How to Use RCS Business Messaging to Boost Sales in E-commerce and Retail

It seems like the predominant view these days is that with the ever-rising inflation, everybody is cutting down on extra spending. The global data, however, begs to differ. Some of the latest numbers we have point to a significant growth of two sectors – retail and e-commerce.

In 2023, e-commerce sales have amounted to 5.8 trillion dollars worldwide. Predictions have this number exceed 8 trillion dollars by 2027 – a 39% growth.

Retail, despite admittedly growing at a slower pace, is also trending upwards. This upcoming year, 2025, its total global sales are predicted to amount to 32.4 trillion dollars, with the number rising to 34.9 billion dollars in 2027.

Would you like to take advantage of this growth? If so, you might want to look into Rich Communication Services, or RCS. It’s a mobile marketing channel that uses smartphones’ native messaging applications. One of its main benefits is that it lets brands communicate with customers seamlessly using rich media content. 

In this article, we will show you how it’s already helped other businesses succeed. Then, we will give you a few practical tips on how you could replicate this success yourself!

Rich Communication Services vs. traditional SMS

RCS business messaging comes on the heels of SMS and its cousin, MMS. The features of RCS are uniquely designed to enable businesses to send rich content directly to their customers. What is more, the said customers can receive this content directly within the messaging applications that are already installed on their phones.

Going back to the core issue, figuring out whether RCS or SMS is better for you is a valid question. RCS is ideal for retail and e-commerce businesses wanting to deliver a seamless, multimedia-rich, personalized marketing messaging. On the other hand, SMS is still going strong. It is popular, easy to use, and cost-effective.

Here’s a brief overview of some of the essential aspects of both these channels.

Rich Communication Services use cases for e-commerce and retail

RCS messaging provides you with plenty of ways to enhance the customer experience that your business offers. The rich part of its name truly delivers, making it possible to go beyond basic SMS messages. That being said, let’s now zoom in on a number of specific use cases of Rich Communication Services in the world of e-commerce and retail. 

Personalized promotions 

RCS enables both retail and e-commerce businesses to send personalized shopping promotions directly to customers’ native messaging app. Thanks to personalization, you can tailor offers based on past purchases or preferences. What is more, you can add engaging multimedia content into the mix, ranging from clickable carousels with product recommendations to flashy videos. This will help you drive conversions by creating an exceptional customer experience.

Interactive product catalogs 

Using RCS, you can deliver interactive product catalogs that create a new type of shopping experience. Rich messaging allows you to showcase products through dynamic carousels, high-resolution images, and videos. Your customers can browse, select, and even purchase items without leaving their messaging application. Such convenience helps create a frictionless user journey that is bound to help you engage with customers and lead to higher conversion rates.

Abandoned cart recovery 

Did you know that RCS allows businesses to engage customers who abandoned their carts? With personalized reminders, rich media previews of left-behind items, and quick-reply buttons for checkout, you can swiftly re-capture their attention. These timely, interactive messages promise higher conversion rates, turning missed opportunities into sales.

Flash sale alerts 

E-commerce businesses can use RCS to send out eye-catching flash sale alerts that demand attention. By incorporating rich media elements like countdown timers, vibrant banners, and quick-action buttons, you will be able to create a sense of urgency with ease. This, in turn, should encourage faster responses and increase the effectiveness of limited-time offers.

Loyalty program engagement 

RCS can help your businesses boost its loyalty program engagement through personalized updates, exclusive rewards, and interactive points trackers. Rich, engaging messages will keep members informed and excited, fostering repeat purchases. By making use of quick-action buttons, you can also let customers easily redeem offers or check their status, enhancing overall retention efforts.

Customer support 

Another way to use RCS messaging is in customer support, building trust and loyalty while strengthening relationships with clients. Using features like quick-reply buttons, rich media tutorials, and chatbot integration, you can efficiently resolve any reported issues. This reduces the need for external applications or calls, creating a smoother support experience.

Proximity-based offers 

Last but not least, RCS messaging allows you to offer personalized deals based on customers’ location. Using proximity marketing, RCS messages can include interactive maps, exclusive nearby store discounts, or geo-triggered notifications. The goal here is to enhance relevance, drive foot traffic, and create a more engaging experience for customers in the right place at the right time.

RCS messaging for e-commerce and retail: 3 success story examples

RCS messages aren’t super popular and widespread just yet. Because of that, you can be one of the first to take advantage of their versatility. Here are three RCS campaign examples that you can use as a source of inspiration.

Club Comex

Club Comex is the loyalty program of North America’s fourth-largest paint manufacturer, Comex. It sought a more engaging way to connect with its members. While SMS campaigns helped the brand reach a broad audience, the text-only format limited customer experience, yielding low clickthrough rates of around 3% or less. Recognizing the need for a richer communication channel that reflected its vibrant identity, Club Comex turned to RCS business messaging.

In April 2019, Club Comex launched two RCS campaigns to test the potential of this dynamic messaging platform. The first one, Regalón Regalitro, focused on sales, offering a free liter of paint for every gallon purchased. It also featured interactive, branded content. The second campaign, launched in collaboration with Mexico’s interior design magazine Sensaciones, inspired members with home decoration tips and visually stunning multimedia messages.

The results were remarkable. The first sales campaign boosted revenue by 115% compared to SMS. The clickthrough rates were just as impressive, climbing to 7.9% depending on message content. Meanwhile, the second campaign achieved an impressive 20.6% clickthrough rate.

Encouraged by these successes, Club Comex now runs monthly RCS campaigns and has expanded its use to broader marketing efforts, setting a new benchmark for customer engagement.

Reserved

With more than two million Instagram followers, brick-and-mortar stores in 25 countries, and an online presence in 35 countries, RESERVED is no small fish in the clothing retailer market. The brand employs an omnichannel marketing strategy to facilitate customer engagement and drive sales.

The company takes pride in their various technological investments, so it was only right that they decided to use RCS in one of their latest messaging campaigns.  

The campaign took advantage of Black Friday to strengthen RESERVED’s omnichannel approach and promote the brand’s mobile application. It did so by offering a significant discount that was available only for the users of the RESERVED mobile application. 

An action button placed right under the main RCS message produced a carousel of cards displaying a number of benefits stemming from installing the application. Another button allowed the recipient to head over to the Play Store and install the application right away.

Bodemer Auto

Bodemer Auto sought to refresh its marketing efforts by enhancing customer interactions and leveraging richer media. Recognizing the potential of Rich Communication Services, the company launched an engaging RCS campaign on Black Friday, marking the start of the holiday shopping season. The channel enabled Bodemer Auto to showcase products and services, interact with customers, and gather valuable insights for future campaigns.

The campaign featured an interactive visual carousel with six different vehicle options. Customers could click to learn more about their chosen option or to connect directly with the sales support team. A follow-up message provided additional options, encouraging the recipient to explore all of the features of various vehicles.

The results were striking – a 7.7% clickthrough rate, representing a 1700% improvement over a simultaneous SMS campaign. This demonstrated RCS’ ability to significantly enhance customer experience and deliver immediate value.

Beyond the campaign’s success, Bodemer Auto gathered actionable customer data through message interactions. This made it easier for them to refine and improve their future advertising efforts. Encouraged by these results, the company plans to expand its RCS usage to include promotional campaigns and after-sales services, reinforcing its commitment to meaningful customer connections.

RCS messaging is key to enabling conversational communication and boosting customer engagement!

In conclusion, both retail and e-commerce industries, despite the imperfect economic conditions we are currently facing, show no signs of slowing down. That’s great news if you’re operating in any of them. It’s also a solid base to build your sales efforts on. 

Consumer preferences and behaviors are evolving, though. In our opinion, a real-time, conversational messaging strategy is a future-proof approach. It will help you drive continued customer engagement and give you the opportunity to stand out from the crowd.

So, would you like to integrate RCS into your marketing strategy? Would your audience appreciate it if you sent them messages using a highly interactive and visually appealing channel? If your answer is yes, we are here to help. We have already launched rich communication services campaigns for a number of big brands. It’s time for you to join their ranks!