What3words integration

Metapack is adding what3words addresses to its service.

What3words is a location technology that has divided the world into a grid of 3-metre squares and labelled each one with a unique combination of three words: a what3words address. This means that every entrance has its own unique address, whether that’s a home front door, or a specific entry point to a warehouse or residential complex.

It also means every parking space, garden shed and safe space can be easily identified as a delivery point. It’s crucial to know exactly where a package should be dropped off, especially when fulfilling contact-free deliveries.

What3words addresses are unique, they cover the entire world and are available in 47 different languages.

Duncan Licence, Metapack’s VP of global product, explains, “I’m excited about the possibilities what3words’s innovative solution brings – we’re both trying to make a difference when it comes to first-time delivery at a time when it’s never been more important. Now that we can accept what3words, logistics partners can receive a what3words address from any e-commerce retailer at the same time as all other necessary logistics information, helping them to drive efficiencies across their supply chain and logistic operations.”

Street addresses are not unique; for example, there are over 4,000 Washington Streets in the United States, 37 different Victoria Roads in London and 632 Juarez Streets in Mexico City. What3words addresses, on the other hand, are unique.

Duplicated addresses can lead to customers accidentally selecting the wrong option from a drop-down menu. Addresses are also not precise. Zip codes frequently cover large areas, especially in rural locations. Map searches typically drop pins in the center of buildings, and many places, like large warehouses with multiple entrances, don’t have an accurate address.

Research has found that 19 percent of failed deliveries are caused by inaccurate address information. The end result for eCommerce and logistics providers is inevitably a poor customer experience, with the study also finding that 62 percent of shoppers report experiencing the frustration of late or failed deliveries. Recent Metapack research highlights that almost 40 percent of shoppers said they would not return to a retailer following a bad delivery experience.

“Every e-commerce retailer that accepts a what3words address at checkout via our plugin is playing a key role in elevating the customer delivery experience,” said Chris Sheldrick, co-founder and CEO of what3words.

“Enabling Metapack to receive a what3words address and pass it directly to carriers means that customers can provide extremely accurate delivery locations and receive their parcels first time, every time. It’s a simple addition that can truly make a huge difference to people all over the world.”

Retailers can specify a what3words location for a consignment in Metapack Delivery Manager in two ways: under the Delivery Manager Delivery tab when Creating a Delivery; or in a single API call that creates the consignment.