Are you dying to know the Top 5 Funeral Industry Trends for 2012?

TORONTO, Jan. 30, 2012 /CNW/ - From designing a head stone online to a portal for after death messaging, 2012 is ushering in changes big and small to the funeral industry, according to Canada's first Internet funeral service company, Basic Funerals and Cremation Choices, www.basicfunerals.ca

This year will see changes within the industry - some good and others not so good. Here, below, are the top 5 trends for 2012 as provided by Eric Vandermeersch, CEO, Basic Funerals and Cremation Choices:

1. Online Becomes the Preference - Arranging funerals online will continue to grow as families realize significant cost savings, as well as convenience. 
2. Law Change Hurts the Little Guy - A new law in Ontario will allow big cemetery companies to put funeral homes on their properties, possibly putting small, local funeral homes out of business. This will create less choice for families.
3. Technology Puts 'cyber' in Stone - Canadians can now design head stones online, making it easy to do so from the comfort of their homes.
4. Saying 'I Love You' From The Beyond - Lifeplace.com is a new destination for after-death messaging.
5. Gobble Up Part II - A renewed consolidation within the funeral industry may lead to higher funeral prices.

"It's exciting to see the industry finally evolving and we'd like to think that we have helped to shake it up," explains Dominic Mazzone, Chairman, Basic Funerals, www.basicfunerals.ca.

Licensed in May, 2009, Basic Funerals, www.basicfunerals.ca, charges fees which are roughly half of those charged by conventional funeral homes. The company is based on an entirely different and unique business model, omitting infrastructure costs and utilizing economies of scale.

According to Mr. Mazzone, "95% of our families arrange services with our company online and over the phone but we also serve families by meeting them right in the comfort of their own home."  In fact, www.basicfunerals.ca features a 'Real Time Chat' option, providing instant access to a conversation with a funeral director.

How it works:
1 - First Contact
Inform Basic Funerals that someone has passed away. This can be done on the website with easy-to-use contact forms, the real-time chat option or simply by calling at any time, 24 hours per day, and 7 days per week.

2 - The Arrangement Process
No matter the choices, the arrangement process is simple and easy. Basic Funerals offers online and over the phone arrangements as well as in person (either in-home or at an arrangement location).

3 - Serving All Needs
Depending on the choice of services, Basic Funerals will follow through with everything necessary, including the transfer from the place of death, required documentation including CPP forms and proof of death certificates.

Basic Funerals and Cremation Choices, www.basicfunerals.ca, is the first funeral establishment to provide the complete convenience of making funeral arrangements online, over the phone or in person.  Licensed funeral directors are available anytime to guide people through the entire arrangement process

For further information on www.basicfunerals.ca, or to interview Dominic Mazzone or Eric Vandermeersch please contact Teresa Donia at iAMBIC Communications, 905-508-5550 or [email protected]