What is an RCS Carousel?
An RCS Carousel is a horizontal collection of interactive Rich Cards that customers can swipe through inside a business message. It helps brands present multiple products, offers, destinations, services, or recommendations in one structured experience.
Each card can include its own image, text, description, and action.
How does an RCS Carousel work?
A business creates several Rich Cards and sends them as one carousel message through an RCS API or business messaging platform. The customer can browse the cards and select the most relevant option.
For example, a travel company can send a carousel containing holiday destinations. Each card can show an image, price range, short description, and “Explore” button.
An ecommerce brand may use a carousel to display complementary products after a customer completes an order. Helo.ai’s RCS marketing guide provides additional context for using rich formats in promotional journeys.
Common use cases
- Product catalogues
- Seasonal collections
- Travel destinations
- Insurance plans
- Bank products
- Property listings
- Restaurant menus
- Subscription options
- Event packages
- Recommended products
RCS Carousel versus a single Rich Card
A single Rich Card is appropriate when the business has one main message or action. A Carousel is useful when customers need to browse or compare multiple options.
Single Rich Card | RCS Carousel |
|---|---|
One product or message | Multiple cards |
One main action | Several possible actions |
Simple decision | Browsing or comparison |
Shorter interaction | More discovery-oriented |
A Carousel should not be used simply to add more content. If the choices are too similar or poorly organised, the customer may find the experience confusing.
Design best practices
- Keep card layouts consistent.
- Use similar image dimensions.
- Limit text on each card.
- Make each CTA specific.
- Order cards by relevance.
- Show price or key information clearly.
- Avoid presenting too many choices.
- Track which cards receive interaction.
- Make the fallback message understandable.
Example for an Indian business
An Indian education company could send a carousel of courses based on a student’s interests. Each card could include the course name, duration, location or online option, and a “Request Details” action.
A financial-services company could present eligible loan products, but it should ensure that sensitive eligibility and regulatory information is handled appropriately.
Limitations
Carousel support can depend on the RCS platform, message specification, device, carrier, and receiving client. The business should test:
- Card order
- Image rendering
- Text length
- Button behaviour
- Fallback output
- Accessibility
- Analytics
Frequently asked questions
How many cards can an RCS Carousel contain?
The number depends on the RCS implementation and current platform specification. Businesses should confirm the supported limit before designing a campaign.
Can every card have a different button?
Supported actions and button behaviour depend on the platform. Each card can generally be configured with relevant content and actions.
Are carousels useful for transactional messages?
They can be useful when customers need to choose between relevant services or options, but they are most commonly associated with discovery and commerce.