The text message inbox used to be simple. You’d see a message, recognize the sender, and decide whether to act.
Today, that trust is gone. Scam messages look real. Legitimate brands look suspicious. And before a customer ever considers your offer, they’re asking a different question: Is this message even real?
That shift is why we’re excited to announce that Rich Communication Services (RCS) is now generally available in Klaviyo as part of our larger partnership with Google.
“Consumers want to know a message is legitimate before they engage,” says Josh Pepper, head of product for RCS for Business at Google. “RCS brings verification and richer experiences into the native messaging inbox
What RCS for Business unlocks for marketers and why now is the moment
RCS for Business changes the experience on both sides of a text message.
For consumers, the biggest upgrade is recognition. With RCS for Business, messages come from a verified business identity, so your name and logo show up clearly in the thread. That helps reduce hesitation in the moments where trust determines whether someone engages.
For marketers, RCS for Business unlocks a richer canvas. You can use visuals, rich cards, carousels, and buttons to guide consumers toward a clear next step. Instead of a text that feels like a notification, you can deliver something closer to a mini web experience.
RCS for Business also gives you better engagement signals. It supports delivery, read, and click interactions, including taps on buttons, so you can understand what consumers actually do and optimize creative, timing, and targeting based on real behavior.
Imagine a shopper gets a back-in-stock message, immediately sees it’s from your verified brand, swipes through a carousel, and taps “Buy now” without guessing whether the message is real.
Early adopters are already using RCS for Business to make text messaging feel more like their brand and less like an alert.
POPFLEX is one example. By bringing verification and interactivity into their text messages, they saw higher engagement and stronger performance across the board, including:
- 23% higher total revenue vs. SMS
- 136% higher conversion rate vs. SMS
- 6x higher click-through rate vs. email
“Mobile is where our customer lives, so it’s where we need to deliver our best brand experience,” says Jen-Ai Notman, VP of Marketing at POPFLEX. “RCS for Business transforms messaging from a basic text channel into an immersive, branded touchpoint that drives both connection and commerce.”
RCS for Business transforms messaging from a basic text channel into an immersive, branded touchpoint that drives both connection and commerce.
Integrating RCS for Business into your existing omnichannel strategy
RCS for Business should feel like an upgrade to your text messaging program, not a reinvention. That’s what makes RCS for Business different in Klaviyo: how seamlessly it fits into your existing strategy.
You don’t need new tools or new programs. You build campaigns and flows the same way you always have, using the same data, segmentation, and testing you already rely on. When RCS for Business is available, customers see a richer, verified experience. When it’s not, messages automatically fall back to SMS or MMS so you don’t have to worry about coverage gaps.
“Brands shouldn’t have to choose between innovation and reliability,” says Giri Sreenivas, SVP of product at Klaviyo. “With Klaviyo, RCS for Business is an upgrade to your existing text program, with automatic fallback so you can move fast and stay consistent.”
How to get started with RCS for Business: 5 use cases
Today in Klaviyo, you can deliver a more premium messaging experience with RCS for Business with:
- A verified branded sender profile
- Rich cards and carousels with images and buttons
- Quick actions that drive a single clear next step
- Read receipts and engagement signals
- Segmentation for RCS capable audiences
- Testing and optimization
- Automatic SMS and MMS fallback when RCS isn’t available
Here are a few use cases to help get you started:
Product drops and new arrivals
Turn a launch into a guided experience. Highlight hero products in a carousel and drive a clear next step.
Back-in-stock alerts
Show the item, confirm the re-stocked product, and make “Buy now” the obvious action.
Abandoned cart and browse follow-ups
Bring the product into the message and reduce friction with a direct path back to check-out.
Post-purchase education and reorder reminders
Use richer formats for helpful updates and follow-ups that feel legitimate and on-brand.
Preference capture and guided discovery
Use suggested replies to collect intent and tailor what you send next.
Next steps
RCS for Business is now generally available in Klaviyo for brands sending in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Austria, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.
If you already use Klaviyo for SMS, start with one high-intent use case like back-in-stock, a drop, or cart abandonment. Build one message that looks and feels like your brand. Measure the difference in performance between RCS and SMS, then expand from there.
To launch RCS for Business, go to the Text message settings in Klaviyo to start your set-up and create your first RCS message. If you want help choosing the right first use case or designing your first templates, talk to your Klaviyo team and we’ll help you plan the rollout.
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