RCS Marketing: how SMS evolved to engage and sell

The complete guide to RCS marketing to boost your mobile performance

With SMS engagement falling and inboxes saturated, RCS (Rich Communication Services) has become one of the best ways for businesses to enrich their mobile communication. Built straight into people’s messaging app, it turns your messages into a conversational, interactive experience.

Features, message formats, high-impact use cases for your conversion: here is everything you need to know about RCS marketing.

What is RCS marketing?

How RCS technology developed

RCS technology was started by the mobile operators’ association (GSMA), then rolled out worldwide by Google, to take traditional SMS further. First launched on Android and extended to iOS in 2024, RCS now reaches more than 80% of mobile phones in France, according to figures from the af2m (the French mobile marketing association).

How does RCS marketing work?

RCS is built straight into people’s native messaging app. It runs over Wi-Fi and mobile data (4G/5G) and needs no third-party app to download. That raises your customers’ engagement and maximises the deliverability of your campaigns.

What is an RCS agent?

On RCS, you must set up an agent before you can launch campaigns: an official sender profile that represents your company or brand. It is the equivalent of your account or your Sender ID on SMS.

For each country you target, you create an agent and have it approved by that country’s mobile operators. This keeps exchanges secure and assures recipients that your messages are genuine.

RCS vs SMS: what are the differences?

Where SMS is limited to plain text and MMS to heavy, compressed visuals, RCS delivers rich content. It outperforms traditional messaging by letting brands hold a real, interactive conversation.

What are the benefits of RCS marketing?

A verified identity

Unlike SMS and its Sender ID, RCS shows your company name, your logo and a certified description. Approved by Google and the mobile operators, this verified profile makes messages feel safer and earns the recipient’s trust straight away. That has a direct impact on your customers’ engagement from the moment the message arrives.

Rich formats

RCS offers a wide range of rich media features: high-definition visuals, videos, GIFs, interactive product carousels and more. With action buttons built into the message, it simplifies the path to purchase and speeds up conversion.

A conversational channel

Unlike email or SMS, RCS lets you hold a real conversation. This conversational format lets you:

• Interact with customers in real time
• Answer their needs instantly
• Offer them personalised services
• Strengthen the customer relationship

More detailed performance tracking

RCS provides highly precise analytics. You track read receipts in real time (for customers who have turned the option on in their phone settings), the click-through rate and every interaction. That lets you measure your ROI and fine-tune your mobile communication strategy.

Move your SMS audience across straight away

1 SMS opt-in = 1 RCS opt-in

You can switch on RCS without collecting dedicated opt-ins: reuse your existing SMS opt-in base directly. As soon as a phone is compatible, the message can be delivered in RCS format.

The 3 main types of RCS message

RCS Basic

RCS Basic is the ideal format for informative text messages under 160 characters, such as verification codes (OTPs) or service notifications (order confirmations, delivery tracking).

Non-conversational RCS

This format lets brands send rich commercial offers (product carousels, promotional videos, etc.). It stays non-conversational, even when the customer clicks through to an external link, until they reply (with a reply button or text). These messages drive a high click-through rate and support conversion.

Conversational RCS

Triggered by a customer interaction (a button click or a written reply), conversational RCS opens a 24-hour interactive window in which the customer can talk to the brand in real time. This is the heart of the conversational experience: customers ask their questions, get instant answers and confirm their choices in the same channel.

6 RCS automations to launch with WAX

Welcome flow

This flow sends an automated welcome message as soon as someone subscribes to your communications. It makes the customer feel valued and encourages a first purchase straight away.

Promotional campaigns and private sales

Sending sale offers or access to an exclusive catalogue, with rich visuals, catches your customers’ attention and earns a higher click-through rate than classic SMS.

Abandoned cart reminders

This automation sends a personalised message to a prospect or customer to remind them of the products left in their cart. This is where the conversation really counts: it opens a dialogue to understand and remove any barriers to purchase. Combined with call-to-action buttons, it drives conversion.

Browse abandonment reminders

This trigger targets visitors who leave your site after viewing product pages without adding anything to their cart. It rekindles their interest with a tailored offer and optimises the ROI of your mobile marketing strategy.

Order confirmation and tracking

Giving buyers access to their parcel tracking adds real value. It reassures them, enhances their post-purchase experience and builds their loyalty.

Satisfaction survey

This automation builds a rating system into the body of the message, with no external form. It measures your NPS (Net Promoter Score) in real time and, above all, encourages customers to leave rich, detailed feedback, thanks to the conversational format.

How much does RCS marketing cost?

RCS marketing has no single fixed price: it varies with the format used (Basic, non-conversational or conversational) and the rates your sending platform negotiates with the mobile operators. Although the unit cost is often higher than traditional SMS, the return on investment (ROI) is far better.

With a click-through rate up to five times higher, strong engagement and a significant lift in conversion, RCS maximises the profitability of your campaigns.

The legal rules of RCS marketing

RCS marketing falls under the same regulations as commercial SMS. In France, GDPR compliance requires:

• Prior consent (opt-in) from recipients before sending them marketing messages
• A simple way to unsubscribe, such as “STOP to 36XXX”

Good news for businesses: if your SMS database is already compliant, you can reuse it directly for your RCS campaigns without collecting new consent. Your strategy should still include ways to collect opt-ins, so your base keeps growing.

SMS, RCS or WhatsApp: which channel should you use?

A channel for each level of engagement

It is not always easy to decide which channel to use for each use case. With RCS and WhatsApp, you reach your whole customer base with a conversational approach at every stage of the funnel.

RCS stands out with a less demanding quality bar (quality score) than WhatsApp. That makes it the channel of choice for reaching cold prospects or reactivating dormant contacts, without putting your account’s reputation at risk.

WhatsApp, on the other hand, applies stricter quality rules. That makes it ideal for talking to an audience that is already engaged, building loyalty or offering tailored post-purchase support.

All three together for maximum deliverability

To maximise the impact of your campaigns, the WAX platform includes a fallback feature. By orchestrating WhatsApp and RCS, then switching automatically to SMS as a last resort, you make sure your message reaches 100% of your mobile audience.

Combining these channels gives you maximum reach. Depending on your strategy, the maturity of your segments and your budget, you simply pick the most relevant channel for each scenario to make every action as profitable as possible.

How do you get started with RCS?

Step 1: get your business profile approved and certified

Submit your brand assets (logo, official name, description) to Google and the mobile operators. This first step is mandatory to create your verified profile and start sending messages.

Step 2: qualify your database

Collect opt-ins online (welcome pop-up, checkout, email campaigns) or in store. You can also build on your existing SMS database without asking for new consent. The WAX platform automatically analyses your file to identify RCS-compatible phones.

Step 3: design your flows in WAX

Choose the format that best fits your goals (Basic, non-conversational or conversational) and prepare your rich media visuals, your action buttons and your automated flows (cart reminders, welcome flow). To save you time, WAX provides ready-to-use templates.

Step 4: set up fallback and launch your campaigns

Turn on automatic fallback to SMS to reach 100% of your audience, then schedule your campaigns for the best moment (from 8am to 9:30pm under the af2m’s code of conduct).

Step 5: analyse your performance

Track your key performance indicators in real time on the WAX platform (click-through and conversion rates). Use this data to adjust your strategy, refine your targeting and maximise engagement.