Expanding marketing opportunities with pre-need services

The general orientation of services marketing literature with regard to consumer or buyer behavior has been with “at-need” purchases, those purchases made only when current consumption needs are felt. This standard approach has overlooked purchase behavior that has a time lag to consumption. “Pre-need” services are purchased in anticipation of their future use. The characteristics of “pre-need” services are identified and a model or framework is developed for integrating the pre-need dimension with the marketing mix variables. The model leads to important managerial and research implications in the pre-need marketing of services.