What is a Free Address Lookup API?

A free address lookup api is essential for global eCommerce brands that need to streamline or expedite their checkout and customer onboarding processes. Address verification reduces delivery problems and enables businesses to improve data accuracy, customer satisfaction, and marketing campaigns.

Address verification is a real-time process that checks an address by comparing it to the official postal database. It can identify missing or invalid elements and standardizes them for mailing. It can also verify if the address is a business, residential or PO Box. Address verification can be used on its own or with other services like geocoding, which maps an address to geographic coordinates.

There are many different kinds of address lookup api's, such as predictive search which narrows down the matching results as you type in your postcode or house number and street. Or there is autocomplete which suggests possible addresses based on your input. These are both useful for reducing the amount of typing required by your customers, improving their buying experience.

Another option is to use a full-blown CASS (Certificate Application Support System) certified address validation tool, such as Experian's. This allows you to validate and check an entire address at the point of entry, meaning there is less chance of bad data entering your database. Hotel Chocolat, for instance, saw a 19% uplift in their form completion rates after they implemented an address validation service. These services can be integrated into your forms or into your back-office systems to provide a seamless user experience.