Today, more consumers shop online because it is faster and more convenient. In 2021, retail e-commerce sales worldwide reached roughly $5.2 trillion, which could grow by 56 percent in three years.

Now that there are more online shoppers, brands must do what they can to provide the best shopping experience. One way to do so is by integrating an address autocomplete feature in their mobile applications. This short guide highlights the benefits of this functionality and how it is changing shopping for consumers worldwide.

What is address autocomplete?

Address autocomplete is a crucial feature that automatically completes addresses for users as they input them into a checkout page or online form. The feature helps ensure brands get highly accurate address data at the point of entry by reducing potential typing errors that users could commit.

Address autocomplete, also known as address lookup and autofill, fixes any typing mistake before the information enters any system. The feature can integrate with various online address forms, suggesting addresses with just a few taps. 

The functionality streamlines the checkout process while reducing the cost of failed deliveries and user errors.

Various brands from different industries benefit from using address autocomplete. The simple yet powerful feature can improve customer experience and transform business operations. With a smooth checkout process, e-commerce businesses can reduce shopping cart abandonment, boost sales, and generate more revenue. 

Why Mobile Apps Need Address Autocomplete

With address autocomplete, brands can boost operational efficiencies, streamline checkout flows, and reduce costly errors. It ensures addresses are verified and standardized at the point of entry, giving customers a smooth shopping experience from the point of sale (POS) to the fulfillment and delivery of their orders. 

Read on for an in-depth look at the benefits of address autocomplete tools for e-commerce businesses.

Reduces shopping cart abandonment

Because filling out addresses is easier, buyers are more inclined to complete the checkout process. The autocomplete feature saves customers time while validating the accuracy of their address, phone number, and email in real time.

Supports easy integration

Integrating the software into your online forms is a straightforward process. The tool integrates easily across online address records, including application, billing, checkout, and delivery forms.

Ensures accurate customer data

The address autocomplete tool enables accurate customer record-keeping. With this tool, businesses can be sure their customer data is reliable and precise.

Boosts conversion rates

With accurate address data, users can provide fast deliveries, resulting in satisfied customers and an improved conversion rate for your mobile app.

Reduces failed deliveries

Address autocomplete solutions can save businesses millions in costs related to wrong deliveries and refunds.

Helps expand brand reach

The best autocomplete solutions can provide suggestions for international addresses. This advantage standardizes addresses and locations to match the local postal authority format.

4 Factors To Consider When Choosing an Address Autocomplete Tool

Recent data shows that 17 percent of US consumers abandoned their carts due to a complicated checkout process. The survey underscores that if brands want to convert their leads, they must have the proper tools to streamline the sales procedure.

An address autocomplete tool enables a smooth transaction, especially for customers who do not want to type their whole address on the checkout page. To help you find the best solution, we outlined four crucial considerations when choosing an autocomplete application programming interface (API).

1. Geolocation

The primary goal of autocomplete solutions is to make entering an address easy and accurate. One way to achieve this goal is by using a tool with a geolocation feature, which relies on the user’s internet protocol (IP) address to suggest a location.

Suggesting addresses near the user’s location helps them choose an accurate address faster. Without a geolocation feature, the user must type more characters to find the precise location. The more characters they have to type, the longer the process will take and the higher the chance of a typographical error.

2. Secondary unit designators

Today, countless autocomplete tools can provide users with the primary address of a location. However, some tools still do not offer the secondary unit of the address. 

Without secondary unit designators, the form will not suggest a specific apartment number within a building. 

When developing your mobile app, you must first understand what level of accuracy you want to provide to your users. Do you want to offer front door accuracy or ballpark accuracy?

If you need to verify the unit number within an apartment to deliver food or mail, you will need the former option.

Unfortunately, there are still autocomplete solutions that do not suggest apartment numbers. These tools only offer street-level or house number-level locations.

To create the best app for your business, you should test out specific apartment numbers on the solution you plan to use before you commit.

3. Post office boxes

An extension of the problem related to missing secondary unit designators is how an autocomplete solution handles the post office boxes, including the following:

• Army post offices (APOs)
• Fleet post offices (FPOs)
• Diplomat post offices (DPOs)

Millions of PO boxes are in the country, highlighting the need for autocomplete tools that can detect and suggest them to users.

If accurately handling all types of secondary unit designators and PO boxes is crucial for your business, you must test prospective solutions before committing. Try filling out prospective autocomplete tools with sample addresses and see if they can detect and suggest them to you.

4. Suggestion of real addresses

Remember that some providers of address autocomplete APIs do not ensure all the addresses in the database are real. Some add addresses into their database based on where an address could hypothetically be located.

Fortunately, mobile app developers can quickly test the reliability of an autocomplete provider’s database. 

For example, a developer can input a street address they know is real and change the building number by one digit. Then, they can see if the solution can identify if the address is fake.

Elevate the Checkout Process on Your Mobile App With Address Autocomplete

With an address autocomplete platform, businesses can focus their time and attention on more strategic areas of operation. With fewer errors in their customer database, entrepreneurs will have more time to expand technical capabilities, run experiments, and launch innovative marketing campaigns. This advantage leads to streamlined experiences and robust foundations for further expansion.