Geofence

A geofence campaign sends a push notification when a user's device enters, exits, or dwells in a geographic area you have defined. The campaign connects a push content, a trigger type, and one or more geofence clusters, and defines who is eligible to receive it.

The fence list and the campaign content are synchronized to the device ahead of time. When the operating system detects that a boundary was crossed, the notification is shown immediately from the cache, without a network request. This is why a geofence campaign can fire even in airplane mode. Every transition is reported back to Dengage, where it feeds campaign reports and can be used to build segments.

Prerequisites

Make sure the following are ready before creating your first geofence campaign:

• The geofence feature is enabled for your account.
• Your app includes the Dengage geofence SDK module and users grant background location permission ("Allow all the time" on Android, "Always" on iOS). See the Geofence (Data Space) guide for the setup details.
• At least one geofence cluster exists under Data Space > Geofence. You can also create one while building the campaign, using the + Add Geofence button. See the Geofencing (Data Space) guide.
• A transactional push content is prepared. Geofence campaigns send push content. Create it as transactional push content with the title, message, image, deep link, and languages you need, or create it inline while building the campaign. Do not create the content in the marketing push section.

The Geofencing Campaign

Geofence campaigns are managed from Campaign > Targeting Campaigns > Geofencing.

On this page you can:

• Create a campaign with the + New button, and push changes to devices with Sync Now (both at the top of the page; see "After Publishing" below for Sync Now).
• Organize campaigns into folders. Use + New Folder to create folders. Each folder has its own menu with Rename, Copy Public ID, Move Item, and Delete. You can also switch between the All and Created by me views.
• Search and filter campaigns by name.
• See each campaign at a glance in the list columns: Name, Channels, Status (Active or Draft), Schedule (start and, if set, end date), Delivered count, and Open Rate.
• Manage campaigns from the row menu. Active campaigns offer Duplicate, Move, Pause, Copy ID, and Delete. Draft campaigns additionally offer Edit and Start.
• Open a campaign's report with the report icon on its row (see "Reports" below).

Press + New to start the campaign builder. The builder has four steps: Settings, Targeting, Delivery & Tracking, and Summary. A live preview of the selected content for iOS and Android is shown on the right throughout the builder.

Step 1. Settings: Campaign Info and Content

Campaign Info

• Name. Enter a name for the campaign.
• Tags. Optionally add tags to make the campaign easier to find and group.
• Start Date. Choose Now to activate the campaign as soon as you save it, or Scheduled to pick a future start date.
• End Date. Choose Never to keep the campaign running until you pause it, or Scheduled to pick an end date.

Periodic Trigger

The Periodic Trigger option keeps the campaign active only within the days and time slots you choose, for example weekdays during store hours. As the panel puts it: deliver your messages to your audience within the days and time slots you choose.

1. Enable the Periodic Trigger checkbox.
2. From the dropdown menu, choose either:
   • All Days: activates the campaign for all days within the date range.
   • Custom Days: specify selected days.
3. Enable the Set Time checkbox to define the active time interval, and specify the Start Time and End Time for each active day.

This feature ensures that campaigns operate more efficiently and precisely, reducing unnecessary activity and maximizing impact.

Content

In the Content section, select the transactional push content the campaign will send, or create a new push content for geofence from here. Use the search box and Filter to find the content; the list shows each content's name and languages.

The notification title, message, image, and deep link come from the content itself, so nothing is written in this step. Once you select a content, the preview on the right shows how the notification will look.

Step 2. Targeting: Applications, Trigger, and Geofences

Applications

Under Select Application, select one or more apps that will monitor these fences.

Location Trigger

Choose how users should trigger the campaign: Enter, Exit, or Dwell.

• Enter fires the moment the user enters the area. Users who are already inside when the fence reaches their device also receive the enter event immediately.
• Exit fires when the user leaves the area. Exit is deliberately conservative: the device must move clearly beyond the boundary before the event fires, so the notification may arrive slightly after the actual exit.
• Dwell fires when the user stays inside the area for the Dwell Duration you set. Choosing Dwell opens the Dwell Duration field (in minutes, default 3). Prefer a radius of 300 m or more so users do not cross and leave before the timer elapses.

Geofence

This section defines where the campaign fires. Search clusters by name, or pick from the clusters and geofences listed below the search box, and tick one or more clusters. Expand a cluster to see and pick its individual fences.

If the cluster you need does not exist yet, click + Add Geofence to open the cluster drawer and create it without leaving the page.

Step 3. Delivery & Tracking: Audience and Delivery Settings

Audience Selection

Choose who is eligible to receive this campaign:

• All User sends to everyone who makes the movement.
• Select Segment narrows delivery to a segment you choose.

The audience is combined with the Location Trigger, so a user must both match the audience and make the movement. For example, with a "VIP customers" segment and an Enter trigger, only VIP customers who enter the fence receive the message.

Frequency Capping

Frequency Capping is your main guard against repeated notifications, for example for users moving around a boundary or entering the same store several times a day. It is on by default with a limit of 1 message per day per campaign.

Enable Frequency Capping

• Toggle Frequency Capping ON. Once enabled, additional configuration options become visible.

Apply Capping To

From the Apply Capping To dropdown, select where the frequency limit should apply. This selection defines the scope of the frequency rule:

• Campaign: limits how often a user can receive messages from this campaign in total.
• Cluster: limits messages based on the selected geofence cluster.
• Geofence: limits messages separately for each individual geofence.

Define Message Limits

• Enter the maximum number of messages a user can receive (for example: 2).
• Select the time interval: Hourly, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly.

Example: If you set 1 Daily at the Geofence level, a user will receive only one message per day per geofence, even if they enter that geofence multiple times.

Common uses of Frequency Capping:

• Prevent sending multiple push notifications when users frequently enter the same location.
• Apply stricter limits to busy or high traffic geofences.
• Run long term location campaigns without overwhelming users.

Offline Message

Enable Offline Message to deliver the notification from the cache even while the device has no connection. The cached content is shown as a local notification, and the event is queued on the device and sent to Dengage when connectivity returns, so offline deliveries still appear in your reports.

Save To Inbox

Enable Save To Inbox to also store the message in the app inbox, so it stays available to the user after the notification is dismissed.

Step 4. Summary: Review and Publish

The Summary step shows all your choices as Settings, Targeting, and Delivery & Tracking cards, covering the campaign info, selected push content, applications, trigger and cluster selection, audience, and delivery settings. Each card has an Edit link that jumps back to the related step.

After Publishing: Keeping Devices in Sync

Devices pick up fence and campaign changes on their own through the automatic 6 hour silent push cycle, or when they move far enough to trigger a resync (about 1 km at walking speed, about 5 km at highway speed). Only fences that belong to active campaigns are distributed to devices.

To push changes immediately, press Sync Now at the top of the geofence campaign list after creating or editing campaigns and clusters. This sends a silent push that refreshes the fence list on devices right away.

Note: A sync updates state without firing campaigns. It refreshes the fence list and repairs device state, but it never produces notifications by itself.

Reports

Campaign Report

Open a campaign's report with the report icon on its row in the campaign list. The Summary tab shows the sent content, the clusters and trigger type, and the applications the campaign targets, with an app filter for the numbers below:

• Total Sent and Delivered, with Delivered split into online and offline deliveries.
• Clicks with click rate, and Bounced.
• Clicks By Device (mobile phone, tablet, desktop) and the Geofence Send Performance funnel from sent to delivered to click.

The Geofence Clusters list adds a per cluster view: accumulated Enter and Exit event counts and the number of campaigns using each cluster.

Geofence Events in Segments

Every geofence interaction is stored per user and can be used for retargeting. In Audience > Segments, create an Interactive Segment and choose Add Filter > Geofence. The rule reads:

Users who [Entered / Exited / Dwelled / Delivered / Clicked] a Geofence Push on [any campaign / the following campaigns] at least [N] time(s) within the last [N] [hours / days / months]

When a single campaign is selected, an additional sub filter becomes available to narrow the rule down to particular clusters and even individual geofences; this breakdown is not shown when more than one campaign is selected.

The saved segment can then be selected as the audience of any campaign, including your next geofence campaign, through Select Segment in the Delivery & Tracking step. A typical retargeting flow: target users who entered the mall fence within the last 7 days but did not click the message.

Use Cases

• Welcome offer on store entry. Select your store cluster, use the Enter trigger, and send a welcome discount when customers arrive. Add the Periodic Trigger so the campaign only runs during store hours, and keep the default cap of 1 message per day so regular visitors are not spammed.
• Exit follow up. Use the Exit trigger to thank visitors as they leave, ask for feedback, or remind them of an item they viewed. Remember that exit fires slightly after the actual exit by design.
• Dwell based engagement in large venues. For malls or campuses with a 300 m or larger radius, use the Dwell trigger with a duration that matches a real visit, and reward users who spend time there, for example with a coupon or a lounge invitation.
• Airport and travel messaging. Target airport fences with Enter, and enable Offline Message and Save To Inbox. Travelers with no connectivity still receive the cached notification, and the delivery is reported once they come back online.
• Retargeting visitors who did not convert. Build a segment of users who entered your fences within the last 7 days but did not click, then target them with a follow up campaign through Select Segment.
• High traffic locations. For fences that users pass many times a day, such as a metro station branch, apply stricter Frequency Capping at the Geofence level, for example 1 message Hourly or Daily, so commuters are not overwhelmed.

FAQ

A geofence campaign does not trigger. What should I check first?

Press Sync Now (it can be used up to twice per day) so devices pick up the latest fences instead of waiting for the next automatic cycle. Confirm the campaign's trigger type matches the movement being tested (enter, exit, or dwell). Remember that only the nearest fences are monitored: a fence far from the device is not being watched yet. Also check that the device has moved enough to trigger a re-evaluation (roughly 1 km at walking speed) and that the radius is not below 100 m.

The user was already inside the fence when the campaign started. Does Enter fire?

Yes. If the device is already inside a fence at registration time, an enter event is generated immediately. Users who start inside no longer miss the first campaign.

Do cluster changes affect campaigns that are already running?

Yes. Changes made to a cluster are periodically synced and reflected in any active campaign using that cluster. Press Sync Now to push the change to devices immediately.

Can a user receive the same campaign more than once?

Yes, if the user keeps re-entering the area or if selected clusters overlap. Frequency Capping (on by default at 1 message per day per campaign) is the control for this; you can also cap per cluster or per geofence, and keep fences at least twice the radius apart to avoid overlap.

Is Dwell reliable on iOS?

The panel warns that Dwell may not fire reliably on iOS while the app is in the background or has been killed. For critical journeys prefer Enter or Exit, and give dwell campaigns room with a radius of 300 m or more.

What happens when the device is offline?

With Offline Message enabled, the campaign content cached from the last sync is shown as a local notification immediately. The event is queued on the device and sent when connectivity returns, and reporting is processed retroactively, so offline deliveries still appear in the campaign report.