Funeral firms in Canada and the United States began to use the term cremation society in the early 1970’s. Service Corporation International, the largest corporate firm, started National Cremation Society in 1973 to serve families interested in cremation as an alternative to ground burial.
Churches got involved as Catholics and cremation came together with a significant change in Church policy. Other churches developed memorial gardens and columbariums where ashes were permanently placed, buried or scattered. The steady trend toward cremation which started in earnest in British and European societies after WW II finally got its start in North America, some thirty years later.
National Cremation Society has developed into a significant business entity. The twenty thousand plus funeral firms of North America are continually adding the terms, cremation society, crematory, cremation service or cremation service center to their business name. This branding is reflective of the choices consumers are making.
Various surveys show that the majority of living Americans prefer cremation. Generally, projections indicate that by 2025, just 15 years away, cremation will surpass ground burial. Catholics and cremation are coming even closer together as Catholic Churches build columbariums for permanent placement of cremated remains. Families, churches and businesses are steadily and surely changing into groups which will eventually accept cremation as the norm for body disposition.
Webster’s definition of society as a group of people sharing a common interest applies to the cremation society. Businesses using this term commonly have paid or unpaid memberships as the initial relationship with consumers.
Those typically evolve into paid contracts on a preneed basis or service contracts at the time of death. This purchasing path is rapidly developing a new beginning point. Consumers are now starting with research or searching on the web for key terms involving the word cremation.
Websites accessed with the terms cremation, National Cremation Society, cremation society, Catholics and cremation allow consumers to learn a great deal before calling any business representative. It doesn’t matter these days whether it’s a car salesman or a funeral director, the consumer wants a certain level of learning and understanding before talking to anyone.
