Address Validation for Ecommerce: How Can It Help Your Sales Process?
E-commerce websites have drastically increased in the online space. The sites could either be at an indirect or direct competition to you. There is more to a flourishing business than the products available. Having a good quality product in your store does not always guarantee business success. Many companies are investing in other aspects such as brand awareness, reliable payment methods, marketing strategy, a professional website, etc.
One thing that will always stand out on an e-commerce website is the user experience. Businesses have invested a lot in their websites to ensure they are easy to navigate and check out. Keeping the user experience in mind can lead to high conversions, and fewer abandoned shopping carts. User experience covers a wide range in e-commerce, including address validation. In this article, we look into the significance of address validation in your e-commerce business.
But first, let’s look at the different types of address verification systems
- Drop-down verification – this is the most common type of address verification system. Here, the users use the drop-down menu to choose their country, state, and city.
- Partial verification – with this tool, the customer is only required to enter their zip code, and the state and city areas are automatically entered. The rest of the data is entered manually.
- Post entry verification – when the customers enter their data, a pop-up message appears, suggesting possible address options. With that, the customer can choose an alternative that matches their address.
- Type-head verification – this address verification tool works by proposing addresses for a customer immediately they start typing their address—this helps to save valuable time and energy.
Time-saving
If a customer enters an incorrect address, you may not be aware until the parcel reaches the indicated address. If the package goes to the wrong address, it leads to frustration for both you and your clients. Even after address confirmation, a lot of time is wasted while trying to fix the mess and deliver the same package to a different destination. With address validation tools, you could save a lot of time by confirming the customer’s address before shipment.
Helps to boost your conversion rates
If the checkout process on your e-commerce website is complicated, many users will tend to abandon their shopping cart even after adding products. An address validation feature will build trust in your clients and ensure customer satisfaction when the package is delivered to the intended address. Fewer clicks mean less typing effort, which then increases the conversion rate. Efficiency leads to client satisfaction and increases the chances of a return for future purchases.
Customer satisfaction
A simple error in delivery can lead to a load of e-commerce customer complaints. Errors such as receiving the wrong shipment, undelivered products, and overdue delivery are amongst the most common in e-commerce. Usually, the errors are a result of a typo in the address. If your business does not have efficient address validation, a parcel can go to a completely different state and mailbox.
Such errors can make your clients unhappy and are unlikely to trust your brand for future purchases. Address validation will prevent such typos and errors, ensuring your parcels are delivered to the intended location and mailbox. The efficiency will, in turn, improve customer satisfaction and build trust for your brand.
Improved marketing
A lot of businesses use their address list for marketing purposes. With an address validation tool such as Byteplant, you are guaranteed that the products are delivered to accurate destinations. If you are confident that the addresses belong to the intended recipients, it is easy to develop a marketing plan and send marketing emails to your recipients. In most cases, mail marketing and materials are usually good, but they barely get to the intended recipients.
The certainty that comes with address validation allows you to be sure about the target audience you have. It also helps you to gauge how effective the mails are in your marketing strategy. If your marketing strategies have not been successful or as efficient as you would want them to be, consider using your address list. It could bring a whole new dimension of marketing to your e-business.
Modernizing your business
Over the years, there have been tremendous improvements in the customer shopping experience. From technology to ease of shipping and a variety of payment methods, customers have enjoyed easy shopping. An improvement has also been noted in the checkout process of most e-businesses.
Being updated with such improvements is crucial for the success of your e-commerce business. In the checkout process, ensure include address validation. This will go a long way towards building trust between you and your clients even for future purchases.
Cost-saving
Making deliveries more than once for the same package leaves you with unnecessary costs. The wasted postage, job reassignment for staff, and more resources on the parcel could result in unintended negative implications on the business. Address validation can help you save on such costs by avoiding erroneous delivery of packages.