Data insight, profiling and direct marketing solutions from part of ‘address technology’ – the systems and processes designed to aid retail in interacting with consumers.
To discover how this technology has evolved and what is likely to be on the horizon for 2025, Digital Journal spoke with Brent Francom, Director of Product Management at Smarty about this emergent area of digital technology.
Digital Journal: In today’s competitive market, consumers expect seamless and personalized shopping interactions. What role does address technology play in helping retailers meet these expectations?
Brent Francom: Every customer wants a quick and easy checkout. With address autocomplete, customers find and select their address with just a few keystrokes and proceed to the next step in the checkout process. For businesses, it helps to reduce cart abandonment rates. Companies also benefit from autocomplete technology because it predicts and fills in addresses after only a couple of characters and in some cases, after only 1 keystroke. By implementing autocomplete, you’re protecting your database by ensuring that only valid and accurate addresses are entered from the start, which leads to faster deliveries and fewer mix-ups.
Today’s shoppers love a personalized touch, and address data is an effective tool for companies to serve customers with curated offers. With verified location data, companies can offer special promotions or shipping options catered to each customer, like local pickup, same-day delivery, or eco-friendly choices based on where they live. You can also recommend products that match customers’ climate—like winter gear in chillier areas or climbing gear in mountainous regions.
DJ: What advancements do you foresee in address technology that could further elevate the customer experience, from faster fulfillment to personalized interactions?
Francom: As technology evolves, I expect predictive addressing to become even more intelligent. Soon, AI technology could suggest addresses based on how customers behave or where they’ve been. Another improvement to look for is using geographical data to enhance address suggestions instead of relying on IP addresses. Since IPs aren’t always accurate due to VPN tech, etc., having permission to use a customer’s actual location can mean more personalized address recommendations are also available.
Regarding security, advancements in address verification will likely bring multi-layered methods that use geolocation and behavior data to keep purchases safe. With real-time checks—like matching recent address entries with delivery locations and payment details—companies can help protect customers and build trust in every transaction. Multi-form authentication will gain even more traction than it already has.
Advancing address technology also implies that companies will gain access to real-time data that helps them understand what customers want based on where they live and how they move around. This will help you adjust your inventory, marketing strategies, and logistics to deliver top-notch services that cater to different regions.
High-quality address data makes shopping faster, more accurate, and personalized. As these innovations unfold, companies will benefit from significant improvements in fulfilling orders, connecting with customers, and building trust efficiently with secure and reliable interactions.
DJ: For retailers and e-commerce platforms, accurate address data is essential to minimize delivery errors and ensure customer satisfaction. How is address technology specifically improving operational efficiency in these sectors?
Francom: Address technology, particularly tools like autocomplete and verification, plays an increasingly vital role in retail and ecommerce operations, especially during peak shopping seasons when efficiency and accuracy are critical because no company wants to be responsible for an undelivered gift.
The checkout experience can make or break a sale. Autocomplete technology speeds up the process by reducing the number of fields a customer must fill out and minimizes typing errors. Given that the global average cart abandonment rate is around 70%, this technology allows customers to enter just a few characters to retrieve a complete, accurate address, resulting in a smoother and faster checkout that directly correlates to higher conversion rates and fewer abandoned carts.
Accurate address data prevents delivery mishaps, which could frustrate customers and lead to increased return rates. Address verification confirms the validity of each address, identifying potential typos or incomplete information in real-time before the shipping process begins. This accuracy is essential for last-mile delivery, where issues with address details can cause delays, redelivery costs, and unhappy customers.
DJ: What role do you see address technology playing in enhancing last-mile delivery performance?
Francom: Accurate address data supports more efficient inventory allocation and logistics. With verified addresses, retailers can better predict demand in specific areas, optimize shipping routes, and reduce overall logistics costs by avoiding misdeliveries and related operational adjustments.
An efficient, error-free checkout and reliable delivery experience create a positive impression on customers, which is significant in the competitive retail and ecommerce sectors. Retailers can enhance shopping experiences by using address data to offer region-specific promotions, product recommendations, and tailored delivery options based on location data.
Address data is integral in reducing manual errors, streamlining the checkout process, optimizing logistics, and improving customer satisfaction, all of which enhance last-mile delivery.
DJ: Financial institutions face the challenge of balancing compliance with a smooth user experience. How is address technology helping achieve this balance, and what challenges still need to be addressed?
Francom: Address technology helps financial institutions balance compliance and user experience by ensuring accurate, standardized, and verified address data for KYC (Know Your Customer) and fraud prevention. It also streamlines onboarding with tools like autocomplete that make it simple for the user to input their address and at the same time, reduce errors or incomplete addresses. On the other hand, one challenge that needs to be addressed is that many financial institutions are run on legacy systems, making it difficult to implement modern APIs. Having better integration tools will help connect legacy systems more seamlessly.
DJ: Accurate address information is vital for risk assessment and customer verification in the insurance sector. How is address technology currently being leveraged in this industry, and what future developments do you anticipate in the year ahead?
Francom: Location and address data are vital for the insurance industry. With an accurate address accompanied by a rooftop geocode, an insurer can evaluate risks associated with specific locations, such as flood zones, wildfire-prone areas, and even crime rates. This data allows for accurate underwriting information so that insurers can offer tailored policies and avoid under or overpricing. I anticipate that future developments will include AI and machine learning for predictive risk modeling, which will provide more accurate premium calculations and risk assessment.
DJ: In healthcare, accurate address data is essential for patient management and communication. How is address technology currently being applied in this sector, and are there emerging use cases that could further improve healthcare services?
Francom: Address data is applied in several ways in healthcare. The first is patient management. Address validation ensures patient contact information is accurate, reducing errors in medical records and facilitating seamless communication. Another use case is for service delivery in emergency response and home healthcare services. Geocoding helps emergency services locate patients quickly and accurately, especially in critical situations. With home healthcare, an accurate address ensures caregivers and medical supplies are delivered to the correct location.
Emerging use cases are population health insights, like location-based health trends and disease tracking. Health equity is another use case that can leverage address data to help identify underserved areas and guide the placement of new facilities or mobile clinics to mitigate healthcare gaps.
DJ: With increasing investments in AI and machine learning, how do you see these technologies influencing the evolution of address technology?
Francom: AI and machine learning could enhance address technology by improving accuracy, detecting and correcting errors, and enhancing global adaptability with localized and standardized solutions. AI could also enable address tools to adapt to diverse languages, formats, and cultural contexts, improving accessibility in international markets. ML can help with disparate address formats, streamlining global logistics and compliance. We could also see the expansion of address-free navigation that could be used, for example, in delivery and logistics for complex or unaddressed areas or for guiding emergency response teams with faster access to remote locations or non-standardized addresses during crises.
DJ: We’re seeing address technology play increasingly unique roles, from facilitating complex delivery models to aiding infrastructure projects like fiber optic installations. As we look to 2025, what are some additional surprising or unconventional ways you envision address tech shaping business and societal needs?
Francom: In the future, I envision address technology will be integrated with geolocation services and 3D mapping to guide delivery drones to exact delivery points like balconies or rooftops. Additionally, services like food trucks or pop-up shops could use dynamic address systems to broadcast their real-time locations to customers. As it evolves, address tech could also guide users to nearby walking trails, parks, or outdoor workout zones tailored to their preferences and abilities. There are many exciting possibilities to explore.
