The verdict in three sentences
A building materials merchant serving 400 construction companies by phone loses orders, struggles to control customer credit exposure and delivers to poorly located sites. A B2B ordering platform with 30 or 60-day payment terms, automatic credit limits and geolocated site delivery brings credit back under control while speeding up order taking. At Kolonell this is a custom application project (2,500,000 to 15,000,000+ FCFA depending on complexity, i.e. EUR 3,810 to 22,870+), with a 3 to 5 month timeline.
The real problem is credit, not ordering
In Dakar, Diamniadio, Thiès or on the new urban hub sites, a site manager calls the merchant at 7 am for 200 bags of cement, 3 tonnes of 12 mm rebar and 40 m³ of sand. With an average basket of 1.5 to 8 million FCFA, the order itself is simple. What costs money is trade credit: 30 or 60 days granted without a real-time check of the outstanding balance, manual chasing and unpaid invoices weighing on cash flow.
| Situation (2026 order of magnitude) | Phone and Excel | B2B platform with credit control |
|---|---|---|
| Credit check before delivery | manual, often after the fact | automatic at basket validation |
| Credit limit breaches per month | 15 to 30 customers | close to zero, except approved overrides |
| Actual average payment time | 75 to 95 days | 45 to 65 days |
| Due-date reminders | calls from the accountant | automatic reminders D-7, D0, D+7 |
| Delivery address errors | 5 to 8% of runs | under 1% with GPS location |
| Order taking time | 10 to 15 min per call | 3 to 5 min online |
| Customer access to invoices | on request | permanent customer area |
Cutting average payment time from 85 to 55 days on 2 billion FCFA of annual credit sales frees about 165 million FCFA of cash. That argument, more than online ordering itself, is what convinces a finance director.
Platform building blocks and their weight
| Block | Function | Complexity | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Materials catalogue | Cement, rebar, aggregates, tiles, plumbing, units (bag, tonne, m³) | Low | Phase 1 |
| Multi-user company accounts | Owner, site manager, accountant, separate rights | Medium | Phase 1 |
| Credit balance and limit | 30 or 60-day terms, block or approval above the limit | High | Phase 1 |
| Geolocated delivery | Site GPS point, time slot, photo of signed delivery note | Medium | Phase 1 |
| Negotiated prices per customer | Volume and per-project discounts, quote convertible to order | High | Phase 2 |
| Wave and Orange Money payment | Online payment of instalments or deposits, automatic reconciliation | Medium | Phase 2 |
| Accounting connection | Export of invoices and receipts to your software | Medium to high | Phase 2 |
A first phase focused on catalogue, company accounts, credit and geolocated delivery sits in the medium band of our grid: 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (EUR 6,100 to 10,670). With negotiated prices, mobile payment, accounting connection and a driver app, it moves into the complex band: 7,000,000 to 15,000,000+ FCFA (EUR 10,670 to 22,870+). Hosting and specific connectors are quoted separately.
A 3 to 5 month schedule
Month 1: define credit rules with finance (who gets 60 days, which limit, who approves an override). Months 2 and 3: build phase 1 and import the 400 customer accounts with their balances. Month 4: pilot with 25 loyal construction firms. Month 5: phase 2 and general rollout. For a tool that carries customer credit, Standard maintenance at 75,000 FCFA per month (EUR 114) is a minimum, Premium at 120,000 FCFA (EUR 183) if you want stronger on-call cover.
Mini case study
Moussa, managing director of a building materials merchant in Dakar, makes 2.4 billion FCFA of credit sales a year. The actual average payment time is 88 days. After a year on the platform, it drops to 58 days. Cash released: 2,400,000,000 × (88 - 58) / 365, about 197 million FCFA. At an overdraft cost of 9% a year, that is close to 17.7 million FCFA of interest avoided annually. With a full project at 11,000,000 FCFA and maintenance at 120,000 FCFA per month (1,440,000 FCFA a year), the project pays for itself in under 9 months from financing savings alone.
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FAQ
Will construction firms really order online?
Site managers already use WhatsApp on site. A mobile interface that repeats the last order in under 3 minutes is adopted by 40 to 60% of regular customers in the first year, as a 2026 order of magnitude.
How do we set each customer's credit limit?
You define it per account, based on payment history and revenue. The platform blocks or routes for approval any order above the limit, and every override is logged.
Can instalments be paid by Wave or Orange Money?
Yes. The customer pays an invoice or deposit from their account, and the payment is reconciled automatically. Operator fees remain yours, around 1% for Wave in 2026.
What budget should we plan?
On our grid, 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA for a first phase covering ordering, credit and delivery, and 7,000,000 to 15,000,000+ FCFA for a complete platform.
How long does it take?
Allow 3 to 5 months, including a one-month pilot with 20 to 30 customer companies before opening to the full portfolio.
Let's scope your project. We define with you the credit rules, the platform scope and the migration schedule for your 400 customers. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
