Introduction
If you manage deliveries, you know that a misspelled piece of data — a street, a number or a reference point — can turn a sale into an operational problem. In this article I explain to you why request and validate the correct delivery information It is critical for your restaurant, what indicators to follow and how to apply practical solutions today.
We explain it to you with real data
Errors in delivery information are one of the main causes of Failures in the last mile and they generate direct and indirect costs. Implementing address validation at checkout reduces errors and prevents reattempts, according to practical guidelines from postal services and address validation providers (postalparcel.com). Real-time validation tools can prevent between 40% and 60% of failures caused by incorrect or incomplete data at the point of order (1checkout.ai).
El average cost per failed attempt It is situated around $17—$18 when accounting for reattempts, returns and incident management; that expense is multiplied if the customer requires forwarding or compensation (Old). In addition, exceptions due to incorrect addresses represent a significant portion of the incidents: in some markets up to 10— 25% of the delivery problems are linked to erroneous or poorly formatted data (shipscience.com).
Management quality also impacts customer experience: studies show that poor delivery reduces the likelihood of repurchases and damages brand perception; in surveys, more than 80% of consumers consider delivery as an essential part of the shopping experience and avoid repeating with brands that fail in the last mile (shaoke.com). In emerging markets, the lack of standardization of addresses and low map coverage aggravate the problem, making geocoding and the use of reference points especially relevant (free.run).
Technically, integrate address autocompletion (Places API), postal validation and geocoding reduce ambiguity and improve route accuracy; providers and technical documentation recommend combining real-time validation with visual confirmation of the point on the map to minimize human errors (ResearchGate). Together, these measures not only reduce operating costs, but they increase the rate of successful first-time deliveries and improve KPIs such as average delivery time and NPS.
Why is it important for your business?
What do you win:
- Fewer retries and direct savings per order. Validating the address at checkout and confirming reference points reduces reattempts, returns and extra trips. This translates into immediate savings in fuel, delivery time and administrative costs due to incidents.
- Best first-time delivery rate. With clean data, you increase the likelihood of delivering correctly from the first departure, improving operational efficiency and freeing up capacity for more orders per hour.
- Less customer support and fewer refunds. Fewer errors mean fewer calls, fewer refunds, and less team time solving problems, reducing indirect costs and improving productivity.
- Increased satisfaction and recurrence. Timely and error-free deliveries increase NPS and the likelihood of repurchase; satisfied customers recommend and repeat, increasing LTV.
- Better logistics planning. Geocoded addresses and fare zones allow you to optimize routes, group orders and decide when to use your own fleet or 3PL, reducing CPD and improving predictability.
- Ability to segment and customize. With location and reference data, you can design offers by zone, preferred delivery windows and more effective local campaigns, reducing CAC and increasing conversion.
- Increased reputational control. Fewer incidents and more consistent deliveries protect your brand and prevent negative reviews that affect the purchase decision of future customers.
What do you lose if you don't:
- Rising operating costs. Failure to validate addresses generates reattempts, refunds and additional trips that erode the margin per order and can turn sales into losses.
- Loss of customers and brand damage. Failed or late deliveries damage customer perception; regaining trust is costly and often doesn't compensate for the loss of repetition.
- Increased burden on customer service. Frequent incidents saturate the support team, increase resolution times and distract resources that could be used to grow or improve the product.
- Logistic inefficiency and higher CPD. Without geocoding or fare zones, route planning is imprecise, density is low and the cost per delivery goes up.
- Poorly informed business decisions. Lack of location data prevents proper segmentation, designing local promotions or negotiating with 3PLs based on real demand zones.
- Risk of dependence on third parties. If you rely on 3PLs or marketplaces without controlling the quality of the management, external faults translate into problems of your own without the possibility of quick correction.
- Missed loyalty opportunities. Without clear contact and confirmation, you lose the ability to turn a one-time purchase into a recurring relationship through offers and direct communication.
How to apply it: good practices and tips
- Validate at checkout with autocompletion and normalization.
- Ask for a reference point and shows the location on a map before confirming.
- Geocoding addresses and assign fare zones to avoid surprises.
- Confirm by SMS/WhatsApp when the address is ambiguous.
Validate at checkout with auto-completion and normalization
What to implement: address autocompletion (Places API), format standardization and postal validation in real time.
Concrete actions:
- Enable autofill that suggests the full address as the customer types.
- Normalize fields (street, number, department) and block shipments if critical data is missing.
- Show a clear summary of the address before confirming the order.Metrics to follow:% of addresses completed by autocompletion; reduction of reattempts in 30 days.
Ask for a reference point and show the location on a map before confirming
What to implement: mandatory reference field and map preview with editable pin.
Concrete actions:
- Add a “reference point” field with examples (e.g.: “side entry, goal 3”).
- It shows a map with the pin that the customer can move to adjust the exact location.
- If the pin is outside the delivery area, alert and suggest options (pickup or 3PL).
Metrics to follow:% orders with reference; FADR rate for orders with/ without reference.
Geocode addresses and assign fare zones to avoid surprises
What to implement: geocoding in the backend and zone rules that determine price and SLA.
Concrete actions:
- Convert the address to coordinates and assign zone (A, B, C) with rate and estimated time.
- Reject or request confirmation for orders outside the operating range or apply an additional fee.
- Use zones to automatically decide to assign to your own fleet or 3PL.
Metrics to follow: CPD by zone;% orders outside the zone; average time per zone.
Confirm by SMS or WhatsApp when the address is ambiguous
What to implement: automatic confirmation for addresses with low confidence or when the PIN is far from the city center.
Concrete actions:
- Send an SMS/WhatsApp with the address and a button to confirm or correct.
- If there is no response in X minutes, mark the request for manual review or telephone contact.
- Record the confirmation as evidence for the delivery person.
Metrics to follow: confirmation rate; reduction in reattempts after confirmation.
Implement operational controls and training for delivery people
What to implement: departure checklist, optional delivery photos and handling protocols.
Concrete actions:
- Digital checklist that the delivery person completes before leaving (order, packaging, address).
- Delivery photos or digital signature when applicable to reduce disputes
- Brief training on reading references and managing complex areas.
Metrics to follow:% checklist completed; issues per delivery person.
Measure, iterate and communicate results
What to implement: dashboard with CPD, FADR, TME and incidence rate broken down by cause.
Concrete actions:
- It reviews metrics on a weekly basis and prioritizes the most common causes of failure.
- Run A/B tests (e.g., require reference vs optional) and measures impact on FADR.
- Communicate improvements to customers (e.g., “We now confirm your address for faster deliveries”).
Metrics to follow: reduction of reattempts in 30 days; improved post-delivery NPS.
Personal Conclusion
Start soon: add autofill and a mandatory reference field; measure the reduction of reattempts in 30 days. With clean data, your operation will be more efficient and your customers will return with more confidence.
