Fetchify & SportsOnline increase checkout completions for 12 years not out

"Fetchify makes the checkout process so much quicker. You know how impatient people are and every time they go to a checkout and have to type everything out you risk losing them. " – Jamie Harvey, Managing Director

Established in 1999, SportsOnline is a family-run business selling cricket and hockey sports equipment internationally from www.cricket-hockey.com as well as a bricks-and-mortar shop and warehouse in Wiltshire, UK.


They launched their first online shop in 2000, one of the first cricket and hockey specialists to be online, they’ve grown exponentially to one of the world’s largest cricket and hockey retailers, dispatching tens of thousands of orders worldwide every year. They also produce their own highly successful cricket and hockey equipment range – Funky. Famed for their service and expertise, it’s no wonder there’s a great match with Fetchify.


Having installed Postcode Lookup from CraftyClicks (the previous name of Fetchify) in 2008, they recently updated to Fetchify’s global solution, Address Auto-Complete, as they grow internationally with sales to Australia, New Zealand, US, Netherlands and Germany in particular.


Fetchify is installed via a plugin for their eCommerce platform, PrestaShop, which they run completely in-house.


Fetchify helps SportsOnline achieve:


  • Increased conversion rates from a faster checkout
  • Improved overall customer service due to fewer addressing errors
  • Reduced customer frustration and wait times
  • Reduced administration issues caused by shipping


The challenges


Prior to installing Fetchify, SportsOnline were frustrated by the amount of customer-led data errors in address entries. These issues have been resolved by installing first the Postcode Lookup and then the Address Auto Complete plugins ensuring only verified addresses can be input.


"The amount of people who type the wrong postcodes and then three days later ask, “Where’s my order?” is surprising. Put that with mistyping house numbers as well – it was not good. It’s always easier when you can select it, isn’t it."


Another challenge easily solved was how to continue when SportsOnline decided to upgrade their eCommerce platform to PrestaShop. A phone call was made to Fetchify to find our ready-made plugin for Prestashop already created and ready for instant use. Fetchify have ready-made plugins for most major eCommerce platforms and they can be easily customized for non-standard use.


"After 12 years of use, SportsOnline have never had to contact Fetchify for technical issues. The only time we’ve made contact was for the original install and then update for PrestaShop. Nothing goes wrong with it!"


How Fetchify helps


Fetchify is a pioneer in SaaS address lookup and data validation solutions and offers a range of data verification solutions.


Address Auto-Complete is a simple plugin that is easy to install and supports your online customers to ensure their address is correct every time. It also speeds up the checkout process.


The key benefits delivered by Address-Auto Complete are:


Addresses are easy and fast to add to registration or order pages

The source of addresses updates daily for accuracy

Fetchify verifies the address for accuracy and correct postal formatting


Results, return on investment and future plans


Having used the automatic address completion plugin tool from Fetchify, SportsOnline have enjoyed a greater number of checkout conversions – faster and easier address entry for buyers which means a better conversion to the payment stage.


A recent conversion to the PrestaShop eCommerce platform and greater international sales required a change to the international version of Address Auto-Complete to cater for their buyers all around the world.


"We’ve never received a customer complaint about address entry since installing Fetchify. It’s only increased our conversion and given us less admin to do!"

About Fetchify


Fetchify’s address lookup and data validation platforms cover more than 250 countries, and increases customer conversion with the fastest, most accurate customer data capture. Fetchify’s flagship products – Address Auto Complete and Postcode Lookup – reduce friction at the checkout, and also significantly increase the number of successful deliveries. Founded in 2008, Fetchify processes millions of data transactions every day for clients ranging from startups to established high-street names, and offers a full suite of data validation tools, including phone, email and bank, too.

June 30, 2025
An article in Ecommerce News recently put a number to something every online retailer dreads: lost parcels. In Q4 2024 alone, European ecommerce retailers lost €500 million in revenue due to 3.72 million undelivered parcels. That’s roughly €145 per parcel in direct and indirect logistics costs. And while the official rate of “lost” parcels is just 0.06%, the reality – accounting for misdelivery, theft, and reporting gaps – is likely closer to 0.7%. That’s 1 in every 143 parcels. The Hidden Costs of a 'Lost' Delivery For enterprise-scale ecommerce operations, the implications scale fast: Lost product and packaging costs Repeat fulfilment and reverse logistics Customer service team time and refunds Increased churn and checkout abandonment Damage to brand reputation and online reviews So Why Are Parcels Going Missing? Many issues originate in the last mile of the delivery process. The root cause is often poor data quality: Incomplete or inaccurate delivery addresses captured at checkout Manual amendments to address fields by warehouse or courier staff Ambiguous delivery locations (e.g., "front porch") Lack of precise geolocation data for drop-off Inadequate or unverifiable proof of delivery Some losses are unavoidable, but most stem from gaps in ecommerce data validation and fulfilment process transparency. What Retailers Can Control with Smart Logistics Data While you can’t eliminate theft or accidents, you can reduce missed deliveries and failed first attempts through better data validation and delivery insights: Real-Time Address Validation at Checkout Fetchify’s ecommerce address validation tools connect directly with official data sources including Royal Mail PAF and the Multiple Residence dataset. This ensures accurate delivery details for apartment blocks, HMOs, student housing, and more. Unlike generic autocomplete tools, this is verified delivery point data. Rooftop-Accurate Geocoding for Pinpoint Delivery Fetchify’s Rooftop Geocodes assign precise latitude and longitude to verified addresses – helping carriers reach the exact doorstep, not just the postcode centroid. Proof of Delivery with Location and Time Stamping Our data solutions integrate seamlessly with POD technologies, supporting timestamped, geo-tagged delivery images. Customers can also submit geo-located photos during disputes, enabling faster, fairer resolutions. Map-Based Address Confirmation for Shoppers By embedding a zoomed-in map in the checkout process, ecommerce brands allow customers to visually confirm their delivery location. This prevents ambiguous or misentered addresses from the start. Audit Trails and Address Change Tracking Fetchify tracks address field edits and changes across the fulfilment chain, helping to pinpoint where a delivery went wrong and maintain data accountability. Marginal Gains. Major Ecommerce Impact. Smart logistics and address data validation might only reduce parcel loss by fractions of a percent – but the impact is huge: A 0.1% improvement = thousands of saved parcels = millions in recovered revenue Fewer failed deliveries = less pressure on customer support teams Accurate addresses = better first-time delivery success and lower last-mile costs Conclusion: Delivery Accuracy is a Data Challenge Lost parcels aren’t just a logistics challenge. They’re a symptom of poor data validation in ecommerce. From checkout to doorstep, the journey must be powered by precise, verified data. Fetchify helps online retailers solve this problem with address validation, geolocation, and enhanced fulfilment transparency. If you want to stop asking “Whose front door is this?” – start with smarter ecommerce data. Want to improve delivery success and reduce failed parcels? Contact Fetchify to book your free address data health check.
A disabled company employee
December 4, 2024
By making your website more inclusive, you can reach a broader audience, improve user experiences, and demonstrate your commitment to creating a welcoming space for all.
A man is typing on a laptop computer while holding a folder.
June 6, 2024
In the digital age, data is a critical asset for any business. Fetchify explores how data cleansing can help your business meet international standards
A man is using a tablet in a living room while a woman sits on a couch.
May 7, 2024
In the bustling world of online commerce, every detail matters. Address verification is often overlooked, and Fetchify explain why solidd data is never to be missed
Show More