The world of text marketing is on the verge of its most significant evolution yet. For years, SMS and MMS have been the undisputed champions of direct, immediate communication, but they’ve always come with inherent limitations: a lack of branding, concerns about spam, and a ceiling on rich, visual storytelling. Now, a new technology is set to change everything. It’s called RCS, and it’s not just an upgrade—it’s a revolution in how brands and consumers interact.
To unpack this seismic shift, we recently hosted a webinar with two experts at the forefront of this change: Gabe Goldstein, Go-to-Market General Manager for Yotpo SMS, and John Parasco, VP of Digital at the pioneering clean beauty brand, Saie Beauty. John and his team were among the first to test Yotpo’s RCS capabilities, providing a rare, real-world look into the power of this new channel.
In this deep dive, we’ll explore the insights from their conversation, covering what RCS is, why it’s becoming so important now, and how Saie Beauty used it to build unparalleled trust and achieve a staggering 21% decrease in subscriber opt-outs.
Want to see it for yourself? Watch the full webinar with Yotpo and Saie Beauty here.
What is RCS? The Dawn of a New Messaging Era
Before diving into Saie Beauty’s experience, it’s crucial to understand what RCS is and why it represents such a monumental leap forward. Gabe Goldstein described it as a “seismic shift in the messaging industry,” a statement that isn’t hyperbole once you see the technology in action.
RCS stands for Rich Communication Services. Think of it as the next generation of texting, upgrading the standard SMS/MMS protocol into a modern, dynamic, and secure conversational experience.
Beyond the Text: Visualizing the RCS Difference
The best way to grasp the power of RCS is to compare it to the texts you receive from brands today.
- Traditional SMS/MMS: A message arrives from an unknown short code or 10-digit phone number. It might contain a single image (MMS), but the conversation thread itself is generic. There’s little to visually distinguish a legitimate message from a potential spam attempt, aside from the content itself. This lack of inherent trust is a growing problem in an era of rampant phishing and spam.
- RCS Messaging: A message arrives and immediately establishes credibility. Instead of a phone number, the sender is identified by the brand’s name (a “custom sender ID”) and their official logo. The message header is infused with the brand’s colors and includes a short, verified description. The message itself feels less like a random text and more like an official, branded app experience delivered directly within the native messaging app.
This initial release is just the beginning. As Gabe explained, future versions of RCS will unlock even richer features:
- Image Carousels: Showcase multiple products, user-generated content, or different angles of a new item in a single, swipeable message.
- Video Integration: Embed short-form videos directly into the message, perfect for tutorials, product launches, or brand storytelling.
- Universal Two-Way Communication: RCS will enable seamless two-way conversations between brands and consumers in all countries, breaking down barriers that exist today with different number types.
“I always like to tell people to think about it as they might interacting with United Airlines or JetBlue or Delta,” Gabe noted. Those verified, branded chat experiences are becoming the new standard for consumer trust, and RCS brings that power to every brand’s text marketing program.
The Tipping Point: Why RCS is Exploding Now
The Yotpo team has been tracking RCS for years, but the conversation is reaching a fever pitch for one simple reason: Apple.
For a long time, RCS was primarily supported by Android devices. However, Apple recently announced that it will support RCS for all users. With every new iOS update, RCS will be enabled by default. This decision effectively removes the final barrier to mass adoption. Soon, RCS will be the standard messaging protocol across all major devices and carriers.
“This isn’t something that will reach a niche audience,” Gabe emphasized. “In future state, RCS will be widely adopted, and I firmly believe that it will be the way to message moving into the future.”
A Case Study in Trust: Saie Beauty’s Journey with RCS
To understand the real-world impact of RCS, we turn to John Parasco and Saie Beauty. As an innovative, fast-growing indie brand, Say has built its success on a foundation of authenticity and deep customer relationships, making them the perfect partner to explore a technology built on trust.
The Foundation of Authenticity: Why Saie Beauty Exists
Saie Beauty is more than just a color cosmetics brand; it’s a movement. Founded five years ago by Lainie, a former magazine editor and influencer, the brand was born out of a genuine need. Lainie noticed her “clean makeup” basket was conspicuously empty compared to her other products. After extensive research, she found that many brands claiming to be “clean” didn’t meet her standards for ingredient safety and efficacy.
“She did a lot of research and found that companies were really not truly clean in the way that she believes that it should be,” John explained.
This led to the creation of Say, a brand committed to two core principles:
- Truly Clean Ingredients: Using only the cleanest, most effective ingredients without compromise.
- Radical Sustainability: A pledge to sustainable practices that is one of the strongest in the industry.
Crucially, the “clean beauty” space is largely unregulated. “There’s no definition officially,” John noted. “So the trust comes from the brand, not from a regulator or a certification.” Say’s motto, “You say it, we do it,” reflects this deep commitment to two-way communication and follow-through with their community. Every action is designed to reinforce the idea that consumers can trust Say to deliver on its promises—a perfect philosophical match for the verified nature of RCS.
From “Shiny and New” to a Pillar of Performance: The Role of SMS at Say
Like many brands, Say’s SMS journey started with cautious optimism. “Back in the day, it was like, oh, hey. This is shiny and new, but it’s kind of small and niche,” John recalled. “Are people really gonna wanna be annoyed with text?”
That question was answered quickly and decisively. The channel transformed into a cornerstone of their digital strategy.
“It’s our strongest interaction point with people,” John stated. “It’s our customers that definitely care about the brand. They think of themselves as fans, and they wanna be the first to know something… It’s become our channel with the highest ROI for sure.”
This context is vital. When Saie Beauty considered joining the Yotpo RCS beta, they weren’t experimenting with a marginal channel. They were entrusting their most valuable, engaged, and profitable customer segment to a brand-new technology.
Putting RCS to the Test: The Beta Experience and Early Results
The decision to test RCS was not taken lightly. However, the core value proposition of the technology—building trust—aligned so perfectly with Say’s brand ethos that it felt like a natural, albeit bold, next step.
A Calculated Risk for a High-Value Audience
“Yeah, it’s kinda like playing with fire, right?” John admitted. “Because our SMS subscribers are our core, most active purchasers… So it’s kind of like trusting our most valuable tranche of customers to something new.”
The decision hinged on the potential upside. If RCS could enhance the credibility of their messages and deepen the trust with this crucial audience, the risk would be well worth it. “The whole benefit of RCS is building additional trust,” John said. “And so if we didn’t have trust with the Yotpo team doing this, right, what are we doing even?”
The Seamless Transition: How the Beta Worked
For brands worried about the operational lift of adopting a new technology, Say’s experience is reassuring. The process was straightforward and managed by the Yotpo team.
“They made it really easy. It’s all about verifying,” John described. Say provided the necessary information to verify their brand identity, and Yotpo handled the technical setup on the back end.
Most importantly, the day-to-day workflow for John’s team didn’t change at all. “There’s really no change for us on the marketing side at all,” he confirmed. They continued to build and schedule campaigns in the Yotpo platform as they always had, with the system automatically delivering RCS messages to eligible subscribers.
The Proof is in the Numbers: A 21% Drop in Opt-Outs
While the philosophical alignment was strong, the true test of RCS would be in the data. The results were immediate and powerful.
“We really pretty quickly saw that our opt-outs decreased by up to twenty-one percent after implementing RCS,” John revealed. “And to me, that just spoke volumes.”
This wasn’t a temporary blip; it was a sustained improvement. This single metric validates the entire thesis behind RCS. In an environment where consumers are quick to unsubscribe from messages they perceive as intrusive or untrustworthy, the verified, branded nature of RCS had a clear and measurable impact.
“My theory is that this will increase authenticity and trust. And to me, that metric shows that,” John concluded. When subscribers instantly recognize a message as legitimate and official, they are far less likely to opt-out. This simple change transforms the interaction from a potential annoyance into a welcome communication, protecting the brand’s most valuable audience and increasing the long-term value of the SMS/RCS channel.
The Future is Rich: Envisioning the Next Chapter of Mobile Marketing
With overwhelmingly positive results from the beta, both John and Gabe are looking ahead to how RCS will fundamentally reshape messaging strategy for Saie Beauty and the entire eCommerce industry.
For Saie Beauty: Visual Storytelling and Upper-Funnel Engagement
For a brand like Say, the future of RCS is incredibly exciting. So much of their success is visual—the texture of a new foundation, the glow of a highlighter, the vibrant pigment of a lip oil. While MMS allowed for a single image, the upcoming capabilities of RCS will unlock a new level of storytelling.
“So much especially at a color cosmetics brand… a lot of what we do is visual,” John explained. He envisions using RCS carousels and videos to move beyond simple announcements and replenishment reminders. The goal is to engage customers higher up in the funnel.
“Being able to kinda speak more to… upper funnel, with images and messaging that helps drive someone down the funnel, I think, will be more of a new and exciting use for the tool,” he said. Imagine a new product launch where a single RCS message contains a video tutorial from Lainie, a carousel of user-generated photos, and a direct link to purchase—all within a trusted, branded conversation. That’s the future RCS enables.
For the Industry: A Global Shift Towards Branded Conversations
Gabe sees this evolution happening on a global scale. As RCS becomes the default, every automated flow—from welcome series to abandoned cart reminders—will be delivered with the full weight of brand credibility.
“If a device is RCS enabled, then your entire experience with the brand’s text marketing program will happen with this rich content, with this branding, with this added credibility,” Gabe predicted.
This will be especially transformative in international markets like the UK and parts of Europe, where text marketing has faced more “cultural skepticism.” In many of these regions, SMS is historically associated with spam, making consumers wary. RCS, with its built-in verification, has the potential to overcome that skepticism and unlock massive growth for text marketing outside of North America.
How to Prepare for the RCS Revolution Today
The transition to RCS is not a distant future; it’s happening now. For brands looking to get ahead of the curve, the time to act is today.
Getting Started with Yotpo RCS
As Gabe demonstrated, getting registered for RCS within the Yotpo platform is incredibly simple. Brands can navigate to the campaign builder, where they will see a prompt to register for RCS. The form takes only a few minutes to complete. From there, the Yotpo team handles the verification process.
Once enabled, brands can build RCS messages directly in the multi-message campaign builder, complete with a fallback SMS or MMS for devices that aren’t yet supported. It’s a seamless way to future-proof your messaging strategy without disrupting your current workflow.
John’s Final Word: “Why Not Do It?”
For any brand still on the fence, John Parasco had a simple, powerful closing thought.
“Why not do it?” he asked. “There’s really… no extra cost. It’s kinda like get yourself set up for success as it inevitably gets fully adopted.”
Conclusion: A New Standard for Communication
The story of Saie Beauty and RCS is more than just a case study; it’s a preview of the future of digital marketing. It marks a shift away from anonymous, transactional texts and toward rich, branded, and trusted conversations. By embracing a technology that inherently builds credibility, Saie Beauty not only validated its own brand ethos but also discovered a powerful lever for retaining its most valuable customers.
The 21% reduction in opt-outs is a clear signal that consumers are ready for this change. They crave authenticity and security, and they reward brands that provide it. As RCS becomes the universal standard, the brands that get started today will be the ones who build the deepest, most resilient customer relationships of tomorrow.
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