Opti Day London: From Traffic Decline to Value Optimisation. How Publishers Are Reframing Monetisation in 2026

Opti Digital, the leading AdTech company specialising in publisher revenue optimisation, hosted the London edition of Opti Day last week, bringing together senior publisher revenue leaders to exchange on the operational realities shaping monetisation strategies today.

Following previous editions in Paris and New York, the London session reinforced the role of Opti Day as a platform for practical, experience-led discussions, moving beyond high-level trends to focus on how publishers are adapting their models in increasingly complex and constrained environments.

A changing paradigm: from volume to value

Opening the session, Magali Quentel-Reme, CEO at Opti Digital and Olly Aulakh, CRO, outlined the structural shifts currently impacting publisher monetisation.

Traffic volatility, declining acquisition from key channels, and sustained pressure on open market CPMs are redefining how growth is approached. Scale alone is no longer a viable lever.

At the same time, user experience and technical performance have become directly linked to revenue outcomes. Page speed, latency, and overall site efficiency now play a central role in audience acquisition, engagement, and monetisation.

“Publishers can no longer rely on volume alone, maximising value per user has become the new growth driver,” Magali Quentel-Reme told That's Business.

In this context, publishers are facing a fundamental challenge: how to maximise the value of each user interaction while operating within increasingly complex and fragmented environments.

Drawing on its experience working with a broad portfolio of publishers globally, Opti Digital emphasised a model combining lightweight, performance-driven technology with a consultative approach, positioning itself as a strategic partner focused on balancing revenue growth, user experience, and operational efficiency.

Publisher panel: navigating complexity in practice

The publisher panel, featuring Hasan Ramadan (Head of Digital Advertising, Euronews) and Alistair Patterson (Head of DataLab, 1XL), provided a grounded perspective on how these challenges are translating into day-to-day operations.

A key theme was the growing complexity of publisher stacks. Fragmented setups, multiple demand partners, and evolving ecosystem dynamics are not always generating incremental value — and in many cases, are introducing inefficiencies and revenue leakage.

Audience behaviour is also shifting, particularly among younger users, pushing publishers to rethink both distribution strategies and monetisation approaches.

Rather than relying solely on traditional setups, publishers are actively experimenting with new formats, new integrations, and alternative ways of capturing demand more effectively.

Both speakers also highlighted the importance of close collaboration with partners such as Opti Digital, not only from a technology perspective, but in enabling faster execution, improving performance, and aligning monetisation strategies with operational realities.

Client spotlight: execution as a competitive advantage

The session with Thomas Porteus (Director of Product and Partnerships, Navigate Health) illustrated how these challenges translate into execution.

Facing legacy technology constraints, performance issues, and declining monetisation efficiency, the publisher partnered with Opti Digital to rebuild its infrastructure and improve site performance.

By focusing on speed, mobile optimisation, and simplified monetisation frameworks, Navigate Health achieved a significant uplift in revenue performance (up to +46%), while also reducing operational complexity for a lean internal team.

Beyond performance gains, the collaboration enabled the team to shift focus from technical troubleshooting to growth, highlighting the importance of execution speed in a fast-moving ecosystem.

From insight to business impact

Across all sessions, one element stood out: the level of operational depth in the discussions.

Rather than focusing on abstract trends, conversations centred on execution, what's working, what isn't and where publishers are actively testing new approaches.

Opti Day London confirmed publishers are operating in a market defined by structural constraints, but also by increasing opportunities for those able to adapt.

Performance will increasingly depend on:

maximising value per user rather than scale

aligning monetisation with user experience

simplifying infrastructure

executing faster and more efficiently

More broadly, the event reinforced the role of collaborative, peer-driven formats in helping publishers navigate these challenges.

As the ecosystem continues to evolve, the next step is clear: translating insight into execution, and execution into measurable business outcomes.

RoRo, RoRo Your Boat More Easily as Customs Declarations UK Goes Live with French ELO, Delivering End-to-End Channel Crossing Compliance in Single Platform

Customs Chaos? There’s Finally One Less Border Headache for UK Hauliers.

If you've ever watched someone trying to deal with post-Brexit customs paperwork, you'll know it resembles a cross between air traffic control, speed dating and an escape room designed by accountants.

Just when operators thought they'd finally got their heads around CDS declarations, ENS filings, GVMS references, MRNs and the thousand other acronyms now haunting Britain’s logistics sector, along came another delightful addition from France: the Enveloppe Logistique Obligatoire, or ELO.

Because obviously what cross-Channel freight really needed was another mandatory digital envelope.

Thankfully, Customs Declarations UK, better known as CDUK, has announced it's now fully live with France’s ELO system following direct integration and certification with the French customs authority, the DGDDI.

And for businesses moving goods between the UK and France, that's actually rather important news.

So... What Exactly Is ELO?

The ELO is now mandatory for road freight vehicles travelling between the UK and France via RoRo routes like Dover, Folkestone and the Channel Tunnel.

In simple terms, it acts as a digital logistics envelope linking together all the customs and safety paperwork connected to a crossing.

Or, put another way, it's one more thing drivers absolutely do not want to discover is missing while sitting in a queue at Calas.

The system connects vehicle details, customs declarations, safety filings and barcode data so French customs authorities can see everything before the truck even arrives.

Without it, things can get very awkward very quickly.

One Platform Instead of Seven Browser Tabs and Mild Panic

What makes CDUK’s announcement significant is operators can now complete the entire process from one system instead of bouncing between multiple portals while quietly questioning their career choices.

Users can:

Submit UK CDS import and export declarations

File ENS declarations for GB safety and security

Complete ICS2 filings for EU requirements

Generate the ELO directly within the platform

Download the required barcode instantly for border presentation

That means fewer duplicated entries, fewer mismatched references and considerably less opportunity for somebody to accidentally upload the wrong form at 4.57pm on a Friday afternoon.

ICS2: The Acronym That Sounds Like a Robot from Star Wars

For goods heading into the EU, the ELO is heavily tied into the ICS2 safety and security framework.

French customs requires ELO submissions to reference the relevant ENS or ICS2 filing data, which means operators without a proper ICS2 setup can find themselves with a rather alarming compliance gap.

CDUK says its platform handles ICS2 filings across road, sea, air and rail transport, including both House and Master-level declarations.

Which is useful, because modern customs compliance increasingly feels like trying to complete a Sudoku puzzle while driving a lorry through Kent.

Free ELO Access? In This Economy?

In a rare and refreshing twist, CDUK says its ELO functionality will be available free of charge under a fair usage policy for both existing customers and new subscribers.

Given the growing pile of costs facing hauliers, freight forwarders and importers, that decision will likely be welcomed with the sort of enthusiasm normally reserved for functioning motorway services coffee machines.

Jawahir Lal Lund, Director and CEO of AJ Software Solutions Limited, summed it up neatly, saying businesses are already facing enough regulatory complexity without having to juggle multiple systems and risk costly mistakes.

And honestly, after several years of border bureaucracy multiplying faster than supermarket meal deal prices, few in logistics are likely to disagree.

For operators regularly moving goods across the UK–France corridor, particularly through busy RoRo crossings, this integration could remove one of the more frustrating administrative bottlenecks from the process.

Which, in 2026, practically counts as a miracle.

https://www.customs-declarations.uk

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Could Modular Living Be the Future of UK Housing?

Rising costs, limited supply and changing lifestyles are forcing the UK to rethink what “home” really means, and modular living is quickly moving from niche idea to serious business opportunity.

For years, the traditional housing model has struggled to keep pace. Property prices remain stubbornly high, rents continue climbing, and new-build developments can take years to move from planning approval to completion.

For buyers, renters, landowners and developers alike, frustration is growing.

The big question is no longer simply “How do we build more homes?” but “How do we build smarter ones?”

Across the UK, people are starting to challenge old assumptions. Do we really need bigger homes, or just better-designed spaces? Does every development need years of disruption and heavy infrastructure? And can modern living work beyond the limits of traditional bricks and mortar?

The answer, increasingly, looks like yes.

A new wave of design-led modular living is stepping into the spotlight, offering faster, more flexible alternatives to conventional construction.

Capsule Whales is one of the businesses helping drive that shift. The company develops compact modular capsule units designed for both residential and hospitality use, offering an approach that prioritises speed, flexibility and smart design over sheer size.

Unlike traditional housing developments, modular units can be delivered and installed far more quickly. Their smaller footprint and efficient layouts make them suitable for everything from private garden spaces and additional land use to boutique resorts, glamping sites and short-term rental investments.

This is particularly attractive at a time when tourism and hospitality are seeing rising demand for unique, design-focused accommodation, especially in natural and remote locations.

Founder Andrius Milašius believes the change is being driven by both practicality and mindset.

“There is a growing frustration with how slow and restrictive the traditional system can be,” he explained to That's Business. 

“At the same time, people are realising they don’t necessarily need more space, they need better, smarter and more flexible space.”

One of the biggest game changers is off-grid capability.

By combining modular units with renewable energy, battery storage, water generation, recycling systems and independent waste solutions, developers can create functional living spaces without relying heavily on existing infrastructure.

That opens up huge opportunities for underused land, eco-tourism projects and scalable housing concepts in locations once considered impractical.

For landowners, it also creates a fresh route to income generation, with faster deployment, phased expansion and lower upfront commitment than major construction projects.

As consumer demand shifts towards privacy, nature, experience and design, modular living is no longer just an interesting concept.

It is becoming a serious business model.

The future of housing may not be bigger.

It may simply be smarter.

http://www.capsulewhales.com

Stop Pricing the Wrong Jobs: How AI Is Helping Builders Bid Smarter

For many UK construction firms, tendering can feel a bit like buying a lottery ticket, except each ticket costs dozens of hours and a small fortune in staff time.

Now, Gurler Mae Group is hoping to change that with the launch of ConstructionKit, a new AI-powered pre-tender intelligence platform designed to help contractors work out whether a job's actually worth bidding for before they sink time into pricing it.

And frankly, it sounds like something the industry has needed for years.

ConstructionKit pulls together data from 417 local planning authority portals, alongside sources like Contracts Finder, Find a Tender, DEFRA ecology databases, Environment Agency flood risk records, and Historic England records.

In simple terms, it gives estimators and quantity surveyors a much clearer picture of a project before they even open the drawings.

Instead of blindly diving into a bid, the platform uses AI to assess commercial construction projects across England for risk, ecology concerns, funding visibility, and likely margin sensitivity.

That means contractors can quickly spot red flags early, before they’ve burned 60 hours of senior estimator time on something that was never likely to be profitable in the first place.

And that matters.

Industry figures suggest the average competitive tender win rate for UK contractors sits somewhere between one in eight and one in twelve. That is a lot of lost time, especially for SME contractors with turnovers between £2 million and £20 million, where every estimating hour counts.

Emre Gurler, founder of Gurler Mae Group and ConstructionKit, puts it bluntly.

He told That's Business: “The construction industry has had access to project data for years. But data alone does not solve the problem. Contractors do not need more projects to look at. They need to know which ones are worth bidding on.”

That’s the real issue.

More leads aren't the answer. Better decisions are.

ConstructionKit’s own analysis of over 310 commercial projects found only 41% had full planning consent, clean ecology surveys, and a clearly identifiable funding source.

The other 59%? Packed with risks many firms only uncover after they’ve already committed serious estimating resources.

That's not inefficiency, that's expensive guesswork.

The platform is available on subscription, starting from £199 per month, with a Commercial Founding Member rate of £349 per month.

Alongside the paid platform, the company has also launched three free resources for the sector: a Pre-Tender Bid Qualification Checklist, a monthly UK Pre-Tender Intelligence Report, and the Construction Scoreboard, a free diagnostic tool designed to help firms identify their biggest commercial bottleneck.

In a sector where margins are tight and wasted time is expensive, bidding smarter may be far more valuable than simply bidding more.

To learn more visit getconstructionkit.com.

Cirrus named NiCE UK&I AI Partner of the Year

Cirrus has been named as UK&I AI Partner of the Year by NiCE, the global leader in AI-powered platforms, at its 2026 NiCE EMEA Partner Summit in Marrakech, Morocco.

Cirrus, the UK-based contact centre transformation specialist, was recognised for excellence in helping organisations adopt artificial intelligence (AI) and automation within customer service functions, with the judging panel noting its strong performance throughout 2025.

The team secured more CX AI deals for NiCE AI products in the UK and Ireland than any other partner across the year, including the largest CX AI deal in the region, and a high-profile contract with the UK’s largest local authority.

Jason Roos, CEO of Cirrus, told That's Business: “This is a big moment for us, and worthy recognition for our team who’ve worked tirelessly to grow our business. Our blossoming partnership with NiCE has strengthened what we can deliver for customers at a time when many organisations are looking for a trusted pair of hands to help them deploy CX AI with confidence.”

“We take pride in doing things differently and this award reflects the momentum we’ve built as a distinctive offer in the market. It speaks to the success we’ve had with customers, and the strength of our joint story with NiCE. We were up against some really established competition for this award and are really chuffed to have come out on top.”

Darren Rushworth, President, NiCE International, added: “Cirrus has demonstrated exceptional leadership and execution in bringing AI-powered customer experience solutions to market. Their ability to drive meaningful outcomes for customers, combined with a strong commitment to innovation, makes them a truly deserving recipient of the NiCE UK&I AI Partner of the Year award. We are proud to partner with a team that consistently delivers impact and helps organisations unlock the full potential of CX AI.”

Cirrus’ CXone journey with NiCE began in November 2024, and they were named as NiCE Game Changer Partner of the Year for 2025.

They were later awarded Platinum Partner status by NiCE in February 2026 in recognition of their performance within the NiCE 360 SUCCEED Program for 2025.

The Platinum tier represents the highest level of partnership within the NiCE ecosystem and is awarded to organisations that demonstrate sustained delivery quality, customer success, and commitment to long-term value.

Why More Businesses Are Turning to Device as a Service

Buying laptops, phones and workplace tech the old-fashioned way can be painfully expensive. 

Large upfront costs, shipping headaches, endless setup time and replacement delays all add up fast, and IT teams often end up spending more time chasing hardware than driving innovation.

That's why more organisations are looking seriously at Device as a Service (DaaS), and according to a new Total Economic Impact™ study from Forrester Consulting, the financial case is hard to ignore.

Commissioned by devicenow, the study found a global business with 30,000 employees could achieve an impressive 89% return on investment over three years by switching from traditional device purchasing to a DaaS model.

Even better, the projected net present value came in at €16.2 million.

And that's not pocket change.

Goodbye Big Hardware Bills

Traditionally, companies buy devices outright, often paying around €1,000 per device before even thinking about shipping, international transfers and setup costs. Depending on where those devices are going, logistics alone can add another €120 to €500 per unit.

It quickly becomes a budgeting nightmare.

With DaaS, businesses move to a subscription-based model where hardware, support and lifecycle services are bundled into a monthly cost. No giant capital expenditure spikes. No surprise replacement panic. No finance director quietly weeping into a spreadsheet.

Forrester estimates this approach could save organisations €27.1 million over three years in avoided hardware procurement and logistics costs alone.

Freeing Up IT Teams

Ask most IT departments what they would rather do: strategically improve systems or spend hours staging laptops and chasing returns, and the answer is rarely “more laptop admin, please.”

Traditional ownership models mean internal IT teams handle provisioning, setup, support and end-of-life processing for every device. That can mean around 6.5 hours of work per device.

Under a DaaS model, much of that workload shifts to the provider.

The result? Around €4.6 million in IT operational savings over three years, plus more time for IT teams to focus on projects that actually move the business forward.

Less Downtime, Happier Staff

Broken, lost or stolen devices are inevitable. The real problem is how long it takes to replace them.

Under traditional procurement models, replacement can take around eight days. With DaaS, that drops to roughly two.

That faster turnaround cuts employee downtime by around 75%, recovering an estimated €2.7 million in productivity over three years.

In simple terms: fewer frustrated employees, fewer missed deadlines, and fewer “my laptop died” excuses.

As Christin Wehrstedt put it to That's Business: "DaaS helps businesses reduce complexity, stabilise costs and let IT teams focus on higher-value work."

Which sounds a lot better than arguing over who forgot to order the replacement chargers.

You can download the full study: https://devicenow.com/forrester-tei