GLOSSARY · INDIA
What do common address-verification terms mean?
Address-verification language mixes postal terms, payment methods, logistics outcomes, and API operations. The important distinction is that each describes a different signal: a pincode routes mail, DIGIPIN locates a small grid cell, COD describes payment, and RTO records a shipment outcome. None alone proves that an address is complete or deliverable.
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What does RTO mean?
Return to origin (RTO) is a shipment returned to the sender after dispatch. Causes include customer refusal or absence, address problems, and delivery constraints. RTO is an operational outcome, not a synonym for a bad address. Measure address-related RTO separately when evaluating verification.
What does COD mean?
Cash on delivery (COD) is a payment method in which payment is collected at delivery rather than at checkout. COD can affect confirmation and risk workflows, but it does not prove fraud or address quality. Validate the address and decide any customer-contact rule separately.
What is DIGIPIN?
DIGIPIN is India Post’s ten-character geospatial code for an approximately four-metre by four-metre grid cell. It describes a location, not a person, business, building, or flat. Read the official technical document.
What is a pincode?
A Postal Index Number, commonly called a pincode, is India’s six-digit postal routing code. A valid six-digit format does not prove that the pincode agrees with the locality or that a street address is complete. Verification should check both structure and geographic consistency.
What is address verification?
Address verification parses and normalizes an entered address, checks its components against available reference evidence, and reports corrections or uncertainty. It can support a dispatch decision, but it cannot confirm customer identity, availability, courier performance, or guarantee successful delivery.
What is batch verification?
Batch verification applies the same address checks to many records in one asynchronous job or uploaded file. It is useful for warehouse queues and historical cleanup. A sound batch workflow preserves row identifiers, records per-row errors, supports safe retries, and avoids treating one failed row as proof that the entire file is invalid.