The verdict in three sentences
For an out-of-home media owner, every face left unsold for a week is revenue lost for good: advertising inventory cannot be stored. Moving occupancy from 60 % to 68 % across 1,800 faces is often worth more than the full cost of an inventory system. The choice is between a market platform at 900 to 3,500 GBP (or 1,100 to 4,500 USD) a month and custom line-of-business software delivered in 4 to 6 months, shaped around your formats, rate cards and installation crews.
What spreadsheets cannot see
The typical media owner runs 1,800 faces: roadside 48-sheets and 96-sheets on the London ring roads or large-format billboards along Sheikh Zayed Road, 6-sheet street furniture in town centres, and around a hundred digital screens in malls and stations. Paper is sold in two-week cycles in the UK and often monthly in the UAE; digital is sold by loop and 10-second slot. Sales check availability in one file, sales admin in another, the installation team lead in a third.
The result: unconfirmed holds that block faces for two weeks, double bookings found at posting time, campaigns invoiced without proof-of-posting photos, and no reliable occupancy view by network or zone. Yet advertisers and media agencies expect proof within 48 h and audience data (Route in the UK, municipal permits and footfall data in Dubai).
| Metric | Spreadsheets (2026 estimate) | Inventory software |
|---|---|---|
| Average occupancy | 55 to 65 % | 65 to 75 % |
| Double bookings per quarter | 10 to 25 | close to 0 |
| Proof-of-posting delay | 5 to 10 days | 24 to 48 h |
| Time to build a proposal | 2 to 4 h | 15 to 30 min |
| Expired holds not released | common | automatic release at D-x |
| Occupancy by zone visibility | monthly, manual | real time |
The must-have features
Face master data: format, GPS location, photo, illumination, traffic direction, audience data, rate card per period, restrictions (no alcohol near schools, local permit conditions such as Dubai Municipality and RTA rules). Availability planner period by period and face by face, with hold, confirmed and posted statuses, plus loop and share-of-time management for digital.
Campaigns: pick faces on a map, generate the PDF proposal with visuals, convert holds into firm bookings, invoice. Installation and proof: work orders sent to posting crews on mobile, geotagged and time-stamped photo at install, automatic report to the advertiser. Pricing: volume discounts, seasonality (Ramadan and Q4 peaks in the Gulf), network packages.
| Option | 2026 indicative cost | Timeline | Fits if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared spreadsheets | near zero | immediate | under 200 faces |
| OOH platform, entry tier | 900 to 1,800 GBP / 1,100 to 2,300 USD per month | 2 to 4 months | standard inventory, little digital |
| OOH platform, full tier | 2,200 to 3,500 GBP / 2,800 to 4,500 USD per month | 4 to 8 months | mixed paper and digital networks |
| Kolonell custom, complex application | 7,000,000 to 15,000,000+ FCFA (10,670 to 22,870+ EUR) | 4 to 6 months | own pricing rules and processes |
| Kolonell maintenance | 35,000 to 120,000 FCFA / month (53 to 183 EUR) | ongoing | changes and support |
A first phase (master data, availability, campaigns) can fit the medium application band (4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA, i.e. 6,100 to 10,670 EUR); mobile installation and digital scheduling push it into complex. See our custom web application page.
Mini case study
Omar, commercial director of a Dubai media owner with 1,800 faces, sells a face at an average of 900 USD per two-week cycle, at 60 % occupancy. Over 26 cycles, inventory revenue is about 25.3 million USD (1,800 x 26 x 900 x 60 %).
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By releasing expired holds automatically and cutting proposal time eightfold, he targets 66 % occupancy. Six points are worth roughly 2.5 million USD of extra revenue a year. Even counting a single point, about 420,000 USD, the maths is strongly positive against a platform at 4,000 USD a month (48,000 USD a year) or a complex-band custom build (10,670 to 22,870+ EUR) plus 2,196 EUR of yearly maintenance.
FAQ
Does it handle both paper and digital?
Yes: paper is booked by cycle and face, digital by loop, slot and share of voice. A single campaign can combine 120 paper faces and 40 screens.
How do we produce reliable proof of posting?
The installer takes the photo in the app, which records GPS and time and rejects a photo taken more than 50 m from the face. The report goes to the advertiser automatically within 24 to 48 h.
Can it connect to programmatic platforms?
Yes, through APIs to DOOH-focused SSPs. It is usually a second phase, worthwhile once digital exceeds 15 to 20 % of revenue.
Can media agencies check availability?
A partner portal shows free faces with a map and rate card, and lets agencies place a 7 to 14 day hold. It cuts email traffic and speeds up sales.
How long does it take to load existing inventory?
Importing 1,800 faces with coordinates and photos takes 1 to 2 weeks if the files are clean. A field audit of 5 to 10 % of faces is recommended.
Let's scope your project. We will map your face inventory, booking rules and installation workflow for go-live in 4 to 6 months. 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.
