Maximise Black Friday with SMS marketing and prepare for the new RCS

Why SMS is important for Black Friday

SMS boasts an open rate of over 98%, making it a highly effective channel to quickly reach customers. Nearly all retail businesses use SMS today, but there is still potential to improve and optimise its usage.

Common uses for SMS during Black Friday:

• Discount codes and offers: Send personalised offers and time-sensitive discounts to boost engagement. For example, “Exclusive offer just for you today!”
  
  
• Loyalty programmes: Use SMS to inform VIP customers or loyalty programme members about exclusive offers.
  
  
• Countdown to Black Friday: Build excitement by sending SMS updates counting down to the start of Black Friday, or remind customers when a specific campaign is about to end.
  
  
• Segmentation and Personalised Recommendations: Use SMS to send personalised product recommendations based on customers' past purchases or browsing behaviour.
  
  
• Stock updates and availability alerts: Notify customers when products they are interested in are back in stock or if stock levels change during the Black Friday sale.
  
  
• Timing: Send SMS messages at the right time to maximise open rates, for example, avoiding sending at 7:00 AM when recipients might still be asleep.
  
  
• Call-To-Action (CTA): Use clear and direct CTAs like "Book here" or "Shop now."

The benefits of SMS for logistics

SMS is a reliable and fast way to send crucial updates regarding delivery status, changes, or delays. With two-way communication, recipients can easily reply to confirm receipt or provide feedback.

Common uses for SMS in delivery communication:

• Real-time delivery updates: Inform customers when an order has been packed, shipped, and is en route.
  
  
• Delivery delays or changes: Send prompt SMS notifications if there are issues or changes with the delivery.

Introduction to RCS: A new standard for mobile communication

With RCS, you can send messages as a verified sender and use your brand’s identity, including images, videos, and CTA buttons directly within the message, allowing customers to shop without leaving the conversation. This provides a much more engaging customer experience.

The shift towards RCS is happening now, and with the latest iOS 18 update from Apple, iPhones now also support this format. With advanced features such as verified senders and brand identity in messages, RCS is expected to replace SMS as the primary channel for business messaging.

RCS is gradually being rolled out in Sweden and is expected to reach a broader audience over the next 12–24 months. For companies looking to stay ahead, it’s worth starting to plan for this transition today and experimenting with Basic RCS.

An example of how SMS and RCS can appear differently.

Prevent Fraud with RCS

During Black Friday, when online shopping increases dramatically, the risk of fraud also grows. With RCS, businesses can effectively prevent fraud and create safer communication for their customers. Here are some ways RCS enhances security compared to traditional SMS:

• Verified Sender: With RCS, businesses can have a verified and branded profile. This makes it easy for customers to quickly identify the sender and trust that the message is legitimate and from the correct company.
  
  
• Reduced Risk of Phishing: By using logos and brand colours in messages, RCS reduces the risk of customers being deceived by fraudulent SMS messages mimicking well-known brands. This makes it harder for scammers to imitate the company.
  
  
• Increased Customer Confidence: When customers see a verified and clearly branded sender, it strengthens their trust in the communication, potentially increasing engagement and loyalty.

These security advantages make RCS a more powerful tool than traditional SMS, where phishing attacks often try to imitate well-known brands using unrecognisable numbers or fake links.

Stay ahead and be ready as more RCS features become available

RCS features are being implemented in stages. In future Black Friday campaigns, you will be able to utilise rich features such as:

• Interactive Campaigns: Create a richer customer experience by sending high-resolution images, videos, and response buttons directly within the message.
  
  
• Instant Customer Support: Provide chat support directly within messages. Customers can easily ask questions or get help, streamlining the support process and improving customer satisfaction.
  
  
• Geolocation for Collection Points: Send dynamic maps with GEO-location, where customers can easily see where their package can be collected, creating a seamless experience from purchase to delivery.

Advantages of RCS for businesses

RCS offers numerous benefits for businesses aiming to improve customer communication and engagement. By using interactive and visual messages, RCS can achieve a higher level of engagement than traditional SMS. Moreover, the entire customer journey, from campaigns to transactional messages, can be handled within the same interface, simplifying and enhancing the experience for both businesses and customers.

Another advantage is that businesses can brand their messages, something not possible with standard text messages, which strengthens the brand experience. Finally, RCS enables businesses to deliver functionalities that would otherwise require an app, directly within the customer’s message stream, reducing the need for separate apps for the same services.

SMS remains a highly effective communication channel for Black Friday and other high-traffic days like Black Week and Cyber Monday. By optimising the use of SMS and preparing for the transition to RCS, businesses can improve their communication and strengthen customer relationships.

Currently, Basic RCS is available allowing businesses to send branded text messages displaying the company’s name and logo instead of a generic number. Interactive campaigns, including images, buttons, and other multimedia functionalities, are not yet fully implemented in all markets.

Our recommendation is to start sending Basic RCS messages to boost brand recognition and create more reliable communication with your customers.