RCS: The Three Letters that Will Change Marketing in 2025
By Jack Philbin, Chief Executive Officer, Vibes
RCS is the future of marketing. RCS will be the standard channel for customer experience by the end of 2025, allowing brands to deliver rich, interactive content without the need for apps.
RCS — Rich Communication Services — must be in every marketer’s vocabulary in 2025. This messaging protocol hit the mainstream whenApple incorporated it into iOS 18. Most major carriers now support RCS, paving the way for it to become the standard for messaging.
The days of short message service (SMS) dominance are numbered, but there’s no need to panic. In fact, marketers should be celebrating this transition. RCS will open up exciting new opportunities, and now is the time to start experimenting.
What’s the Difference Between RCS and SMS?
RCS is an enhancement of SMS and multimedia messaging services (MMS) in several ways.
- Content: SMS is limited to plain text. MMS allows you to send multimedia content, but it has size restrictions. RCS supports rich media like high-resolution images, videos and large files. Businesses can offer a branded experience with RCS messages, displaying the company’s name, logo and colors. Verified send checkmarks also confirm a brand’s legitimacy, which is especially important as text message scams grow more sophisticated.
- Chat features: RCS offers read receipts, typing indicators, advanced group chat capabilities and more. These features are similar to those found in separate messaging apps like WhatsApp, but users can access it without leaving the phone’s native messaging app. RCS also supports two-way communication between brands and customers and delivers an authentic conversational experience.
- Interactive features: The interactive opportunities provided by RCS boost customer engagement. Businesses can send multimedia cards and carousels with one-tap call-to-action buttons. Rather than typing out a message, customers can simply tap to initiate their next action, and message elements will dynamically adapt to user responses. The result of these capabilities is an app-like experience within the messaging platform. Customers can browse, pay and even receive customer support without switching applications, removing friction and driving higher purchase rates.
- Analytics: SMS provides basic metrics like delivery rates, open rates and response times. RCS offers a broader range of information in real time, such as read receipts, interaction timing, reactions, multimedia element engagement and conversion rates. Marketers know more data means better campaigns.
How Does RCS Change the User Experience?
SMS has proven to be a valuable asset for marketers. SMS messages boast a97% read ratewithin 15 minutes, with significantly higher click-through rates than email. Adding multimedia improves campaign performance.
Over Thanksgiving weekend 2024, one large apparel retailer that works with Vibes sent both SMS and MMS promotional messages. The multimedia’srevenue per message was twice as high as that of the text. These results demonstrate the power of images and videos. Now, imagine what you can achieve when you enhance the quality and interactivity of the multimedia. RCS’s capabilities unlock this huge potential.
Consider this scenario: You receive an SMS from your favorite store that reads: “This weekend only: 20% off your favorite styles with the code SALE20. Click below to shop now!” No branding, no visuals — just text. It feels generic and impersonal. Clicking the link takes you out of your messenger app to a website or a brand app to continue your shopping journey. Have a question? You can’t ask it in the text thread.
Now imagine you receive an RCS. The message comes from the store’s verified profile, complete with their logo, name and brand colors. The message opens to a visually rich experience. In addition to the 20% off message, you see a carousel of their latest collection with swipeable images, styled looks and prices. Each image has a button: “Buy Now,” “Save for Later” or “Find in Store,” allowing you to interact with — and purchase — an item right in the messaging app. RCS messages can also suggest quick replies, such as “Where is the nearest store?” which the brand can answer.
Which experience is more likely to inspire you to buy something?
RCS for business messaging is still new, but companies are already seeing success.Subway promoted a deal on both RCS and SMS, and the RCS campaign’s conversion rate was 140% higher.
What’s Ahead for 2025?
RCS will be the standard channel for customer experience by the end of 2025. Brands should prepare accordingly.
Apps cater to your most loyal customers, but what about everyone else? RCS will reduce reliance on apps and allow brands to tap into a broader audience. RCS delivers the same experience without the hassle and commitment of downloading an app. By expanding accessibility and streamlining interactions, RCS opens new opportunities to engage with new customer segments and build meaningful connections.
Incorporating RCS into your marketing campaigns early in 2025 allows you to be among the first to deliver this heightened experience to your customers. Your rich content will leave a lasting impression compared to a competitor’s SMS and MMS messaging. Test use cases now to gather data and refine your strategy so your campaigns are optimized when everyone else gets onboard.
RCS is the future of marketing. These three letters are ushering in a new era of dynamic, interactive engagement. Brands that delay adoption will quickly find themselves outclassed by competitors.
With over 25 years in mobile, Jack Philbin is one of the industry’s premier thought leaders. In addition to his role as CEO of Vibes, Jack formerly served as Chairman of the Mobile Marketing Association’s North America Board of Directors and Vice Chairman of the MMA’s Global Board of Directors. He’s a member of the CTIA Wireless Innovation Council and is a regular speaker on mobile innovation. With his close industry ties, Jack advocates and educates on everything from mobile strategy and industry trends to mobile best practices. For his efforts, Jack was honored with the MMA’s “Outstanding Individual Achievement” award in 2005; was named the 2013 Mobile Evangelist of the Year by Mobile Marketer; and led Vibes to "Leader" in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Mobile Marketing Platforms in 2020-2022.