Every year, UK businesses waste £1 billion on mistargeted mailings: sending communications to people who have moved or even passed away. Beyond the financial cost, this erodes brand reputation and risks GDPR non-compliance. With 3.5 million households moving annually and 548,000 deaths each year, customer data decays at an alarming rate. This is why processing your data against Change of Address (COA) datasets is not just best practice; it is essential.

What Are COA Data Sets?

Change of Address files, such as Royal Mail’s National Change of Address (NCOA) and Experian’s Absolute Contacts, identify when a person has moved and provide their new address. These datasets allow businesses to:

  • Suppress goneaways (people who have moved and not informed you).
  • Update addresses to maintain engagement with existing customers.
  • Reduce waste by avoiding mailings to incorrect addresses.

Why It Matters

  • Cost Efficiency: Mailing to the wrong address is a waste of money and resources.
  • Brand Protection: Sending mail to deceased individuals or previous occupants can cause distress and damage your reputation.
  • Compliance: GDPR requires businesses to maintain accurate personal data. Failure to do so can lead to penalties.

The Business Impact

Research shows that up to a third of your database can move house each year. Losing track of these customers means losing permissioned contacts, making acquisition harder and more expensive. Retaining these relationships is far more cost-effective than finding new ones.

Best Practice: Use Verified Data

Not all COA files are created equal. The Software Bureau’s Data Hygiene Guide highlights key considerations:

  • Size: Ensure the dataset covers your entire customer base.
  • Provenance: Understand how the data is sourced and verified.
  • Recency: Up-to-date data is critical for accuracy.

For example:

  • Royal Mail NCOA Update provides verified mover data from redirection services.
  • Experian Absolute Contacts combines opted-in data from credit reference agencies and unique new occupier data.

Where to Start

The Software Bureau’s Data Hygiene Guide is an excellent resource for anyone managing customer data. It offers a transparent overview of suppression and home mover files, helping you make informed decisions.

Download the guide at https://www.thesoftwarebureau.com/guides/ and start implementing robust data hygiene practices today. Protect your brand, save costs, and stay compliant.