The world is getting smaller and we all know thate-commerce is a driving force behind this change.With globalization on the rise, how do we ensuredelivery of all of those packages worldwide? Is asingle, globalized address standard worldwide

achievable? How far are we from that standard? What should it bebased on? Is it traditionally formatted as in the Western World?

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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 / MAIL: The Journal of Communication Distribution / www.mail-magazine.com

Regardless of the standard, as a globalenterprise, it‘s vital for e-commerce websites tobe able to properly format and verify as manyaddresses and delivery-relevant data pointsaround the globe as possible. This is to enableaccurate, efficient delivery of packages to theintended recipient at the right address… and insome areas of the world, atthe right time. Yes, time.One major innovation inthe delivery of mail andpackages in parts of theworld could be based onthe ability to know the“where and when” ofrecipients to coordinate atimely delivery. And thatcould be accomplishedthrough the power ofmobile applications andlocation based services.

In an interconnectedglobal marketplace, westrive for the ability tocommunicate effectively,and in a timely manner, nomatter where in the world we are calling,emailing, or shipping. From call centers, tomobile ecommerce, to drone drop delivery - wehave to be able to respond to our customers andpartners with accurate, omnichannelintelligence - name, address, phone, and email -they have to be correct, current, and consistentthroughout the organization.

And, yes, I said drones, but we will comeback to that topic. Duplicate and incorrectcontact data is an expensive lost cause and asthe world gets smaller it is a global cause. Theanswer - sound global, enterprise contact datamanagement… backed with affordable,flexible, and superior customer support.

As online systems continue to be the norm,correct address information becomes morechallenging to support. The formatting, thespecifics of the address, along with simplyhaving the right address for the right person areall key to success.

Did you know there are 247 countries andterritories in the world, but only 117 of themhave a postal code system? And, there areapproximately 175 different address formats.Then there are the countries with absolutely noaddresses at all… just “locations.”

But just because they don’t have a formaldelivery address and standardized postal systemdoesn’t mean they can’t get mail and parcelsdelivered.

Being a pioneer in the direct mail/marketing,data quality and data management spaces haveafforded Melissa Data the opportunity to not

only build technologies toaddress this challenge, butactually utilize thesetechnologies to meet thegrowing demands of ourcustomers worldwide.

Over the past 30 years,Melissa Data has partneredwith organizations at theforefront of innovationwith a multitude of globalreference data sourcesavailable to provide ourcustomers with the mostviable, accurate, up-to-dateinformation available. Andthat’s not only postaladdress data (like USPS,Royal Mail, and Canada

Post), but business data, demographics,geographics, plus mortgage, property, andinternational data sets packed with valuableinformation our customers can use for targetedinitiatives.

Drone Drop Ship?In this smaller world will delivery trucks be

replaced by drones? It’s already a reality forsome big shippers. Drone Delivery is beingscrutinized right now, but the concept couldpick up thrust, and support as the technologyevolves.

And of course, Melissa Data will have theperfect geo-location solution for successfuldrone drops.

Will you have the option to “drone drop ship”maybe? The only constant should be innovationand accurate - Contact, Response, and Deliveryworldwide - that’s part of the Melissa Datavision as we spread our wings, and ourwebsites to encompass global, cross-bordercommerce at every communication, deliveryand touch point.

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It's vital fore-commerce

websites to be ableto properly formatand verify as many

addresses anddelivery-relevant

data points aroundthe globe as

possible.

As President and Founder ofMelissa Data, Ray Melissa

is responsible for leadingthe firm’s corporate global

growth strategy andsupervising its business and

new product development,sales, and marketing efforts,

and establishingpartnerships around theworld to effectively andsuccessfully encompass

global, cross-bordercommerce.

For more information email:info@melissadata.com or

call 800-635-4772.

CEO PERSPECTIVES

Did you know there are247 countries and

territories in the world,but only 117 of themhave a postal code

system? And, there areapproximately 175different address

formats. Then there arethe countries with

absolutely no addressesat all…

Is it location based? A global address standard wouldcertainly make check-out Web forms and call centeraddress and delivery data easier to manage.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2014 / MAIL: The Journal of Communication Distribution / www.mail-magazine.com