Address Auto-Complete Fetchify vs. Google

With online stores across the globe doing their level best to streamline their checkout processes in 2023, many e-commerce retailers are exploring various address lookup and data validation solutions to optimise their platforms and improve the customer experience.

When considering address validation and postcode lookup solutions for efficient online transactions, successful e-commerce retailers will testify that using a reliable address autocomplete tool is vital to maximising your return on investment. That being said, many online retailers might be led to believe that Google is the go-to solution for address lookup during the checkout process.

While Google may give users the impression of being an accurate address lookup solution, to the contrary – using Google’s address autocomplete tool may not be your best bet if you want to avoid cart abandonment rates and failed deliveries. 

Read on as we discover what makes an effective address autocomplete tool, and let’s explore how Fetchify’s address autocomplete tool differs from Google’s offering.

What is Address Auto-Complete?

An address autocomplete tool is typically used by online stores during the checkout phase of the online shopping customer journey. It is a feature that suggests street addresses to the customer as they are physically typing their address into the online form narrowing down the results as more of the address is typed in until the customer sees and selects the one they are looking for.

This tool is particularly helpful in making data submission quicker and more precise as it reduces the number of keystrokes and mistakes from a customer – making it a crucial tool in any data governance strategy.

Address autocomplete functionality, when implemented effectively, will ensure that:

• the checkout process on your platform is simplified as keystrokes will be reduced for billing and shipping information;
• shopper fatigue is reduced as cart abandonment rates are minimised;
• typos and errors are eliminated;
• addresses are standardised to the local courier format;
• an address is real and reachable through effective validation; and
• address data quality is improved by reducing invalid entries.

E-commerce retailers who are looking to upgrade their data validation and address finder solutions on their platform must take into consideration factors like geolocation, secondary unit designators – such as specific addresses within apartment blocks or sectional-title properties, validation and standardisation, and providing only real addresses that include non-postal addresses – many elements of which Google address finder tools do not make provision for.

Address autocomplete: What sets Fetchify apart from Google

While Google Maps may appear to have the edge when it comes to address validation with Google Places Autocomplete API containing data from over 200 countries, it is the quality of such data that dispels the myth of Google’s reliability in this regard.

The accuracy of such data comes into question when compared to address autocomplete platforms that are specifically designed with precision in mind – such as Fetchify’s superiority in this regard. Let’s unpack the key differences between Google’s address autocomplete tool when compared to Fetchify’s tailor-made solution.

Source of data

To begin with, Fetchify invests in the latest and most accurate data from the best data providers in over 250 countries – ensuring that the most precise and complete data is available.

In stark contrast, Google uses data provided by their users – data is frequently filled with human errors – in conjunction with their own street view products. Since there is no authoritative validation of this data, it is likely that human errors will continually be accepted. 

Updated data

Fetchify’s solution is designed for a dedicated purpose – to retrieve accurate and validated address data from reputable sources, which then populates the address form during the checkout process. 

Fetchify’s data is updated daily to monthly, depending on our data source, reflecting the most accurate information when customers fill in their forms at checkout. Google, on the other hand, updates its data much less frequently and not from official address data sources meaning the data can be as much as 12 months out of date. 

Platform-specific integrations

Fetchify can be easily integrated across multiple platforms with clear and specific documentation for successful application without any risk to e-commerce retailers.

Google does not offer platform-specific integrations, relying instead on numerous independent developers to create apps with varying degrees of functionality making the identification of a reliable app that much harder. Its address autocomplete tool is very broad, with a lot of technical knowledge and customisation required – making it a more complicated affair when integrating with your online store.

Pricing

Fetchify only charges online stores at the instance that the customer selects a final result that populates the checkout form Fetchify’s pricing model is simple – as a retailer, you can purchase address lookups in packs to cover your monthly or yearly needs – based perhaps on how many orders you expect to process, and you are only charged for a completed ‘retrieve’ of an address once your customer has selected from the list and populated the address form. All the ‘finds’ or searches a user might perform up to that point are free. 

In contrast, Google’s pricing structure is quite complicated, with e-commerce retailers at risk of being overcharged. In addition, Google charges per-session pricing even if the customer does not choose a final address – meaning e-commerce retailers often pay more than they are supposed to.

Specific searches and accurate results

Fetchify uses a sophisticated system to return results based on the user’s mobile device location or IP address – retrieving data in as little as three keystrokes – making it a much faster and more accurate search tool. 

Fetchify also includes a highly-intuitive fuzzy matching algorithm that can easily overcome entry errors, spelling mistakes and abbreviations and deliver accurate, valid address information almost instantly. Moreover, Fetchify allows for country-specific searches, allowing more accurate results drawn from the correct dataset.

Google, in comparison, uses a system of worldwide searching that can be restrictive, while searches on Google also take longer and may not return a result if there are errors that cannot be resolved in a recognised address.

Branding

Fetchify allows e-commerce retailers to remove Fetchify’s branding during the search – providing a more seamless customer experience with as little distraction as possible for customers. 

When using Google’s address autocomplete tool, however, e-commerce retailers cannot remove Google’s branding – something that can detract from a smooth customer experience.

Validation and formatting

Fetchify is a specialist provider of validated address data for e-commerce, CRM systems and more, with a clear effect on reducing friction and improving conversion. 

In contrast, Google Places is a broad-based tool that takes advantage of data on its Maps platform. It is not accurately validated in many situations and is not properly formatted for efficient delivery through local courier companies.

A portfolio of address-validation products

Fetchify has a much larger portfolio of address-validation products with several applications in e-commerce, CRM and a number of different data capture situations. 

Fetchify’s portfolio includes Address, Phone, Email, and Bank validation and data cleansing – clearly, a fit-for-purpose application for efficient online store checkout processes. This is quite different on Google’s platform, which was intended to direct people to specific places instead of capturing validated address data – clearly not meant for use during checkout at online stores. 

Higher rates of completed deliveries

Fetchify’s customers have an extremely successful rate of completed deliveries due to drawing accurate address data from reliable sources during the online checkout phase. 

Conversely, Google’s address autocomplete tool often returns inaccurate data captured at the online checkout and can lead to a recurrence of failed deliveries – something common when using Google’s address autocomplete tool.