For global businesses, international shipping can be a challenge. One way to improve operational accuracy is to use software for international address validation, also known as address verification.
USPS is the acronym for the United States Postal Service, which oversees the mail service across all 50 states. It is an independent agency of the executive branch of the U.S. federal government and is a self-funded entity.
The process for validating addresses takes place using an application programming interface (API). With this technology, software systems communicate relevant information with each other.
Every country has its own unique procedures for its postal operations. It’s impossible for a company to manually keep track of this information, which is necessary for reaching consumers around the world. Address verification software can help identify new addresses for delivery in a country.
Reverse geocoding is the opposite process to geocoding, which involves appending latitude and longitude coordinates to address data. With reverse geocoding, software links geographic coordinates to address data.
Geolocation is the process of converting an address into a geocode, which specifically refers to latitude and longitude coordinates. The main use case for geolocation is to standardize location data into a universal system that is not dependent on a regional postal code.
NCOA is an acronym for National Change of Address. It is a database that keeps track of permanent changes of addresses for individuals, families, and businesses.
CASS is an acronym for Coding Accuracy Support System. It is a certification program, established and maintained by the United States Postal Service (USPS), for software vendors that rely on official address records.
For businesses that reach customers in North America, returned mail is a multi-billion dollar problem. For eCommerce companies that sell physical goods, especially, the problem can be quite frustrating due to restocking, chargebacks and redelivery fees.
Hear from us when we launch new research, guides and reports.