As you prepare to complete your first purchase from an online store, you’re hesitant to click the “checkout” button when a text message arrives in the nick of time. It’s not just any text message, it’s a personalized, interactive offer recognizing you as a first-time customer. The retailer provides a complimentary discount code for your purchase, along with reduced shipping fees. Instantly, what felt like a good transaction now feels exceptional, leaving you with the impression, “they truly went above and beyond for my business.”
This is one of the many ways Rich Communication Services (RCS) stands as the rising hero amidst eCommerce success stories.
If you’re unfamiliar with RCS, think of it as the next-generation version of SMS. It lets businesses use rich media, interactive features, and reliable delivery to turn simple text messages into dynamic, engaging experiences. This, not so new, but increasingly popular technology enables businesses, of all shapes and sizes, to connect with customers through immersive and actionable RCS text messaging.
Rich Communication Services (RCS) Growth Projections 2025
According to the GSMA, RCS-enabled devices are projected to reach over 3.7 billion users by the close of 2025. This surge is owed to the global adoption of smartphones, Apple’s integration of RCS in September 2024 with iOS 18, increased mobile data consumption, and a rising demand for richer, more interactive marketing communication. These factors combine to position RCS as a game-changer for eCommerce businesses aiming to increase their customer engagement and drive sales.
Further predictions estimate that global application-to-person messaging (A2P) for RCS revenue will climb to $4.2 billion by 2029, reflecting an astounding 68% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). These statistics underscore a significant shift in how businesses will communicate with customers, making RCS a game changer for eCommerce in 2025.
What does this mean for your eCommerce business? Well, we know that consumers are demanding more personalized experiences that effectively address their concerns and issues through reliable, easy-to-use, and verified platforms. RCS acts as a strategic catalyst for this shift, offering visually rich and engaging interactions. This technology bridges the gap between email marketing and SMS marketing. And notably, eCommerce businesses who adopt RCS early will hold a powerful advantage over their competitors in the long run.
These are imperative components to consider as the adoption of RCS grows. This shift will continue to redefine benchmarks for customer engagement, establishing a new standard for online retail communication.
RCS Text Messaging Features
A fundamental aspect of RCS resides within its unique features. RCS operates on WiFi and mobile data, eliminating the need for traditional mobile carrier networks. It also allows direct interactivity within the messaging app itself.
Notably, RCS offers significant advantages over traditional SMS, establishing a new standard for eCommerce retailers to enhance the customer experience.
Standout Features Include:
RCS Rich Media Support: Businesses can send high-resolution images, videos, and audio directly within messages.
Interactive Buttons: RCS technology supports multiple buttons for quick actions like making purchases, booking appointments, or accessing customer support.
Read Receipts and Typing Indicators: Gain interactive insights into customer engagement through read notifications and typing indicators.
Verified Badges: Verified badges help build immediate trust with consumers, offering secure and reliable interactions.
Visual Appeal and Branding: Businesses can enhance visual appeal with customized templates, logos, and colors, ensuring messages align with their brand identity.
Chat Support: RCS holds real-time chat functionality, allowing customers to connect with support agents or AI chatbots within the messaging app.
These features give online stores a compelling market advantage, helping them get ahead of the competition and stand out as the top retailer of choice.
The eCommerce Forecast for 2025 and Beyond
The eCommerce market is positioned for exponential growth between 2025 and 2029.
According to Statista:
Revenue in the eCommerce market is projected to reach $4,791 billion in 2025.
From 2025 to 2029, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.83%, reaching $6,478 billion by 2029.
China will dominate the market, generating $1,773 billion in revenue by 2025.
The number of digital users is projected to hit 3.6 billion by 2029, with user penetration rising from 42.4% in 2025 to 49.1% by 2029.
The average revenue per user (ARPU) is forecasted to amount to $1,728.
While growth presents a wealth of new opportunities, it also intensifies competition. These projected eCommerce industry trends require constant adaptation to emerging markets, changes in consumer behaviors, and growing demands for more relevant and personalized marketing.
Most online retailers face persistent challenges due to ineffective marketing tools, rising advertising costs, and unsustainable marketing strategies. RCS can help bridge this gap, providing a more robust and cost-effective solution for customer engagement and retention.
How Is RCS Changing the Future of the eCommerce Industry?
RCS is transforming eCommerce by addressing the limitations of traditional communication methods like SMS, email, and even WhatsApp Business.
The Challenges With Email Marketing and WhatsApp Business:
Email Limitations: While email marketing remains a dominant contender with a majority market share, it suffers from oversaturation and declining trust due to spam and general disinterest. Many consumers are inundated with lengthy promotional emails on a daily basis, leading to email fatigue. As spam filters become stricter, even legitimate messages risk being flagged as junk, reducing their reach and effectiveness. Additionally, emails often lack immediacy, as users may take hours or days to open them, if at all, making them less effective for time-sensitive communications.
WhatsApp Business Limitations: Although widely used, this platform has limitations in accessibility and functionality without extensive user setup. WhatsApp users need to download the app, verify their phone numbers, and actively opt in to receive business messages. And, the challenge for many businesses remains the lack of seamless integration with existing tech-stacks and marketing systems, creating barriers to management of large scale campaigns.
RCS Advantages:
Native Integration: RCS integrates with existing text messaging apps, eliminating the need for third-party installations.
Broader Accessibility: RCS reaches a wide audience without requiring additional account setup or app downloads, like WhatsApp Business.
Greater Deliverability: RCS holds a mega 98% delivery rate opposed to email, sitting at an average of 80% during 2024.
Visually Rich Features: RCS supports interactive visual elements like carousels, buttons, and multimedia.
Applications of RCS in eCommerce:
Promotional and Marketing Messages: Deliver visually appealing, action-driven campaigns.
Abandoned Cart Recovery: RCS can send interactive, time-sensitive reminders to customers who abandon their carts.
Order Confirmations and Status Updates: Keep customers informed in real time.
Feedback Requests: Collect valuable insights to optimize your customer care and offer.
Personalised Shopping Assistance: Tailored product recommendations based on customer preferences and browsing history.
Subscription Services Management: Simplify subscription updates, renewals, or cancellations.
Support Agents and AI ChatBots: Interact with customers in real-time providing customised assistance.
RCS is undoubtedly a superior communication tool, offering an enriched customer experience compared to traditional email marketing and WhatsApp Business.
Is RCS Messaging Available on Android and Apple in The United States (US)?
Both Android and Apple have adopted RCS messaging technology within their respective text messaging applications in the US, and notably, this adoption also enabled RCS messaging between Android Messenger and iMessage.
RCS Messaging on Android
Android devices have offered RCS to users through Google’s Messages app since 2019, with major carriers, like Samsung, advocating for its adoption. Android’s open ecosystem, which supports a variety of manufacturers, carriers, and developers to integrate and customize features, has been key in driving RCS adoption, making it accessible to millions of users.
RCS Messaging on Apple
In September 2024, Apple finally gave way, introducing RCS messaging to iPhone users with the release of iOS 18. This integrated RCS messaging technology within iMessage, marking a significant milestone in RCS growth. With Apple's first year of RCS adoption, Juniper Research estimates that global RCS business messaging traffic is expected to increase from 33 billion messages to 50 billion messages in 2025.
Conclusion
As eCommerce continues its rapid growth, online retailers must embrace the inevitable adoption of Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging solutions to stay competitive. We believe the question isn’t if but when.
RCS offers a powerful, interactive, and accessible way to engage customers, filling the gap left by oversaturated traditional marketing channels like email and SMS. With its rich features and broad accessibility, RCS is poised to redefine the future of eCommerce communication.
The capabilities are evident, the growth is already underway, and Apple’s RCS adoption in 2024 signals the dawn of a new marketing giant that will shift the playing field.
