Rich Communication Services stories

Infobip urges UK retailers to use RCS and WhatsApp to cut returns disruption as annual costs are forecast to top GBP £27 billion.

Brands are ditching fragmented martech stacks for centralised platforms as AI, richer messaging and costs expose the limits of siloed channels.

AI is transforming loyalty from points to real-time, personalised journeys as super apps and agentic engagement engines rapidly take hold.

Odigo’s takeover of Akio deepens its ALE Connect alliance with Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, accelerating hybrid CCaaS and agentic AI innovation.

Infobip logs 12.2 billion Cyber Week interactions as retailers drive a 277% Black Friday surge in rich messaging such as RCS and WhatsApp.

Infobip forecasts that AI, ethical messaging, and new channels like RCS will transform UK customer experience by 2026, focusing on real-time personalisation and trust.

By 2026, CPaaS may surpass traditional contact centres as RCS adoption and AI drive automated, interactive customer engagement experiences.

Smarsh partners with Google to archive encrypted RCS messages on Android, helping regulated firms ensure compliance with modern communication standards.

Retail brands will send a record 3.9 billion messages in the 2025 shopping season, up 15%, as AI and richer digital channels boost customer engagement.

RCS offers Australian businesses a secure, interactive way to boost customer engagement and trust, tackling data privacy concerns amid rising scams.

European consumers show cautious optimism towards AI easing Black Friday shopping, with 44% positive but 40% concerned over data privacy and personalisation.

Twilio has launched global RCS messaging, enabling businesses to send branded, interactive messages, boosting engagement and trust across 20 countries.

Proximus Global has been named a Visionary in Gartner's 2025 Magic Quadrant for CPaaS, highlighting its unified approach and global telecom strengths.

Fresha has boosted customer engagement with a 41.3% read rate and 7.1% more reviews after switching from SMS to secure RCS messaging powered by Twilio and Google.

Sinch launches Model Context Protocol to enable AI agents to handle compliant real-time messaging, voice, email, and verification across channels globally.

RCS messaging in the UK has surged 65% in 2024, boosted by Apple iOS support and AI, as brands enhance customer engagement with richer, interactive chat tools.

Sinch has named Angus Mansfield as Vice President of Channel Sales for APAC, aiming to expand partnerships and boost growth in the region’s booming customer communications market.

NEXT partners with Infobip to boost shopper security, blocking 175,000 fake messages monthly and enhancing customer engagement with advanced RCS messaging.

AI personalisation boosts customer spend by 75%, yet only 15% of consumers fully trust brands with their personal data, says Twilio report.

Sinch is named a Tier 1 vendor in ROCCO’s 2024 RCS Messaging Market Impact Report, praised by operators in 64 countries for technical strength and reliability.