Understanding geo campaigns

A geo campaign sends a push notification, fires a custom event, or both automatically when a user’s device enters a location you defined on a map, such as a store, a venue, a delivery point, or a transit hub.

Pushwoosh uses geozones to define where a campaign can trigger. You can group multiple geozones into a cluster to apply one shared cooldown and avoid repeated sends in nearby areas.

How it works

After you set up a geo campaign, Pushwoosh runs the entry actions you enabled for the geozone (Send push, Fire event, or both) when a user’s device enters the geozone, the campaign is active, and cooldown allows delivery. Cooldown applies to both entry actions. It blocks a repeat entry until the cooldown expires, either from that geozone alone or from every geozone in its cluster if it belongs to one.

Fire exit event, Fire dwell event, and Assume exit after silence are not limited by cooldown. Those actions track that someone left the zone or stayed inside. If cooldown also blocked them, you would miss the signal that the visit ended.

Location permission required

Location permission is required. If a user has not granted it, geo campaigns cannot trigger for that device, and no entry action runs when the device enters a geozone. On Android 10 and later, background location permission is required.

Use cases

• Send an in-store offer when a user enters a geozone around a retail location.
• Trigger an arrival message at a venue, pickup point, or branch office.
• Limit repeat sends in dense areas by applying one cooldown across a cluster of nearby geozones.

Prerequisites

Developer assistance needed

You’ll need help from your development team to integrate location tracking in your app.

Before you create your first geo campaign, make sure:

1. At least one mobile platform (Android or iOS) is configured in the project. Learn how to configure platforms.
2. The Pushwoosh SDK is integrated in your app with location tracking enabled.
3. Location tracking is configured in the app. For implementation details, see Geozones for iOS and Geozones for Android.

Hinweis

• Geo-based messaging is not available for HMS (Huawei Mobile Services) devices, since it relies on Google location services.
• For Google Play apps, approval is required for background location access. Refer to the Google Play policy and submit the permissions declaration before collecting users’ locations.

Set up a geo campaign

Create a geozone

Configure entry actions, the push message, the trigger shape, cooldown, and the campaign schedule.

Create a cluster

Group geozones that share a cooldown, then assign zones from the form or the Geo campaigns list.

Import geozones from a CSV file

Bulk-create geozones from a spreadsheet instead of placing them on the map one at a time.

Manage geozones and clusters

Pause, edit, move, or delete geozones and clusters.