• MarTech Today
  • Sections
    • Ads
    • Marketing
    • Content
    • Sales
    • Analytics
    • Management
    • Resources
    • More
    • Home
  • Follow Us
    • Follow
  • MarTech Today
  • Ads
  • Marketing
  • Content
  • Sales
  • Analytics
  • Mgmt
  • Resources
  • More
  • Events
    • Follow
  • SUBSCRIBE

MarTech Today

MarTech Today
  • Ads
  • Marketing
  • Content
  • Sales
  • Analytics
  • Management
  • Resources
  • More
  • Events
  • Newsletters
  • Home
Martech: Management

Will Rich Communication Services (RCS) revolutionize business messaging?

Brands and consumers are excited about RCS messaging, but without networks and major tech companies on board, adoption is far behind.

Jennifer Cannon on August 29, 2019 at 1:51 pm
  • More

Often referred to as SMS 2.0, rich communication services (RCS) deliver a media-rich, engaging messaging experience. The solution is an advanced form of SMS messaging which allows users to leverage advanced in-message tools. RCS platforms, however, include solutions for group chat, video, high-resolution images and read receipts – most of which are already offered by existing messaging apps.

Why we should care

While consumers may initially be cautious about RCS, brands can’t wait to get their hands on it. Research from OpenMarket and the GSMA find consumers are eager to engage with brands through RCS;  a 2015 study which surveyed 2,015 consumers in the U.S., U.K., Mexico and South Korea revealed that nearly 70% of consumers would be more likely to communicate with brands using RCS.

An RCS promotion by Subway was tested among a set of Subway customers last year. Subway reported a 144% increase in redemption rates for the RCS promotion compared to the same promotion using SMS. If done right, RCS could provide brands with a more meaningful engagement platform.

“Brands need to find a better way to connect with their customers, and RCS messaging is a step in the right direction,” said Bridget Poetker, senior content marketing specialist at G2. “The technology essentially provides a better user experience than SMS messaging in a format that customers are already accustomed to. However, just like all marketing mediums, brands need to find a delicate balance between helpful and hurtful.”

Even with the hype around the new messaging capabilities, tech companies like Apple have shown little interest in adopting RCS messaging for their devices. Without buy-in from Apple, it could be difficult to drive adoption across all mobile users and could result in fractured messaging experiences for consumers.

Less than 9% of mobile networks have adopted RCS messaging — and due to the slow rollout, Google decided to take over and launched RCS in the UK and France without involving other networks. Other European countries are planning their own rollouts through 2020.

More on the news

  • RCS will achieve annual growth of 290%, bringing the annual volume to 56 billion RCS messages by 2023.
  • Seventy-four percent of consumers said it would make them more likely to communicate with a brand.
  • Eighty-percent of consumers find RCS appealing


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech Today. Staff authors are listed here.



About The Author

Jennifer Cannon
Jennifer Videtta Cannon serves as Third Door Media's Senior Editor, covering topics from email marketing and analytics to CRM and project management. With over a decade of organizational digital marketing experience, she has overseen digital marketing operations for NHL franchises and held roles at tech companies including Salesforce, advising enterprise marketers on maximizing their martech capabilities. Jennifer formerly organized the Inbound Marketing Summit and holds a certificate in Digital Marketing Analytics from MIT Sloan School of Management.

Related Topics

Channel: Martech: ManagementChat & Text Messaging AppsMarketing StacksMarketing ToolsMartech ColumnMobile Marketing & Martech

Subscribe to receive daily martech news and expert insights. See terms.


We're listening.

Have something to say about this article? Share it with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Get the daily newsletter digital marketers rely on.
See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS

MarTech 2021: March 16-17

MarTech 2021: Sept. 14-15

MarTech 2020: Watch On-Demand

×

Attend MarTech - Click Here


Learn More About Our MarTech Events

White Papers

  • 6 Powerful Ways Experience Analytics Can Help Your Business Now
  • Email Tune-Up: A 5-Point Inspection to Get Your Program in Gear
  • Digital Marketing Report Q4 2020: Benchmarks and Insights for 2021
  • Data SEO – The Next Big Adventure
  • Getting Started with Email Marketing Automation
See More Whitepapers

Webinars

  • How to Avoid the Digital Transformation Trap
  • How to Build a Marketing System of Record
  • Meet BIMI: The brand-boosting email security marketers must have for 2021
See More Webinars

Research Reports

  • Local Marketing Solutions for Multi-Location Businesses
  • Enterprise Digital Asset Management Platforms
  • Identity Resolution Platforms
  • Customer Data Platforms
  • B2B Marketing Automation Platforms
  • Call Analytics Platforms
See More Research

Receive daily martech news and analysis.
Martech Today
Download the Martech Today app on iTunes
Download the Martech Today App on Google Play

Channels

  • Advertising
  • Marketing
  • Content
  • Social
  • Commerce
  • Sales
  • Analytics
  • Management
  • Home

Our Events

  • MarTech
  • SMX

Resources

  • White Papers
  • Research
  • Webinars
  • MarTech Conference

About

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff
  • Connect With Us

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • iOS App
  • Google Play

© 2021 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Your privacy means the world to us. We share your personal information only when you give us explicit permission to do so, and confirm we have your permission each time. Learn more by viewing our privacy policy.Ok