While the deceased may not care much about the price of being laid to quietus , their loved ones certainly do , and the process can be expensive . With theaveragecost of afuneralin the United States nearly $ 8000 , it only makes sense that a market place disruptor could make some headway .
It turns out someone has . Their ecological niche ? unmediated - to - consumer casket .
Titan Casket , which was founded in 2016,announcedearlier this year that their year - over - year sale grow by 400 pct in 2021 . That ’s a jolly astounding number consider the conventional pipeline for funeral goods like coffin is typically via funeral homes making the arrangements .
" The company plan to reduplicate in sizing for the next several long time in a row , " co - founder Josh Siegel recite Mental Floss . " casket are a $ 4 billion manufacture in the U.S. , and only 1 to 2 pct are sell DTC . There ’s tremendous chance for ontogenesis as the general public becomes cognisant they have leverage choice outside the funeral home . "
Titan credits handle withSam ’s ClubandCostco , as well as additional storage warehouse and zephyr freight , as some of thereasonsbehind their ontogeny . But industry observers also see it as an opportunity to capitalise on what many finger is a pricy form of grieving : Titan ’s jewel casket are usually about half the price of a casket source from a funeral home and their often - steep mark - ups of 200 to 500 percentage .
One of the company ’s most economical example , the $ 999Titan Andover , is made of steel . The $ 699Titan Virtueis made of biodegradable composition board . The averagecostof a casket purchased at a funeral home is roughly $ 2000 .
But price is n’t the only lure . " For survival , Titan has 1000 - plus manikin in caudex online versus the six to eight model you ’d typically find in a funeral habitation salesroom , " Siegel aver .
While there are regulations in place over the handling of decedents , Union constabulary allows for most anyone to buy a coffin online . The fellowship transport the jewel casket at once to the funeral household — an placement that local businesses rarely balk at . " Funeral plate are federally mandated to live with funeral products , include caskets , that their node bribe online , " Siegel says . " If a funeral home refuses to accept , charges a fee for delivery , or otherwise burdens the guest , they can lose their license . On occasion , we do encounter a funeral home base that will mislead the customer about their rights or endeavor to disparage the quality of Titan ’s products , and in those cases we help educate the client on their rights and speak directly to the funeral home to remind them of their customer responsibilities . "
critic of the direct - to - consumer example have say that the on-line jewel casket market place ignores the human component of grieving and mourning . offer up a jewel casket is more than just selling a product , they argue : It ’s part of a military service helping people say adieu to loved I . But Siegel believe Titan can not only fill those needs but improve upon them .
" We project to expand into all aspects of funeral planning where we can improve our client experience and provide more options , " Siegel say . " That signify other funeral product like urns , vaults , and flowers , and other funeral services like progress preparation , consequence provision , and obituary authorship . We ’re really just getting started . "
