Why address validation APIs matter for product and engineering teams

Shipping delays, failed deliveries, and user frustration often stem from one fixable problem: bad address data.

Whether you're building an e-commerce checkout, a delivery app, or a location-aware platform, clean address data is critical for a great user experience and operational efficiency. That's where an address validation API comes in.

In this post, we'll cover what address validation is, why it matters, common use cases, and how Radar helps you solve it at scale.

What is address validation?

Address validation checks a submitted address against official databases to make sure it's complete, standardized, and deliverable.

A modern address validation API can:

• Detect and correct typos.
• Autofill missing elements like ZIP codes or apartment numbers.
• Standardize formats (for example, "St." becomes "Street").
• Confirm that an address is real and deliverable.
• Return metadata like latitude and longitude, time zone, or delivery confidence.

This improves accuracy, reduces exceptions, and unlocks better downstream experiences.

Why product and engineering teams need address validation

Address issues don't just annoy users, they cost money. Address validation is infrastructure, not a nice-to-have.

It helps you:

• Improve checkout conversion: Clean, fast entry reduces form abandonment.
• Prevent failed deliveries: Valid addresses reduce returns and support volume.
• Standardize data: Clean inputs feed routing, CRM, analytics, and reporting pipelines.
• Speed up operations: Fewer edge cases mean faster fulfillment and fewer exceptions.
  

Address validation vs. address autocomplete

Autocomplete helps users type less. Validation makes sure the final address is correct and usable. Together, they:

• Reduce user friction.
• Catch errors before submission.
• Deliver clean, verified data.

Radar supports both, combining the efficiency of autocomplete with the reliability of validation.

Use cases across industries

Retail

• Speed up checkout with validated address entry.
• Reduce fraud and shipping errors.
• Standardize loyalty or CRM address data.

Michaels, a leading arts and crafts retailer, integrated Radar's address autocomplete and validation into its checkout flows. The result: fewer failed deliveries, cleaner CRM data, and a modern address infrastructure that reduces costs and improves customer experiences.

E-commerce and marketplaces

• Improve conversion with faster, more accurate address entry.
• Reduce cart abandonment and failed deliveries.
• Feed clean data into shipping and analytics systems.

DICK'S Sporting Goods implemented Radar's address autocomplete to reduce friction at checkout. Paired with address validation, the experience supports fulfillment, reducing re-ships and manual exceptions.

Gaming and compliance

• Verify user addresses for KYC and compliance.
• Improve signup speed and accuracy.
• Support fraud and location spoofing detection.

PrizePicks integrated Radar's address autocomplete and validation at user signup to streamline onboarding and support KYC workflows.

Insurance

• Validate addresses during account creation or quoting.
• Improve compliance with clean data.
• Reduce manual review time and support volume.

GEICO uses Radar's address validation to clean up quote flows and reduce friction during onboarding. Accurate, standardized address data improves quote accuracy and helps with regulatory compliance.

How Radar's address validation API works

Radar offers a fast, reliable address validation API built for real-time, high-volume use cases. With Radar, you get:

• Global autocomplete and validation.
• Structured, standardized output.
• Lat and long and place context for downstream workflows.
• Seamless integration with Radar's geocoding, routing, and maps APIs.
• Flexible JavaScript libraries for easy integration in web and mobile forms.

Why teams choose Radar

• Developer-first: Clean APIs, open-source libraries, and fast integration.
• Cost-effective: Up to 50 percent less than legacy providers like Google or Smarty.
• Global coverage: Accurate validation across hundreds of countries.
• Integrated stack: One platform for validation, routing, geofencing, and maps.

Start validating addresses the modern way

If your product relies on address data, validation isn't optional, it's essential.

Radar's address validation API helps you improve user experience, reduce errors, and power better location-based workflows without adding complexity.

Explore the Radar Docs to get started or try it in your checkout flow today.