As the world becomes more interconnected, e-commerce brands must consider how to best reach their international customers. International address verification is an important part of this process and can be a major asset in helping your business grow beyond borders. Address verification ensures that customers receive their orders quickly and accurately, as well as helps to minimize the costs associated with failed shipments and unhappy customers. 

What is International Address Verification? 

International address verification is a fairly simple process that checks the accuracy of customer addresses against reliable data sources and corrects any errors found in the customer’s input. This process helps to ensure that orders are shipped correctly and efficiently, while also reducing overall costs associated with failed shipments or unhappy customers. Moreover, it also helps to reduce delivery times, as incorrect addresses can lead to delays in shipping or even misdeliveries of packages which can add additional time for delivery.  

What does it mean by different address formats?

International address formats can differ greatly from country to country. Generally, an international address should include a recipient name and address, street address, city/town name, optional address line containing additional information like apartment number or post office box, state/region/province name (if applicable), and lastly the country name. Some countries will also require you to include a postal code in the address. It’s important to be aware of each country’s postal regulations so the mail will reach the desired recipient without any confusion. To avoid mistakes when sending packages and letters abroad, it’s best to refer to an experienced shipping service with knowledge on international address formats.

What is the correct format for my address?

Address Guard supports international address validation for 240+ countries which means regardless of the location of the customer, rest assured that the address format and content will be verified. The goal at any business is to ensure address data is cleansed and properly validated against local postal standards. While the destination country may vary, Address Guard is able to look at the address as a whole, and than break down each comportment individually to than validate the International address format against the requirements of said postal service.

What does it mean if my address is international?

An international address, sometimes referred to as an address outside the United States, can vary greatly from address formats within the US. Instead of a street address, for example, some countries may use post codes, provinces, or even districts instead. Additionally, certain countries may require two or more lines for address information due to the particular address format followed by that region.

In the context of this article though, since Address Guard is based in the United States (sunny Orlando, FL), when we reference the term: international address verification, it means any address outside the United States. While international postal addresses may vary the good part is that Address Guard is able to handle each country and compare address data in real-time to ensure little to zero conversion rate issues for online stores.

How do I standardize an address with USPS?

Working with the United States Postal Service (USPS) requires that addresses be in a standard format to ensure their validity. To standardize an address with USPS, you first need to check for errors or incomplete information. This includes any typos, missing house numbers, invalid apartment numbers, and unknown street abbreviations. This process is handled automatically by Address Guard at the initial point of international address verification.

At the same time, Address Guard will format the content to adhere to local postal regulations. Following these tips will help ensure that your address is accepted by USPS and gets where it needs to go in a timely manner.

The Cost of Failed Shipments for E-Commerce Businesses 

When it comes to e-commerce businesses, failed shipments can have a major impact on customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. Failed shipments often result in unhappy customers who may not purchase from you again in the future, thus costing your business revenue. Additionally, when orders are misdelivered or returned due to incorrect addresses, there are additional fees associated with reshipping and return fees which can add up quickly over time. Therefore, utilizing international address verification services can help to minimize these costs by ensuring that customer addresses are accurate before orders are shipped out the door.  

What does it mean when an address cannot be standardized?

When it comes to shipping addresses, this means that the postal service (ex: USPS) is having difficult reading or parsing the address. This could be due to an address being too vague or too specific for the United States Postal Service’s standards- in such cases, they might not recognize them as a valid address. If a United States Postal Service employee cannot accurately deliver the mail to its destination, then they will return it instead of attempting delivery which would result in delayed shipment and potential extra costs. It’s important to choose or provide accurate and complete addresses so that your packages can be delivered on-time and as expected.

When Address Guard parses an address, it is properly formatted and cleansed during the process of validating the address with the postal service (ex: USPS). If the address is not recognized such as missing critical house numbers, or a zip code, than Address Guard will not be able to validate the address. Instead the customer will be prompted with the warning message and to update their address. This is an important aspect of the overall platform because, we need to ensure that packages are delivered to their correct destination. The process of standardizing international addresses also helps the postal service in the specific country because everything is formatted to their requirements.

Taking advantage of automated international address verification

In today’s global economy, it is essential for e-commerce businesses to use international address verification services if they want to succeed in reaching their worldwide audience. Not only does international address verification help customers receive their orders quickly and accurately, but it also minimizes costs associated with failed shipments or unhappy customers which can be extremely costly for any business over time. By using international address verification services your business will benefit from reduced delivery times and improved customer satisfaction which will ultimately lead to increased revenue down the line. So don’t wait; start taking advantage of international address verification today with Address Guard.