One of the biggest upgrades in mobile messaging is underway—and getting in early is key.

We're about to enter an era where messaging feels more like a dynamic group chat or a branded channel, brimming with rich, interactive content. At the forefront of this shift, is RCS (Rich Communication Services), a technology that's not only redefining mobile messaging but also will reshape the way we shop.

RCS operates peer-to-peer, and is bridging the communication gap between Android and Apple users. Now, RCS Business Messaging will build that bridge between brands and consumers. 

What's really exciting about RCS is that both consumers and brands are starting to adopt it at the same time. Consumers are excited to experiment, which gives brands the opportunity to test these features early and adapt based on the consumer behaviors they see. 

We're partnering with a few of our customers to test RCS Business Messaging and learn more about what this new technology can do for their brands. While RCS Business Messaging availability is still ‌very limited, Attentive has partnered across the ecosystem to bring the experience to select customers and experiment with the rich capabilities the channel offers. We're excited about the potential RCS Business messaging has to create engaging experiences, facilitating shopping on mobile and engaging with customers in new exciting ways.

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RCS and RCS Business Messaging, a better understanding  

While the chatter around RCS is new, the technology has‌ been around for over a decade.

RCS is an advanced P2P (person-to-person) messaging protocol, which has historically only been available for Android users. RCS is sent over the data network, like iMessage and Whatsapp, which is what enhances traditional SMS. 

RCS Business Messaging (RBM), which sits under RCS, is only just becoming available. It’s designed to be an upgrade for SMS and MMS specifically for brands, offering features like multimedia sharing, branded sender IDs, and interactive communication.

The broad adoption was put into motion when Apple announced support for RCS and RBM in their latest iOS 18 update. This update will unlock RCS capabilities for roughly 60% of American consumers and enable it to be more broadly rolled out.

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Innovating for the customer first 

The stakes for staying ahead of evolving consumer behavior are high: 77% of online shopping happens on smartphones today, with mobile commerce sales expected to increase by $335B over the next four years.

Marketers have delivered the personalized experience that drives conversions via SMS, tailoring their images, copy, and recommendations. RCS Business Messaging will add more levers to the mix. 

With RCS Business Messaging, you’re building trust right from the start in a verified, branded feed. Your logo will always appear alongside a verification badge without your subscribers having to download a contact card. This gives consumers extra assurance they’re engaging with your brand and not a spam account. 

RCS Business Messaging is going to unlock richer, more dynamic content experiences right in your subscribers’ messaging apps. 

These new messaging formats enable brands to not just match their recommendations or images to shoppers’ preferences—they can now tailor their content type and format to suit each shopper, the message they’re communicating, and the action they want shoppers to take. 

This also means that more of the shopping experience happens in the messaging app. For example, when launching a new collection, you can now share a carousel with a curated selection of items rather than linking to a webpage.

In short: Brands can deliver the right message, in the right format, to the right shopper at the right time. And consumers can easily learn more and take action on that message within their conversation. 

Carousels aren’t the only features simplifying the shopping experience. With RCS Business Messaging, consumers can more easily reply to brand messages with a simple click of a button. Suggested replies and actions offer a new way for consumers to get recommendations, share preferences, and learn more.   

The technology comes at a perfect moment to expand on the effectiveness of the text messaging channel and continue to further a more personalized experience for all mobile commerce shoppers.

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Am I already behind? 

No, you’re right on time. 

We’re still in the early innings of RCS Business Messaging. There’s still much to set up, test, and learn before RCS Business Messaging can be rolled out to brands everywhere. 

The reality is the process of being fully functional is still being built. There are three things that need to happen to push this towards widespread adoption, and to make this technology readily available to brands. 

• iOS18 adoption: iPhone users will need to update their phones to iOS18.1 after it becomes available at the end of October. 
• Carrier adoption: All carriers need to enable RCS Business Messaging, and create a unified onboarding process (including agent verification, the equivalent of acquiring a shortcode).
• Brand adoption: Brands need to embrace and experiment with ‌RCS Business Messaging to discover how their customers engage with these new content types (and what makes an impact on their business). 

At the moment, RCS availability is limited (for all players in the messaging ecosystem) but Attentive is enabling a select number of customers to experiment on the channel. As more carriers come on board and adoption becomes more widespread, we look forward to supporting all brands. 

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Looking ahead

With RCS Business Messaging, brands will get to take advantage of a spectrum of new message types—designed to increase engagement. The key to maximizing RCS Business Messaging’s potential lies in matching the right message to the right customer. 

This is where AI becomes a differentiating lever, predicting the most effective campaigns and messages for each shopper, and continuously learning from their interactions—no matter how big your brand is. As brands gather more nuanced behavioral data from these enriched messaging experiences, you’ll be able to further personalize shoppers' journeys, creating a virtuous loop of engagement and insight. 

We're excited for RCS to ramp throughout 2025 and are ensuring Attentive brands have early access to the latest developments on the channel. Follow along as we unlock this next wave of mobile messaging and be sure to check out our release notes for the latest on new products and features. 

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*Images are subject to change as ‌technology evolves and develops.