Melissa Data Releases Delivery Indicator Tool
for Parcel Shippers

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. (Feb. 8, 2006) Melissa Data, a leading provider of data-quality software and services, today announced the release of Residential & Business Delivery Indicator (RBDI), a tool that enables catalogers and other shippers to identify address types prior to shipping parcels.

After an address is validated with an accurate ZIP + 4 Code™ and delivery point code, RBDI flags the address as either residential or business. This designation helps shippers determine carrier rates, avoid surcharges, and provide rate-shopping services to online customers.

“Many carriers charge a higher price for residential deliveries. And, with 91 percent of delivery points in the United States classified as residential, it helps to know what the rate will be before shipping. This benefits both the shipper as well as the consumer paying for the shipping,” said Ray Melissa, president of Melissa Data.

RBDI has many potential uses for businesses. Online merchants can build the function into their websites to provide rate-shopping services to their customers. Real estate agencies and property managers can use RBDI to distinguish property types when no other information is available on an address. Commercial shippers and agents can use this product to plot more efficient delivery routes.

RBDI is available as an add-on to Melissa Data’s leading data validation tools—the Data Quality Web Service and the Address Object developer’s component. These programs are used to correct and standardize addresses, in real-time or batch processes, by comparing the address submitted against the U.S. Postal Service’s national database of 142 million addresses. They are ideal for e-commerce or Web applications where customer data is requested.

Editors can learn more about RBDI at this Web page: /dqt/rbdi.htm

About Melissa Data
Celebrating its 21st year, Melissa Data, the Data Superstore, helps companies manage and optimize their customer data. Melissa Data provides solutions for address and phone number validation, postal encoding, data enhancements and sales leads. A powerful line of software, databases, programming tools, and data hygiene services has made Melissa Data a recognized leader in the data quality industry. For more information, call 1-800-800-6245 or visit www.melissadata.com.

ZIP + 4™ is a registered trademark of the United States Postal Service®.