GeoCoding: Greener logistics starts with accurate data

Fetchify is known in the eCommerce industry for their best-in-class address lookup tools which streamline the checkout process, increasing conversion rate and eliminating failed deliveries caused by customer errors at checkout. Adding another string to their data validation bow, Fetchify launch their new GeoCoding solution at this year’s Internet Retailing Expo at Birmingham NEC.


GeoCoding, which translates a postal address into latitude and longitude coordinates, allows retailers to calculate the closest store or warehouse to the customer’s location, and logistics companies to plan the most efficient delivery routes.


Greener, more sustainable logistics and delivery is a hot topic in the world of eCommerce and a major theme at IRX2021. There are many ways retailers can reduce their carbon footprint but before you begin finessing your last-mile delivery process, you need accurate customer address and contact data. You can use the most eco-friendly vehicles, but if your customer entered the wrong address by accident at checkout, it’s still a wasted trip. You can install the best tracker and communications API to keep your customer updated on delivery time to the minute, but if you didn’t capture the right phone number, those updates won’t be received.


Consumers are becoming more and more conscious of their own carbon footprint and that of the businesses they choose to buy from. It is ever more vital for retailers to be able to share their roadmap and the steps they are taking towards sustainability with their customers.


Many larger changes to the logistics chain such as shifting warehouses to more central locations or switching courier can be time consuming and costly. Simple checkout APIs such as Fetchify’s data validation and new GeoCoding services are quick and easy to install and will make an immediate difference by eliminating failed deliveries caused by data-entry errors, increase customer engagement with accurate contact details, and increase last-mile efficiency and route planning with rooftop-level geocoding.

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.

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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.
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