted Obituaries on Facebook are appealing because they allow an obituary customer to utilize social media to reach additional, highly defined audiences at a minimal cost.

Targeted Obituary Facebook

Tribute Videos

Join thousands of funeral homes who create their videos effortlessly with Tukios. No more scanning photos. No more burning DVDs.

Tribute Print Sections

AdPortal Tributes allows for seamless creation and upsell of special obituary sections using previously stored content. Tributes can be published monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually and paginated as print-ready PDFs or native InDesign files.

Northwest Herald Tributes cover thumbnail

Memorial Trees

Memorial Trees are offered to families and funeral homes seamlessly during the obituary placement process.

Private-Party Network

Users place obituaries in multiple cities without retyping, researching pricing and other repetitive tasks.

Managed Services

Dedicated service agents will answer all calls and emails from your customers, 7-days-a-week and after-hours.

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