RCS messaging examples: 8 RCS marketing messages for online stores

RCS messages let a store send what an SMS cannot: the product photo, its price and a button, under the brand's verified name. Below are eight RCS messaging examples an online store can reuse, from a rich card carousel to a review request, each with the format to pick, the buttons to add and the Google use case it falls under.

The specifications come from Google's RCS for Business documentation and Google Messages Help, and the iPhone conditions from Apple Support, all read on October 19, 2026. The brand, products and prices in the examples are made up.

What an RCS business message can contain

From Google's documentation on rich cards and Google Messages Help:

In 1, carousels showcase several items in one message; in 2, what a carousel looks like in Google Messages.

Google also warns that rich card support depends on the device: screen size and resolution change how a card renders, so test on the phones your customers use.

RCS agent use cases: what you may send

Every RCS for Business agent (Google's name for a branded sender) is registered with a use case, and each comes with rules on what it can send (Agent use cases and business rules):

• Transactional: notifications directly relevant to a customer's existing products or services, such as purchase confirmations, shipping information or a request for feedback about a purchased product. No offers or discounts.
• Promotional: offers, promotions and discounts, and "follow-ups to complete commercial transactions that the user has started", Google's example being a reminder about an abandoned shopping cart.
• Multi-use: a combination of the two in the same conversation, such as an order confirmation followed by a related offer. Google notes that in the United States, among other countries, a multi-use agent can launch with one active use case if the second is implemented within six months.
• One-time passwords: login codes and transaction confirmation codes only.

In 1, the definition of the promotional agent; in 2, Google's example: a reminder about an abandoned shopping cart.

Choose the agent's use case from the messages you plan to send. Each example below says where it falls.

RCS marketing examples for an online store

1. Rich card carousel for a new collection

• Use case: promotional
• Format: a short text, then a carousel of three to five product cards
• Each card: product photo, name, price, a View product action that opens the product page
• Chips below: Shop the collection

Atelier Nova ✓ The linen collection is back, Sarah. Three pieces to discover: [Card] Sand linen shirt, straight cut, $79 · View product [Card] Olive linen pants, high rise, $95 · View product [Card] Canvas tote, heavy cotton, $49 · View product Chips: Shop the collection

Put the product you most want to sell first: Google advises that the first item in a carousel should be the best choice, with the reason clear to the user.

2. Members-only sale for a segment

• Use case: promotional
• Format: a single rich card with a campaign visual
• Card: the offer in the title, the end date in the description, a Shop the sale action
• Who receives it: one segment, for example customers who bought in the past year and opted in

Atelier Nova ✓ [Card] Members-only sale through Sunday · 20% off the linen collection · Shop the sale

3. Abandoned cart reminder

• Use case: promotional, by Google's own definition
• Format: one card showing the item left in the cart
• Card: product photo, name, size, price, a Resume my cart action that opens the checkout
• Timing: within hours of the abandoned checkout, inside the 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. window that federal rules set for solicitations

Atelier Nova ✓ Your cart is waiting for you, Sarah. [Card] Sand linen shirt · Size M, in your cart · $79 · Resume my cart

The SMS version of this message, and the US consent rules around it, are covered in our guide to abandoned cart SMS on Shopify.

4. Back-in-stock alert

• Use case: promotional when it invites a purchase of a product the customer does not own yet
• Format: one card with the product available again
• Card: photo, "back in size 8", price, View product
• Who receives it: only the customers who asked to be notified

Atelier Nova ✓ They're back, Sarah. [Card] Olive linen pants · Back in size 8 · $95 · View product

5. Order confirmation

• Use case: transactional (Google lists purchase confirmations)
• Format: text plus a card summarizing the order
• Card: order number, total, delivery estimate, View my order
• Rule: no promotion in a transactional message

Atelier Nova ✓ Thanks, Sarah. Order #4821 is confirmed. [Card] Order #4821 · 2 items · Arriving Friday · View my order

6. Shipping update with tracking

• Use case: transactional (shipping information)
• Format: a card with the package status
• Card: "Order #4821 shipped", delivery estimate, a Track my package action; chips for View my order and Contact us

Atelier Nova ✓ Good news, Sarah: your order is on its way. [Card] Order #4821 shipped · Arriving Friday · Track my package

Google Messages Help gives tracking an order without leaving the conversation as an example of what suggested actions are for.

7. Review request

• Use case: transactional (Google lists requesting feedback about a purchased product)
• Format: text with suggested replies
• Suggested replies: star ratings as buttons, or Leave a review as an action

Atelier Nova ✓ Did your shirt arrive, Sarah? How would you rate it? Replies: ★★★★★ · ★★★★ · ★★★ · Leave a comment

8. Post-purchase recommendation

• Use case: multi-use, since it follows a transaction with an offer
• Format: a short text and a two to three card carousel
• Cards: products that go with the purchase, each with View product

Atelier Nova ✓ Loving your shirt, Sarah? These go well with it: [Card] Olive linen pants · $95 · View product [Card] Linen overshirt · $89 · View product

RCS verified sender and reach: who will see these messages

RCS has no app of its own: messages arrive in the phone's messaging app.

• Android: RCS business messages show in Google Messages, under the brand's name, logo and verification check mark. Google notes that RCS availability on Android varies by region and carrier.
• iPhone: Apple Support says RCS needs iOS 18 and a carrier that supports RCS on iPhone, that some businesses can send alerts and updates on orders through RCS, and that users can turn RCS Business Messages off in Settings. Apple keeps a carrier list for the United States and Canada showing which carriers support RCS messaging.

Plan for the customers RCS cannot reach: an SMS or a WhatsApp message carries the same moment to them.

Rules that apply to every example

• Consent first. Google's acceptable use policy requires notice and consent before soliciting a user. Collect and record opt-in the way you would for marketing texts: our SMS opt-in guide covers TCPA, CTIA and state rules.
• An easy way out. In Google Messages, users can unsubscribe from a business's non-essential messages such as promotions.
• Quiet hours. Keep promotional sends between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the recipient's time zone, the federal window for solicitations, and check state rules.
• Not end-to-end encrypted. Google Messages Help states that verified RCS chats between businesses and users are not end-to-end encrypted, so do not ask for sensitive data in the chat.

For how a brand gets an agent verified and launched, read our RCS business messaging guide. For what each send costs in the US, see RCS pricing.

Send these RCS messages with Kanal

Kanal brings RCS to Shopify stores, alongside WhatsApp and SMS. On its RCS page, the scenarios match the examples above: a campaign with a product carousel to a segment, a cart reminder with a "Resume my cart" button, order tracking with a "Track my parcel" button, and a back-in-stock alert that shows the product.

In 1, what RCS adds to a text; in 2, the brand's name and verified badge at the top of the conversation.

Consent sits on each customer's profile, and the orders and revenue of each campaign and flow are attributed to it. Kanal installs on your Shopify store in about five minutes, more than 500 brands use it, and RCS pricing is given during the demo, based on your store and the countries you send to. See RCS marketing for Shopify, or compare channels in our guide to SMS vs MMS vs RCS vs WhatsApp.