RCS messaging for app onboarding India

Last Updated: January 09, 2026

You’ve built an incredible app. You’ve spent months on development, design, and testing. Now comes the hard part: getting users to actually install it, open it, and use it. Your current playbook? Probably a mix of email (low open rates), social ads (expensive clicks), and plain text SMS (ignored in the noise). You’re spending good money on user acquisition, only to watch 70% of them drop off before they even see your dashboard.

The biggest leak in your funnel isn’t your app’s UX—it’s your onboarding communication. If you’re using traditional bulk SMS for welcome messages, verification, and nudges, you’re not just getting poor results. You’re overpaying for the privilege.

The Silent Budget Drain: Why Your Bulk SMS Strategy is Costing You More Than You Think

Let’s talk numbers. You send a one-time password via SMS. It costs you, say, 12 paise. The user gets a bland, grey message with a code. They copy it, maybe. If they don’t, you send another. That’s another 12 paise. Then you send a “Welcome to our app!” SMS. Another 12 paise. A “Complete your profile” reminder? There goes more money.

It seems cheap on a per-message basis. But add it up for 10,000 new sign-ups, across 4-5 messages each. You’re looking at thousands of rupees for what? A 2% click-through rate if you’re lucky. You’re paying for a monologue, not a conversation. The real cost isn’t the paisa per SMS—it’s the lost users, the abandoned carts, and the stagnant growth that happens when your messaging fails to engage.

RCS: The Onboarding Powerhouse That Costs Less Than Your Current SMS

This is where most business owners get it wrong. They see “rich media,” “interactive buttons,” and “branded experiences” and assume RCS Business Messaging must be a premium, expensive product. Here’s the truth that your competitors are starting to discover: RCS messaging costs less per message than traditional bulk SMS in India.

Let that sink in. You can send a message with your logo, a high-res image, a “Verify Now” button, and a link to a tutorial video—for less than what you pay to send a plain, 160-character text. This isn’t a future promise; it’s the current reality with providers like RCS SMS Provider. The technology has evolved, adoption is soaring, and the economies of scale have flipped the pricing model on its head.

Why Indian App Businesses Are Switching to RCS Onboarding (And You Should Too)

The shift isn’t about being fancy; it’s about survival and smarter spending. While you’re budgeting for SMS blasts, forward-thinking companies in e-commerce, fintech, and food delivery are using RCS to guide users from download to “aha!” moment in a single, beautiful thread. They aren’t just communicating; they’re engaging. And they’re doing it for less money than you are.

The urgency is real. Google’s push for RCS as the default messaging standard on Android means user familiarity is skyrocketing. Your users are already seeing these rich messages from early adopters. When your plain SMS arrives, it looks outdated and impersonal. You’re not just losing a conversion; you’re damaging brand perception.

Features That Turn Messages Into Onboarding Journeys

Forget one-way alerts. RCS transforms your messages into a mini-application within the native messaging app. Here’s how each feature directly boosts onboarding metrics while cutting costs:

• Branded Visual Identity: Your logo and business name appear upfront. No more “VM-XXXXXX” sender IDs that get marked as spam. Trust is built from the first message, increasing open rates by up to 5x compared to SMS.
• Interactive Buttons & Quick Replies: “Verify Email,” “Watch Tutorial,” “Set Up Profile.” Users take action without leaving the message thread. This can reduce the steps to first value by 80% and slash drop-off rates.
• Rich Carousels & Images: Send a carousel showcasing your app’s top 3 features. Or include a screenshot guiding users through a complex setup. Visual guidance beats text instructions every time.
• Read Receipts & Analytics: Know exactly when a user reads your welcome message. If they don’t, you have data to optimize timing. This precision eliminates guesswork and wasted follow-up messages.
• Secure File Sharing: Need to send a PDF guide or a terms document during KYC? Attach it directly in the RCS chat. It’s faster, more secure, and again, cheaper than MMS or separate email systems.

Real Results: How Indian Industries Are Onboarding with RCS

Let’s move from theory to practice. Here’s how switching from costly SMS to affordable RCS messaging drives specific onboarding ROI:

Fintech & Banking Apps

Problem: High abandonment during multi-step KYC. Users get an OTP via SMS, then get lost.
RCS Solution: A single RCS message post-download: Logo, welcome text, a “Start KYC” button, and a “Upload Document” button. The message thread holds the entire flow.
Result: One of our clients saw KYC completion rates jump from 31% to 67%, while their cost per completed KYC dropped by 45% because they replaced 4-5 SMS with 1-2 RCS messages.

E-commerce & Shopping Apps

Problem: Users install for a discount, then never make a first purchase.
RCS Solution: Post-install message with a carousel: First card with “Redeem Your Welcome Coupon” button, second card showcasing “Top Deals Today,” third card with “Personalized Recommendations.”
Result: First-purchase conversion from new installs increased by 3.2x. The cost of that converting message? Still lower than the two bland SMS reminders it replaced.

Food Delivery & Mobility Apps

Problem: Need fast location access and push notification permissions for the app to function.
RCS Solution: A guided permission request via RCS. A friendly image explains “why” we need location, followed by buttons linking directly to app settings.
Result: Permission grant rates improved by over 50%, directly increasing the number of active, usable users from day one.

The RCS SMS Provider Advantage: Built for India, Priced for Profit

Why does RCS SMS Provider deliver better value? Because we’ve been in the messaging trenches for 16+ years, founded by Sudarshan Singh. We saw the limitations of bulk SMS and the hype around other channels. We built our RCS platform with one core principle: maximum business impact at minimum cost.

Our infrastructure is optimized for the Indian telecom landscape, ensuring a 99.9% delivery rate to Android users (which is the vast majority of the Indian market). Our pricing model is transparent and designed to save you money from day one. We don’t upsell you on “premium features”—the rich media and interactivity are part of the standard, cost-effective package.

• Direct Cost Advantage: Our volume and technical efficiency allow us to offer RCS below standard SMS market rates. This isn’t a promo; it’s our standard pricing.
• Painless Integration: Use our simple API to plug RCS into your existing onboarding workflow in hours, not weeks. Replace your current SMS endpoint and start saving.
• Local, Expert Support: 24/7 technical support based in India. You talk to engineers who understand your app’s needs, not a generic helpdesk.

Busting the Myth: “RCS is Too Expensive for Our Startup”

This is the most common objection, and it’s based on outdated information. Let’s dismantle it completely.

Myth 1: “Rich media must cost more.”
Reality: Technology scales. Sending a packet of data with an image and structured buttons is now more efficient for networks than handling legacy SMS protocols. We pass that efficiency to you as lower cost.

Myth 2: “It’s only for giant enterprises.”
Reality: Our platform is scalable for SMBs and startups. You can begin with a few hundred messages. The per-message savings mean your limited marketing budget goes further, faster.

Myth 3: “Users might not have RCS.”
Reality: Over 95% of new Android phones in India have RCS capabilities enabled by default. For the tiny minority that don’t, our systems can automatically fall back to SMS, ensuring no user is left behind.

Getting Started is Easier Than Your Current SMS Setup

If you can send a bulk SMS, you can send an RCS message. The barrier to entry is a myth. Here’s the simple path:

1. Connect: Reach out to our team. We’ll analyze your current onboarding SMS flow and show you a line-by-line cost and performance comparison.
2. Design & Build: Our team helps you design your first RCS onboarding cards and interactive flows—no extra charge.
3. Integrate: Plug our API into your backend. It’s as simple as changing the provider endpoint in your code.
4. Launch & Save: Go live. Watch your onboarding metrics climb and your messaging costs drop. We provide the real-time analytics to prove it.

You don’t need a massive project. Start by converting your most critical onboarding message—the OTP or the first welcome. See the difference in engagement and cost. Then scale.

Stop Overpaying for Underperformance

The data is clear. User attention is scarce. The old tools are no longer enough, and they’re ironically more expensive for what they deliver. RCS messaging for app onboarding in India represents the single most effective upgrade you can make to your user acquisition strategy this quarter.

This isn’t about spending more. It’s about spending smarter. It’s about paying less per message to get exponentially better results. It’s about guiding users into your app with clarity and ease, turning costly acquisition into profitable, long-term engagement.

The businesses that understand this are already pulling ahead. They’re enjoying higher lifetime values, lower support tickets, and a measurable competitive edge—all while reducing their communication costs.

Your app deserves an onboarding experience that matches its quality. Your budget deserves a break. Your growth demands it.

Ready to see the numbers for your business? Let’s talk. Visit RCSSMSProvider.com or call our team directly at +91 7795577677. We’ll show you a custom projection of how much you’ll save and how much faster you’ll grow. The first step is realizing you’re leaving money and users on the table. The next step is claiming them back.