Visual Next
Visual Next operates BlueCherry, a cloud-native enterprise software suite providing PLM, ERP, MES, AI Planning, B2B Wholesale, and quality management for apparel, footwear, accessories, uniform, and home goods brands, retailers, and manufacturers globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersMontréal, Canada
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Visual Next does
Visual Next operates the BlueCherry platform, a cloud-native, fashion-specific enterprise software suite serving apparel, footwear, accessories, uniform, workwear, home goods, and lifestyle product brands, retailers, and manufacturers. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Montréal, Canada, the platform delivers end-to-end supply chain visibility through integrated Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), AI Planning, B2B Wholesale, and Quality Audit Management solutions. The technology stack is built around a no-code, configurable architecture with an open API ecosystem, pre-built Adobe Suite and 3D design tool integrations, and ESG/compliance modules addressing CPSIA, GCC, and other fashion-specific regulations.
The commercial model is enterprise SaaS subscription with custom-priced multi-year contracts, sold through direct enterprise field sales with a content-driven demand generation engine (case studies, webinars, white papers, industry reports). Industry Consulting, Implementation & Training, and IT Managed Services supplement software revenue with higher-margin services that also deepen account penetration. Customer logos span prominent apparel, home goods, and fashion-tech enterprises including Tommy Bahama, Rent the Runway, New Look, Adrianna Papell, Mondetta, Seasalt Cornwall, Revman, iFabric Corp, and others across North America, the UK, and global markets. The company operates as BlueCherry, a product brand of CGS (Computer Generated Solutions), with operational headquarters indicated in New York.
Visual Next firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Visual Next
- Legal name
- CGS
- Website
- https://visualnext.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Visual Next operates BlueCherry, a cloud-native enterprise software suite providing PLM, ERP, MES, AI Planning, B2B Wholesale, and quality management for apparel, footwear, accessories, uniform, and home goods brands, retailers, and manufacturers globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Visual Next industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fashion PLM Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Core ERP Suites (Financials, Procurement, Projects) (HDAEAEAA)
Keywords
Where Visual Next is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montréal
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Visual Next business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Enterprise SaaS Subscription: B2B SaaS subscription model for PLM software delivered via cloud-native platform. Pricing based on enterprise agreements with typical annual or multi-year subscription terms.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Visual Next product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Visual Next develops and sells cloud-native enterprise software for the apparel, footwear, uniform, and fashion accessories industry, delivered primarily through the BlueCherry suite. The suite spans Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), AI Planning, B2B Wholesale Platform, and Quality Audit Management, providing end-to-end visibility from concept and product development through manufacturing and sales.
Product overview
BlueCherry by CGS is a comprehensive fashion and consumer lifestyle supply chain management platform consisting of multiple integrated solutions. The core portfolio includes Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) as the digital foundation for product development from concept to production, and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) for managing business operations including inventory, orders, and finance. These core platforms are complemented by specialized modules under the ERP umbrella (Warehouse Management, eCommerce Integration, EDI, Business Intelligence, Collaborative Supply Chain, and ESG), Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) with Shop Floor Control and Statistical Quality Control modules, AI Planning for AI-powered supply chain insights, a B2B Wholesale Platform for digital marketplace operations, and Quality Audit Management for compliance and quality control. Together, these products provide end-to-end visibility from planning and product development through manufacturing and sales.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) Cloud-native, highly configurable, no-code fashion PLM software that streamlines processes from concept to consumer, enhancing collaboration and agility across the entire product lifecycle. Capabilities include design collaboration, digital asset management, BOM management, compliance and CSR tools, costing and margin analysis, and end-to-end process integration.
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) ERP software that optimizes supply chains, increases profits, and enables fashion organizations to thrive in global markets by managing business operations including inventory, orders, and finance.
- Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) Manufacturing execution system that transforms fashion and consumer lifestyle production with real-time intelligence and operational efficiency on the shop floor.
- AI Planning AI-powered supply chain planning solution that optimizes inventory, boosts revenue, and improves profitability with predictive insights for demand forecasting and supply chain planning.
- B2B Wholesale Platform Digital B2B wholesale marketplace platform that boosts buyer engagement and sales by providing a private digital marketplace for wholesale operations.
- Quality Audit Management (QAM) Solution that streamlines quality, compliance, and efficiency with automated inspections across the supply chain.
Quantifiable outcome
- Accelerates speed to market for fashion products
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Visual Next
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Visual Next technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability2 records
Feature12 records
Visual Next partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Visual Next competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Centric Software: Centric Software is the closest direct competitor, offering Centric PLM and Centric ERP purpose-built for fashion, apparel, footwear, luxury and retail — directly overlapping Visual Next's BlueCherry PLM/ERP product positioning.
- Lectra: Lectra provides PLM, CAD/CAM and Industry 4.0 solutions for fashion, apparel, footwear and furniture — a long-standing direct competitor to BlueCherry in fashion product development and manufacturing.
- Aptos (formerly NGC Software): Aptos offers fashion-specific ERP, PLM, merchandising and supply-chain solutions to apparel, footwear and specialty retailers — competing head-to-head with BlueCherry across the same fashion vertical.
- Bamboo Rose: Bamboo Rose is a cloud-native retail PLM and supply-chain platform serving apparel, footwear and home goods brands — overlapping with BlueCherry's PLM, sourcing and B2B wholesale capabilities.
Emerging players
- o9 Solutions: o9 Solutions provides AI-powered supply-chain and demand-planning capabilities that increasingly overlap with BlueCherry's AI Planning offering, particularly for apparel and consumer goods customers.
- ToolsGroup: ToolsGroup delivers AI-driven demand forecasting and inventory optimization — competing in the same planning/AI-Planning whitespace that BlueCherry AI Planning targets for fashion brands.
Broad incumbents
- PTC (FlexPLM): PTC's FlexPLM is one of the most widely deployed PLM solutions in retail and fashion, part of a much broader PLM/CAD portfolio — competes with BlueCherry in the fashion PLM niche but from a much larger enterprise software footprint.
- SAP (S/4HANA Fashion and Retail): SAP provides fashion and vertical retail functionality within its S/4HANA and retail suite — competing for the same enterprise fashion customers with a much broader mega-suite footprint.
- Infor (Infor Fashion): Infor's industry-specific CloudSuite Fashion is a direct competitor to BlueCherry's fashion ERP/PLM, bundled into Infor's broader enterprise application portfolio spanning ERP, WMS, and supply chain.
- Oracle Retail: Oracle Retail offers merchandise planning, PLM, and supply-chain solutions for fashion retailers — overlapping with BlueCherry but as part of Oracle's broader enterprise cloud portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Visual Next social profiles
Digital presenceVisual Next financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Visual Next leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Visual Next funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Visual Next M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Visual Next
What does Visual Next do?
Visual Next develops and sells cloud-native enterprise software for the apparel, footwear, uniform, and fashion accessories industry, delivered primarily through the BlueCherry suite. The suite spans Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), AI Planning, B2B Wholesale Platform, and Quality Audit Management, providing end-to-end visibility from concept and product development through manufacturing and sales.
When was Visual Next founded?
Visual Next was founded in 1998. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Visual Next based?
Visual Next is headquartered in Montréal, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Visual Next make money?
One revenue line is on record: enterprise SaaS Subscription.
Who are Visual Next's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Centric Software, Lectra, Aptos (formerly NGC Software) and Bamboo Rose. Emerging players are o9 Solutions and ToolsGroup. Broad incumbents are PTC (FlexPLM), SAP (S/4HANA Fashion and Retail), Infor (Infor Fashion) and Oracle Retail.
Does Visual Next have an API?
Yes. BlueCherry PLM software features an open API ecosystem with pre-built integrations and configurable workflows that allow the platform to integrate with ERP systems, Adobe Suite, and other essential business applications. The open APIs enable product data to flow smoothly across the tech stack.
What industry is Visual Next in?
Visual Next's product category is Fashion PLM Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEAEAA, Core ERP Suites (Financials, Procurement, Projects). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.