Getting Started

Introduction

The ShippingScore API is a REST-based service that exposes our propriety Shipping Score for individual addresses, worldwide. This score takes into account shipping data aggregated over time and calculates deliverability of packages to specific destinations and provides suggestions about these addresses. It also provides the weather forecast for the next 7 days which can adversely affect specific shipments and provides a unique weather score, as well.

Merchants now have the power to intelligently alter their shipments based on this ShippingScore.

The service also consumes shipment details to add to the greater aggregate. By providing shipping transactions to the ShippingScore database, you help grow the system and provide better ShippingScore data for all.

Your unique data is private and not shared!

What is a ShippingScore?

/score API

A ShippingScore is a number based on the risk of shipping parcels to a specific address. It is not based on individuals or companies; just addresses. Using our proprietary analytics engine, we provide a score based on an address. We also provide custom suggestions based on past data based on that address.

We have aggregated millions of addresses over time that were included in small parcel and freight shipments. Most of these addresses are 100% safe to ship to, but there are some that may need additional scrutiny.

Example:
An order comes to your eCommerce store with a ship to address of "1234 Main St Fiction Town, CA 55555". Checking the ShippingScore for that address you find that the score is "3" and the following suggestions are returned: "Ship With Tracking, Verify Recipient Name". A score of "3" indicates a Moderate Risk and the suggestions returned indicate that there may have been lost packages to that address or fraudulent transactions. Armed with this information, the merchant can make an informed decision about their next step. Options include:

Verify the contact name on the order by calling the customer.
Ship the parcel but require it to be signed for on delivery.
Call the customer and request a different shipping address.
Do nothing and ship the parcel as usual - But be wary of the results...

Either way you go, you now are armed with additional information about that transaction. Combined with an ample fraud detection suite, you can boost the percentage of successful sales and fulfillment for your business.

Why Should I Contribute Shipping Transactions?

/transactions API

For the greater good!

In order for the ShippingScore to be accurate and beneficial, we need data! We already have millions of shipping addresses, but it is just a small portion of the potential eCommerce buyer landscape.

We are not collecting customer mailing lists of valuable customer details. We are aggregating shipping addresses with tracking numbers. If there is a problem with a transaction, we would like to document it.
What type of problems?

Packages getting lost or damaged in shipping
Fraudulent transactions
Chargebacks
Returned packages
Packages that are never scanned as "delivered".

The benefit of sharing this information about mailing addresses is obvious. It helps online merchants make educated decisions about where they are shipping to.

We are not only looking to collect problem shipments, we want all shipments; Good and bad. When sending us transactions, there is a variable named "ShipmentStatus". Set this to "1" if it is just a normal shipment. Collecting normal shipments without any known problem mean the shipping address is probably a good place to ship to. If you want to update the shipment with a status update, as per the list above, send us another transaction with the updated "ShipmentStatus".

My Address has a High Score! Why? How? Can I Change it?

Remember, we are only working with addresses, not people. A high ShippingScore is not an indictment of any individual!

That being said, if you moved into an address that may have had problems in the past, just let us know. Send an email to [email protected].