Planning a funeral for a loved one is an emotional experience—and oftentimes, the grief some feel causes them to struggle interacting with others. In order to avoid making another emotional decision in person, some folks resort to purchasing funeral products and memorialization items online, from the comfort of their home.
Research shows online sales made up nearly 4.2% of all purchases in 2010. A decade later in 2020, online purchases quadrupled, making up more than 16% of all sales. Online shopping is a reality for almost every industry—even for funeral and memorialization products.
Although purchasing online is simple and quick, that doesn’t automatically make it your best option when it comes to funeral products. Continue reading to learn four reasons you should shop for funeral products in person.
Higher Quality Memorialization Items
Convenience almost never compares to quality when it comes to purchasing funeral products.
Although the convenience and low prices of online shopping is undeniable, it’s likely you end up paying a higher price for often-lower quality funeral products. To keep prices low, many online retailers use cheap material for caskets, plastic-made remembrance items and basic urns that easily break or scratch.
Alternatively, a local funeral home with an on-site remembrance center offers only high-quality funeral products with a wide selection, so you can choose which will best memorialize the life of your lost loved one.
Not only that, shopping for funeral products online doesn’t give you the opportunity to see and touch anything to ensure quality. In-person shopping, on the other hand, provides a remembrance center full of product offerings and keepsakes.
>>> Related Resource: Benefits of a Funeral Home With an On-Site Remembrance Center
Guidance From a Caring Staff
No matter if you choose burial or cremation for your loved one, there are set processes you will need to go through to select funeral products associated with each option.
Shopping in person gives you the opportunity and benefit to work with a caring staff member who knows the funeral products being offered like the back of their hand—they always ensure no questions go unanswered.
Having guidance from a funeral home staff member provides peace of mind that you’ll be receiving the highest quality of product that is fit and unique to your loved one. Even more, your chosen funeral home staff can confirm that products are in stock so you won’t have to worry about shipping delays, or something getting lost or damaged during shipping.
Proper Casket and Urn Sizes
A common mistake families make when purchasing funeral products online is buying the improper size casket or urn for their loved one. Oftentimes individuals under (or over) estimate how much space their loved one or their cremated remains will need for their final resting place.
Experts say only 10% of the entire population will not fit in a standard sized casket—a standard sized casket is 24 inches in width and 79 inches in length. That said:
- It’s likely most funeral homes will have a proper sized casket for your loved one when you’re shopping in person.
And
- You likely don’t need to look for a custom-built final resting place for your loved one online.
Enhanced Personalization for Your Loved One
A funeral or memorial service should be a celebration of life—and online retailers oftentimes don’t care. Shopping online for funeral products without ever discussing your wants and needs with a real human can diminish the personalized value of your loved one’s legacy.
Shopping in person at a remembrance center gives your family the chance to browse and select the personalization items you’d like to honor your loved one. This eases the purchasing process because all necessary items are on-site for you to see and touch.
A funeral home with an on-site remembrance center provides families with an opportunity to choose from a variety of service personalization options and even accepts unique requests such as:
- A service framed as four quarters of a football game that closes with music from the Ohio State Marching Band for your loved one who was an OSU fan.
- A service showcasing the similar characteristics to those of Marvel superheroes for your loved one who was a Marvel fan.
- A service held under a tent at a favorite golf course for your loved one who was an avid golfer.
>>>Related Resource: 8 Unique Funeral Services We’ve Seen
Busch Remembrance Centers
Our Avon Lake, Elyria, Fairview Park and Parma funeral home locations feature modern remembrance centers that are complete with memorial, funeral, burial and cremation offerings. Visit one of our remembrance centers today to browse the following product offerings:
- Bereavement and sympathy gifts.
- Flowers.
- Literature, cards and stationary.
- Memorial candles.
- Decorative cremation urns.
- Garden urns.
- Items for pet memorials.
- Keepsake jewelry.
- Steel and hardwood caskets, burial containers and vaults.
Funeral Product and Service Checklist
Whether you’re planning a funeral for a loved one or preplanning your own final arrangements, our funeral planning checklist will help you ensure all your Ts are crossed when it comes to securing all the proper funeral products. Download your free copy today.
Meghan Burmeister
Skillfully and compassionately manages our Avon and Avon Lake locations. Meghan and her husband, Bill, enjoy vacations with their son Otto, while also supporting community, church and school events. Graciously serving Busch families since 1998.
