Changing consumer behavior is affecting more than funeral homes

September 29, 2026/Business/

Last week I wrote an article on how a changing consumer thought process, including the growth of Direct Cremation with No Services (DCNS), is affecting the business dynamics of traditional funeral homes.

If you are one of the funeral homes being affected it is probably not a big consolation to you, but in doing some research on “Changing consumer behavior” I’ve learned that there are a lot of businesses and/or industries being affected by this same phenomena.

As I’ve mentioned in this medium before, I served as a member of the Board of Regents at the University of Minnesota for six years. During that time I also chaired the Finance Committee which was tasked with setting the $4 billion budget for the operation. I mention that because as a former board member I still get some updates from the university on those items.

The day after the Funeral Director Daily article on the affect of DCNS services on traditional funeral homes dropped, I received one of those updates from the president of the university which updated us on the financial ramifications of the fast-moving consumer behavior changes in post-high school eduction. Here’s a little of what that notification titled “A New Approach to Budget Planning in Unprecedented Times” mentioned:

“. . . Like colleges and universities all across the country, we face shifting enrollment trends, unpredictable state and federal funding, and rising costs. These issues are part of long-term sector trends that will continue for the foreseeable future. This is not a temporary change — this is an institutional inflection point that asks us to think about our work in new and bolder ways. The solutions must include our core value of providing an affordable, accessible education and our ongoing commitment to invest in the people who deliver that mission. By approaching these challenges with our values forthrightly and together, we have an opportunity to shape a vibrant, resilient future.” (Bolded added by Funeral Director Daily).

If you have followed the news about the economy lately you will know that many 18-year old high school graduates are foregoing college to receive training for employment in the trades — such as plumbers, electricians, and the construction business — with many of those employment opportunities starting with salaries of over $100,000. Many now believe that the tuition and time investment in a college education is not the best path for their individual skill-set and life goals.

That fact, plus the fact that there are simply less numbers in that age cohort than there was previously will have a drastic effect on the college education business going forward. Here is a simple graph of that slide in numbers since the high water mark of 2025.

“The Enrollment Cliff”

Funeral Director Daily: As a side point of this article, when you couple the “Enrollment Cliff” that will lower the actual numbers of students available with the difficulty of bringing young people into the Death Care profession through their college education pathway, maybe it is time to take a good, hard, look at differing employment categories within the profession — some of which could be attained similar to the trades professions including apprenticeships.

In my growing use and comfort with artificial intelligence I also asked Gemini AI what other industries or professions are like Death Care and seeing “consumer behavior” with generational differences changing their business practices. Here is a little chart that was supplied to me: