Study

Operator-Sponsored RCS Will Win Consumer Hearts and Brand Budgets

New findings reveal consumer appetite for advanced messaging functionality, but operators must place privacy, security and person-to-person functionality at the core of new messaging services

BRIDGEWATER, N.J., March 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The United States is a market primed for operator-sponsored, brand- targeted advanced messaging based on Rich Communications Services (RCS), according to focus group conversations conducted by Synchronoss (NASDAQ: SNCR). After bringing together dozens of U.S. consumers of all ages to discuss their mobile messaging habits, Synchronoss is able to show the value of RCS to operators and brands to increase subscriber engagement and create new revenue.

RCS is an easy-to-use, feature-rich, interactive cross-operator advanced messaging platform that will be available on all mobile devices. This evolution of operator-led SMS messaging not only incorporates advanced multimedia capabilities into text messages but also gives users the ability to accomplish everything they currently do across multiple apps from a single messaging platform and with a single contact list for friends, family and services.

RCS also serves as a powerful, private-by-design direct marketing ecosystem that operators can offer to brands. Brands will be able to leverage a new secure, permission-based, personalized communications channel and take advantage of SMS’s higher open, response and click-through rates. At the same time, operators will gain an opportunity to grow their revenue outside of traditional lines of business and further solidify their own reputations as protectors of subscriber privacy.

Synchronoss, a global leader and innovator of cloud, messaging, digital and IoT products and the provider behind the RCS-based +Message service launched by three major Japanese operators in May 2018, asked focus group participants about their current messaging behavior and introduced them to RCS capabilities. The resulting discussions demonstrated a clear demand for operator-sponsored RCS, with convenience and operator trust at the heart of participants’ excitement for this new form of mobile communication.

“When asked about their perception of messaging services today, participants perceive a clear distinction between ‘messaging’ and ‘texting’,” said Glenn Lurie, President and CEO, Synchronoss. “‘Messaging’ is reserved for messaging applications, such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or Instagram, while ‘texting’ is considered to sit outside of this messaging arena and is a different activity entirely. For consumers, texting is foolproof.”