Add a what3words address field to reduce lost parcels, improve customer experience and avoid delivery admin.
A quarter of people in the UK say their address doesn’t direct people and deliveries exactly to their front door.
Every 3 metre square has a unique what3words address, making it easy for customers to enter exact drop-off points at checkout, as well as the street address.
Customers are reassured their packages will arrive on time exactly where they want them, with no hassle or phone calls from couriers.
Survey results based on research conducted by OnePoll to 2,000 adults in the UK aged 18+ (2022)
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Scroll down this checkout page template to find the what3words field and try typing in a what3words address, just like your customers would.
Prefer to build it yourself?
Our developer pages offer integration guides, API documentation and more to help you create with the what3words API.
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Retailers can start accepting what3words addresses on their checkout page using our free plan, and those looking to optimise the tech further can select one of our paid plans , offering more features and support.
No they don’t. what3words addresses should be used alongside regular street addresses as a way to provide extra accuracy.
When you use our tools to add a what3words box to your checkout, it includes our smart AutoSuggest technology. This validates that a correct what3words address has been entered. It also helps customers to enter what3words addresses correctly and avoid mistakes by displaying a dropdown list of suggested options as they type. For greater accuracy and reliability, you can choose to limit the locations geographically e.g. to your chosen shipping countries.
Many couriers and logistics businesses around the world are delivering more efficiently with what3words, including DPD, DHL, Aramex and Evri (formerly Hermes). See a list of what3words-enabled logistics providers here . If your chosen carrier doesn’t use what3words addresses yet, we still encourage you to add a what3words address field to your checkout page.
If you would like your delivery partner to start using what3words, you can request for it to be added to their delivery software as a new feature. Complete our Carrier Integration Request form for instructions on how you can request this feature from your delivery partner.
Yes, as long as your e-commerce platform allows for customisation of your checkout page, you can use our JavaScript Autosuggest Component . This simply involves adding a script and an HTML element to the page. See this tutorial for help.
Alternatively, you can ask customers to enter their what3words address in the ‘Delivery instructions/additional information’ field at checkout. In this case we recommend adding the following text: ‘Add any additional information for the driver, or a what3words address’. Please note that addresses entered in this way will not be verified by our AutoSuggest technology, so we recommend a full integration for best results.
If you need further support, complete our Software Integration Request form for instructions on how you can request this feature from your software provider.
Many people already know the what3words address of their front door, so are prepared to enter it, just like they would a street address.
If they don’t know it yet, they can use the online map at what3words.com or the free what3words app . They should first search their street address, then select the exact 3 metre square of their delivery location – usually a building entrance or delivery bay.
Your social media and newsletters are a great place to encourage customers to find their what3words address, and use it when placing their next order. You’ll find handy resources for this in our communications hub here .
Adding a what3words address at checkout enables you to collect very precise delivery locations from customers. This makes it easier for couriers to find the exact location, and can reduce delivery times by up to 30%. It also reduces lost parcels, and time-consuming phone calls from drivers asking for directions. In summary, what3words saves e-commerce and delivery companies time and money, and it enables a better customer experience.
