RCS in Retail & Beauty - From SMS to Richer Brand Experiences

Louis Moynihan
Sep 30
4 min read

For more than two decades, SMS has been a driver of retail and beauty direct marketing. Simple, and ubiquitous it has delivered millions of promotions, discount codes, and transactional updates. But SMS always had limitations starting by limited 160 characters and ending with an unbranded experiences.

But now in the US we have RCS (Rich Communication Services) , the new messaging standard that combines the reach of SMS with the engagement power of apps. For retailers and beauty brands, this isn’t just another channel. It’s a chance to transform messaging from static text into immersive, branded experiences right inside the customer’s inbox.

The potential?

Higher engagement, richer storytelling, and stronger loyalty = Better Business Outcomes

Why RCS Matters for CMOs

CMOs know brand experience doesn’t stop at the website or social feed. The inbox is where intent meets action and RCS changes that inbox dramatically.

Compared to SMS, RCS enables:

Rich visuals (images, video, carousels) that tell a product story at a glance.
Conversational UX with quick replies and suggested actions that guide the customer journey
Personalization at scale from tailored product recommendations to loyalty integration.
Verified brand presence no more anonymous “shortcodes,” but logos, colors, and secure sender IDs verified by secure, highly regulated and trusted entities.

For beauty and retail, where aesthetics and inspiration drive purchase behavior, RCS is uniquely positioned to deliver what you need.

Early Adopters & Journeys

Several beauty and retail brands are already experimenting with RCS and their campaigns show both the opportunities but also the growing challenges of this channel.

FragranceNet: Transitioning from SMS blasts to RCS, they now deliver a more visual experience than SMS, but most of the cases, early-stage: static offers without much personalization or interactivity.

Let’s compare their SMS experience with their new one

It definitely looks better , we can see the brand , the details of who verified it, and more graphical details. In one case, they sent a carousel

Luvme Hair: Their RCS efforts highlight discount codes and promotions, paired with bold branded visuals. A solid step forward from plain SMS, but still focused on one-way promotional pushes rather than two-way conversations.

Clarins: A standout case. By using RCS to deliver rich, interactive campaigns that integrated promotions, product storytelling, and guided shopping journeys, Clarins achieved higher engagement rates and measurable lifts in conversions 2,5x times better compared to SMS. Their success proves RCS can be more than “a prettier SMS” it can be a true performance channel.

Where Brands Are Falling Short

While the early executions are promising, much of what we see today is still “RCS as SMS 2.0” prettier, but not fundamentally smarter. Common pitfalls include:

Generic promotions instead of personalized recommendations.
Underused interactivity call to actions to the web but not guided journeys or replies.
Weak deep linking clicks landing customers on homepages instead of curated destinations.
Platform gaps we have seen that most brands launch first on Android, while iOS RCS adoption (still evolving) requires design accommodations and in some cases still they are sending SMS (For example FragranceNet is sending me SMS to my iOS device while RCS to my Android)

Recommendations for Retail & Beauty Leaders

To move from “RCS as a prettier SMS” to RCS as a customer experience channel, brands should:

Design cross-platform first: Account for Android and iOS differences upfront, fewer CTAs, image formatting awareness, and concise copy ensure campaigns render well everywhere.
Personalize dynamically: Leverage customer data to serve recommendations, loyalty rewards, and lifecycle nudges.
Create interactive journeys: Use quick replies and 2-way capabilities (“Shop Men’s,” “Shop Women’s,” “Shop Clearance”) to guide customers in-channel.
Optimize the path to purchase: Deep link directly to product pages, carts, or even in-message checkout when supported.
Test & learn: A/B test creatives, compare formats, copy and refine based on engagement.

The Bigger Picture

RCS is still early but the trajectory is clear. Just as email evolved from plain text to design-rich templates, messaging is evolving from SMS to RCS.

Retail and beauty brands that invest now will set the standard: delivering not just promotions, but branded, interactive experiences and customer journeys that delight customers where they already spend their time.

FragranceNet and Luvme Hair show us the first steps. Clarins shows us the results. The next move is for CMOs across retail and beauty to seize the opportunity and turn RCS into a channel that drives both engagement and revenue.