How RCS Messaging Can Boost Retail Sales with Personalized Conversations

Retail is one of the most competitive industries to operate in and build a long-standing business. With numerous products to track, striking an effective balance between costs and profits is crucial. 

On top of that, you need a continuous flow of customers to ensure you keep driving your bottom line and stay ahead of your competitors. How can you get these customers? By actively engaging your existing ones and generating new leads to keep your sales pipeline full. 

One way to go about it is to interact with your audience using advanced outreach channels. WhatsApp or Messenger, to name a few. But what if I tell you that you can engage users directly using the default messaging app that comes preinstalled with every smartphone?

Yes, it is possible to do that with RCS! RCS offers you the same features as other messaging apps without ever needing to download an external app. With that said, in this article, I will go over how you can use RCS for your retail business to both communicate with customers and build honest relationships in the long run. 

What is RCS messaging?

RCS messaging is the latest evolution of mobile messaging technology, often referred to as the successor to SMS. Unlike traditional SMS, which only supports text, RCS allows you to send multimedia messages that contain images, videos, GIFs, and even interactive buttons. 

It essentially lets you transform your basic text messages into rich, app-like experiences within the native messaging app on your customer’s smartphone.

RCS works seamlessly across Android devices and iOS divides, enabling retailers like you to communicate with customers in a visually appealing and personalized way without requiring customers to download any additional apps. 

This creates a great opportunity for you to engage customers in real time and offer an enhanced conversational commerce experience.

How is RCS messaging different from SMS?

Before I dive into the specific retail applications of RCS, it is important that you know about the differences between RCS and SMS. If you are not aware of RCS, you might consider that it offers a similar kind of functionality as normal SMS, but that is not correct. 

The biggest difference between text messages and RCS is the number of characters. SMS lets you send a maximum of 160 characters per message, while RCS allows you to send up to 25,000 characters. Not just that. RCS lets you add visual elements to your messages to further enhance your outreach and better engage your customers. 

Furthermore, unlike SMS where you have limited ways to interact with your customers other than sending a link and redirecting them to a webpage, RCS allows you to interact with customers via advanced features like carousels, custom CTA buttons, and even QR codes. 

Having said that, let’s look at the key features of RCS messaging. 

Key features of RCS messaging

RCS messaging brings a variety of powerful features to the table, making it a valuable tool for your retail business with the aim of improving customer engagement and sales. Some of the important capabilities are: 

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• Suggested replies: Similar to chatbots, RCS messages can offer suggested replies for common customer queries, allowing them to communicate without typing their responses.
• Location sharing: If you operate out of a brick-and-mortar store, RCS can enable you to exchange locations with customers to drive foot traffic and provide accurate delivery estimates.
• Real-time customer support: With RCS, customer service becomes more dynamic, as you can engage in two-way conversations with customers, receive images of defective products, or schedule returns directly within the message thread.
• Delivery & read receipts: Knowing whether your message was delivered or read can help you better optimize your campaigns and tailor follow-ups accordingly. 
• Branded experiences: With SMS, messages come from random phone numbers, but RCS allows you to send messages from a verified business identity with logos and brand colors, letting your customers know who you are.

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These are some of the upper hands that RCS holds above SMS. These features are great tools to help you scale your retail stores and bring customers to boost revenue. 

The importance of personalization in the retail industry

These days, buyers expect you to send them tailored shopping experiences, particularly in retail. By personalization, I don’t mean sending messages with just the customer’s first name. It involves tailoring the content, timing, and medium to the customer’s preferences and behaviors.

It might sound like too much work, but research has shown that 80 percent of customers are inclined to think about buying a product if a business provides a tailored shopping experience. 

Whether you are personalizing messages based on past purchases or sending a special offer on a customer's birthday, personalized communication helps build brand loyalty and increase conversions.

For instance, by using browsing history, past purchases, and abandoned carts, you can send personalized product recommendations. Another way to leverage personalization is to run customer loyalty programs to offer specialized updates and exclusive deals to establish rapport for an increased number of sales.

Ways to use personalized RCS messages to boost sales

To make the most of the RCS, here are some of the ways to help you transform your outreach and better convert leads into customers: 

Abandoned cart recovery

The biggest challenge of running a retail business is to handle abandoned carts. No matter if you are an online store or a physical one, convincing customers to make the payment is the most difficult thing. 

That’s why, you can utilize RCS features to compel customers to make a payment directly from the message, without needing to even visit your store or website. 

For example, you can send tailored product carousels or suggestions that are relevant to grab attention and add the “Buy Now” button to compel buyers to make a purchase. 

Another way to encourage customers to buy the items in their carts is to send exclusive deals. These deals can be in the form of special discounts or time-limited sales.

Flash sales

Retailers can send flash offers to promote your products and drive quick actions from your customers. And RCS is perfect for sending these time-sensitive messages. The multimedia-rich environment helps create a sense of urgency, while interactive buttons facilitate quick action.

Product launches

Every time you launch a new product you can use RCS to inform your customers about them and attract attention from your audience base. Doing this instead of a generic email can greatly increase engagement and make customers check them out. 

Sharing high-quality images or videos of the new product, along with direct links to pre-order or purchase allows you to streamline the customer journey while also boosting the likelihood of getting a conversion.

The future of RCS in retail

As mobile networks and carriers continue to adopt and expand support for RCS, its use in retail is expected to grow significantly. In the future, RCS could become the primary way for you to communicate with customers. 

With its ability to provide richer, more interactive messaging experiences, something you would expect from a modern channel like WhatsApp, RCS is set to enhance your outbound sales strategies, allowing you to create cohesive, personalized experiences across various touch points.

Additionally, by using the rich analytics and engagement data, you can send more relevant offers, improving customer satisfaction and boosting conversion rates. The integration of RCS into broader omnichannel marketing strategies will also strengthen, allowing brands to deliver a unified customer experience. 

Get started with RCS to deliver personalized experiences to your customers 

RCS messaging is what WhatsApp was like in 2019. It is just getting recognized by brands and is slowly being adopted by device manufacturers, network carriers, and global businesses. 

From rich multimedia content to actionable buttons, RCS allows you to offer seamless shopping experiences that can directly drive sales and provide customer support. As the retail landscape becomes increasingly digital, businesses that adopt RCS early will gain a competitive edge, building stronger customer relationships and driving long-term growth.

As I said earlier, it is an industry where customer experience reigns supreme. RCS offers the perfect combination of personalization, interactivity, and convenience. There is a high chance that if you implement this technology today, you will be well-positioned to meet the demands of tomorrow's shoppers.