A computer-implemented method for receiving server-controlled point of interest alerts on user computing devices, comprising: communicating, by a user computing device to a second computing device (150, 160), a request for point of interest data corresponding to points of interest within a proximity of the user computing device, the request comprising location data associated with the user computing device, wherein the second computing device (150, 160) is separate and distinct from the user computing device; receiving, by the user computing device, the point of interest data from the second computing device (150, 160), the point of interest data comprising at least a portion of a point of interest identity, a point of interest location, and point of interest marketing data for each of a plurality of points of interest in a point of interest zone defined by the second computing device (150, 160), wherein the point of interest zone is determined based at least in part on the location data associated with the user computing device; identifying (230, 235), by the user computing device, a particular point of interest at such time as the user computing device enters within a configured range of the particular point of interest and in response to the identification sending an identification of the particular point of interest and requesting, by the user computing device, an alert format for the particular point of interest from the second computing device (150, 160); outputting, by the user computing device, an alert regarding the particular point of interest, wherein the alert is provided by the user computing device in a manner based at least in part on the alert format received from the second computing device (150, 160), wherein the alert comprises point of interest data, and wherein the alert format is determined by a configured alert procedure at the second computing device (150, 160), the alert procedure specifying the alert format based at least in part on the number of instances that the particular point of interest has been identified in a configured period of time. communicating, by a user computing device to a second computing device (150, 160), a request for point of interest data corresponding to points of interest within a proximity of the user computing device, the request comprising location data associated with the user computing device, wherein the second computing device (150, 160) is separate and distinct from the user computing device; receiving, by the user computing device, the point of interest data from the second computing device (150, 160), the point of interest data comprising at least a portion of a point of interest identity, a point of interest location, and point of interest marketing data for each of a plurality of points of interest in a point of interest zone defined by the second computing device (150, 160), wherein the point of interest zone is determined based at least in part on the location data associated with the user computing device; identifying (230, 235), by the user computing device, a particular point of interest at such time as the user computing device enters within a configured range of the particular point of interest and in response to the identification sending an identification of the particular point of interest and requesting, by the user computing device, an alert format for the particular point of interest from the second computing device (150, 160); outputting, by the user computing device, an alert regarding the particular point of interest, wherein the alert is provided by the user computing device in a manner based at least in part on the alert format received from the second computing device (150, 160), wherein the alert comprises point of interest data, and wherein the alert format is determined by a configured alert procedure at the second computing device (150, 160), the alert procedure specifying the alert format based at least in part on the number of instances that the particular point of interest has been identified in a configured period of time.