Trends and Innovation in Funeral Insurance and Funeral Services

Santalucía, a leading insurance company in family protection, presented the I Report on Trends and Innovation in Funeral Insurance and Funeral Services, prepared by the area of Innovation of the group in collaboration with the Spanish company Old age. This study shows how the increase in social awareness and environmental and the eruption of new technologies they are going to promote a change in society, which is increasingly open and sensitive to other types of farewells from a loved one that are very different from the traditional ones. From the Innovation area of Santalucía, observing and monitoring these new trends are part of the basis for improving their products and services. The objective of this initiative of open innovation is to share and focus on the main changes that promise to reinvent this area from a different perspective. This report provides a current and disruptive view of the evolution of different services around one of the most delicate moments for the lives of people and those close to them. A process that will be accompanied by scanning of the physical world and the business transformation through the important role of the innovation.

Eco-friendly funerals

In recent years, the number of cremations is shortening the gap with traditional burials. One of the characteristics of today's society is its awareness of the environment and the commitment to ecological funerals is gaining strength. Traditional burials are not biodegradable and many choose such a funeral. From here was born the idea of natural cemetery: a space that reduces the number of cremations and contributes to the conservation of natural landscapes. Another option that is beginning to be noticed is the manufacture of environmentally friendly caskets. Varnishes, synthetic fibers, metals and other components used to make caskets have a negative impact on the environment, causing the wood used to contribute to deforestation. Another alternative is to use the process of 'natural organic reduction'to naturally incorporate human remains into the soil and that they can be used to create compost.

Cremations (and subsequent use of the ashes)

In recent years the Cremations burials are gaining the pulse and it is expected that in less than 10 years the number will increase. Regulations have even begun to be developed that seek to limit the polluting elements produced in the cremation process. From the hydrolysis technique, which helps to avoid traditional burial using heat, pressure, water and basic chemical agents to reduce human remains to bone fragments and essential elements, to biodegradable urns and environmentally friendly, which could keep ash and seeds separate during the plant's gestation period. In addition, there is a connected tree incubator specifically designed to work together with the biodegradable urn.

New technologies

Las new technologies the paradigm of many industries is changing, and the funeral insurance industry is no stranger to these changes. One of the most feasible improvements that customers most appreciate is the ease of creating online wills and other digitized documents, which cover all the issues necessary to make decisions at the end of life: from medical care to legal issues and even ideas for holding a future funeral. Blockchain and the technologies developed based on his invention, such as Smart Contracts or distributed records, are revolutionizing bureaucratic management in many sectors thanks to their unalterable and transparent nature, offering advantages such as promptness. An application of this type would significantly reduce waiting times and the necessary procedures for the transfer of inheritances, providing a significant reduction in costs. Also, the use of technologies such as Virtual Reality, the Augmented Reality Or the Artificial Intelligence as a practice in wakes, burials or funerals are still in the early stages of exploration, but they are starting to take hold as an option to keep the memory of loved ones alive: creating virtual avatars with which to interact, GPS positioning, etc. There are some startups that are trying to adopt these tools through the use of Natural Language Recognition, the Deep Learning Or the Machine Learning. In addition, the use of social networks and commemorative websites they are already a reality to remember the deceased. Today, digital life is almost as important as physical life for many people. And in this sense, a social network created by a group of Spanish entrepreneurs living in San Francisco, together with a Catalan company, seeks to occupy this space in the funerary world. It consists of a social network with multiple integrated social networks; private networks that work like walls or boards on which to share content. Funeral geofilters are an example of how the social network Snapchat has entered the privacy of our lives. People can create templates to review their temporary photos and videos to commemorate a significant moment in their lives.

New formats

Beyond funerals, new formats are being sought in which grief is as bearable as possible. Nowadays, there are several ways to try to keep deceased people in memory and to help loved ones to overcome the trance, for example, betting on Use of pets present at the rite or celebration of the funeral in the places desired by the deceased. Other alternatives are to pass into eternity in the form of Diamante The of vinyl, to have the cremated remains resting in space across the Use of balloons or of a pyrotechnic show, including being able to accompany loved ones through a tattoo which contains his ashes. In conclusion, this report seeks to show the main business and service levers that propose to evolve death in a new direction, never seen before in Western society. In the coming years, we will see how the different solutions shown here are materialized in products and services to testify to the interest shown by customers and society in these innovations, which will become increasingly common.And you, which one would you choose?