ZipCode Shortcut

I don't know how well this method will work internationally, but assume that some of the same efficiencies apply.

It seems to me that use of a US zipcode as the primary key entry field would often knock out 2 steps in a laborious, repetitive process.

I've seen this technique employed effectively on a few websites - Curious that it is not used more often.

Type in a 5-character ZIPCODE:

In the background, a simple lookup engine identifies the appropriate STATE and CITY.

If you want to turn the CITY field into a dropdown with multiple choices (if appropriate), you could. But simply pre-populating the CITY field with your " best guess"/biggest town/whatever will probably be accurate 90+% of the time.

You've just filled in 3 postal address fields by entering only 5 characters.

At the back end, you're tying into a database that provides the lookup table (Supplied by the Postal Service? Hmmmm... Could be a moneymaker).