What Is RCS Message And How To Help For Ecommerce Business?

June 17, 2025June 17, 2025 pinkysingh RCS Messaging

In today’s fast-paced digital world, staying connected is more important than ever. While texting remains a popular method of communication, there’s a new player on the horizon that’s set to revolutionize the way we interact: RCS messaging. But what exactly is RCS messaging, and how does it differ from the familiar SMS? Let’s explore this emerging technology and uncover why it could be the future of mobile communication.

What is RCS Messaging?

Rich Communication Services, or RCS, is a communication protocol that aims to upgrade traditional SMS by offering a richer, more dynamic texting experience. Unlike SMS, which is limited to 160 characters and lacks multimedia capabilities, RCS provides a platform for seamless interaction with features that users have come to expect from modern messaging apps.

The Evolution from SMS to RCS:

Since its inception in 1992, SMS has been the backbone of mobile communication. Despite its widespread use, it’s not without limitations—particularly in terms of character count and media sharing. RCS bridges this gap by offering:

Rich media sharing: Send images, videos, and audio messages without leaving your text messaging app.
Real-time typing indicators: Know when someone is typing back, just like on most instant messaging platforms.
Read receipts: Confirm if your message has been read, reducing communication uncertainty.
Group Chat: Participate in conversations with multiple people, similar to messaging apps like WhatsApp or iMessage.

“RCS messaging elevates the standard text message to a feature-rich communication tool, bridging the gap between traditional SMS and modern messaging apps.”

How Does RCS Work?

RCS, often referred to as SMS 2.0, integrates with operators’ existing networks and acts as a universal standard in collaboration with global carriers, device manufacturers, and technology providers.

Universal Profile:

The idea behind RCS’s universal profile is to create a consistent experience across devices and networks. This profile sets the standard for features such as chat, file transfer, and video sharing, ensuring compatibility and seamless interaction across different platforms and networks.

Carrier Integration:

For RCS to work effectively, it needs support from both carriers and device manufacturers. Many major carriers around the world have adopted RCS, and popular devices are being equipped to support it. However, the rollout has been slower in some regions, often due to the need for network upgrades or lack of carrier agreements.

Carrier Adoption: Carriers like Google Fi and Vodafone have been active in promoting RCS adoption.
Technological Support: Android has been at the forefront, integrating RCS into its Android Messages app.

The Benefits of RCS Over Traditional Texting

RCS messaging isn’t just about catching up with existing apps—it’s about enhancing the standard SMS experience with advanced features.

Enhanced Engagement and Convenience

Interactive Messaging: Users can collaborate, share locations, and send high-quality media without switching apps.
Business Communication: Companies can use RCS for rich customer interactions, offering improved customer service, promotions, and notifications.

Security and Reliability

While SMS lacks end-to-end encryption, RCS is working toward a more secure platform. Google, now a major supporter of RCS, has been pioneering efforts to secure messages better, though end-to-end encryption remains work in progress.

Challenges Facing RCS Deployment

Despite its many advantages, RCS faces some significant hurdles.

Fragmentation and Compatibility

While RCS aims to unify messaging standards across devices and carriers, fragmentation can occur. Not all carriers support RCS, and differences in implementation can lead to inconsistent user experiences.

Patchy Rollout: Depending on region and carrier, the availability of RCS can vary significantly.
Compatibility Issues: Devices not supporting the RCS standard could default to SMS, causing disruptions in smooth communication.

Comparison with OTT Apps

Over-the-top (OTT) messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal are popular due to their robust features and security. RCS aims to compete with these apps but must overcome its current limitations in reaching a global audience and achieving widespread adoption.

How To Help For Ecommerce Business?

86% of consumers who purchased via SMS returned to make an additional purchase.

That is a strong signal. It demonstrates that messaging is effective when it feels timely, personal and useful.

But there is a downside to traditional SMS. This capability is restricted to simple plain text — there are no visuals, no interactive elements, no way to lead your customers through a dynamic shopping experience.

Rich Communication Services (RCS) is here to fix that. It extends SMS by including branded carousels, images, video and response buttons, within the handset′s standard messaging app.

Consumers no longer need to download anything or even leave the conversation. They can browse for products, view order status and make a purchase all from one screen.

RCS usage is rapidly increasing in the e-commerce sector and across sectors. Indeed, brands sent 25,000 times more RCS messages in 2023 than the year before. Today the big brands are joining RCS, which is fast becoming the new standard for mobile messaging.

For e-commerce teams, this presents a direct and easy way to boost engagement, reclaim lost sales, and build quicker paths to purchase, all via the messaging experience they are already familiar with.

We will discuss effective ways businesses can use RCS to scale their e-commerce business, and how teams at Gupshup built the RCS API to enable businesses do this with ease.

TL;DR

RCS has the potential to boost your eCommerce sales through interactive conversations and richer experiences in everyday messages.

Featuring out-of-the-box capabilities including rich media, carousels, real-time tracking and personal offers, RCS business messaging increases customer engagement, stops drop-offs and drives conversions. It operates within the default messaging app, so no extra apps are necessary.

From abandoned cart recovery to loyalty rewards, Some RCS strategies for brands to deliver smarter, faster and more visually powerful customer experiences.

Why is RCS a Game-Changer for E-commerce?

→ A carousel of products inside a message thread.

→ A click-button that says “Buy Now.”

→ Video demo: Delivered straight to your inbox.

These are the key things about RCS business messaging that make it a must for businesses.

RCS is revolutionizing the way you do marketing as a company. It goes beyond the boundaries of SMS with support for rich media, quick replies, and verified sender profiles, all within the default messaging app on phones. That means customers don’t need to download something new or click back and forth between tabs to interact with your brand.

And never has this mattered more. Mobile shopping is ascending quickly, and mobile commerce is on track to reach $2.4 trillion by 2030.

With shopping increasingly done while scrolling through and buying from phones, brands need a messaging format that doesn’t interrupt that experience. That includes e-commerce in RCS: it allows for purchases, tracking, and conversations to occur without disrupting momentum.

Here’s what makes RCS different from regular SMS:

Rich media: Images, videos, GIFs, carousels — RCS accommodates them all. This allows for more engaging and visually useful marketing messages.

Interactivity: Embedded buttons and quick replies that customers can immediately take action on. Shop, track orders and get customer service without leaving the chat.

Branding: Each message is sent with your business name, logo and verification badge. All that trust-building can’t happen with just SMS.

Read receipts & typing indicators : Show when a message is delivered, read, or when someone is typing a reply. These signals aid enrichment of timing and also enhances support workflows.

AI-driven suggestions: You can draw your contact’s inclination and behavior to smart replies and pertinent offers inside the message.

And though SMS continues to have a place, it lacks some of the same depth. It limit messages to 160 characters, suppresses images unless you upgrade ($$) to MMS, and doesn’t support real-time interactivity. RCS business messaging API, meanwhile, simply plugs into your CRM and marketing tools, to facilitate more frictionless automation, analytics, and targeting.

And as RCS gathers more and more momentum amid adoption on carriers, platforms, and now Android and iOS phones alike, it’s soon to be table stakes for brands looking to drive mobile-first ecomm growth.

And there you have it — Few ways RCS can help move the revenue needle for your online store.

E-commerce Sales Boosting RCS Features To utilize in 2025:

Every communication is not a conversion opportunity. But a single right message, coming at the right time and with the right context, can make a world of difference. Here’s a few ways RCS e-commerce strategies can help you create a one message at the right time offer –

Converting personalized offers:

RCS allows businesses to send custom offers based on individual preference by analyzing their customer behavior such as browsing history and previous purchases. Businesses can combine product images, a time sensitive discount and a call to action button all in one message, and it can take a one size fits all offer and turn it into a direct response opportunity.

Shoppable In-Box Product Catalogs:

RCS makes messaging apps into tiny storefronts. Photo, spec and price product carousels, swiped and tapped with no browser and no other app. This is especially effective during seasonal dips, launches, or curated collections.

Track your orders & deliveries in real time:

RCS ensures your customers are in the know at every point of the process – they don’t need to go searching for an email or toggle screens. You can send confirmation of the order, updates about shipping and the delivery window and even offer options for rescheduling, if plans change, all within the same thread. It keeps support tickets to a minimum and customer satisfaction high.

Stunning way to recover forgotten & abandoned carts:

Unlike a simple reminder, RCS allows you to push across a whole visual showing the customer’s abandoned cart, complete with a discount or urgency prompt.

AI-driven recommendations to upsell & cross-sell:

Upsells don’t have to be slimy. But with RCS, they can be constructive. Once a customer makes a purchase, the RCS business messaging API can offer relevant add-ons based on what the customer has purchased just before. Mix visuals with a bundled discount and (for lack of better word) a deadline and you have a powerful nudge.

Create urgency with exclusive launches and deals:

New products should get more than a line of text. RCS enables you to get the launch-day hype you deserve – videos, gifs, countdowns, early access invites – all right in the hands of your best customers.

Incentivize with reward program enhancements KeepOn the loyalty going:

Keeping loyalty members informed is simpler with RCS. Display their points balance, available rewards, or exclusive perks in a single, branded message. This keeps customers engaged and gives them more reasons to return.

Improve the quality of customer support:

RCS simplifies support. The real advantage? Support is within the same thread of purchases, updates and offers. Drop in videos, images, or product guides, and you have a full-service help center, without opening a browser.

Activate customers with events & nonrecurring invitations:

Hosting a product demo, live shopping, or webinar? RCS lets you SMS or text personalized invites, add RSVP buttons, and even push reminders near the event date.

Bonus: you can learn who’s interested and use that for targeting in future.

Why RCS Is Better than SMS and Email?

Rich Communication Services (RCS) is transforming businesses’ interaction with their customers away from static SMS and email. RCS is far better than the rest.

6 Poignant figure illustrating this edge: Some retailers have observed a 100% rise in the click-through rates from RCS versus those from SMS, and a 200% rise as compared to those from email.

How to Get The Most Out of RCS?

RCS business messaging is a serious advantage for companies that value speed, customization, and mobile-first experiences. It takes the immediacy of SMS and is married with the interactivity of today’s apps, but landing right in a customer’s inbox. From engaging promotions to helpful support, every message has the opportunity to create trust and motivate your audience to act. And with services RCS business messaging API, beginning is easy, thanks to a rich library of templates, insights and smooth CRM integration.

The Future of RCS Messaging:

As telecom operators and technology giants continue to iron out the kinks, the potential for RCS is immense. With the growing demand for rich communication, RCS is well-positioned to become the universal standard for texting in a world that’s increasingly interconnected.

“RCS messaging transforms traditional texting into an enriched, multimedia experience, poised to redefine how we communicate via text.”

RCS messaging offers a tantalizing glimpse into the future of mobile communication—a world where rich, dynamic interactions are the norm. For RCS to achieve its potential, continued cooperation between carriers and tech companies is essential. As more regions and networks get on board, users can expect a more seamless and engaging messaging experience that blends the simplicity of SMS with the functionality of modern apps.

FAQ’s:

What Is The Importance Of E-Commerce In Increasing The Sales?

Answer : Ecommerce increases sales through personalized shopping experience, mobile experience, and personalized marketing strategies.

What are the benefits of RCS?

Answer : With RCS, you can richen the engagement with customers by incorporating interactive and actionable multimedia content in to the A2P messaging, resulting in a higher conversion for your customers to take action on your message.

What is RCS in sales?

Answer : In the world of sales, RCS brings enriched messaging details, available through personalized sale offers, interactive catalogs, and real-time information updates that ultimately improve customer engagement and store sales through revenue.