CarNow has introduced a new software system to make digital retailing simpler for independent car dealers and their customers.

The company said Conversion+ is a “shopper-centric” system that was developed starting with CarNow’s Real Time Retail platform, a full suite of integrated services for franchised dealerships, then removing complexities that often exceed the needs of independents to provide a more efficient system at a lower price point.

Conversion+ includes live chat, a payment calculator, pre-qualification tools, integration with trade-in tools, appointment scheduling and conversational call-to-action buttons. CarNow said those features enable independent dealers to facilitate live connections with online shoppers, provide website tools that let customers complete steps of the retail journey digitally, and allow dealers to arrange more appointments and drive conversion.

“Today’s car buyers have a well-established set of expectations, and if those standards aren’t met they’ll shop elsewhere,” CarNow co-founder Tim Cox said in a news release. “Independent dealers now have the ability to integrate a suite of tools that help guide customers through the shopping process and build connections.

“Those who leverage these kinds of technologies in their sales processes will thrive. With Conversion+, we’re introducing a simple solution that’s specifically designed to help independent dealers maximize their bottom lines.”

CarNow said 100 of its independent dealer customers have been using the system before its launch and those dealers have recorded an 88% conversion rate of chats to leads, 43% pre-qualify click to lead rate from conversational calls to action, 30% value trade click to lead rate from CCTA, 46% value trade completion rate from digital retail and 54% soft credit pull completion rate from digital retail.

In a news release, Jim Morrison, general manager of Instant Auto in Lees Summit, Mo., said his dealership had a 10% conversion to sales from CarNow leads.

“As we become more efficient with the platform and we learn the best practices that work for our dealership,” he said, “we anticipate those numbers will only increase.”

In its first month of use by Instant Auto, CarNow said, Conversion+ was responsible for servicing 313 chats for the dealership, resulting in 260 unique leads – an 83% conversion rate. The top performing calls to action were checking inventory availability (114 leads, 48 appointments), and e-price inquiries (69 leads, 32 appointments).

“Although independent dealers are used to working alone, they can truly benefit from a technology that’s designed with how consumers want to engage with a dealership,” CarNow’s Cox said. “By partnering with us, they can implement a solution that helps them achieve their goals more quickly and easily.”