Company Hopes Direct Order ‘Designer’ Caskets Will Bury Funeral Home Expenses | News
A business offer “design” boxes hopes to transform an industry that has remained largely unchanged for over a century by using a direct-to-consumer model championed by Amazon.
Titan Casket has partnered with domestic and international manufacturers in an effort to offer customers a wider selection of casket options at lower prices than most funeral homes.
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“Most consumers buy their caskets from the same funeral home where they always bought them. So they don’t buy price,” said Scott Ginsberg, CEO of Titan Casket. Washington Examiner. “As a result, the manufacturer and funeral homes enjoy a profit margin of 200% to 400%. “
In the 1980s, the Federal Trade Commission adopted the funeral rule, which gives an individual the right to purchase the goods and services desired for a funeral service. This allows a consumer to order a casket from another seller and have it shipped to the funeral home of their choice at no additional cost.
American consumers spend about $ 20 billion on funeral services each year, including about $ 4 billion on caskets, according to Ginsberg. The industry is expected to grow in the coming years as the baby boomer generation enters its golden years. The average price of a casket in the United States is currently between $ 2,000 and $ 5,000, depending on the Lincoln Heritage Life Insurance Company.
In order to reduce the cost of funerals, 57.5% of people opt for cremation services, while 36.6% choose burials, according to a report of the National Association of Funeral Directors. This has changed from ten years ago, when burials were more common as cremation.
Space is also starting to become a concern, especially in densely populated cities. Some cemeteries try to combat this by rental of recycled plots. The problem is still less widespread in the United States than in Europe.
Contrary to the dismal nature of the funeral industry, Titan Casket aims to provide consumers with a shopping experience similar to what they might have at mainstream e-commerce providers such as Amazon.
Customers can go to the website and choose from dozens of casket options – they can even create a custom casket. Some of the “designer” casket options include wood, metal, and fabric. There are also various options for internal design and external coloring.
Joshua Siegel, Director of Product for Titan Casket, worked at Amazon for almost 10 years and spent time at the company overseeing the delivery of large and expensive products. Shipping items almost the size of a refrigerator is complicated, he said, and many customers rely on a fast turnaround time.
“It’s not an easy business,” says Siegel. “We have an operations team monitoring every order every day to make sure it arrives on time as this is a business we can’t miss and where we don’t miss out.”
He said Titan Casket relies on multiple warehouses across the United States to ensure quick delivery times. They also predict disruptive events such as inclement weather. Siegel says the company is able to ship its caskets the next day, even those that are custom made. Society says coffins usually arrive within two to six days of ordering.
United States the casket industry is dominated by two major manufacturers: Batesville Casket Company and Matthews International Corp. Washington Examiner reached out to the two for comment on the up-and-coming competitor.
Ginsburg said his company was working with smaller manufacturers to try and offer consumers lower prices. Their prices range from around $ 700 to $ 2,500, which he says is at least 50% cheaper than the cost of the average casket in the United States.
The company started in 2016. It has revamped its website and expanded its digital marketing over the past two years. Ginsberg and Siegel suggested the company has seen significant growth since its recent digital initiatives.
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In addition to providing caskets, the company also helps clients navigate the funeral process. Ginsberg said he found this part of his business very rewarding.
“We’re helping people at the worst time of their lives, and we can be there for them,” Ginsburg said. “It’s really about being and helping their professional best friend.”
Original location: Company Hopes Direct Order “Designer” Caskets Will Bury Funeral Home Expenses
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