Few communication tools have as much reach as SMS. While we may only sporadically check emails and instant messages from our WhatsApp groups and other channels, the simplicity and universal nature of SMS means it has a wide range of use cases for businesses. Communicating about appointments, reservations or the delivery status of an order, the personal nature of messages (and the fact that we all have a device in our pocket to receive them) has long made it a powerful tool for interactions between the brand and the customer.
Many consumers like SMS because they know it will work on any smartphone their family and friends use. The GSMA estimates we will see 6.3 billion mobile subscribers by 2030, and with phones being so essential to many of our lives, this represents billions of opportunities for businesses to engage with consumers wherever they are.
But while the first SMS was sent in 1992, little has changed in the technology since then. Although we had MMS – ‘multimedia messaging service’ – as an evolution of SMS, users could not send these messages particularly cheaply, so it was not as successful as its online messaging platform successors. SMS remains decidedly text-oriented, although it is held back by various restrictions and a 160-character limit, hence the name “short messaging service.”
Even though SMS messages have very high open rates (up to 98%), they may lack the marketing sophistication of other platforms, which affects their engagement rates. With little room for experimentation, businesses need an SMS alternative to make such marketing messages more useful, personalized and engaging.
So what comes next?
Vice President of Marketing for EMEA at Twilio.
RCS: A revolutionary format
Everything changed with the emergence of RCS, or “rich communication services.” As the name suggests, these advanced messages come with additional features that are based on the original SMS format. RCS has been around since 2008, but has only been adopted by major mobile platforms relatively recently, finally bringing it to the mainstream.
Apple, for example, adopted RCS in Messages with iOS 18 in September 2024, while Google also supports the technology through Android, even if the user’s phone carrier does not. With already 1 billion RCS users through Google Messages alone, and up to 2.5 billion monthly active users and growing according to Omdia, RCS traffic is expected to increase by more than a billion messages year over year. Now is the time for brands to seriously consider this channel, especially given its advanced capabilities.
Interactive Shoppable Moments: What differentiates RCS from SMS is its ability to offer more visually engaging content. For example, with RCS you can send much larger media files, such as high-quality photos, videos, and GIFs, while the format supports longer messages without the 160-character limit of SMS, or split them into segmented texts. All this contributes to a broader form of communication.
RCS messaging also supports dynamic features such as buttons, carousels, and other interactive elements. This includes options for suggested responses and call-to-action (CTA) buttons that streamline customer interactions. This creates a seamless shopping experience with few barriers to purchase, significantly improving customer engagement and conversions. An example of a paint brand that moved one of its SMS campaigns to RCS saw its revenue increase by 115%, while its click-through rate increased from less than 3% with SMS to 21% with RCS.
Security and trust: With scams proliferating, consumers are increasingly skeptical of text messages from random numbers that encourage them to click on unknown links. This uncertainty and perceived risk becomes a thing of the past with RCS, thanks to brand messaging (such as attaching logos and taglines) and verified sender IDs. In addition to consumers being able to verify the legitimacy of a message’s sender, RCS is also supported by encryption between the sender and recipient. By setting such high standards of security and privacy, brands can create a trusted relationship and form of communication with customers, while improving brand credibility. This, in turn, leads to higher response rates and better customer engagement.
A wide reach: with RCS there are no barriers to entry. Unlike many other forms of digital communication, users do not need to download a new app or set up a new account; They can receive an RCS message as they would any other text message. Even if a user’s device does not support RCS, the message will be automatically sent as SMS.
This allows companies to update their messages, updating a pre-existing, ubiquitous communication channel, but with the assurance that they can still reach exactly the same audience.
Improved delivery capacity: RCS also has improved deliverability compared to SMS. The latter is sent at a lower priority compared to other types of traffic that have much lower latency tolerances (such as voice and data) by mobile operators. RCS, on the other hand, can be sent over any Internet connection, which means much less chance of missed deliveries and delays between messages being sent and being opened by users.
Analysis and insights: RCS puts marketers in the driver’s seat, providing businesses with detailed delivery and read receipts along with other analytics. This means brands can stay agile, allowing them to track and analyze message effectiveness and optimize communication strategies. It also represents another touchpoint (and opportunity) for brands to better understand their customers and their preferences, leveraging first-party data shared consensually by customers.
The next wave of marketing
As a powerful communication tool with an already established audience base, RCS is expected to reshape the current SMS marketing landscape. This effect will only increase as more countries expand their support, beyond the 17 countries that currently apply it (as of October 2024). According to Juniper Research, 60% of mobile subscribers will already support RCS by 2024. By using RCS, brands can increase engagement, efficiency and trust, while delivering a more dynamic experience that truly leaves an impression on the clients. And in a landscape full of competitive digital noise, RCS represents an opportunity to stand out from the crowd.
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