When FastFreight Logistics needed to validate over one million shipping addresses daily, they turned to our Address Validation API. This case study explores their journey from processing 10,000 addresses per day to over 1 million, and the architectural decisions that made it possible.
The Challenge
FastFreight was experiencing a 4.2% address error rate, leading to failed deliveries, returned packages, and customer complaints. Each failed delivery cost an average of $15 in rerouting fees. With 50,000+ daily shipments, this added up to over $30,000 per day in preventable costs.
The Solution
FastFreight integrated our Address Validation API into their order processing pipeline. They use our batch endpoint (/v2/addresses/validate/batch) to submit addresses in groups of 1,000, processing them asynchronously with webhook callbacks for results.
Architecture
The integration runs as a background job that processes the validation queue every 5 minutes. Addresses are validated at three stages: (1) at point of entry in the customer-facing form, (2) during order confirmation, and (3) before label generation. This multi-stage approach catches errors at different points in the workflow.
Results
After six months in production, FastFreight reduced their address error rate from 4.2% to 0.3%. Failed deliveries dropped by 93%, saving an estimated $27,000 per day. The total integration took 3 weeks of developer time and pays for itself many times over each month.