Is Cin7 better than Lumina?

It depends on what you're buying for. Cin7 is a stronger system of record — multi-channel stock, B2B / wholesale workflows, retailer integrations. Lumina is a stronger planning system — forecasting, replenishment, cash flow, supplier ops. Most growing brands eventually need both. The question on day one is which half is actually broken in your business.

Can I run Lumina and Cin7 together?

Yes — that's a common pattern. Customers run Cin7 (Core or Omni) for stock records and Lumina on top for planning. Lumina reads inventory state, sales, and PO history from Cin7, and runs forecasting, replenishment, and cash flow planning on it. Many find they need fewer Cin7 modules and seats once Lumina takes over the planning workflows.

Does Lumina replace my IMS?

No — Lumina sits on top of your existing IMS or 3PL system, and the systems that run sales (Shopify, Amazon) and finance (Xero, QuickBooks). We're a planning layer, not a record-keeping layer. That's deliberate: we don't want to force you into a multi-month IMS migration to get value out of better forecasting and replenishment.

What's the difference between Cin7 Core and Cin7 Omni?

Cin7 Core was previously DEAR Systems — a cloud-native IMS aimed at smaller brands with DTC and basic wholesale needs. Cin7 Omni is the legacy Cin7 — broader retail / B2B / EDI capability with a heavier implementation. They share branding but are different products with different roadmaps. Most scaling DTC brands evaluate Core; multi-channel retail brands typically end up on Omni.

What does Cin7 cost vs Lumina?

Cin7 Core starts around $349/month and scales with users, integrations, warehouses, and modules; Omni is custom-priced and typically materially higher. All-in first-year costs for either are typically in the £6k–£40k+ range depending on size and implementation scope. Lumina starts at £59/user/month with modular add-ons and onboarding included.

Can Lumina handle multiple Shopify stores, Amazon, and retail?

Yes. Multi-channel is the default assumption in Lumina, not an add-on. We aggregate demand across Shopify stores, Amazon marketplaces, retailer EDI / sell-through, and B2B orders into a single forecast and replenishment view — regardless of which IMS or 3PL holds the stock records underneath.

Lumina vs Cin7: Planning Platform vs Inventory Management System

Cin7 is the right answer if you actually need a new IMS. Lumina is the right answer if you actually need better planning.

The shortlist confusion most brands hit is treating Cin7 as a planning platform when it's fundamentally a system of record. Cin7 will hold your stock, sync your channels, and manage your POs — competently. What it won't do at depth is forecast demand, optimise replenishment against cash, or surface working-capital risk. Lumina is the opposite shape: built around forecasting, replenishment, and cash flow, and designed to sit on top of an IMS (Cin7, Unleashed, Brightpearl, or a 3PL system) — not replace it. The right answer depends on which half of the stack is actually broken in your business.

"Cin7 became the system we maintained instead of the one we used."

— Head of Operations, Multi-channel beauty brand at (anonymous, customer interview)

When to pick which

Pick Lumina if

You need better planning — and you already have a way to keep stock records.

Revenue between £5M and £100M, growing materially YoY.
Inventory records live in Shopify, a 3PL system, or an IMS you don't want to migrate.
Your real pain is forecast accuracy, PO timing, and cash flow against supplier payments.
You'd rather plug a planning tool into your existing stack than swap stack twice.
You want a planning system live in a week, not a quarter of consultancy.

Pick Cin7 if

You genuinely need a new system of record for stock and orders.

You're outgrowing Shopify-as-IMS and want a real system of record.
Multi-channel retail + B2B / wholesale is a real part of the business.
You're willing to invest 1–3 months of implementation to consolidate ops.
You're okay with planning being basic out of the box and adding tools later.
Stock records — not forecasting — are the failure mode you're trying to fix.

Lumina vs Cin7: feature comparison

Feature	Lumina Recommended	Cin7
Primary product type What the product is at its core	Demand & inventory planning platform	Inventory management system (IMS)
Replaces your IMS / stock-record system	No — sits on top of your existing IMS or 3PL	Yes — Cin7 is your system of record
Time to live	~1 week guided onboarding	Typically 1–3 months including data migration
AI-powered demand forecasting	Native — multi-channel, seasonality-aware	Basic forecasting; many brands add a dedicated tool
Automated replenishment & POs	Lead-time + MOQ aware, supplier-linked, cash-aware	PO management; replenishment rules are rules-based
Cash flow & supplier payments	Built in — supplier ledger + cash impact view	Via accounting integration; not in Cin7 itself
Stock records as system of record	Reads from your IMS / 3PL / Shopify	Yes — Cin7's strongest area
Multi-channel coverage (Shopify + Amazon + retail + B2B)	Native — built for omnichannel	Strong — IMS-grade channel coverage
Range planning & merchandising workflows	Built in for fashion / consumer SKUs	Limited — order ops focus, not planning focus
Modular pricing	Pick modules; from £59/user/mo + add-ons	Plan-based; scales fast with users, warehouses, integrations
Public pricing	Yes — published on the pricing page	Headline Core pricing public; Omni quote-only
Implementation services required	Self-serve setup or guided onboarding included	Typically required, often through partner consultancies
Best customer profile	Planner / ops lead at a £5–100M consumer brand	Ops team at a multi-channel brand consolidating systems

Yes Partial No

Forecasting: native AI vs basic replenishment math

Cin7's planning surface — forecasting, demand projections, replenishment suggestions — is functional but basic. It's enough to keep replenishment ticking if your demand is stable and your SKUs aren't highly seasonal. It struggles where most consumer brands actually live: promo cycles, channel-mix shifts, launches, returns spikes, retailer sell-through that moves on its own clock. Lumina is built around forecasting from day one. The model trains on your real data — Shopify orders, Amazon velocity, retail sell-through, returns, promo calendars — and adapts as the brand's mix changes. New SKUs, peak season, and promo planning happen inside the same forecast view, not in a side spreadsheet that nobody trusts. For a planner whose week starts with 'what's the forecast actually saying,' that gap matters every single day.

Where Lumina forecasting wins

AI model trained directly on your channel-level demand data
Handles new SKUs, promos, and seasonality without manual tuning
Forecast updates roll into replenishment and cash flow automatically

Where Cin7 forecasting is fine

Stable SKUs with consistent monthly demand
Wholesale / B2B replenishment with predictable reorder rhythms
Brands that primarily need stock records, not forecast accuracy

Replenishment & supplier ops: cash-aware vs ERP-style

Both platforms produce purchase orders. The difference is what the PO knows about. Cin7's PO logic sees stock, suppliers, and lead times — sometimes price breaks — but doesn't natively tie to cash position, supplier payment terms, or 3PL inbound capacity. Brands routinely run cash flow and supplier payment timing back in spreadsheets even after Cin7 is live. Lumina ties replenishment to a supplier ledger and a cash flow view. You can see what's on order, what each PO costs, when it lands, and what your cash position looks like across the next 60–90 days — in one place. For brands where cash is a real constraint (i.e. most scaling brands), that one connected view changes how planning meetings actually run and how POs actually get decided.

Implementation: a week of guided setup vs months of consultancy

This is the single biggest practical difference. Cin7 implementations — Core or Omni — typically take one to three months. You're migrating stock records, mapping channels, configuring B2B workflows, and training the team to operate the system end-to-end. That's appropriate for a brand consolidating five tools into one IMS; it's a real cost in time and money to absorb. Lumina is designed to go live in a week. Connect Shopify, Amazon, your IMS or 3PL, and your accounting system. We import historical data, set baseline forecasts, and walk you through your first PO run. Most customers run their first real-data planning meeting from Lumina within fifteen days of signing. There's no separate implementation services line on the invoice.

Lumina onboarding

~1 week from kickoff to first live PO run
No external consultancy required
Modular: start with forecasting, layer in replenishment + cash flow when ready

Cin7 onboarding

1–3 months including stock-record migration and channel mapping
Implementation typically routed through partner consultancies
Designed around configuring the IMS to fit the business

Pricing: predictable and modular vs scales with stack consolidation

Cin7 Core starts around $349/month and rises with users, integrations, warehouses, and add-on modules. Cin7 Omni is custom-priced and typically lands materially higher once retail / B2B features are included. Implementation services, third-party integrations, and the planning bolt-ons most brands eventually add can double or triple the headline number in the first year. Lumina is published and modular. Starter plans begin at £59/user/month. You can layer modules (forecasting, replenishment, cash flow, range planning) as you need them, and onboarding is included rather than billed separately. For finance teams approving the spend, the predictability matters.

Customer fit: 'I need planning' vs 'I need a new IMS'

This is the part most shortlists skip. A 50-person consumer brand with three Shopify stores, an Amazon seller account, and outsourced manufacturing has a different real problem than a multi-channel retailer consolidating five legacy ops tools. The first usually needs planning depth and a tool that respects the stack it already has. The second usually needs a system of record and is willing to invest in a consolidation project. Cin7 fits the second shape extremely well. Lumina is built for the first. If you recognise yourself in the second profile, Cin7 is a credible pick — and Lumina is a natural complement once you're live. If you recognise yourself in the first, Cin7's planning surface will frustrate you, and you'll be better off using Lumina on top of whatever record-keeping you already have.

Lumina vs Cin7: are you buying a planning tool or an inventory system?