The verdict in three sentences
An outdoor media owner with 600 faces that manages availability by phone and spreadsheets tends to plateau around 62% occupancy, because sales reps never know in real time what is free. Custom booking software, with a site map, time-limited holds, LED screens sold by the second and geotagged proof-of-posting photos, makes every face sellable within minutes. This is a complex application that goes live in 3 to 4 months.
What a phone-run sales house really costs
In fast-growing cities such as Accra, Nairobi, Lagos or Dakar, large-format billboards remain a mass medium: highway corridors, ring roads and major junctions attract telecom operators, banks, brewers and retailers. A standard 48-sheet or 4 x 3 m face rents for roughly USD 400 to 1,000 a month depending on location (2026 order of magnitude), while digital LED screens are sold by the second within a playback loop.
Demand is rarely the issue. Process is. A media agency calls asking for 40 faces for three weeks in April. The rep asks operations, who check a shared file that is often out of date. The answer comes back two days later with last year's site photos. Meanwhile the agency has booked with a competitor.
| Friction point | Today | With the software |
|---|---|---|
| Checking availability | 24 to 48 h, by phone | instant, on a map and calendar |
| Holding inventory | verbal promise, often forgotten | dated hold, released automatically after 72 h |
| Sales proposal | PowerPoint built by hand in 3 h | PDF generated in 5 min with photos and map |
| Proof of posting | WhatsApp photos with no reliable date | time-stamped, geotagged photo linked to the face |
| LED screens | spot schedule in a spreadsheet | per-second playback grid, fill rate per screen |
| Invoicing | re-keyed from the order | invoice generated when posting is confirmed |
| Occupancy tracking | manual month-end count | dashboard by corridor, format and rep |
A typical 2026 rate card to model
The software has to reflect how the sales house actually sells. Below are 2026 orders of magnitude for a large West or East African city, to be built into the pricing engine.
| Format | Rental price (2026 order of magnitude) | What the software must handle |
|---|---|---|
| 4 x 3 m face, secondary area | USD 400 to 550 per month | volume discounts from 10 faces |
| 4 x 3 m face, main corridor | USD 650 to 1,000 per month | waiting list on premium sites |
| Backlit unit or street furniture | USD 250 to 500 per month | electricity recharged to client |
| LED screen, 10-second spot | USD 250 to 650 per week | per-second sales, cap on spots per loop |
| Vinyl printing and posting | USD 130 to 250 per face | posting crew scheduling |
| 50-face network campaign | negotiated | packs by corridor and audience |
The engine must also handle local rules: municipal advertising levies, site permits and VAT, which varies by country (for example 18% in Senegal and 16% in Kenya).
Scope and cost of the software
The core has five modules: the site database with map and photos, the booking calendar per face, the per-second LED module, the posting crew mobile app, and invoicing with a dashboard. With mapping, an offline mobile app and a pricing engine, this sits in the complex application category: 7,000,000 to 15,000,000+ FCFA (10,670 to 22,870+ EUR). A reduced scope covering the calendar and proof of posting may fall into the medium application band, 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR). Integrations with accounting software or LED player systems are quoted separately.
International out-of-home management platforms exist, at around USD 300 to 1,500 a month (2026 order of magnitude), but they rarely support mobile money for small advertisers or local municipal levies. Maintenance of a custom application costs 35,000, 75,000 or 120,000 FCFA a month depending on the plan. See our custom web applications page for details.
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Kwame, sales director of a media owner with 600 faces in Accra, runs at 62% occupancy, or 372 faces rented. At an average of USD 650 a month, the company bills about USD 242,000 monthly. The software targets 70% occupancy within six months thanks to instant answers and holds that release themselves. That is 48 more faces rented, or USD 31,200 of extra revenue per month. Even at the top of the complex band, 15,000,000 FCFA (22,870 EUR), plus Premium maintenance at 120,000 FCFA a month, the investment is recovered in about one month of improved occupancy. Time savings add up too: 3 hours per proposal across 60 proposals a month frees 180 hours for prospecting.
FAQ
How long does it take to launch?
Allow 3 to 4 months for all modules. The booking calendar and the map of 600 faces can be live in 6 to 8 weeks.
Do posting crews need high-end phones?
No. An entry-level Android phone at about USD 100 to 150 with GPS and a camera is enough. The app works offline and uploads photos as soon as signal returns.
Can advertisers book online?
Yes, a client portal is possible: the agency sees free faces and places a 72-hour hold. For small advertisers, a deposit via mobile money or card can be taken online, priced in the quote.
How are LED screens managed?
Each screen has a playback loop, for example 6 minutes split into 10-second spots, giving 36 slots. The software shows each loop's fill rate and blocks overselling.
What happens to our current spreadsheets?
The 600 faces, their GPS coordinates and booking history are imported at kickoff. Duplicate cleanup is planned during the first 2 weeks.
Let's scope your project. We map your inventory, LED module and posting app with you, for a go-live within 3 to 4 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.
