In May 2025, while traditional SMS remains ubiquitous in Bangladesh, the gradual rise of RCS (Rich Communication Services) is beginning to cast a significant impact on the future of phone number marketing. RCS aims to transform the standard messaging experience by bringing app-like functionalities directly to the native messaging app on Android smartphones, making SMS far more engaging and interactive.
For businesses, the impact of RCS includes:
Enhanced Branding: RCS messages allow for verified sender profiles, displaying your business logo and name, building greater trust and recognition compared to generic numbers or basic sender IDs.
Rich Media Capabilities: Move beyond plain text. RCS enables the phone number data inclusion of high-resolution images, videos, carousels (multiple images/products), audio files, and even map locations within a single message. This allows for visually compelling product showcases, dynamic promotions, and richer content delivery.
Interactive Features: RCS supports suggested replies (pre-defined quick responses) and suggested actions (buttons for "Call Us," "Visit Website," "View Product," "Add to Calendar"). This streamlines customer interaction and funnels them directly to desired actions.
Improved User Experience: With features like read receipts and typing indicators, RCS creates a more familiar and engaging chat experience, reducing the "spam" perception often associated with generic SMS.
Analytics: RCS platforms can offer more detailed analytics, including read receipts and button click tracking, providing deeper insights into message engagement than traditional SMS.
While Apple's iMessage still dominates a segment of the market and operator adoption varies, the growing push for RCS by Google and telecom providers suggests it will become a powerful tool for businesses to deliver highly branded, interactive, and engaging mobile marketing campaigns, fundamentally upgrading the capabilities of phone number marketing in Bangladesh and globally.