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66 blog posts tagged "Address quality"
Theme parks need address validation
By John Hickey on June 10, 2025
When you think about theme parks, you probably think of roller coasters, long lines, and $18 turkey legs. But behind all the fun is a surprising need for something a little less flashy yet still gorgeous as all get out—rock-solid address validation (or address verification, we use them interchangeably). Yes, we’re talking about making sure that the addresses entered by guests are real, valid, and standardized. Why? Because today’s theme parks operate like data-rich, customer-first ecosystems.
Why you want "no-matches" in your address verification API results
By Jeffrey Duncan on May 28, 2025
When it comes to address verification, getting a match every time might seem like the goal. After all, a system that always returns a validated address must be working perfectly, right?Wrong. If your address verification API always forces a match, no matter what, it’s not being helpful. It’s actually introducing risk. In fact, getting a “no match” result can frequently be the smarter, safer outcome. Let’s talk about why. What is a "no match" telling you?A “no match” means the input address doesn’t align with any known, valid address in the reference database.
Smarty® wins bronze Stevie® Award for customer satisfaction
By Trent Howell on May 22, 2025
OREM, UT, May 2025—The Stevie Awards announced that Smarty won the bronze medal for “Achievement in Customer Satisfaction. ”We’re thrilled to have received this award, as winning a Stevie signals that our customers trust and love Smarty products. What are Stevie Awards?Winning a “Stevie” is a prestigious honor for businesses, often referred to as the “Oscars of the business world. ” Each year, thousands of entries from around the globe are submitted to The American Business Awards® to be judged by more than 200 industry professionals.
Horseshoes and hand grenades: What's the real cost of “good enough” address data?
By Ben Roden on May 20, 2025
Ask most product owners about their address data, and they’ll probably tell you that “it’s good enough. ” But when it comes to address data integrity, the word “enough” should give you serious pause. When it comes to address data, “close enough” is how businesses end up with wasted marketing spend, compliance headaches, failed deliveries, and policies that don’t hold up. It doesn’t matter if you're underwriting insurance on a home, scheduling a broadband install, or mailing a benefits enrollment kit—accuracy isn’t a nice-to-have.
Is your address verification tool going off-script?
By Ben Roden on May 15, 2025
In the world of address validation, not all providers stick to the script. Some go rogue. And while that might work for improv geniuses like Robin Williams or even our own Brady Amundson, when your verification tools start improvising results, creating fictional addresses, and hoping you don’t notice… well, it's like watching a movie adaptation of your favorite book and thinking, “Wait… they burned down the Burrow?!?” (Harry Potter fans, I’m still mad. )If your address verification tool is delivering results that feel more like fan fiction than factual data, and geolocating “validated” addresses in the middle of lakes, it might be time to reconsider the cast.
Solving paranormal address problems with Smarty®
By Kajsia McCoy on May 3, 2025
Ever feel like your address data is cursed?Customers claim their packages never showed up. Your CRM swears by an address that doesn’t exist. Meanwhile, your checkout form mysteriously rejects a perfectly valid street name like it's possessed. Healthcare claim denials, failed insurance verifications, suspicious fintech delays—something strange is definitely going on. Instead of avoiding or running away terrified, we’re investigating the eerie and mysterious on Paranormal Day, May 3. We tip our foil hats to Charles Fort, the original chronicler of the weird and unexplained, and investigate a real threat to your data systems: unverified addresses.
How address verification helps solve medical billing address fraud
By John Hickey on April 21, 2025
Healthcare fraud isn’t just an occasional headache—it’s a $20 billion-a-year black hole draining financial institutions. And that’s just the fraud we know about. As healthcare systems become more complex, fraudsters are also getting smarter, faster, and more creative at exploiting vulnerabilities, especially in address verification. The healthcare industry is an easy target. Medical data can be more valuable than credit card numbers, billing systems are a tangled mess, and the sheer complexity of transactions creates endless opportunities for fraud to slip through unnoticed.
Why address verification is the necessary complement to autocomplete
By John Hickey on April 14, 2025
Address autocomplete is a powerful tool for improving form completions and ensuring users select real, deliverable addresses at entry. However, to maintain long-term data integrity and enhance address-related insights, address verification is a necessary complement. Here’s why:1. Gain up to 55 points of metadata per verified addressAutocomplete provides real-time address suggestions, while address verification appends additional metadata. Address verification enhances each address with up to 55 points of data, such as:ZIP-9 level accuracy geocoordinates (rooftop accuracy also available)ZIP+4 CodesResidential Delivery Indicator (RDI) to identify residential vs.
Property data fuels a Smarty-er search for Sasquatch
By Ben Roden on April 1, 2025
Bigfoot. Sasquatch. Ol’ Filthy Albert. No matter what you call him, you know who we’re talking about: the hairy giant cryptid who haunts our collective imagination and, according to about 13% of the US population, wanders the American wilderness. The traditional perception of Sasquatch is that of a solitary creature whose run-ins with people are the unavoidable consequence of human development and exploration. If recent sightings are any indication, it seems the legendary creature may have more on their mind than just staying hidden.
Patient form optimization: The $17.4 million problem
By John Hickey on March 12, 2025
Let's start with a number that should make every hospital administrator do a double take: $17. 4 million. That’s how much the average hospital loses annually—just from denied claims due to patient misidentification. This isn’t from equipment costs, not from staffing shortages, and not even from insurance negotiations—just from keeping bad patient data. Surely, our forms aren’t that bad. (Yes, they are, and stop calling me Shirley. )But here’s the reality: According to the 2016 Ponemon Misidentification Report, 30% of hospital claims get denied, and over a third of those denials are caused by inaccurate or incomplete patient information.
The GPS adventures of a distracted developer
By Jeffrey Duncan on March 11, 2025
My name is Jeffrey Duncan, and at the pestering of Smarty’s editor, I’m writing a blog about the many adventures I’ve had in life and how address data has played a big part in them. I met my wife about eight years ago on a dating website. At the time, I lived in Provo, Utah, while she lived in Palmwoods, Australia, on the east coast of Queensland. On this dating app, I entered the area where I was interested in finding someone, about a 25-mile radius of Provo, Utah. I had no intention of leaving the valley, definitely not the state, and certainly not the country.
Improving address data quality in healthcare
By John Hickey on February 27, 2025
Healthcare is experiencing a dramatic shift in how patient information is stored and managed. Electronic medical records (EMRs) and electronic health records (EHRs) have become the new standard, driven by two powerful forces: everyone has mobile devices and the increase in the human population. A growing problem with clean address data in EMRs and EHRsWhile EMRs and EHRs offer amazing accessibility and storage capabilities (way better than a filing cabinet), they've also exposed a critical weakness in many healthcare organizations: address data quality.
Discover built-in address verification: Popular platforms with Smarty integrations
By Andrew Townsend on February 26, 2025
Address verification isn't just a nice-to-have feature—it's a critical business function that directly impacts your bottom line and customer satisfaction. The impact of reliable address verification extends throughout your entire operation. Every returned package or piece of mail represents wasted shipping costs, lost time, and potential damage to customer relationships. Most importantly, it's an entirely preventable problem. When addresses are verified before shipping, businesses see immediate improvements in delivery success rates and significant reductions in associated costs.
Mastering healthcare compliance: HIPAA mailing guidelines, ACA, and health equity
By John Hickey on February 18, 2025
In any industry that’s regulated and works with PII (personally identifiable information), a simple address error can cost more than just a returned letter. With HIPAA violations ranging from $100 to $50,000 per incident and the possibility of criminal charges, getting patient addresses wrong is more than an administrative headache—it's a serious compliance risk under HIPAA, ACA, and other mailing regulations. Our new ebook explores how address data quality directly impacts regulatory compliance, patient privacy, and health equity requirements, among 12 other hot topics.
Falling out of love with your address data solution?
By Brent Francom on February 14, 2025
There are plenty of address data solutions in the sea. You might need to let them off the hook if:Their data accuracy is sufferingToo many false positivesSpotty data availability (lack of international support? Beuller?)Off-the-mark geocoding (not truly rooftop-level accurate)Missing data enrichment (RDI, FIPS, unique ID, secondary addresses, etc. )They don’t flirt nicely (or at all) with your existing systemsThey don’t have an accurate address autocomplete solutionYour relationship with them has become robotic and mundane (When you need help, you have to talk to a robot instead of a real person for support… ew.
Global game-changer: Level up your customer retention in 2025
By Andrew Townsend on February 6, 2025
In 2024, it’s estimated that online purchases, or ecommerce, made up more than 20% of global retail, with 2. 77 billion people shopping online, and those numbers will only get bigger in the following years. With so much online shopping, more goods and services are being shipped than ever before—including during the height of the Sears catalog in 1970. Side note: If you’re reading this and you don’t know what the Sears catalog was or how much it impacted the average home, it’s worth taking a trip down memory lane and seeing how your elders used to shop.
Shipping optimization: Boosting your bottom line
By Kajsia McCoy on January 29, 2025
Shipping optimization is rapidly evolving the retail landscape with advancements in shipping technology. From using robotics to increase efficiency and protect workers from dangerous jobs to autonomous vehicles and drones taking items to hard-to-reach areas, shipping has drastically evolved from the infancy of ecommerce in the 1990s. Sure, the 90s are currently having a pop culture resurgence, but your customers don’t want their shipping experience to go retro. One of the most impactful ways to ship effectively is to use a Shipping Execution System (SES).
Cytora + Smarty®: Foundations for smarter underwriting
By Trent Howell on January 21, 2025
We're happy to announce a recent partnership with Cytora, an insurance technology firm. Below, you will find the announcement they published:London, UK; January 21: Cytora, the leading digital risk processing platform, today announced a partnership with Smarty, a cutting-edge provider of property data solutions, to transform property risk evaluation for insurers. Juan de Castro, COO at Cytora, said: “This partnership represents a significant step forward in enriching our data ecosystem. By integrating Smarty’s unparalleled property data, we’re enabling insurers to make faster, more informed decisions with access to high-quality insights directly within our platform.
How I reduced my returned mail from 27% to 1% using address autocomplete
By Andrew Townsend on January 13, 2025
The following is based on a true story. Some of the names and relationships have been changed to protect the anonymity of individuals and companies. However, the numbers are 100% accurate. In 2023, I wanted to mail some really fancy cards to 165 businesses. I collected their addresses by asking for them or finding them in their online listing and collected them all in a neat little row. Then, I went a step further and ran these addresses through Smarty's bulk address validation tool. Everything was set and perfect.
From cart to commitment: Ultimate ecommerce checkout guide
By Kajsia McCoy on January 3, 2025
Cart abandonment is the nemesis of ecommerce. With 70% of carts left stranded, every tweak to your checkout process can lead to significant revenue recovery. Here's how to create a seamless experience, win over customers, and boost conversions. PSST! If you like what you see but don’t want to have to read it, here’s a FREE downloadable guide (in checkbox format for your convenience) for all you skimmers out there. We seriously won’t ask you for a credit card… or anything, really. Building a frictionless checkout experienceA smooth checkout makes all the difference.
Cozy-cringe couture: Ugly Sweater Day
By Dan Lambourne on December 13, 2024
Just as wearing an “I voted” sticker has a time and a place, so too does the ugliest sweater you own. That’s right. It’s that time magical time when otherwise sensible adults deliberately dress like their grandmother's couch had a love child with a craft store explosion. The beauty of Ugly Sweater Day lies in its delicious irony – the more you fail at fashion, the more you succeed at the holiday. It's the only day of the year when "Where did you get that hideous thing?" is a genuine compliment.
Be an address ninja
By Holly Joyce on December 12, 2024
We love ninjas!Yes, we do!We love ninjas!How about you? crickets We know they’re out there. BUT TODAY IS THEIR DAY, so even though these sneaky, highly-trained martial artists aren’t going to join our cheering throngs, we’ll celebrate them on National Day of the Ninja. Why?Because we’re ninja masters (sort of). We’re really good at solving every address issue just like we believe our fellow shadow warriors would—silently running in the background, solving challenges with unparalleled speed and accuracy.
Boo! Scary street names in horror movies
By Kajsia McCoy on October 16, 2024
If you’re here, you appreciate a good horror movie, especially around Halloween time. There are many different subgenres of scary movies: slasher, found footage, psychological horror, supernatural horror, monster, folklore, zombie, gothic fiction, paranormal fiction, and the list goes on and on for a frighteningly long time. One thing all horror movies have in common is a scary setting. Maybe the trees are creepy and dead. Perhaps the house is rotting from the inside out. Sometimes, the location has historical significance with real and traumatic events.
Pluto Demoted Day
By Andrew Townsend on August 23, 2024
Astronomers and astronauts are obsessed with accuracy. (We’re not hating. So are Smarty® pantses. )And for good reason, too. If you're sending a rocket to some point in space when you're moving, your target is moving, and the rocket is going to be affected by gravity and solar dust, the math and accuracy could be the difference between millions of dollars wasted and, quite literally, life or death. For accuracy reasons, Pluto was reclassified from planet to dwarf planet. And that's OK. Sometimes, reclassification and reassessment are needed if we really care about accuracy and precision.
When to use strict vs enhanced matching in your address API
By Andrew Townsend on May 20, 2024
In our recent webinar, we invited Easton Gibson, one of our US Street API software engineers, to discuss key features of address validation and give insights into the functionalities of both strict and enhanced modes. Understanding strict modeStrict mode is precisely what it sounds like—it rigorously validates addresses against the official USPS database, ensuring that only fully accurate, postal-verified addresses are accepted. This mode is typically used for operations requiring high precision, such as legal or financial document dispatch.
Smarty™ & Uber partner on address intelligence for global services
By Trent Howell on May 7, 2024
May 7, 2024 - PROVO, UTAH - Smarty, a preeminent provider of address data solutions, announced today its service partnership with Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: UBER), providing accurate, real-time address data for the ride-sharing leader. Smarty's comprehensive address intelligence services will bolster Uber’s extensive address data capabilities across its global operations, encompassing ride-sharing, meal delivery and local courier services. Jonathan Oliver, CEO of Smarty, said, "It’s evident Uber has the highest commitment to delivering delightful customer experiences and operational excellence.
Avoid awkward moments with Smarty's accurate data
By Sawyer Hendrickson on March 18, 2024
March 18 marks a bit of an awkward holiday: Awkward Moments Day. It's a day that celebrates those times that make you cringe, moments that make you face-palm, and stories that wake you up at 4 in the morning thinking, "Ugh! Why did I do that?" Although these moments can be uncomfortable, it's helpful to remember that everyone has them, and if they say they don't … We know they’re lying. It's also helpful to remember that these embarrassing stories can help us learn and do better the next time around.
Spider-Man: Where is my home?
By Kiana Lewis on November 30, 2023
At Avengers headquarters, Tony Stark is busily creating gadgets for Spider-Man as a thank-you for his dedication to superheroism. Stark places the final touches and debates how to deliver the package. He could suit up and deliver it himself, convince Doctor Strange to teleport it, or use the boring, everyday mail system. Stark runs all these scenarios through his head— Doctor Strange's focus has been a little divided lately, so he'll probably mess up the location and drop it on some poor lady’s head.
Learning from Marty McFly: Fixing bad data ripple effects
By Davin Perkins on October 21, 2023
On October 21, we celebrate Marty McFly Day, dedicated to honoring the time-traveling teen's contribution to the world of time travel in the "Back to the Future" universe. In the spirit of this iconic day, we embark on a journey to learn from Marty's adventures and apply those lessons to address data quality in the business world. Just as Marty's actions set off ripples through time, we'll explore how address data accuracy—or the lack thereof—can create a ripple effect with profound consequences.
Compliance risks of inaccurate address data for health insurance providers
By Wes Arnold on July 27, 2023
Handling address data is such a routine occurrence for health insurance providers that it’s not the first thing that would come to mind as being a liability. However, the reality is that discrepancies and inaccuracies in address data can have far-reaching consequences, posing serious privacy and compliance risks. Healthcare fraud, reputational damage, and financial penalties are just a few examples of the potential hazards. In this article, we’ll delve into three common types of privacy and compliance risks resulting from incorrect or incomplete address data.
The financial impact of inaccurate address data for health insurance providers
By Wes Arnold on July 26, 2023
When it comes to physical health, sometimes the smallest things can have a big impact. A microscopic virus or a small injury can develop into a life-threatening infection before you even know it’s there — and conversely, a tiny pill or ointment can save a life. The little things matter when it comes to health data, too. In particular, address data is a small part of a patient profile that can have far-reaching effects if it is incorrect or incomplete. Address data is a key information point at the center of billing and communication with patients, and even a slight mistake in an address—a missing unit number or a misspelled street name—can make mail undeliverable.
The silent risks of inaccurate address data for health insurance providers
By Wes Arnold on July 18, 2023
Ever since the first Blue Cross health insurance plan was provided to Texas schoolteachers in 1929 for a monthly fee of $6, health insurance providers have formed the backbone of the American healthcare system. Today, as that system faces ongoing scrutiny, health insurance providers are still at the heart of the action, striving to connect patients to the highest possible quality of care while navigating significant changes including rising costs, digital transformation, medical advances, customer expectations, and ever-present regulations.
Celebrating Laser Day and the precision of modern technology
By Andrew Townsend on July 6, 2023
Every July 11, technology enthusiasts, scientists, and curious minds come together to celebrate a milestone in the annals of scientific achievement - Laser Day. On this day in 1960, Theodore Maiman first operated the laser, introducing the world to a tool that would significantly shape industries, from manufacturing to healthcare. At first glance, lasers and processes like address validation, geocoding, address enrichment, and address autocomplete may appear worlds apart, relegated to vastly different domains.
How address autocomplete grows your business
By Ryan Muir on June 29, 2023
You've got more website traffic than ever, but your conversion rate and sales are plummeting. What's worse is that this is the information you've got to deliver to the executive team for the monthly report. They're going to want to know the reasons why and the proposed solutions. Of course, you'll make it your top priority to figure out what's going on. You decide to map out the flow of the user's journey on your website. You identify key points where there could be problems for the customer.
Captain Picard Day: Validation insights from Jean-Luc himself
By Andrew Townsend on June 16, 2023
As a distinguished leader, diplomat, and explorer in the Star Trek universe, Captain Picard's legacy extends far beyond the realm of science fiction enthusiasts. In 2007, fans decided to bring a piece of Star Trek lore into reality: Captain Picard Day. This 'holiday,' first introduced in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Pegasus," is an annual celebration observed on the Enterprise by its youngest crew members. The date mentioned in the episode is Stardate 47457. 1, which translates to June 16.
Address verification reduces overall cost of shipping & routing
By John Hickey on June 14, 2023
Lost packages equal lost revenue. It’s a simple equation—if USPS or another delivery service can't deliver your products to the listed address, you’re likely out the cost of the item and the shipping, and you might even have to pay a return fee. However, one simple addition to your workflow can get your balance sheet back to black—address verification. Use a full address validation service that includes secondary address data like apartment unit numbers to cleanse your delivery list. Clean address data helps you reduce costs from misdeliveries, delays, lost mail, returned mail, reshipments, and change of address fees.
Go Mr. Clean on your databases and reduce risk—All with address verification
By John Hickey on June 1, 2023
Your business generates data with every digital ad you run, every purchase order, every promotional mailing, and every customer survey you do. And every time one campaign wraps up, another starts. Developing a solid database cleansing and consolidation strategy can help prevent a database full of holes and information gaps. Why does database cleansing matter? Your revenue will diminish if you rely on bad data to make strategic business decisions. In our ebook, 5 Ways Companies Use Address Verification to Improve Business Results, we discuss how to use address verification software to cleanse databases and merge datasets.
The connection between clean address data and the environment
By Andrew Townsend on April 18, 2023
Earth Day is celebrated every year on April 22, raising awareness about environmental issues and encouraging people to take action to protect our planet. But have you ever considered the connection between Earth Day and clean address data?You probably haven't. But don't worry, because we have. Let's take a look at the importance of maintaining clean and accurate address data and how it can contribute to a healthier environment. The importance of clean address dataKeeping your address database clean and up-to-date is essential for businesses of all sizes.
Understanding key data governance players: Roles and responsibilities
By Andrew Townsend on March 22, 2023
Successful data governance requires more than just rules and policies. It requires a dedicated team of professionals with clear roles and responsibilities to effectively manage and protect the data. We recently published “Data Governance: An Executive’s Survival Guide”, an ebook that you can download right now. In it you’ll find information on data governance and other important factors in the address data game. The following is an excerpt on the section about the different roles and responsibilities involved in data governance.
Data security policies and standards: What they are and why they matter
By Andrew Townsend on March 18, 2023
In today's data-driven world, data security is more important than ever. Data is always at risk for attacks and misuse, and lack of security is an increasing threat. With the rise of phishing attacks and other cyber threats, organizations must be vigilant to protect their data from unauthorized access, theft, and misuse. The following is an excerpt from our newest ebook, “Data Governance: An Executive’s Survival Guide”. You can download the entire guide here. According to Forbes, in 2019 phishing attacks rose to their highest level since 2016, and the time it took to detect and resolve data breaches also increased that year.
Data quality: The foundation of successful data management
By Andrew Townsend on March 14, 2023
We recently published an ebook titled “Data Governance: An Executive’s Survival Guide”. The following is a sampling of the chapter on data quality. The value of data qualityData is the lifeblood of modern organizations, providing crucial insights that can drive decision-making and innovation. However, the value of data is only as good as its quality. Poor quality data can lead to costly mistakes, misinformed decisions, and reputational damage. That's why it's essential to ensure your organization's data fits its intended purpose.
Master data management explained: Understanding the basics
By Andrew Townsend on March 12, 2023
Master data management is but one section of our recent ebook “Data Governance: An Executive’s Survival Guide”. You can download the full ebook for free here. What is master data?Master data is all the data critical to your business's operation. It's the data that multiple departments depend on to make decisions and drive success. From customer data to product data, financial data to inventory data, master data is the backbone of many organizations. Without it, businesses would struggle to operate efficiently and effectively.
The importance of a data governance framework
By Andrew Townsend on March 9, 2023
We're thrilled to share a sneak peek of one of the sections in our latest ebook, "Data Governance: An Executive's Survival Guide. " This guide is a must-have for anyone with a database, and we have packed it with an abundance of critical points and examples that will enlighten and entertain you. One of the most valuable assets businesses have is the digital data we work with every day. As more and more data is collected and used, it's important to have a system to manage it effectively. Enter data governance frameworks.
International address masterclass webinar recap
By Andrew Townsend on March 3, 2023
In this webinar, our international address expert Bryan Amundson went over the ins and outs of international address data. He gave details about country designators, transliteration, and other localized things to consider when working with international addresses. He also dove into how to tell how accurate your international data is and other international address hacks you didn't learn in primary school. What is an international address?An international address is any address outside the country relative to your geographic location or the location of a specific business or entity.
4 ways address autocomplete improves insurance quote conversion rates
By Ryan Muir on February 24, 2023
Let's get straight to the point. If your company isn't converting clicks to sales, you're losing money. But this you already know. What you may not know is you can solve this quickly with address autocomplete on your web forms. With major corporations everywhere holding mass layoffs, generating revenue has never been more urgent. Appealing discounts, deals, offers, etc. will attract visits, but if your web form is difficult to fill out, those clicks won't convert. Let's talk about how using Smarty's Address Autocomplete API will reduce friction in your web forms and increase conversions.
Smarty® expands US address database to over 210 million delivery points
By Trent Howell on February 21, 2023
PROVO, Utah--Smarty, a leader in location data intelligence, announced a significant upgrade to its US Address Verification - Enhanced Matching product by adding 5 million addresses to its list of U. S. non-postal addresses, increasing total non-USPS addresses from 15 million to 20 million. With the additional addresses, Smarty’s total list of U. S. valid addresses reaches over 210 million—the most complete,US Address Verification - Enhanced Matching validates and standardizes the messiest of addresses, and easily integrates into most systems.
Revenue-driving benefits of clean address data
By John Hickey on January 31, 2023
Every business executive knows that good data is critical. When you’re developing your sales strategy and talking about how to increase revenue, you probably turn to data to answer questions like these:What areas of growth can we exploit?Which products are performing well?Is mobile or desktop driving more sales? Where is traffic increasing?How do we identify the “low-hanging fruit” customers?Where can we reduce costs?But how do you know if your data is accurate? What steps do you need to take to ensure your data is actionable and driving revenue?In our free ebook, 4 Steps to Unlocking Latent Revenue and Driving ROI with Your Address Data?, we show you how to get clean address data, and then how to use that address data to unlock latent revenue and drive ROI.
Full address validation leads to better business data
By John Hickey on January 31, 2023
Certain surprises are fun. Finding out the person in front of you at Starbucks paid for your coffee? Java-tastic! Finding out you've been shipping products to addresses that don't exist? That's a postal catastrophe. Luckily, many shipping snafus can be prevented by using address validation software. Address validation (or verification) is the process of checking a mailing address against an authoritative address database. If the address matches an address in the known database, it is marked “valid”—meaning it's real.
Pros and cons of the fuzzy address matching algorithm
By John Hickey on January 17, 2023
Typos, typoes or typo's?No matter how you spell the word, typos are a problem. Even the most accurate typist occasionally misspells a word, leaves off a letter at the end, or just types a different word than intended. Typos in a text to your friend aren't a big deal. They'll figure out what you mean using context clues. But in a business data scenario, if you're following the logic of traditional address matching, where an address is either an exact match or not a match, you can't account for different formats or misspellings.
3 ways address normalization can benefit your business
By John Hickey on January 11, 2023
We recently released a free ebook, 4 Steps to Unlocking Latent Revenue and Driving ROI with Your Address Data, in which we show you how to use your company’s address data to unlock latent revenue and drive ROI. In our last article, we reviewed address parsing. Today, we’ll explain address normalization and why it matters for data cleansing and analytics. Address Normalization (or making an address look normal) is the process of formatting an address so that it matches the proper address format of the national postal authority, such as the USPS for those in the United States.
What is address parsing and how can it help your bottom line?
By John Hickey on January 6, 2023
Our global economy comprises many industries—healthcare, financial services, insurance, commercial development, and more. But one thing all companies have in common, no matter the industry? They’re all chasing a bigger and better return on investment (ROI). While there are many drivers of ROI, have you ever considered the role that address validation plays?Clean address data is essential for many business functions. Consider eCommerce, one rapidly growing example. Forecasting shows this retail channel will account for 22 percent of all global retail sales by 2024.
Does Santa use Smarty’s rooftop geocoding?
By Andrew Townsend on December 7, 2022
You bet he does. He kinda has to, there’s no other way he can get rooftop-accurate geocoding fast enough. The man travels the entire world in 14 hours and needs to know exactly where to land his reindeer. Look, for a lot of people’s needs you could say that "parcel centroid" is good enough when it comes to address geocoding. Many houses are in fact in the center of the parcel. However, there are also many homes that are not in the center of the parcel. Parcel centroid (other guys):Rooftop-accurate (Smarty):For example, think of apartment buildings.
Common problems when working with address data
By Andrew Townsend on November 29, 2022
There are many problems you may run into if you're working with address data. In our recent webinar, our own Adam Charlton went over some of the challenges he's encountered the most, and how to deal with them. Here’s some of what he talked about. You can view the full recording at the link below. StandardizationStandardizing addresses helps solve many of the problems inherent in data blending (combining two or more address databases together). To properly blend different address databases together, you need to either have an external ID correlate the two sources or have identically formatted address fields.
Rising parcel shipping costs 2022: How to cut your shipping expenses
By Wes Arnold on November 21, 2022
Parcel shipping costs have been rising since 2020. We’ve all seen inflation on the consumer end, whether we’re checking out online or paying at the gas pump. And skyrocketing freight rates have made headlines. Today, we’re going to focus on the impact of the increasing cost of shipping on your business and what you can do about it. But don’t lose hope—while we’re going to explore climbing shipment costs in this article, we’ll also chat about what your business can do to make shipping more efficient.
How to clean address data for the holiday rush
By Trent Howell on November 14, 2022
It’s November, and online shopping is ramping up to its climactic end-of-year blitz. www. blackfriday. com estimates that between Thanksgiving and Black Friday of this year, consumers will spend approximately $13 billion (1). That’s great news for your business. But if you don’t have the right tools in place to help you meet that demand, you might be left wishing you had better prepare. Staffing may be one issue for many businesses. According to the US Chamber of Commerce, the wholesale and retail trade industry has experienced the second-highest quit rate of all industries since November 2020(2).
Unlock value in your address database with metadata
By John Hickey on October 4, 2022
Did you know that every address has loads of hidden data buried in its metadata? In this webinar, we briefly considered the value of breaking an address into its component parts. Then we looked at the different metadata available and provided definitions for each one. And finally, we went over use cases and ideas on how to leverage metadata for improved operations, business intelligence, and financial performance. There’s gold in your address metadata!Every address contains basic components that are standardized by country.
Our fast processing speeds
By Andrew Townsend on July 8, 2022
Are you looking to use an API to verify addresses and convert them to latitude and longitude coordinates?Maybe you also need to standardize addresses in order to de-duplicate records across millions of addresses in your database too. That's right, we're talking about validating, standardizing, and bulk-processing geocodes with a geocoding API. There are several options out there, so let us tell you how speed sets Smarty apart from the rest. Smarty is fast. Now, we're not just talking about fast like Usain Bolt.
An advanced look at US Autocomplete Pro API
By Andrew Townsend on June 28, 2022
Improving address form completion rates—whether in a shopping cart, request for quote, or other form—can be a sinch if you’re using an address autocomplete tool. Not sure what that is? When you see an address line on a form and think “oh shoot this is going to take a minute” and then it fills it in after only a few keystrokes, that’s address autocomplete. And no, not all address autocomplete tools are created equal. Some check against their own address database only that is not frequently maintained.
Smarty unveils high-accuracy QGIS geocoding plugin
By Trent Howell on June 22, 2022
Smarty unveils unmatched QGIS geocoding accuracy with release of geocoding plugin - US addressPROVO, UT - June 21, 2022 - Smarty, a leader in location data intelligence, announces today the release of their QGIS Geocoding Plugin for US Addresses to provide an easy way for users of the popular GIS software platform to validate, standardize, and convert addresses to their latitude and longitude coordinates (geocodes). The plugin allows manual address entry as well as batch geocoding via CSV. Millions of people worldwide use QGIS to map, visualize, and share geographic information.
Smarty releases 193 million addresses in new US address list
By Trent Howell on June 7, 2022
JUNE 7, 2022 - PROVO, UTAH - Smarty, a leader in location data intelligence, announces the release of its new US Master Address List, a comprehensive dataset of 193 million standardized and verified primary and secondary addresses that are all deliverable by the USPS. With new construction, the list will soon top 200 million. The Smarty US Master Address List is the most complete and accurate list of mailable US addresses available. Additional data points like whether the delivery point is residential or commercial, parent addresses and associated apartments or suites, shared delivery points, ZIP+4 Codes, and FIPS Codes all provide valuable business insights.
Evaluating geocoding API capacity and speed
By Davin Perkins on May 25, 2022
The right geocoding API can help your business reduce costs and increase profits through accurate location data. But how do you know if a service can handle your data needs? Capacity and speed are two key topics to consider when comparing geocoding services. You can find out more about all the questions you need to ask in our ebook, 8 Questions to Ask When Selecting a Geocoding API by clicking the link here:API capacity and speed: What you need to knowThe higher the capacity and faster your geocoding API works, the faster you can utilize that address data and make money.
Address data masterclass webinar recap
By Andrew Townsend on May 23, 2022
In this webinar, our geocoding and address expert Adam Charlton went over the ins and outs of address data. He gave details about address components and how they influence the way an address is composed. He also dove into the difference between ZIP9 and ZIP11, what a non-postal is, and other address hacks you didn’t learn in primary school. Standardization and validationWhat exactly is a valid address? There are lots of different definitions depending on what your goal is with the address. For example, a parking lot address could be a valid address for a real estate developer, but not for package delivery.
Cass vs. NCOALink certification article now live
By Davin Perkins on September 29, 2021
We get a lot of questions about USPS CASS certification and how it differs from NCOALink certification. They are both methods of address validation that originate with the USPS. While they look the same and smell the same (probably), they are in fact, very different. Even still, these methods are frequently confused, conflated and equated. So, we decided to cut the confusion and answer all your burning questions about CASS and NCOALink. Here is some of stuff that future you (who has read the article) already knows:When you notify the USPS that your address has changed, NCOALink only hangs onto those updates for 4 years.
Mailing address vs physical address: What’s the difference
By Jeffrey Duncan on August 11, 2021
The difference between a physical address and a mailing address is that a physical address is where you are geographically located and a mailing address is where you get your mail. Often a physical address and a mailing address are the same—but not always! Whether you're trying to mail important account paperwork to thousands of customers or a single high-dollar customer appreciation gift to a key account, having the right address is important. Before you send off that precious cargo, ask yourself if you're sending it to a physical address or a mailing address.
New autocomplete service improves data quality and entry speed
By Davin Perkins on May 28, 2020
May 28, 2020 - PROVO, UTAH - SmartyStreets, a leader in location data intelligence, announces the release of the new US Autocomplete Pro API, a service that improves data governance at the source and simplifies address data entry in real-time. The US Autocomplete Pro API starts suggesting valid addresses as soon as the user first starts typing an address. All addresses suggested are 100% validated and standardized, and are returned to the user in a fraction of a second. Additionally, the API can determine if an address should also include a unit number, and will suggest valid unit numbers to the user accordingly.
America's sex offender registries
May 26, 2015
A deceitfully comforting illusionIn the US today, there are nearly 800,000 registered sex offenders. As part of the registration process, each sex offender is required to report their physical address to a local police department (the exact process varies from state to state). This is intended to empower the public to be able to identify where these offenders live and if one of them lives near you. Having this information, you are supposed to be able to better protect your loved ones and yourself.