How to design an RCS rich card customers tap

Start with one goal

Before you design anything, finish this sentence: “After reading this card, the customer should…” — book a slot, track an order, call the showroom. That goal decides the image, the words and the main button. A card that tries to do three things usually gets none of them done.

The image

• Show the product, place or person the message is about — not a generic banner.
• Avoid putting important text inside the image; it becomes hard to read on small screens.
• Keep the main subject in the centre so it isn't cut off on different phones.
• Want a different picture for each customer — say, the exact car model they own? With our API you can set a different card image per recipient.

The title and description

• Title: say what this is in a few words — “Order #10234 packed”, “Diwali offer: 20% off sarees”.
• Description: add only what the customer needs to decide — the date, the price, the deadline.
• Personalise: template variables let you insert the customer's name, order number or appointment time.

Buttons and replies

A card can carry up to four suggestions in total — a mix of reply chips and action buttons. Action buttons use the phone's own apps:

• Open a website — a product page, a tracking page or a payment link
• Call — your showroom, clinic or helpline
• View a location — your store or branch on the map
• Add to calendar — an appointment, a webinar or a site visit

Tips for labels:

• Start with a verb: “Track order”, “Book test drive”, “Call clinic”.
• Keep labels short so they fit on small screens.
• Put the main action first. Add a second option only if it really helps, such as “Reschedule”.
• Need a different link for each customer — such as their own tracking page? Website buttons can carry a per-customer link when you send through the API.

When to use a carousel

A carousel is a row of two to ten rich cards that customers swipe through. Use it when they need to compare — several products, courses, properties or car models. Each card has its own image, text and buttons. For a single update or offer, one card is clearer.

Before you send

1. Send the template to your own phone and check how it looks.
2. Tap every button to make sure the links, phone numbers and locations are right.
3. Read the text once more on the small screen — cut anything that doesn't help the goal.
4. Send only to customers who have agreed to hear from you.

Templates are reviewed before you can use them, so leave time for approval before a campaign date. See all message formats, or ask us to review your first card.