Automotive white paper: Efficient and future-proof

How accurate addresses are transforming the automotive and logistics sectors.

Businesses are embracing innovation and change, but they’re still struggling to meet high customer expectations. This is partly due to our reliance on street addressing systems that were designed for a very different era.

A street address may point someone towards a particular building or house but is unhelpful when it comes to directing people to specific entrances, car parks or pick-up points – locations that visitors, delivery drivers and taxis often spend time looking for.

OnePoll conducted a survey on behalf of what3words on addresses and sat nav usage. The findings make it clear that to drive the automotive and logistics industries forward, a more accurate and reliable addressing system is needed.

For example, globally, 70% of addresses don’t lead to the front door of a property, and three quarters of UK residents say that deliveries, services and visitors struggle to find their home or business.

When it comes to automotive navigation systems, 22% of drivers have ended up in the wrong place entirely when following a sat nav to an address, and a staggering 87% do not trust it to direct them to the right destination every time.

Automotive and logistics technologies are progressing at a rapid rate, and industry leaders are investing millions in the race towards autonomous vehicles and fleets. But driverless cars, drones and robots will need to have supreme accuracy: the directions we give taxi drivers and couriers will fall on deaf ears when driving and deliveries are automated.

“Poor addressing is delaying the uptake of new technologies and the fulfilment of ever-rising customer expectations. Innovations like what3words can help the automotive and logistics industries drive the digital era forward.” said Chris Sheldrick, CEO and co-founder of what3words.

With global, reliable, and future-facing addresses, car makers can enable drivers to navigate accurately, whether it’s to a specific entrance to a building or in the middle of a field, and logistics providers can increase operational efficiency and offer faster and more flexible services.