Address lookup for smoother payments

Having the correct postcode at the point of payment is crucial for a smooth shopping experience for your customers, and even more importantly, reduced cart abandonment. Using postcode lookup or address auto-complete to capture a full address is far faster and more accurate than customers manually entering their data.


However, address lookup isn’t only beneficial for eCommerce businesses, it can also make online processes such as bank account registration and mortgage applications much easier. Reducing any stress and frustration for potential customers is bound to make a positive impact on your business, regardless of what product you have on offer.


Benefits of postcode lookup and address validation


There are many benefits of using an address lookup API – we’ve listed the top ones here:


Compatible across devices


From laptops to tablets to smartphones and EPoS kiosks, a postcode address lookup solution works on every internet-enabled device and provides the optimum user experience.


Scalable


Address lookup technology scales quickly on demand, processing hundreds of enquiries per minute. You can rest assured that our address finder will keep up with your customers even during big seasonal events or Black Friday sales.


User location detected


Address Auto-complete has the ability to sort results by distance from the user, detect which country users are in, and start with the closest matched addresses. If the customer is buying a gift for a friend overseas, for example, they can easily switch the country and the search tool will focus on matches in the selected country instead of their own location. This enables you to build one checkout form for all of your customers, regardless of where they are in the world.


Top tip: If your business trades internationally, choose Address Auto-Complete rather than UK Postcode Lookup to take advantage of our address data for over 240 countries.


Why use address validation?


Address lookup and validation for customer satisfaction


Streamline your checkouts by filling out forms faster and more accurately. Address Auto-Complete can reduce the number of keystrokes by up to 80%, this speeds your customers through the checkout, increasing conversions and reducing basket abandonments.


Accurate contact data


Collect accurate email addresses and phone numbers to boost customer relations and LTV. This can also have a positive impact on your marketing campaigns.


Accurate shipping address data for deliveries


You can reduce the number of failed deliveries with accurate address data, putting less stress on your delivery drivers. This in turn reduces wasted costs of reshipment and time handling customer complaints for missing items.


Easier and quicker for staff


Address and postcode finders are also useful for customer service employees, who are under pressure to search through a database of millions of addresses and locate the relevant location quickly. Businesses will benefit from address and postcode finders because they can quickly filter search results between commercial and residential addresses, enhancing the productivity of direct marketing.


Things to consider for improved payment page UX


Consider errors


If a lot of individuals type O instead of 0 or insert a space where one isn’t needed, their address might not be shown. To avoid this, implement a system that anticipates typical errors like these, ensuring their address is identified, irrespective of any typos.


Make sure to update regularly


If your address directory isn’t updated on a regular basis, you could be missing out on your customers’ new, updated and changed addresses, which translates to orders that you’re losing by losing touch with your existing customer base.


Take advantage of predictive search with Address Auto-Complete


Predictive search is far faster than typing out a whole address, displaying relevant addresses and allowing the user to select theirs is key to efficiency. Furthermore, some people may not know the delivery postcode, with Address Auto-Complete, they can start typing from any part of the address and the tool will present addresses as you type.


Mobile experience


It’s critical that this system functions well on mobile devices, especially since many people shop online using their phones these days. A good mobile UX means that they don’t have to scroll very far, that icons and fields are large enough to click smoothly, that the form works in landscape and portrait mode, that various mobile models’ keyboard features are fully integrated, and that required fields are clearly identified and explained.


How Fetchify’s address lookup and data validation works


Fetchify can implement a simple address lookup API into your business system, so you never have to worry about customer payments failing due to address errors again! With Address Auto-Complete, your users begin typing at any point of the address and suggestions are presented as they type.


With UK Postcode Lookup, all your users have to do is enter their postcode and we’ll display a drop-down menu of matching addresses. Once the user has clicked the correct address, the rest of their details will automatically be filled into their form. For more information get in touch with us and one of our expert team members will be happy to help.

About Fetchify


Fetchify’s address lookup and data validation platforms cover more than 250 countries, and increases customer conversion with the fastest, most accurate customer data capture. Fetchify’s flagship products – Address Auto Complete and Postcode Lookup – reduce friction at the checkout, and also significantly increase the number of successful deliveries. Founded in 2008, Fetchify processes millions of data transactions every day for clients ranging from startups to established high-street names, and offers a full suite of data validation tools, including phone, email and bank, too.

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An article in Ecommerce News recently put a number to something every online retailer dreads: lost parcels. In Q4 2024 alone, European ecommerce retailers lost €500 million in revenue due to 3.72 million undelivered parcels. That’s roughly €145 per parcel in direct and indirect logistics costs. And while the official rate of “lost” parcels is just 0.06%, the reality – accounting for misdelivery, theft, and reporting gaps – is likely closer to 0.7%. That’s 1 in every 143 parcels. The Hidden Costs of a 'Lost' Delivery For enterprise-scale ecommerce operations, the implications scale fast: Lost product and packaging costs Repeat fulfilment and reverse logistics Customer service team time and refunds Increased churn and checkout abandonment Damage to brand reputation and online reviews So Why Are Parcels Going Missing? Many issues originate in the last mile of the delivery process. The root cause is often poor data quality: Incomplete or inaccurate delivery addresses captured at checkout Manual amendments to address fields by warehouse or courier staff Ambiguous delivery locations (e.g., "front porch") Lack of precise geolocation data for drop-off Inadequate or unverifiable proof of delivery Some losses are unavoidable, but most stem from gaps in ecommerce data validation and fulfilment process transparency. What Retailers Can Control with Smart Logistics Data While you can’t eliminate theft or accidents, you can reduce missed deliveries and failed first attempts through better data validation and delivery insights: Real-Time Address Validation at Checkout Fetchify’s ecommerce address validation tools connect directly with official data sources including Royal Mail PAF and the Multiple Residence dataset. This ensures accurate delivery details for apartment blocks, HMOs, student housing, and more. Unlike generic autocomplete tools, this is verified delivery point data. Rooftop-Accurate Geocoding for Pinpoint Delivery Fetchify’s Rooftop Geocodes assign precise latitude and longitude to verified addresses – helping carriers reach the exact doorstep, not just the postcode centroid. Proof of Delivery with Location and Time Stamping Our data solutions integrate seamlessly with POD technologies, supporting timestamped, geo-tagged delivery images. Customers can also submit geo-located photos during disputes, enabling faster, fairer resolutions. Map-Based Address Confirmation for Shoppers By embedding a zoomed-in map in the checkout process, ecommerce brands allow customers to visually confirm their delivery location. This prevents ambiguous or misentered addresses from the start. Audit Trails and Address Change Tracking Fetchify tracks address field edits and changes across the fulfilment chain, helping to pinpoint where a delivery went wrong and maintain data accountability. Marginal Gains. Major Ecommerce Impact. Smart logistics and address data validation might only reduce parcel loss by fractions of a percent – but the impact is huge: A 0.1% improvement = thousands of saved parcels = millions in recovered revenue Fewer failed deliveries = less pressure on customer support teams Accurate addresses = better first-time delivery success and lower last-mile costs Conclusion: Delivery Accuracy is a Data Challenge Lost parcels aren’t just a logistics challenge. They’re a symptom of poor data validation in ecommerce. From checkout to doorstep, the journey must be powered by precise, verified data. Fetchify helps online retailers solve this problem with address validation, geolocation, and enhanced fulfilment transparency. If you want to stop asking “Whose front door is this?” – start with smarter ecommerce data. Want to improve delivery success and reduce failed parcels? Contact Fetchify to book your free address data health check.
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