SHIVA.COM™ and eCONDOLENCE.COMTM INTRODUCE THE FUNERAL HOME ARRANGEMENT CENTER A VIRTUAL ONE-STOP-SHOP FOR ALL END OF LIFE MATTERS
A New Study Reveals that 46 percent of Consumers Will Handle Funeral Arrangements Virtually. From Researching a Funeral Home, to Scheduling Arrangements, Conducting a Viewneral™, and Detailing Preferences for Grief Support, eCondolence.com and shiva.com Deliver Comprehensive Online Solutions and Support for Funeral Homes and Consumers.
Miami, FL – June 3, 2020 – eCondolence.com and shiva.com, the creators of Viewneral™ and the leading companies modernizing the death industry, today announced the launch of the The Funeral Home Arrangement Center, a comprehensive online resource that provides families with an easy and streamlined way to research and schedule funeral arrangements directly with funeral homes from the comfort of their homes. For many funeral homes, this new service is a much needed technological advancement given the pandemic.
“In early March we were inundated with funeral homes and consumers needing an array of end-of-life services, but they didn’t know how to maneuver given the anti-gathering rules and the lack of technology in the death industry,” say Michael Schimmel, CEO of shiva.com and eCondolence.com. “Within five days we launched Viewneral™ and expedited a host of other services that typically occur in person, but now can happen virtually. The result is the The Funeral Home Arrangement Center.”
In addition to scheduling meetings, funerals and Viewnerals™ The Funeral Home Arrangement Center, also provides funeral homes with an increased digital footprint and customer relationship management tools.
According to the recently released The Foresight Companies 2020 Funeral and Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study, the pandemic forced funeral homes and end-of-life care providers to quickly adapt and many still need to.
For example,
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46 percent of consumers say they will now handle funeral arrangements virtually, an activity that has historically only occurred in-person with a funeral director;
- 52 percent say they will only do business with companies that provide online pricing options;
- 43 percent of consumers believe that attending a virtual funeral “demonstrates how much I care,” and there’s a 72 percent increased acceptance of “Viewnerals™” compared to pre-pandemic levels; and
- 40 percent of consumers expect “Viewnerals™” to be available permanently.
eCondolence.com and shiva.com’s Viewneral™ is the first interactive and collaborative virtual wake, funeral, shiva and memorial service that allows families and friends to memorialize, eulogize, and celebrate loved ones in real time from the comfort of their own home. It also provides funeral directors the ability to remotely arrange funerals and aftercare services with families and caregivers.
Schimmel says, “If we look at the wedding industry, all planning, purchasing, coordinating, gifting and even the wedding itself can be conducted online, so can the end of life industry. The pandemic forced many more people to become comfortable with online shopping and purchasing and they will now demand it now from every industry.
On an average day in the United States, there are an estimated 7,700 deaths, excluding Covid-19 victims. With the The Funeral Home Arrangement Center consumers now have the option of making arrangements in person or online.
About eCondolence™ and shiva.com™
As part of the extensive Sympathy Brands portfolio, eCondolence.com and shiva.com™ offer a modern way to plan, schedule and attend end-of-life arrangements, and send meaningful and religious appropriate condolences. Sympathy Brands strategic partners include best-in-class funeral homes, cemeteries, insurance companies, non-profits, bakeries and caterers to make planning and fulfillment supportive, convenient and seamless. For more information please visit eCondolence.com, shiva.com and sympathybrands.com.