The product photo, its price, a button to buy it: RCS turns a text into a message customers can tap, signed with your brand name. Kanal brings it to Shopify stores, alongside WhatsApp.
Atelier Nova: the linen collection is back. See it here: atelier-nova.com/linen
The linen collection is back, Sarah. Three pieces to discover:
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RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the standard that modernizes SMS. The GSMA publishes it as the Universal Profile, and Google documents the version made for brands, RCS for Business. For the customer, four things change.
RCS · 01
The business name and logo show in place of a phone number, with a verification check mark once Google, the carrier or a third-party provider has confirmed its identity.
Sources: Google Messages Help
RCS · 02
A card combines media (an image, a GIF or a video), a title, a description and buttons in one message.
Sources: Google for Developers
RCS · 03
Several cards to swipe through in the same message, up to ten according to Google’s documentation: room for a selection of products.
Sources: Google for Developers
RCS · 04
Buttons to tap in the card or under the message, up to four per card. Google gives tracking an order as an example, without leaving the conversation.
Sources: Google for Developers, Google Messages Help
Sources: GSMA, Google for Developers
Private sale until Sunday, Sarah: 15% off the linen collection.
New collection, private sale, restock: you pick a customer segment and Kanal sends an RCS message with one card per product. The customer swipes, taps the piece they like and lands on its product page.
Your cart is waiting for you, Sarah.
The customer filled a cart, then left. The automated message shows the item they left behind, with its image and price, and a button that takes them back to where they stopped.
Good news, Sarah: your order is on its way.
Confirmation, shipping, delivery: the message leaves when the order status changes. The customer finds their order number and taps a button to track the parcel, instead of writing to your support team.
They are back, Sarah.
The customer asked to be told. As soon as the product is restocked, they receive its card, available again, and the button that leads to its page.
The image, the price, the button: everything needed to decide sits in the conversation, under your brand name.
RCS has no app of its own: it lives in the phone’s messaging app. Its availability depends on the device and the carrier.
RCS messages from businesses show in Google Messages. Google states that RCS availability on Android varies by region and carrier.
Sources: Google Messages Help
RCS needs iOS 18 and a carrier that supports it on iPhone. Apple says some businesses can send alerts and information about orders through RCS, and that users can turn these messages off in Settings.
Sources: Apple Support, supported carriers
If the phone does not support RCS, if RCS is turned off or if the carrier’s network is not open to the sender, Google’s platform does not deliver the message and returns an error. It is up to the sender to plan another channel to reach that customer.
Sources: Google for Developers
Pages read on October 12, 2026. Support changes over time: check it for the countries you sell to.
All three channels reach your customers’ phones. They do not show the same thing and they do not reach the same people.
| Criterion | RCS | SMS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the customer reads it | RCSIn the phone’s messaging app: Google Messages on Android, Messages on iPhone | SMSIn the phone’s messaging app | WhatsAppIn the WhatsApp app |
| What the message shows | RCSThe brand name and logo, cards, carousels, buttons | SMSText and a link | WhatsAppText, images and buttons, in a thread where the customer can reply |
| Who can receive it | RCSCustomers whose phone and carrier support RCS | SMSAny mobile number | WhatsAppCustomers who use WhatsApp |
| When to choose it | RCSTo show products and prompt an action in one tap, when your customers can be reached over RCS | SMSFor a short message that has to reach every mobile | WhatsAppTo sell and answer in the same conversation, where your customers use WhatsApp |
On all three channels, the customer’s agreement comes before the first marketing message.
Sources: Google Messages Help, Apple Support
Compare in more detail: SMS software for online stores, WhatsApp for Shopify, SMS vs MMS vs RCS vs WhatsApp
An RCS message that carries an offer is still direct marketing. Three rules to know before you send.
In France, the CNIL states that electronic direct marketing to consumers requires their prior consent, except when they are already customers for similar products or services. Its page names email, SMS and MMS, not RCS by name.
Sources: CNIL (in French)
The RCS for Business acceptable use policy requires a simple way to withdraw consent, for example replying STOP. In Google Messages, customers can also unsubscribe from a business’s non-essential messages.
Sources: Google for Developers, Google Messages Help
Every message must let the person know which organisation sends it, the CNIL states. In RCS, a verified sender shows its name and logo at the top of the conversation.
Sources: CNIL (in French), Google Messages Help
General information, not legal advice. Rules depend on the countries you send to.
Three steps, from the first conversation to the first send.
Book a demoThe demo reviews your store, the countries you sell to and how RCS is set up for your brand. The app installs from the Shopify App Store.
Kanal syncs your customers, orders and carts. Consent is attached to each contact’s profile.
Pick a segment or a store event, build your card, then follow the orders and revenue of the send.
RCS marketing is a brand sending rich messages to the messaging app on its customers’ phones: cards with an image, product carousels and action buttons, under its name and logo. RCS (Rich Communication Services) is the standard that modernizes SMS, which is why it is also called rich SMS.
An SMS carries text and a link. A branded RCS message shows the business name and logo with a verification check mark, and can contain images, cards, carousels and reply or action buttons, according to Google’s documentation. SMS reaches any mobile number, while RCS depends on the phone and the carrier.
Yes, under conditions. According to Apple Support, RCS on iPhone needs iOS 18 and a plan from a carrier that supports it. Apple also says some businesses can send alerts and information about orders through RCS, and that users can turn these messages off in Settings. Availability varies by region and carrier.
There is no single public price. Google’s documentation says RCS for Business traffic is billable according to each carrier’s rate card, so the price depends on the carrier, the country and the provider. For Kanal, RCS pricing is given during the demo, based on your store and the countries you send to.
No dedicated app: the RCS message arrives in the phone’s messaging app, Google Messages on Android or Messages on iPhone. RCS does need to be turned on on the device and supported by the carrier.
The RCS message is not delivered. Google’s documentation says its platform then returns an error to the sender, who can reach the person through another channel it has planned. It is a point to settle before you start sending.
Not end to end. Google states that RCS for Business does not offer end-to-end encryption: messages are encrypted between the user’s phone and Google’s servers, then between those servers and the messaging provider.
Yes. The RCS for Business rules require getting people’s agreement and giving them a simple way to withdraw it. In France, the CNIL requires prior consent for electronic direct marketing to consumers, with an exception for existing customers and similar products. In Kanal, consent is attached to each contact.
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