As Baby Boomers age, soon Millennials will be the ones funeral planning — often for the first time. The funeral planned by a Millennial may look very different than the funeral planned by someone of a different generation.

However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Each generation just has its own preferences based on the world they grew up in. For this reason, the changes and trends in the funeral profession go hand in hand with generational influences.

That’s why it’s important your funeral home understands the wants and needs of Millennials. Below are a few ways you can cater to them.

Create Personalized Funerals

Funeral personalization is a major way you can cater to Millennials. They care more about experiences rather than things, so having a meaningful funeral experience is a must-have. After all, it’s often said that funerals are for the living. It gives those who are grieving an opportunity to process their loss and find support. However, it should reflect the unique life being honored.

Since this may be their first funeral planning experience, remember to explain everything in simple terms. Also, don’t leave out any details — as they may be unaware of them altogether. And while death positivity is on the rise, not all Millennials have caught up with this yet. They may not be super open to talking about death, so make the process as comfortable as possible.

Explore Alternative Burial Options

Many Millennials don’t want a traditional burial service. Some of them prefer cremation and green options like natural burial, aquamation, or even human composting. And who knows what other burial options will be out there in the future. If your funeral home hasn’t considered offering alternative burial options, now may be the time to start.

Before making any major decisions, you should conduct some marketing research in your community. See what families in your area prefer when it comes to end-of-life arrangements. If you find that more people are interested in these alternative burial options, it may be something to seriously consider adding to your services.

Make the Most of Technology

Millennials use technology in everyday life, so they expect the same for funerals — for both the funeral planning process and the funeral itself. That means having a responsive funeral home website is a must. Just having a website is no longer good enough. If your website isn’t user-friendly, it’s hurting your business rather than helping it.

For example, here at Frazer Consultants, we design responsive websites for funeral homes. We also offer other technology solutions including Tribute Center. With this tool, you can create funeral stationery products, Tribute Videos, and so much more. Plus, it integrates with your Frazer-powered website to save you time and eliminate double data entry.

Listen to What Millennials Say

Most importantly, listen to what Millennials have to say. Hearing their preferences directly from the source is the best way to understand their funeral desires. Marketing research is vital to business success. Of course, not everyone perfectly fits the mold of their generation. But, as a Millennial myself, funeral personalization, alternative burial options, and technology are all must-haves when it comes to funerals. They’re not just wants; they’re needs.