Introducing Digital Legacy Insights.

Online wills through the eyes of consumers.

In 2024 we are shining a spotlight on the key issue of online wills.

Digital technology permeates all aspects of our lives and charities are experiencing digital transformations in every sphere of their organisations.

Over the past 3 years, Legacy Foresight collected evidence on the scale and shape of digital legacy fundraising through its consortium research programme Legacy Fundraising 2.0. To continue to support our charity members in the best way possible, we have shifted the aims and focus of our research to incorporate a wider remit of digital topics and issues affecting legacy fundraising.

We launched this evolution of our programme by looking at the important issue of online wills and how consumers are engaging with them.

Recent Legacy Foresight research has shown that 71% of 45-54 year olds and 83% of 35-44 year olds don’t have wills yet. With younger people being increasingly digital first and more likely to turn to the internet for advice and conduct their financial affairs online, it is likely that a significant proportion of new people entering the will making market will gravitate towards an online option.

Online will writing services have valuable insights about their customer base, which they share in different ways with their partner charities and the wider sector. However, there is a gap when it comes to understanding online wills from a consumer perspective.

This year’s Digital Legacy Insights is looking at online wills from a consumer perspective, seeking to understand more about who is making them and why; how they make their decisions; what their choice criteria is and importantly where charities and charitable bequests fit in.

The objectives of the research are:

• To get a snapshot of the current online wills landscape in terms of uptake and growth over time
• To identify the current limitations of online wills and future opportunities
• To understand the consumer perspective of online wills – why and how they chose them and their experience
• To understand where and how charities fit into this decision making journey and how they can positively enhance the supporter experience through this process

We are using a range of research methods including desk research, surveys, qualitative research and expert interviews.

The programme started in January 2024, the findings were reported to the consortium in July 2024. A public report will be available before the end of 2024.