RCS vs. MMS: Choosing the Right Rich Media Strategy for Your E-commerce Store

Key Takeaways:

• MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) is the universal, visual messaging standard with a 100% reach on modern smartphones.

• RCS (Rich Communication Services) is an advanced, interactive messaging protocol that offers powerful branding and functionality but has limited and conditional reach.

• While MMS is perfect for visual updates and simple campaigns, RCS unlocks a new level of engagement with carousels, buttons, and verified branding.

• The choice between them depends on your specific campaign goals, audience, and the desired level of interactivity.

• A forward-thinking SMS platform can manage both, allowing you to seamlessly use the right tool for the right customer.

Gone are the days when a simple “Hey Sarah, 20% off today only! 🎉” text message could cut through the noise. 

Your customers have been trained by Instagram stories, TikTok videos, and interactive app experiences to expect rich, engaging content everywhere, including their text messages.

The shift in consumer expectations is undeniable. Bland, text-only messages get ignored, deleted, or worse. They train your subscribers to tune out your brand entirely. Meanwhile, brands that embrace visual, interactive messaging are seeing engagement rates that make their email marketers jealous.

This is where MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) and RCS (Rich Communication Services) enter the picture. Both technologies allow e-commerce brands to deliver rich, branded messaging directly to customers’ phones, but they each bring different superpowers to your SMS arsenal. 

The question isn’t whether you need visual messaging (spoiler: you absolutely do), but rather how to choose the right tool for each campaign.

MMS is the technology that lets you send images, GIFs, and short video clips through text messaging. Think of it as SMS’s more visually interesting sibling—it takes your basic text message and adds a visual punch that can showcase products, convey emotions, or communicate complex ideas in seconds.

Here’s the beautiful thing about MMS: it’s the default multimedia message format used by all modern smartphones. 

Whether your customer rocks the latest iPhone, an Android device, or even some older smartphones, MMS just works. No app downloads, no special settings, no compatibility headaches.

The benefits of MMS for e-commerce include:

• MMS delivers universal reach—literally everyone with a modern smartphone can receive your multimedia messages. 

• It’s perfect for delivering a quick visual punch, like showcasing a stunning new product image or announcing a flash sale with an eye-catching GIF. 

• Implementation is straightforward, making it accessible for e-commerce brands just starting their rich media messaging journey.

The limitations include:

• MMS comes with some constraints that can cramp your creative style. File size restrictions mean you’re working with compressed images and shorter video clips. 

• The resolution caps can make your beautifully shot product photos look less crisp than you’d like. 

• Most importantly, MMS delivers a static, non-interactive experience. Customers can look, but they can’t click, tap, or take immediate action beyond replying to your message.

RCS represents the next generation of SMS: a powerful, interactive messaging protocol that transforms basic text messaging into something that looks and feels like a modern messaging app experience. Think iMessage functionality, but it exists within the standard text messaging app on Android devices.

RCS doesn’t require customers to download new apps or change their messaging habits. Instead, it boosts their existing text messaging experience with advanced features that were previously only available through proprietary messaging platforms.

RCS unlocks features that sound almost too good to be true for SMS marketing: verified sender branding with your company name and logo, high-resolution images that actually do your products justice, interactive buttons like “Buy Now,” “Get Directions,” or “Add to Cart,” and product carousels that let customers browse multiple items without leaving their messages.

These features create an app-like experience without requiring customers to download an app. 

Imagine sending abandoned cart messages where customers can tap directly on product images to complete their purchase, or post-purchase surveys with one-tap rating systems that actually get responses. 

RCS transforms passive message recipients into active participants in your customer journey.

MMS excels at providing visual context. It’s perfect for sending a static image of a product, sharing a GIF to announce a sale, or delivering visually appealing promotional content. Think of MMS messages like digital billboards. They’re great at grabbing attention and communicating your message instantly, but the interaction ends there.

RCS dominates when it comes to dynamic actions and engagement. Instead of just showing one product, you can create interactive carousels showcasing multiple items. Rather than hoping customers remember to visit your website later, you can include buttons that drive immediate action. RCS enables instant feedback collection, seamless cart additions, and guided product discovery, all within the message itself!

MMS is the undisputed winner for reach. It works on all smartphones, ensuring your message reaches every single subscriber on your list. No exceptions, no conditions, no crossed fingers hoping your message will display properly.

RCS operates with conditional reach. It only works on Android devices that have RCS enabled, and it requires carrier support. While RCS adoption is growing rapidly, you’re still looking at a subset of your total subscriber base. The good news? If an RCS message fails to deliver, it automatically defaults back to standard SMS or MMS, so your message still gets through (just without the enhanced features).

Brands leveraging rich media see significantly higher engagement rates, but smart marketers know that a message delivered beats a fancy message that never arrives.

MMS provides limited branding opportunities. Your messages come from a phone number, and the only brand recognition happens within the visual content you include. There’s no verified sender identification, and analytics are limited to basic delivery and response metrics.

RCS transforms branding with verified sender names, branded logos, and custom headers that appear before customers even open your message. This verified branding builds immediate trust and recognition—your messages look official and professional. 

Plus, RCS provides detailed analytics on button clicks, interaction rates, and user behavior within messages, giving you data that can optimize your entire SMS strategy.

• Product Announcements: Send striking, high-impact images of new product launches that showcase your items in their best light. MMS makes sure every subscriber sees your announcement, making it perfect for major launches where universal reach trumps interactive features.

• Holiday Campaigns: Share festive GIFs or visual promotions for Black Friday, Valentine’s Day, or other key shopping moments. The seasonal urgency, combined with universal MMS delivery, creates campaigns that hit every subscriber at exactly the right time.

• Simple Promotions: Send quick coupon codes with visually appealing images that customers can screenshot and save. Sometimes the most effective message is clean, simple, and universally accessible, which is exactly what MMS delivers.

• Abandoned Cart Recovery: Send carousels of the abandoned products with “Buy Now” buttons for each item. This approach eliminates the friction of navigating back to your website and hunting for those specific products again—customers can complete their purchase directly from the message.

• Post-Purchase Surveys: Send messages with quick-tap buttons like 5-star rating systems for instant feedback collection. The easier you make it for customers to share their experience, the more valuable data you’ll collect for improving your sales approach.

• Product Discovery: Create interactive guides that allow users to explore different collections with a single click. Turn your messages into discovery tools that drive deeper engagement and showcase more of your catalog than traditional messaging ever could.

Here’s the strategic insight that separates sophisticated e-commerce brands from the rest: you don’t choose between MMS and RCS. 

A smart e-commerce messaging strategy leverages both technologies strategically, using the right tool for the right customer and campaign.

Your product announcements might work perfectly as MMS blasts to your entire subscriber base, ensuring maximum reach for critical launches. 

Meanwhile, your VIP customers with RCS-enabled devices get interactive catalog experiences for new collections, and your abandoned cart sequences use RCS carousels when possible, falling back to MMS for universal delivery.

The key is having an SMS platform that automatically detects if a subscriber is RCS-enabled and sends the enhanced message accordingly, while defaulting to standard MMS for maximum deliverability. 

This intelligent approach ensures you’re always delivering the best possible experience without sacrificing reach.

Customer expectations rise every day to match new technological capabilities. They want visual experiences that rival social media, interactive features that eliminate purchase friction, and branded communications that feel personal and trustworthy.

Both MMS and RCS are crucial for building an engaging, visual, and high-converting messaging strategy that keeps you ahead in the competitive e-commerce landscape. MMS provides reliable visual impact with universal reach—perfect for broad campaigns where every subscriber needs to receive your message. 

RCS offers premium interactive experiences that can transform high-value customer interactions and drive significant revenue growth.

The winning strategy combines both technologies thoughtfully, creating a messaging experience that adapts to each customer’s capabilities while maximizing engagement and revenue across your entire subscriber base.

The future of e-commerce messaging is visual, interactive, and incredibly powerful—and it’s built on the strategic combination of both MMS and RCS technologies.

Get a demo of Postscript today to get started!