What is an Eircode?

Ireland’s postcode network, Eircode, was established in July 2015. A seven-character alphanumeric postcode is known as an Eircode. Every Eircode is specific to a mailing address and its area. 

In Ireland, almost 35% of properties share their address with at least one other residence, making it very difficult to locate a specific address. Unlike in other nations, where postcodes establish a group of addresses, each home and commercial postal address in Ireland is allocated an individual Eircode, aiding in address verification. 

Eircodes, like postcodes in other nations, aid the shipping and postal industries in locating accurate addresses. The Routing Key, the first three characters of the Eircode, specify the postal region associated with a building or property’s postal address. In Ireland, there are 139 separate postal regions. These postal areas are not limited to a single county and may cross over county lines. 

How do Eircodes work? 

A Routing Key and a Unique Identifier are the two elements of an Eircode. Three characters make up the Routing Key. The significant post town associated with a business or property’s postal address is identified by this sequence of numbers and letters, facilitating address lookup. All Eircodes issued to locations within that postal region have the same Routing Key characters. 

Each unique identification is distinct and specific to your residence or business. They aren’t in any particular order. This is to avoid a situation where a new building is built between two old ones, and the code sequence is disrupted, necessitating the changing of all Eircodes in the region. 

Except for the postal districts in Dublin, which have had their current postal codes translated into a routing key format such as D03, D12, and D22, the letters are not related to a county or city designation.

What is the difference between Eircode and Postcode?   

Postcodes and ZIP codes are numerical and alphabetical sequences that symbolise groups of people in specific geographical locations. Companies can use postcodes for a variety of key use cases because they are a strong resource of demographic data. 

However, they frequently encompass several dwellings, making it more difficult to locate a customer’s proper location if homes are named rather than numbered. This challenge underscores the importance of address verification. 

Eircode, on the other hand, assigns a unique identity to every property in Ireland, making it easier to locate residences and companies, especially in rural areas. 

Why use Eircodes for deliveries in Ireland? 

The increase in online shopping is excellent news for online retailers, but with a higher rural population than the EU average, precisely locating clients in Ireland can be difficult. Any company delivering goods in Ireland must have Eircode data. Those who use the address lookup software with Eircodes add-on to collect clients’ addresses should expect to see:  

A reduction in failed deliveries  

It’s obvious that incomplete or inaccurate delivery details will result in failed deliveries. Eircode gives another level of concrete data to help drivers deliver correctly and on time, hence enhancing the brand image. 

Customer experience  

If your address lookup software can’t locate their address, Irish customers are likely to abandon their transaction. Making the checkout process as simple as possible and providing extra data sets like Eircode would not only improve the customer experience, but also satisfy customers and increase conversions for your brand. 

Reduced costs 

As a business, providing proper delivery details to your courier operator ensures that you won’t be held accountable for unsuccessful deliveries. Some couriers will only cooperate with retailers who supply confirmed addressing data or will give them a discount if they do. 

Address lookup with Eircode validation from Fetchify   

ECAF (Eircode Address File) and ECAD (Eircode Address Database) can now be added to the Fetchify Address Lookup as one of our premium data sets to guarantee accurate address verification and validation within Ireland, resulting in quicker checkouts for customers and accurate delivery addresses for drivers.  

To activate Eircodes on your Fetchify account please contact your account manager or our Customer Service team to ensure seamless address verification. 

The Fetchify difference 

We process millions of data transactions weekly for thousands of clients, from small e-commerce start-ups to large household brands such as LG, Heinz and RBS. Our flagship products, Address Auto-Complete and UK Postcode Lookup, reduce friction on checkouts, leading to increases in conversion rates, and help reduce failed deliveries and customer frustration. 
 

We are proud to offer fit-for-purpose plug-and-play integrations with most leading business software platforms. We enjoy global coverage in over 250 countries, with businesses from various industries benefiting from our address verification offering. Make sure to Get in Touch and experience the Fetchify difference – like thousands of e-commerce businesses around the globe. 

The best part is you can try out our 14-day Free Trial before committing to our services. Our excellent technical and customer support team is on hand to answer your burning questions. Make sure to Get in Touch and experience the Fetchify difference – like thousands of e-commerce businesses around the globe.