Rich Communication Services (RCS) has long been pitched as the heir to SMS, and Sinch just made a decisive move to bring it mainstream in the U.S. The Swedish cloud communications provider announced that its RCS for Business platform is now live across all major Tier-1 U.S. mobile operators—a milestone that could reshape how brands interact with their customers.

For businesses, this means verified, conversational, media-rich messaging that goes well beyond plain text. Think promotions with tappable buttons, branded notifications, and interactive experiences that blur the line between chat and commerce. And with Black Friday and Cyber Monday looming, Sinch is positioning RCS as the weapon of choice for retailers vying for consumer attention in an oversaturated inbox economy.

From SMS to RCS: Why It Matters

While SMS remains ubiquitous, it’s a blunt instrument compared to RCS. The latter supports high-res images, carousels, suggested replies, and verified sender IDs—a safer and more engaging environment for consumers weary of phishing scams. With Apple now warming up to RCS, adoption in the U.S. is accelerating, with Sinch reporting up to 75% coverage across its customer base.

That timing is crucial. According to Sinch’s own State of Customer Communications report, 87% of enterprise leaders are already familiar with RCS and 76% of consumers expect brands to engage across multiple channels during high-stakes shopping events. In other words, SMS-only strategies are looking increasingly outdated.

Brands Already on Board

Sinch isn’t just promising potential; it’s delivering at scale. The company cites U.S. deployments where RCS is already driving measurable impact:

• A global delivery firm uses branded notifications to build trust.

• A gig-economy leader boosts engagement with driver communities.

• A financial services provider enhances secure interactions.

• Enfamil uses RCS to connect with new parents through personalized, interactive campaigns.

Brian Truss, Director of Consumer Engagement at Enfamil’s parent company Mead Johnson Nutrition, put it bluntly: “Our ability to use RCS to create personalized, rich, interactive messaging has dramatically improved our engagement with parents.”

Sinch’s Edge

What sets Sinch apart is scale and reliability. The company processes over 900 billion customer engagements annually and counts eight of the 10 largest U.S. tech companies as clients. It has also been recognized as a Leader in Gartner’s 2025 CPaaS Magic Quadrant for the third consecutive year—a nod to its ability to navigate tricky carrier relationships and regulatory hurdles.

With the Americas driving more than 60% of Sinch’s revenue, RCS isn’t just another product launch—it’s a bet on the future of mobile customer engagement. If consumer adoption continues at pace, RCS could become the default for business messaging in the U.S., pushing SMS closer to retirement age.

For now, the big test will come during the retail calendar’s busiest days. If RCS campaigns can cut through the Black Friday noise with higher click-throughs and conversions, Sinch may prove that the next era of business messaging has officially arrived.

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