Address Validation: check address residential status before requesting Carrier real-time rates or use the default status
Overview
Carriers might charge higher rates for residential addresses and some of them (i.e. FedEx) doesn't check address status when returning rates, which might cause shipping rates discrepancies and inaccuracy. The “Address Validation“ feature checks the residential status of the destination address entered at checkout before requesting Carrier real-time rates.
Address Validation: Popular Scenarios
Check some popular scenarios perfectly solved with Address Validation:
Address Validation: Configuration Steps
Before you start: make sure you have at least one Carrier Shipping Option, for which you want to apply the Address Validation
Step 1: Enable Address Validation feature
Step 2: Enable Address Validation for the Carrier Shipping Option or Use the Default Status
After you finish: check applied address status in the
Activity Feed while testing
Step 1: Enable Address Validation feature
- Shipping Areas. In order to avoid unnecessary calls and credits usage you may allow address validation only for specific Shipping Areas.
- Qualify "unknown" addresses as. If for some reason the address validation has failed (the address was qualified as "unknown"), then you may apply the "commercial" or "residential" status for such addresses.
Step 2: Enable Address Validation for the Carrier Shipping Option or Use the Default Status
Enter your Carrier Shipping Option, proceed to Step 2 and click the yellow "Settings" button to open Carrier Shipping Option settings.
Enable Address Validation
In the "Address Type in Rate Request" setting select "Validate Address". Click "Ok" and Save the Shipping Option.
Address type from the validation results will be used when requesting shipping rates. No address validation data will be used if the "Address Validation" feature is disabled (Step 1).
Use the Default Address Status
You may also use the default address status ("residential" or "commercial") for your Shipping Option. In this case you may disable the Address Validation feature (Step 1).
The "Unknown" value means no address type will be sent to the Carrier when requesting shipping rates.