Put Location to Work
Geofencing creates a virtual boundary around a real-world location. When a location-enabled device enters or exits that area, a compatible application or service can trigger an action. Businesses can use this approach to support relevant promotions, customer engagement, operational alerts and feedback campaigns.
Common applications
- Location-based marketing and store promotions
- Audience engagement at events and venues
- Customer loyalty and feedback campaigns
- Field-team and asset activity workflows
- Site and security notifications
- Retail, hospitality and travel experiences
Availability and delivery methods depend on the location platform, device permissions and the services integrated with your campaign.
Benefits of Geofencing
Make location more relevant to customer communication
Support Store Visits
Businesses can build location-aware campaigns around stores or venues and promote offers to eligible audiences when the relevant technology and user permissions support it.
Build Customer Loyalty
Relevant, timely offers and useful updates can help strengthen customer relationships when messages are expected, useful and sent with appropriate consent.
Improve Campaign Relevance
Plan campaigns for a defined geographic area rather than sending every promotion to every contact. Use audience criteria and communication preferences to keep outreach relevant.
Collect Timely Feedback
Where a suitable app or integrated platform supports location-triggered workflows, businesses can invite customers to share feedback after a visit or service experience.
Engage Event Audiences
Venues and event organisers can plan location-aware information and engagement experiences for attendees, subject to the capabilities of their chosen platform.
Support Operational Alerts
Geofences can support notifications for defined work sites, delivery zones or assets when connected systems provide the necessary location data and alerting features.
Plan a Responsible Location-Based Campaign
Useful targeting starts with clear goals and respect for user privacy
Recommended practices
- Define the business objective and the geographic area relevant to it.
- Use platforms that explain how location data is collected and processed.
- Respect device permissions, applicable privacy laws and marketing consent requirements.
- Send useful, limited and relevant communications; provide required opt-out options.
- Measure campaign results using suitable analytics and avoid collecting unnecessary location data.
Geofencing, geotargeting and beacons
These approaches can all support location-aware experiences, but they use different signals and work at different ranges. Exact capabilities vary by provider and implementation.
| Approach | Typical signal | Common use |
|---|---|---|
| Geotargeting | Location criteria such as region or device location, depending on platform | Regional or local audience targeting |
| Beacons | Short-range Bluetooth signals from beacon hardware | Proximity experiences in a defined indoor area |
| Geofencing | Location services such as GPS, Wi-Fi or cellular signals, depending on implementation | Actions associated with entering or leaving a virtual boundary |
Frequently Asked Questions About Geofencing
What is geofencing?
Geofencing is the use of a virtual boundary around a real-world area. A compatible application or service can respond when a location-enabled device enters or exits that boundary, subject to platform capabilities and permissions.
What is a geofence?
A geofence is a virtual perimeter around a geographic area. It may cover a small venue or a larger region, depending on the intended use and the technology being used.
What is geofencing used for?
Common uses include local promotions, event engagement, customer feedback, delivery-zone alerts and operational notifications. The available actions depend on the connected application or platform.
Can you give an example of geofencing?
A retailer could define a virtual area around a store and use a compatible, permission-based application to offer a relevant promotion to eligible users. A hotel could similarly invite a guest to provide feedback after a visit if its system supports that workflow.
What technologies can support geofencing?
Depending on the implementation, geofencing may use GPS, Wi-Fi, cellular location or other device and platform signals. Accuracy and availability vary with device settings, environment and service provider.
Is geofencing the same as geotargeting or beacons?
No. Geotargeting generally selects audiences using geographic criteria, while beacons use short-range hardware signals, commonly Bluetooth. Geofencing uses a virtual geographic boundary to define when a location-related event may trigger an action. Implementations can overlap.
Does geofencing require user permission?
Location-based services may require device permissions and must comply with applicable privacy and marketing laws. Businesses should explain how location information is used, collect only what is necessary and respect users' choices and communication preferences.
Can geofencing send SMS messages automatically?
Not by itself. Automatic SMS delivery requires a compatible application or platform that connects location events to a messaging service. Confirm the integration, consent controls and message delivery capabilities with your provider before planning a campaign.
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