Keywords

How to Build a POI Trait

Feature Overview

Points of Interest (POI) traits allow you to build custom, location-based audience targeting criteria based on physical real-world visit patterns. By uploading target coordinate datasets (such as retail branches, venues, or competitor locations), you can define custom proximity radiuses and visit frequency thresholds to capture high-intent audiences based on real-world visits.

Prerequisites

A registered Covatic account.
Access to the Traits workspace.
A prepared CSV file containing coordinate data for your target locations.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Open the POI Trait Builder

From the main navigation menu:

Click Traits in the left-hand sidebar.
Select the POI tab from the horizontal category bar.
Click the + Create POI Trait button at the bottom of the page, or click the blue + (Plus) icon on the “Build a new trait” banner at the top.

2. Enter Dataset Name & Upload CSV

Dataset Name: Enter a clear, descriptive name for your location list (e.g., “McDonald’s locations”).
Upload Locations (CSV): Drag and drop your location CSV file into the upload area, or click to browse files on your computer.
CSV File Requirements:
- Must contain the exact header row order: longitude, latitude, name.
- Coordinates must use decimal degrees format with up to 5 decimal places.
- Supports up to 10,000 locations per dataset.
- (Optional: Click Download template within the modal to access a pre-formatted sample file).

3. Configure Frequency & Radius Settings

Frequency: Define how often a user must visit the uploaded locations to qualify for the segment:
- Specify the minimum visit count (e.g., “At least 1 visit”).
- Select the lookback duration (e.g., “in the past 8 weeks”).
Radius: Specify the geofence perimeter around each uploaded coordinate in metres:
- Enter a distance between 100 and 1,000 metres (e.g., 500 metres).

4. Review & Confirm Location Preview

Click the blue Review & Save button at the bottom right.
In the Review & Confirm popup modal:
- Check your Dataset Specification summary (Dataset Name, File Name, Visit Frequency, and Radius).
- Inspect the interactive Location Preview map to visually verify location pin placements across your target geographic area.
Click Confirm & Save.

5. Add Trait to an Audience Segment

Once saved, your dataset will appear in the POI traits list.
Hover over the new trait row and click the blue + (Plus) icon on the far right.
The platform will launch the Build your audience builder with your new POI trait already added to the segment logic.

Success Verification

Notification: A green status banner reading “POI trait created successfully” will display in the top right corner.
Library Availability: The new location trait will be stored in your account’s POI library tab, making it available for your team to use across any audience segment.

Pro-Tip: Use a tighter radius (e.g., 100–200 metres) for high-density urban locations or specific store footprints, and a larger radius (e.g., 500–1,000 metres) for regional venues, stadiums, or transport hubs.