Zest checks shipping addresses in self-service Storefronts so you can catch common delivery problems before they become costly reshipments. Address validation in Storefronts uses a lighter-touch approach relative to Concierge. It's designed to flag meaningful errors without adding friction that could cause your gifters to abandon checkout.
You control your own shipping rules, such as which states you ship to and whether PO boxes are allowed. No engineering required.
Before you start, you'll need:
Brand admin access in Zest.
Your shipping profile configured with the countries and states you ship to.
Overview: How Address Validation Works
Manually entered addresses
Zest offers address autocomplete — similar to the native Shopify checkout experience. As a recipient types, suggested addresses appear and auto-populate the address fields. If a recipient modifies the address after autocomplete populates it, Zest does not re-validate the edited address against the Google Maps API, but it does run the structural checks below.
CSV and spreadsheet uploads
Zest checks every uploaded address for structural issues, but does not validate each address individually against the Google Maps API. Structural checks include:
Invalid or mismatched ZIP codes.
PO boxes (when you've enabled blocking).
Addresses in states or countries outside your shipping profile.
Missing required fields (street address, city, state, ZIP code).
Storefront validation does not check for incomplete or undeliverable addresses, and does not surface suggested address corrections. Those features require full Google Maps API validation, which is available in Concierge.
Why this approach?
Running full Google Maps-level validation on every address would introduce loading time and error queues that risk your gifter dropping checkout entirely. The optimal level of validation isn't the maximum — it's the level that catches the most meaningful errors without creating so much friction that gifters abandon. For the most robust address validation — including real-time Google Maps checks on every address — see Address Validation in Concierge.
How Errors Work in Storefronts
When Zest detects an address issue in a Storefront order, it surfaces an error that prevents the order from moving forward until the recipient resolves it. There are no dismissible warnings in Storefronts — all flagged issues are hard stops.
Common errors include:
An address in a state or country outside your shipping profile.
A PO box address when your settings block PO box delivery.
A ZIP code that doesn't match the state entered.
A missing required field (street address, city, state, or ZIP code).
Recipients must correct the error before checkout can proceed.
Configuring PO Box Restrictions
Blocking PO box deliveries
To block shipping to PO boxes:
Go to Settings in your Zest dashboard.
Select Shipping.
Under Shipping to PO boxes, select Block shipping to PO boxes.
Click Save.
When this setting is enabled, any address containing "PO Box" will be flagged as an error during address entry or CSV upload. Recipients will see a message stating that your brand doesn't ship to PO boxes and will be prompted to provide an alternative delivery address or remove themselves from the order.
Tip: The PO box blocker looks for the text "PO Box" in an address field. It does not automatically catch military addresses using APO, FPO, or DPO formats, which use a different address structure. See Troubleshooting Common Validation Issues for guidance on handling military addresses.
The PO box restriction is an all-or-nothing setting — you cannot block PO boxes in some regions while allowing them in others. In Concierge, admins can manually bypass the restriction for individual addresses as needed.
Setting Up State and Regional Shipping Restrictions
You can configure exactly which states and countries you ship to using your shipping profile in Zest. Once configured, Zest automatically blocks orders to addresses outside your allowed regions — no manual filtering required.
Common use cases include:
Wine and alcohol brands restricting shipments to states with alcohol delivery laws (e.g., Utah).
Brands shipping only to the contiguous 48 US states (excluding Hawaii and Alaska).
Brands with US-only fulfillment that want to block international orders.
When a recipient's address falls in a restricted state or country, Zest flags it with a message like: "Sorry, shipping to this state is not available." The recipient must either provide an alternative address or be removed from the order.
To update your shipping regions, navigate to your Shipping Profile settings or contact your Zest account manager.
Tips for CSV and Spreadsheet Uploads
Uploading a recipient list is the fastest way to add many recipients at once. Here are a few tips for keeping the process smooth.
Before uploading:
Use Zest's CSV template to make sure your column headers match the expected field names.
Review your shipping profile to confirm you're shipping to all the countries and states in your list.
During upload:
Zest automatically checks for structural issues — missing fields, ZIP/state mismatches, and PO boxes (if blocked) — right after upload.
You will see flags for any issues that need attention.
Handling errors:
Fix flagged addresses directly, or remove recipients with unresolvable errors from the order.
Special characters in recipient names:
Special characters (accent marks, hyphens) are generally supported but may occasionally cause issues with print fulfillment partners. Check with your fulfillment vendor about which characters they support.
Troubleshooting Common Validation Issues
Address autocomplete isn't working.
Address autocomplete requires a live connection to the Google Maps API. If autocomplete stops working, the issue is typically with the Google Maps service itself, not your Zest account. Recipients can still type their full address manually. The issue usually resolves on its own. If it persists, contact Zest support.
Military addresses (APO/FPO/DPO) aren't being caught by my PO box block.
The PO box blocking feature detects the text "PO Box" in an address. Military addresses use APO (Army Post Office), FPO (Fleet Post Office), and DPO (Diplomatic Post Office) designations and do not use the "PO Box" format — so they won't be caught by the PO box block automatically.
If your brand needs to restrict military address shipments:
Test a known military address in your setup to confirm whether it goes through.
If it does and you need to block it, contact Zest support to explore a custom solution.
Browser autofill is overwriting address fields.
Zest has addressed a past issue where browser autofill could overwrite address data after a spreadsheet upload. Address fields are now locked after upload to prevent this. If you encounter this problem, try disabling browser autofill for the Zest portal or contact Zest support.