Raleigh, NC — November 18, 2025 CarNow, a leading provider of modern automotive digital retailing solutions, today announced the launch of Search by Payment (SBP) — a new website feature that allows consumers to shop by monthly payment. By combining live dealership pricing with lender programs, incentives, and taxes, SBP displays real payments on real inventory, eliminating guesswork and revealing what buyers can actually afford.
“Dealers don’t lose shoppers because of price — they lose them because buyers can’t see what they can actually afford,” said Joe Gilmour, Co-CEO. “Search by Payment fixes that by putting payment first and connecting it to real inventory.”
Bringing Affordability to Real Inventory
According to NADA, more than 80% of new-car buyers finance their purchase, meaning most shoppers aren’t focused on the total price, but on how a vehicle fits into their monthly budget. With interest rates remaining high and loan terms stretching longer, consumers are more often starting their search with payment, not MSRP.
Instead of forcing shoppers to rely on generic calculators or reverse-engineer what they can afford through endless filters, SBP uses the dealer’s real pricing, lender programs, incentives, and taxes to surface vehicles that match a buyer’s true budget. This alignment between affordability and actual inventory builds confidence for consumers and delivers more predictable, higher-quality opportunities for dealers.
“We didn’t build this for browsers, rather we built it for buyers,” said Tim Cox, Co-Founder. “Dealers don’t need more leads; they need better ones. Search by Payment helps them get there by connecting the dots between affordability, intent, and inventory.”
Designed for Buyers, Integrated for Dealers
Engineered to surface real intent and reduce wasted clicks, SBP helps dealers distinguish casual browsers from true, high-intent shoppers earlier in the journey. Because Search by Payment is fully integrated into CarNow’s Digital Retail platform — connecting seamlessly with CreditApp, trade-in tools, incentives, and the full online-to-store experience — dealers can maintain a consistent, streamlined workflow without forcing buyers to repeat steps.
“Payments drive how today’s shoppers research vehicles.” said Taylor Boone, Senior Director of Product at CarNow. “Search by Payment helps them understand affordability immediately and move straight into a full digital retailing experience. Dealers get a clearer view of each customer’s intent, and with the CarNow platform behind it, the entire journey can move from website to DMS without friction.”
Search by Payment is now available to all dealers using CarNow Digital Retail. As part of the launch, CarNow is offering a 50% promotional discount for the first 90 days for dealers who activate SBP before NADA.
