Address standardization encompasses both the process of creating a standard for postal addresses and the actions taken to adjust an address to comply with that standard. In France, AFNOR established the AFNOR XPZ 10-011 standard in 1997 to standardize addresses. The six key principles of this standard are defined by the SNA (National Address Standards Authority).
More informally, postal standardization refers to verifying and ensuring the compliance of addresses on a mailing list before a direct marketing campaign. The goal is to reduce costs, formerly known as “mail returns,” and to benefit from advantageous postal rates. This postal standardization process is often integrated into an address processing workflow. A concrete example of this process can be illustrated as follows:
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