Providing address information

Learn how to provide ship from and ship to information for products in your cart.

The Cart resource contains attributes that allow you to set the shopper's billing and shipping addresses. Digital River then uses the values to determine the correct business entity and process your order.

Basic address information

Basic address information includes the customer's name, company, street address, city, and contact information. This data is required to determine accurate billing and shipping processes and to ensure successful delivery. Key parameters include firstName, lastName, line1, city, postalCode, country, and phoneNumber. In the case of Japanese addresses, additional fields for phonetic names and organizational divisions are available for better delivery accuracy.

The following table describes each parameter in a billingAddress, and shippingAddress :

ParameterDescription

nickName

The name the customer prefers.

firstName

The customer's first name.

lastName

The customer's last name.

companyName

The company's name.

line1

The first line of the address.

line2

The second line of the address.

line3

The third line of the address.

city

The city of the address.

countrySubdivision

The state, county, province, or region.

postalCode

The country's postal code.

country

A two-letter Alpha-2 country code as described in the ISO 3166 international standard.

countryName

The country's name.

phoneNumber

The customer's phone number.

countyName

The name of the county.

emailAddress

The customer's email address.

phoneticFirstName

The phonetic spelling of the customer's first name in Katakana.

phoneticLastName

The phonetic spelling of the customer's last name in Katakana.

division

The name of the division within the organization within a Japanese company. 

 {
  "cart": {
        "billingAddress": {
            "uri": "http://api.digitalriver.com/v1/shoppers/me/carts/active/billing-address",
            "id": "billingAddress",
            "firstName": "e2000699-72a7-4f39-ba6d-2e5a1c913b5d",
            "lastName": "DR",
            "companyName": null,
            "line1": "8251 Flying Cloud Drive",
            "line2": "Suite 100",
            "line3": null,
            "city": "London",
            "countrySubdivision": "AL",
            "postalCode": "SE5 9JH",
            "country": "GB",
            "countryName": "Great Britain",
            "phoneNumber": "+44 20 7274 9987",
            "countyName": null,
            "emailAddress": "shopxTest@digitalriver.com",
            "phoneticFirstName": null,
            "phoneticLastName": null,
            "division": null,
            "suggestions": {
                "uri": "http://api.digitalriver.com/v1/shoppers/me/carts/active/billing-address/suggestions",
                "address": [
                    {
                        "uri": "http://api.digitalriver.com/v1/shoppers/me/carts/active/billing-address/suggestions/1",
                        "applyAddress": {
                            "uri": "http://api.digitalriver.com/v1/shoppers/me/carts/active/apply-billing-address?suggestionid=1"
                        },
                        "id": 1,
                        "firstName": "null",
                        "lastName": "null",
                        "line1": "8251 Flying Cloud Drive Suite 100",
                        "line2": "Suite 100",
                        "city": "Al",
                        "countrySubdivision": null,
                        "postalCode": "SE5 9JH",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "phoneNumber": "null"
                    }
                ]
            }
        },
    }

Japanese phonetics and divisions

When handling customer addresses in Japan, it is essential to account for unique features such as phonetic spellings and organizational divisions. Phonetic spellings aid in correctly pronouncing names during deliveries, improving the overall customer experience. Meanwhile, organizational divisions within Japanese companies ensure precise internal routing and accurate billing. These elements are crucial for seamless delivery services and data accuracy in billing and shipping processes. Understanding and properly using these fields can significantly enhance service efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Understanding Japanese scripting styles

In Japanese, customer names can be written in two primary script styles:

  • Hiragana: The traditional and cursive script primarily used in native Japanese words.

  • Katakana: This is a phonetic script used when the customer and courier services want to use phonetic spelling. Katakana is also used by foreigners living in the country who don't have a Japanese name.

These scripting styles are crucial for accurate name representation and pronunciation, particularly for delivery and courier services. Katakana is often preferred for its phonetic clarity, making it easier for couriers to pronounce names correctly during delivery.

To ensure accurate and efficient delivery services, customers should:

  • Use Katakana for phonetic clarity, especially if they have foreign names or names that are difficult to pronounce.

  • Enter their names in Hiragana and Katakana to provide traditional and phonetic representations.

Using the phonetic names and division attributes

Digital River provides the ability to enter a phonetic name for a Japanese customer and a division in the billingAddress and shippingAddress objects. This ensures accurate name representation and pronunciation, facilitating effective communication and delivery services.

Add the following attributes to your billing and shipping addresses to ensure accurate pronunciation and proper subdivision handling.

  • phoneticFirstName: The phonetic representation of the first name to ensure correct pronunciation.

  • phoneticLastName: The phonetic representation of the last name, aiding in accurate pronunciation.

  • division: Specifies the subdivision or department within an organization.

Example JSON:

{
  "phoneticFirstName": "タロ",
  "phoneticLastName": "ヤマダ",
  "division": "営業部"
}

Include these attributes when making requests to the following resources:

These attributes enhance the accuracy and efficiency of deliveries by ensuring that phonetic names and divisions appear correctly on the Order Summary page.

Digital River ensures that phonetic names and divisions appear on the Order Summary page, enhancing delivery accuracy and efficiency. They will also appear under the billingAddress and shippingAddress objects when you issue one of the following calls:

 {
  "cart": {
    "billingAddress": {
                             "nickname": "Home",
                              "firstName": "太郎",
                              "lastName":"山田",
                              "line1":"新宿区新宿1-1-1",
                              "line2":"新宿ビル203",
                              "line3":"line3",
                              "countrySubdivision":"愛知県",
                              "country":"JP",
                              "countryName":"Japan",
                              "phoneNumber":"03-1234-1234",
                              "city":"田原市",
                              "postalCode": "123-1234",
                              "companyName":"Digitalriver",
                              "emailAddress": "shopxTest@digitalriver.com",
                              "phoneticFirstName": "タロ",
                              "phoneticLastName":"ヤマダ",
                              "division": "営業部"
                                
    },
    "shippingAddress": {
                             "nickname": "Home",
                              "firstName": "太郎",
                              "lastName":"山田",
                              "line1":"新宿区新宿1-1-1",
                              "line2":"新宿ビル203",
                              "line3":"line3",
                              "countrySubdivision":"愛知県",
                              "country":"JP",
                              "countryName":"Japan",
                              "phoneNumber":"03-1234-1234",
                              "city":"田原市",
                              "postalCode": "123-1234",
                              "companyName":"Digitalriver",
                              "emailAddress": "shopxTest@digitalriver.com",
                              "phoneticFirstName": "タロ",
                              "phoneticLastName":"ヤマダ",
                              "division": "営業部"   
    }
  }
}

US states and territories

In shipping and billing addresses within the United States, using the correct two-letter states, territories, APO/FPO military addresses, and the District of Columbia abbreviations are important. The table below provides a comprehensive list of these abbreviations essential for ensuring accurate and efficient order processing. When specifying a US state or territory in any request, always include "US" as the country parameter.

US states

Two-letter AbbreviationState Name

AK

Alaska

AL

Alabama

AR

Arkansas

AZ

Arizona

CA

California

CO

Colorado

CT

Connecticut

DE

Delaware

FL

Florida

GA

Georgia

HI

Hawaii

IA

Iowa

ID

Idaho

IL

Illinois

IN

Indiana

KS

Kansas

KY

Kentucky

LA

Louisiana

MA

Massachusetts

MD

Maryland

ME

Maine

MI

Michigan

MN

Minnesota

MO

Missouri

MS

Mississippi

MT

Montana

NC

North Carolina

ND

North Dakota

NE

Nebraska

NH

New Hampshire

NJ

New Jersey

NM

New Mexico

NV

Nevada

NY

New York

OH

Ohio

OK

Oklahoma

OR

Oregon

PA

Pennsylvania

RI

Rhode Island

SC

South Carolina

TN

Tennessee

TX

Texas

UT

Utah

VT

Vermont

WA

Washington

WV

West Virginia

WY

Wyoming

US federal district

Two-letter AbbreviationFederal District

DC

District of Columbia

US territories

Two-letter AbbreviationTerritories

AS

American Samoa

GU

Guam

MP

Northern Mariana Islands

PR

Puerto Rico

VI

U.S. Virgin Islands

US APO/FPO military addresses

Two-letter AbbreviationAPO/FPO Military Addresses

AE

Armed Forces

AP

Armed Forces Pacific

AA

Armed Forces America

Postal codes

Postal codes are essential in mailing systems worldwide, facilitating the efficient sorting and delivery of mail. They consist of letters, digits, or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation that identify specific regions, cities, or delivery routes within a country. Varying in format from one nation to another, postal codes help ensure that mail reaches its intended destination accurately and promptly. Understanding postal codes and their formats is crucial for businesses and individuals alike to ensure smooth and reliable communication and transactions across the globe.

US ZIP Code and geocode

In the United States, a ZIP Code is used to identify specific postal delivery areas, facilitating the efficient sorting and distribution of mail. Typically, a ZIP Code consists of five digits, but it can extend to nine full digits, known as ZIP+4. The additional four digits, called the geocode, pinpoint a more precise delivery location within the original five-digit area. This system enhances mail delivery accuracy and plays a crucial role in various applications, such as tax calculations, by providing detailed regional information. Understanding and using both ZIP Codes and geocodes ensure more effective and accurate delivery and processing of mail and related services.

How it works

To enable the postalCode feature, enter the ZIP Code and geocode in the following format: "xxxxx-yyyy," where the first five digits represent the ZIP Code and the last four digits represent the geocode. Digital River uses this format when calculating taxes, resulting in more precise results.

"billingAddress": {
  "postalCode": “12345-6789”,
  "country": "US"
}

"shippingAddress": {
  "postalCode": “12345-6789”,
  "country": "US"
}

A US shopper can provide just their five-digit ZIP Code without impact. However, we recommend providing the ZIP Code and geocode to ensure the correct tax calculation.

Validation for US locales

When a shopper inputs their ZIP Code and geocode, Digital River performs strict validation to ensure they follow the required format ("xxxxx-yyyy"). If the format is incorrect, a 409 Conflict response returns an invalid-postal-code error with instructions on the proper format. This validation helps achieve accurate tax calculations for US addresses.

For example, the following cases will trigger an error:

  • Entering nine digits without a dash: 123456789

  • Misplaced dash: 1-23456789

Validation for non-US locales

No specific format validation is required for non-US locales. The update ensures no interruption or change in behavior for users operating outside of the US.

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