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Why are invalid addresses not blocked?
Why are invalid addresses not blocked?

Address Validator issues warnings for invalid addresses by default, but can be customized to block addresses

Mollie Herbert avatar
Written by Mollie Herbert
Updated over 4 months ago

Reason #1: False negatives. Some invalid addresses are actually valid

Address Validator does not own or maintain any address data. Instead, validate addresses using datasets maintained by couriers and government agencies. These datasets are accurate and comprehensive, but some addresses that may slip through include:

  • New developments: it takes time for new addresses to be fully synced

  • Rural addresses: some rural areas may not be well covered

  • Poorly formatted addresses: these addresses may still be deliverable

Reason #2: Blocking addresses can lower the conversion rate

Address Validator is designed to have little to no impact on your conversion rate.

What can I do to reduce the frequency of invalid addresses?

Suggestion #1: Utilize sterner warning messages

By default, the warning message displayed looks like this:

You can customize the message on your Address Validator dashboard → Address Prompts tab → Customize unverifiable addresses prompts box → Prompt when an inaccurate address is detected → specify a new message. Utilizing a sterner message can make customers more likely to act on the prompts to fix address issues.

Suggestion #2: Email notifications for invalid addresses

Email notifications are sent out whenever a customer proceeds through the checkout with an invalid address and ignores the warning prompts. You can enable these notifications on your Address Validator dashboard → Email Notifications tab → Who gets these emails? box

You can enable these email notifications for the store and/or the customer by checking the relevant boxes. Also, you can customize where these emails are sent in the Email address field. Multiple email addresses can be added, just separate them with commas.

Last resort: Block unverifiable addresses

If you want to prevent unverifiable addresses at all costs, you can block them on your Address Validator dashboard → Address Prompts tab → Customize unverifiable addresses prompts → Block unverifiable addresses

This customization prevents users from proceeding with an unverifiable address and only allows the customer to update the existing address.

Note that blocking unverifiable addresses requires Shopify Plus, and is not recommended

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