Address Validation

Overview

Address validation is a very useful way to ensure that the address information your customers enter is correct.  Once enabled, it allows them to automatically validate the address, but it's also a requirement in order to use Avalara Avatax.  When enabled, the customer will see a prompt pop-up to help them pick the correct form of their address, if necessary.

Validation will only be performed on U.S. addresses.  If enabled, you can still add, use, and save international addresses, but they won't be validated.

Address validation is turned off by default.

Requirements

The following prerequisites will be necessary to accomplish the goals of this article:

• Access to your Hotcakes store administration
• USPS API account

Getting Started

Once you have created a USPS API account, you will receive an email with your web tools ID.  It will be listed as the "username" for your account.

How to Configure and Use Address Validation

You can choose Address Validation from the control panel.

All you have to do now is copy and paste the web tools ID (username) from your USPS welcome email, into the form fields.  Once you do that, then check the check box to enable this feature and save your changes.

After you paste in the required details, save your changes.  If you pasted in everything okay, you will see a success message.  

Now, you'll sometimes see address normalization/validation appear on any view in the back-end and front-end where an address is entered, like shown below.  All one has to do is select the address they intended.  Normally, the suggested address is the correct one.