Technology Partner: Data quality – a consistent challenge You can save money with address validation

Good data quality, especially with regard to address data, should be a matter of course for online retailers and e-commerce businesses these days. Nevertheless, on average, every company has at least 20% incorrect, undeliverable or outdated addresses in the system. It starts with the input of customer data, where typing errors or spelling mistakes happen very quickly – by the customer or the employee. In addition, 25% of the addresses lose their validity annually, e.g. by moving. However, this is often not noticed at all. Though, during this time, marketing campaigns come to nothing and money is unnecessarily wasted as well as months of work. It is not just the cost of resending or double processing orders. There are also so-called return shipping fees that are charged to the online retailer by shipping service providers. In Germany, this fee is between € 4.00 and € 6.00 per undeliverable item. International shipping makes it significantly more expensive (e.g. in the USA between $ 10 – $ 15 per package). In addition, the issue of carbon dioxide emissions should not be neglected these days when deliveries or parcels cannot be delivered.

It becomes even more difficult if you work internationally. Researching addresses abroad is very time-consuming. Because who knows in Europe what an address in Japan should look like? Even our neighbouring country France has a different address format. An address validation solution issues the address directly in the appropriate local postal format.

Another point that should not be underestimated, which is achieved through data quality, is fraud prevention. By checking addresses, dubious customers are discovered more easily and can thus be almost completely excluded. This makes it easier for online retailers to protect themselves from fraud and to minimise risks.

So, it happens very quickly that banal address errors actually become real problems, which cost you a lot of money – financially and in terms of personnel – due to incorrect consignments, double processing of orders, tedious research of address data, etc. In the worst case, it could even mean the loss of customers. Therefore, correct addresses make financial sense for companies and dealers, since poor data quality costs companies a lot of money and time. However, the data quality is only valuable as long as it is up-to-date and regularly maintained.

Use address autocomplete against to minimise shopping cart abandonment

Address validation can easily build on address autocomplete that makes life easier for both -customers and businesses. Another problem is that around 70% of customers cancel their order process. With an address autocomplete, valid and standardised addresses are suggested to the customer when he enters his address data. Addresses in web forms can be completed quickly – with 50% fewer keystrokes – and correctly – also in real time. Such an automatic entry assistance offers advantages for the dealer and also for the customer. The likelihood of a purchase is increased and the delivery is made to the correct address on time. This increases customer satisfaction, your conversion rate and the likelihood of a repeat purchase.

Melissa – your professional address check

Melissa’s focus is on address verification. This international address validation can check, standardise, correct and update worldwide addresses from more than 240 countries & territories. This is possible in both – real-time and batch mode – and this ensures that you only work with valid contact data in your systems. Missing address components such as the postcode or the state can also be added automatically. Address Autocomplete can also be added.

Melissa was founded in 1985 and the GmbH exists in Germany since 2013. Melissa is a leading provider of data quality solutions, address management & identity verification.

More information: https://www.melissa.com/address-verification