CarNow, an automotive digital retailing company, and J.D. Power, a data analytics and consumer intelligence company and provider of automotive finance and insurance (F&I) software for dealerships, on Nov. 15 announced a strategic alliance which integrates the J.D. Power F&I presentation solution with CarNow’s Real Time Retail platform, according to a news release. The partnership will be launched in the first quarter of 2022.

The direct integration of J.D. Power with CarNow’s platform provides car shoppers online access to the J.D. Power F&I product presentation menu. CarNow’s Real-Time Retail platform unifies the shopper’s online activity with the in-store experience. CarNow allows dealers to view and serve shoppers in “real-time” as they engage with a dealer’s virtual or physical showroom. It improves the customer buying process without disrupting the dealers’ process.

“This alliance is a significant step forward in the evolution of the dealer-customer interaction, and a win for our dealers and consumer shoppers who are asking for a user friendly and accurate F&I shopping experience. J.D. Power enables CarNow to deliver on that promise,” said Andy Park, CEO and founder of CarNow, in the news release.

“Today’s automotive retail buying experience frustrates consumers because there are too many points where communication with the dealership or the accuracy of the transaction breaks down and restarts,” Park added. “These break downs lengthen the process, disrupt the flow of information, and weaken the transition between the online and in-store experience. Our platform solves that.”

Phillip Battista, president of dealership technologies at J.D. Power, said, “Consumers want an easy-to-use F&I experience when moving from the web to the dealership, so this integration will provide a seamless transition into the dealership and into our flagship menu application.”

Andy Wright, Managing Partner at Vinart Dealerships, said the partnership moves it one step closer to the seamless, streamlined process for consumers buying a car. “While most digital retail platforms are nothing more than glorified lead generation tools, CarNow continues to innovate, getting dealers that much closer to delivering the ‘start to signature’ omni-channel experience.”