Shopify Address Validation

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A guide to Shopify address validation, and how Loqate's integration simplifies it

Shopify is the IKEA of e-commerce. If you use it to host your online retail business, you’ll know it’s a powerhouse, covering everything from storefront to checkout, marketing, and product fulfillment.

While it provides all the key features necessary to create a user-friendly experience that maximizes conversions (the ultimate goal for any retailer), conversions alone aren’t the full measure of success. You still need to get the product to your customers, and ideally, they should be happy when it arrives.

One of the most common roadblocks in this process is delivery problems caused by customers entering incorrect or incomplete addresses. In fact, 99% of online retailers admit that some deliveries go wrong, with 24% stating that more than one in ten orders aren’t delivered on the first attempt.

Shopify’s built-in address validation helps reduce these problems, but what does it actually cover, and is it sufficient for your business’s needs?

What is Shopify address validation? 

Shopify address validation is a built-in feature that automatically reviews the addresses customers enter at checkout to ensure they are accurate and complete. The process works similarly to external address validation solutions: it compares the input against official address databases to confirm the address exists and standardizes the formatting to make the address deliverable.

In addition to validating addresses, this Shopify feature can suggest corrections. So, instead of simply flagging an address as incorrect, it will automatically offer suggestions if it detects misspelling, missing information, or formatting errors. For example, it can prompt users with a standardized postcode or street name.

If a merchant uses Shopify Shipping, this feature is applied automatically, and they won’t need to set it up or activate it. If you’re not using Shopify Shipping, you can still benefit from address validation and suggestions at checkout, but the shipping carrier ultimately confirms whether the address is valid for delivery.

Shopify shipping address validation vs Shopify checkout address validation: what’s the difference?  

There are subtle differences between shipping and checkout addresses, even though they overlap. Shipping addresses are used solely for delivery, so validating them simply means checking whether they’re correct and deliverable. Checkout addresses, on the other hand, are a bit more complex. They cover both shipping and customer verification processes, such as payment validation and fraud prevention.

In most checkouts, you must provide a checkout address; a separate shipping address is only required if the order is being sent to an address other than your own. If you’re buying for yourself, both addresses are usually the same. But if you’re sending a gift, the shipping address will be different. In that case, the shipping address just needs to be correct for delivery; it doesn’t have to match the account holder or payment information, since the gift recipient is only receiving the order.

All in all, checkout address validation is more detailed, as it accounts for multiple factors, including payment verification. Shopify’s native system primarily validates shipping addresses, offering basic auto-complete suggestions to help customers enter correct details from the start.

When it comes to checkout addresses, Shopify does not automatically verify deliverability, flag problematic addresses, or enforce stricter rules (like rejecting incorrect postcodes). To cover these gaps, particularly billing and shipping, many merchants rely on Shopify address validation APIs (third-party apps).

Why do you need more than Shopify’s address validation?  

The fact of the matter is: customers make mistakes. They want their purchases to arrive as quickly as possible. After spending time browsing and deciding what to buy, they may rush through the final checkout steps. That means when entering details, be it their address, credit card information, or full name, they can unintentionally make spelling errors or typos.

Many customers are also unaware of the correct formatting needed for a standardized, verifiable address. They might abbreviate street names, reorder address components, or omit key details, which can result in mismatches and potential delivery issues.

Of course, if a customer enters an incorrect credit card number, the payment won’t go through, and they’ll be prompted to re-enter their card details. But more minor issues, such as an abbreviation of a street name or a single incorrect letter in a postcode, can slip through the cracks.

What happens next? The parcel may be sent to the wrong address, leaving your customer waiting unnecessarily long or having to request a refund or repurchase the item. This creates friction in the customer experience and may even lead to customer churn, which is exactly what any online retailer needs to avoid at all costs.

As we have seen, Shopify does offer basic address validation features to prevent these issues and ensure addresses are standardized and verified. However, there are some key gaps in this built-in capability:

1. International and remote addresses 

Shopify’s built-in feature is typically stronger in countries like the US, the UK, Canada, and the EU (its major markets). Therefore, it may not catch all errors or properly validate international addresses outside of these regions. If you operate in multiple countries and offer global shipping, you must pay special attention to ensuring that any international address is standardized and usable.  

2. Lack of enforcement for complete data 

While Shopify prompts for missing data, such as apartment numbers, it doesn’t really enforce it. That means users may choose to skip it, leaving addresses incomplete and therefore invalid, which can lead to delivery failures.  

3. New developments and other updates  

Shopify primarily relies on official postal databases (typically maintained by each country’s primary postal operator, such as USPS in the US or Canada Post in Canada) to validate addresses. These databases are comprehensive and work well for most standard addresses.  

However, they may not always be entirely up to date. Some new housing developments, recently renamed streets, or remote locations may not yet be included in the database, which means Shopify might not recognize them or flag them as potentially invalid. Third-party solutions like Loqate improve accuracy by checking multiple data sources, verifying the address exists via geolocation, and capturing detailed information like apartments or suites, helping to spot errors that Shopify might miss.  

Why use Loqate’s address validation integration for Shopify Plus 

If you have a Shopify Plus store, you likely have a growing customer base that spans multiple countries. Therefore, it’s critical for you to find a solution that not only verifies all your international addresses but can scale as you grow. As we have seen, while Shopify provides basic address verification, it doesn’t cover all scenarios or global variations, so it’s worth looking at external providers.  

Loqate offers the most precise way to capture and verify international addresses, helping protect your operations from failed deliveries, incorrect shipments, and lost revenue. Best of all, it only takes one click to set it up. Here are some key reasons to choose Loqate for your Shopify Plus account: 

1. Comprehensive global data  

Loqate is a global solution that combines, cross-references, and cleanses data from multiple trusted sources to provide the world’s most detailed repository of address information. It supports address verification for over 250 countries, so any international addresses (even in remote locations) are standardized in the correct local format, down to sub-premise details like apartments, suites, and floor numbers. 

2. Reduce failed deliveries  

Smooth deliveries are your business’s bread and butter, and any business leader knows that it’s critical to get your basics right before anything else. Loqate leverages a panoply of official address databases and enhancement tools like georeferencing to add a vital layer of accuracy to our address verification process. By ensuring that your address data is accurate, you can prevent costly errors, including missed deliveries, refunds, replacements, redelivery fees, and the waste of administrative time and resources on extra investigations and customer interactions.  

3. Plug-and-play integration 

Importantly, you don’t need a team of developers to install our app. Loqate’s Shopify Plus integration is plug-and-play, meaning you can install the app with a single click and start capturing verified addresses from around the world immediately. No code required, and no set-up time wasted.  

Of course, if you do need help at any point, our team is available to assist whenever needed. From setup to troubleshooting, our global location data experts can answer any question or solve any problem that may arise.  

Enhance your Shopify Plus platform's scalability with global address validation. Get the app here.