Smarter Messaging Starts Here: Braze Adds Context Variables, RCS & Banners

One of the reasons we’re such big fans of Braze is their constant push to innovate and improve how marketers engage with customers. Braze is back with new tools to help you personalize smarter and connect deeper. As part of their City x City: London showcase, they’ve unveiled two exciting updates—Canvas Context Variables and two new messaging channels (RCS & Banners)—that give marketers more ways to deliver relevant, real-time experiences. Let’s take a look at what’s new.

Feature Set 1: Canvas Context (Early Access)

Marketers, get ready to enable your customer personalization with even greater value. Context Variables—exclusive to the Canvas workflow—let you flexibly use temporary data attributes like flight times or purchase totals for real-time personalization. This is perfect for scenarios where the timing or content is dynamic and short-lived, and you don’t need to add it to the user’s profile.

These Context Variables can be created when the Canvas is first initialized by an API or data event, or later in the Canvas by adding a Context step.

To give you perspective, here’s an example of where you could benefit from a Context Variable. Imagine you’re a retailer having a “Splash into Summer Sale.” If a customer buys $50 of merchandise, they get free shipping.

Here's how it could work:

1. Trigger a Canvas to initiate when they add an item to their cart.

2. Create a Context Variable called ‘Gap to Free Shipping.’

3. Use a simple Liquid code to generate the dollar amount they need to add to their cart to be eligible for free shipping.

   

4. And now you can now send a personalized message to your shopper letting them know how much more they need to spend to qualify for free shipping!

Remember, this feature is currently in Early Access, but we’re already excited for all the use cases it will unlock.

Feature Set 2: New Marketing Channels: RCS & Banners

Braze is expanding your reach with two powerful new messaging channels designed to meet users in the moments that matter: Rich Communication Services (RCS) and Banners. Whether you're looking to elevate mobile engagement with rich, interactive messaging or deliver persistent in-app prompts that feel seamless and personalized, these channels offer new ways to enhance your customer journeys across platforms.

RCS: A Smarter Take on SMS

Think of RCS as SMS’s smarter, more expressive sibling. This modern messaging format supports:

• Typing indicators

• Verified senders

• Read receipts

• Suggested reply buttons

• High-resolution images and video

  
  

Better yet, RCS creates a more natural back-and-forth chatter with users making it feel less like an automated call center interaction, and more like a real conversation. Never fear, if a user’s device doesn’t support RCS, your message will default to SMS/MMS.

Just like SMS, RCS availability varies by country, so check your coverage before you think about texting across the globe.

Banners: Always-On, Always-Personal

Banners are a new in-product messaging option for your web or mobile apps. They are designed to deliver persistent, personalized messages that adapt to each user for every new session they start. Some valuable use cases to consider include always-on promotions or an encouragement to upgrade their account to the next subscription level.

You can build these new Banners using Braze’s drag-and-drop editor or your own custom HTML. You might think of banners like content cards—but there are some key differences as outlined below:

Feature	Content Cards	Banners
Lifespan	Expire in 30 days	Persistent unless you set an end date
Integration	Built-in	Requires a new Integration
Layout	Usually Requires the help of your IT team	Marketers can build with drag and drop or HTML
Use Case	Time-sensitive	Always-on, contextual

Want to dig deeper into these features or explore how they can enhance your customer journeys? Let us know—we’d love to walk you through the possibilities. Drop us a line at brazehelp@covalentmarketing.com.