Infobip research reveals fivefold adoption of RCS in 2024

Infobip’s Messaging Trends Report highlights the impact of Apple’s RCS support and the growing dominance of conversational messaging

Ivan Ostoji?, Chief Business Officer at Infobip. Photo: Infobip. Portal ERP South Africa. 

Global cloud communications platform Infobip has released its latest Messaging Trends Report, which reveals that the adoption of Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging has skyrocketed, transforming the customer experience landscape.  

Infobip analyzed more than 530 billion interactions on its platform between businesses and consumers in 2024 to identify the latest global business messaging trends. The data suggests Apple’s support for RCS, following its iOS 18 update in late 2024, contributed to a fivefold increase in global RCS traffic, with North America alone seeing a 14x surge.  

Businesses worldwide have embraced the channel for highly engaging, two-way customer interactions. Infobip’s data shows a 500% increase in RCS usage year-on-year, with brands leveraging it alongside SMS for a seamless customer journey.

"RCS is taking off because it works. The branded and verified experience reduces hesitation, while rich visuals capture attention and drive engagement. In A/B tests, RCS rich cards delivered up to 70% higher conversion rates than MMS. More significantly, RCS has driven conversion rates two to three times higher, and sometimes even ten times higher, than standard marketing channels.” said Ivan Ostoji?, Chief Business Officer at Infobip. 

As brands refine their customer engagement strategies, WhatsApp has emerged as a significant channel for conversational marketing, where the channel’s growth has surpassed the growth of SMS and email. Infobip recorded a 41% increase in brands using WhatsApp for marketing, driven by new features enabling seamless purchases within a single chat. The platform also saw significant growth in other chat apps like Telegram, Line, and Viber. 

Overall, Infobip saw a 30% increase in the number of brands orchestrating conversational marketing interactions with their customers on its platform. 

AI adoption has also increased, according to data from Infobip’s AI Hub. AI-powered chatbots and automation are being widely adopted, particularly in finance and insurance, where security and compliance are paramount. Businesses increasingly use AI for personalized interactions, fraud prevention, and real-time customer support. 

Ivan Ostoji? added: “With RCS adoption accelerating and AI transforming customer interactions, 2025 is set to be a pivotal year for conversational messaging.”