Pure Cremation exec: Is the “At-Need choice” death market contracting?

July 14, 2026/Business, Cremation, Preneed/

The number of deaths in the United States is expected to grow 26.3% from 2019 (the last year prior to the pandemic) until 2040 by certain estimates. Estimates for the number of deaths in the United States in 2040 is at about 3.6 million as compared to the 2019 actual total of 2.85 million.

However, an executive from Great Britain’s Pure Cremation, which reportedly does 76,000 cremation cases annually, questions the fundamental changes and increased sales over the years with preneed and wonders if there will actually be less “up for grab” cases than today. And, while his comments are specific to the United Kingdom, I think they resonate across the pond too.

Here’s what Dean Lambley, Chief Executive of Pure Cremation said in a recent Funeral Service Times article (not linked because of a pay wall), “For decades, the funeral business has been built around winning customers after a death has occurred. The industry’s biggest challenge now isn’t today’s funerals – it’s the funerals that will happen 10 or 20 years from now. More and more of those decisions have already been made through pre-paid plans, and the majority are for direct cremation. That’s a fundamental shift in where future revenue will flow. Every funeral plan sold today represents future business that is no longer up for grabs.”

Lambley continued by saying that the aggressive nature of today’s preneed market coupled with the growing trend of “Direct or Unattended” cremations in the United Kingdom could threaten business models of traditional United Kingdom funeral operators.

According to the article, “Direct Cremation” has grown from a 3% market share in Great Britain in 2019 to more than 20% today and is growing at about 2% annually which Lambley believes could lead to a a 50% market share by 2036.

The article also states that Pure Cremation believes that 70% of preneed plans in the United Kingdom are being written as “Direct Cremation” plans. They believe that locks in “future consumer choice” and removes those customers from the “At-Need” market.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take: Great Britain and the United States are different countries and have differing customs as to funeral service preferences. So, while I believe that the actual numbers may be somewhat different, I do believe, that like Great Britain, the sale of preneed is becoming more aggressive in the United States.

That aggressiveness will sell more policies and take some future families out of making Death Care decisions “At-Need”. If that number is so many that it threatens the business models of today’s American funeral homes, I cannot tell you. . . . .but it will affect some of your potential future customers who, because of pre-planning with another firm, don’t become your customers.

The best defense for this happening is to be, at least, subtly aggressive with preneed sales at your business. It’s a trusted concept for building market share in North America . . . . and has been for over 30 years.

According to information that I found, for American consumers there seems to be three main reasons why preneed sales are growing at this time in the country:

Inflation fears
Aging Baby Boomer demographics
The desire to relieve survivors of any financial burdens.

And, I would add that preneed companies and Death Care providers are becoming more aggressive and skilled with CRM (Customer Relationship Management) as well.

At least one source, that you can see here, believes that the American Preneed Market was valued at $1.7 billion in 2024 and will be valued at $3.3 billion by 2033 — that’s a 7.2% compounded annual growth rate.

There is no reason why your firm should not grow in that direction as well.

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