How To Ensure The Accuracy Of Your Business's International Address Validation?
Are you stopping yourself from sending international mailers for your business? Is the non-deliverability of your mailers the reason you still avoid international mailers? If yes, then we have got the answer to your little problem, and you are going to love it!
Use international address validation to your advantage and ensure the deliverability of your marketing mailer. It is an effective way for businesses to save a significant sum of money on international return mail. But most companies do not know how to execute address validation for their international customers.
Here, we explain international address validation and how you can ensure its accuracy. In addition to that, we will explain how using the right tools can help you streamline your address validation and enhance your marketing campaigns.
What is International Address Validation?
International Address Validation compares a foreign or non-UK address against an authoritative address database of a specific country. Usually, the address database used for this comparison is from the official postal service provider of a country.
Imagine, you want to check the deliverability of a US address. In that case, the best option is to compare it against the USPS address database. The official postal service providers of a country, such as USPS and Canada Post, have the most extensive address database you can find.
Suppose the international address validation system finds a match for your address in the database. In that case, it means that your address is accurate and deliverable. And if no match is located in the official address database, it implies that the address is not deliverable by the postal service provider.
International Address Validation Components
Most business organisations are already familiar with the address validation process for domestic mailers. However, international address verification is not the same as domestic address verification. There are some noticeable differences in the global and domestic address validation processes.
Difference In Terminologies
To start with the basics, look at the difference in the language we use for addresses across the world. For example, what we call postcodes in the UK are called ZIP codes in the US. Similarly, while the country is divided into states in the US, it is divided into provinces in Canada.
You see where we are going with this, don’t you? Even the terms we use for direct mail are different. So then, how can the international address validation be the same as domestic address verification? And this is just one of the distinguishing factors between international and domestic addresses.
Language Issues
Another thing about international mailers that you may or may not have noticed is the use of Latin characters. Several countries use Latin characters or even roman numbers in their addresses. However, that is not the case for most businesses.
Although it may not seem like much, these language issues can cause unnecessary problems for your international address verification. Advanced address verification tools like PostGrid can help you navigate these difficult situations.
An advanced address verification solution lets you specify the output characters, and you can get the output data in the desired format. So, it shouldn’t be hard to understand how vital a good address verification solution can be for streamlining your business communication.
Specify The Destination Country
The ability to input the destination country for your business mailers is an underrated feature in international address validation. You can not validate international addresses, especially in bulk, if you can’t specify the destination country of your mailers.
Usually, you can specify the country for your international mailers either by the country’s full name or an ISO classification. When it comes to ISO classification, three formats are widely accepted.
- ISO-2: It involves using two-letter abbreviations in your business mailers. For example, the acronym of the United Kingdom in the UK.
- ISO-3: As you can guess, it involves using a three-letter abbreviation. For example, the United States of America becomes the USA with an abbreviation.
- ISO-N: Unlike the other two ISO classifications, ISO-N does not deal with abbreviations. Instead, it refers to the numeric code assigned to a specific country.
When choosing an international address verification tool, make sure that one of these ISO options is included with the address. Because if you don’t, the system may fail to validate your mailer even if the address is present in the database.
Accuracy Issues In International Address Verification
The purpose of international address verification is essential to ensure the accurate addresses for your direct mail communications. However, your business can use it in any number of ways. For instance, you can use address verification to check for deliverability. In contrast, someone else may use it to check whether the street address is valid.
It is also worth noting that Royal Mail already has a very complex postal system. It deals with postal mail delivery in multiple nations and still delivers all your postal mailers efficiently. Any address verification system that can easily navigate through the Royal Mail postal system can do the same for other postal services worldwide.
International Address Validation for US Addresses
The US also has a complex postal system that has over 150 million delivery points across the nation. It is one of the few countries globally that have delivery point data available. When dealing with such precise data, you need an international address verification solution that is truly robust.
PostGrid is one of the few address validation tools that efficiently navigate you through USPS’s postal system. Furthermore, PostGrid comes with CASS certification, implying that you can get reliable address data directly from the USPS.
Due to the highly complicated nature of address data maintained by the USPS, it is essential to use a tool with the same level of accuracy.
International Address Validation For Canadian Addresses
Canada is yet another country that offers accurate delivery point data, just like in the case of the US. Make sure the international address validation tool you choose is SERP certified. The SERP or Software Evaluation and Recognition Program is the Canadian equivalent of the CASS certification discussed above.
Varying Level of Address Data Accuracy
One of the significant challenges involved in international address validation is the varying level of address data accuracy. Different countries have different degrees of address data accuracy. Only 12 countries, including the US and Canada, offer delivery point address data.
Sixty-eight countries have addressed data accurately down to the property level and 37 of them down to street level. And finally, 126 countries have addressed data down to a community or neighbourhood level. PostGrid ensures accurate address verification for over 240 countries.
It includes international address verification of addresses down to the delivery point level. As a result, you can ensure the accuracy of international addresses regardless of where it is located.
Format For Foreign Addresses
If you have ever tried Googling “foreign address format”, you would know there is no universal foreign address format. And it is not so hard to understand why if you think about it for a second. Most countries in the world don’t even use English as a communication medium.
If so, how can we expect to have a universal address format for the mailer? The fact is that every country defines its address format. What does this mean? There are more than 240 possible address formats, and you need to search for one based on your mailer’s destination.
Will Getting A Sample Address Help?
Getting a sample address for the country you want to send the mailer to can help you. But, the address format available online is not always reliable. Your business would still need an advanced international address validation tool by the end of the day.
Why? Because a proper address format as defined by the country’s postal authority outlines finer details. The appropriate address format includes abbreviations, casing, apartment numbers, and more information. It is practically impossible to manage all this and get it right for your bulk mail campaigns.
Get an all-in-one guide for your bulk mail campaign here. Using an advanced international address validation tool lets you bypass all this trouble. The system takes care of your address format and ensures everything is in order.
Why Should You Use PostGrid’s International Address Validation Tool?
Ensuring the validity of your international addresses is not a walk in the park unless you have a tool like PostGrid. As discussed, the address format varies for different countries, and you can manually track all of them.
PostGrid offers an international address validation web service that lets you validate addresses from more than 240 countries. The address validation process of PostGrid also includes the standardisation of your postal addresses.
CASS And SERP Certifications
PostGrid comes with CASS and SERP certification, which lets you validate addresses in the US and Canada. Both countries offer address data accurate up to the delivery point. Only a tool like PostGrid can ensure the accuracy of your addresses on such a level.
Geocoding Capability
PostGrid’s international address verification tool comes equipped with several advanced tools. But the one feature that offers significant potential is geocoding. It lets you find the physical location of customers based on their address.
You can use geocoding to map out prospective customers and target specific neighbourhoods. It is ideal for you to identify patterns in geographical areas or localities.
Such a feature can benefit an international address validation tool and help you market your business more effectively.
Conclusion
Without the right set of tools, international address validation can bring many unnecessary problems for your business. Most business organisations often fail to consider all the components involved in their international address validation.
Even a slight mistake in your international postal mail communication can significantly lose money for your business. It is also worth remembering that the cost of sending international mailers is high. So, even a minor mistake in your bulk mail campaigns can have devastating results.
PostGrid’s international address validation tool enables you to bypass the challenges of sending international mail. With access to more than 240 address databases, PostGrid lets you verify all your addresses.
Writer’s Note: PostGrid’s address verification tools come with CASS and SERP certifications. Despite having delivery point data, it allows you to verify international addresses for two significant countries.
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The post International Address Validation appeared first on PostGrid UK.
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