Brief History
Origins & Competition
Adesa was a wholesale vehicle auction company owned by KAR Global, competing with Manheim owned by Cox Automotive.
Adesa operated both physical and digital auctions, helping dealers buy and sell used cars.
Why Carvana Acquired Adesa (2022)
Carvana needed more infrastructure to process, inspect, and deliver cars efficiently.
Adesa had 56 physical locations, providing 6.5M+ square feet for vehicle reconditioning and logistics.
Buying Adesa helped Carvana lower transportation costs and speed up operations.
What Happened After the Sale
KAR Global shifted to digital-only auctions → focusing on OpenLane.
Carvana integrated Adesa into its business, keeping both physical and digital auctions → making Adesa Clear!
Key Takeaways
Carvana bought Adesa U.S. for $2.2B to improve operations, logistics, and vehicle processing.
KAR Global exited physical auctions and focused on digital transactions → Openlane.
Manheim remained a strong competitor, continuing to operate both physical and digital auctions.
Carvana bought Adesa U.S. for $2.2B to improve operations, logistics, and vehicle processing.
The Problem
Customers often become frustrated when payment issues arise, such as difficulties linking bank accounts or missing payment methods. This friction creates obstacles that may deter customers from completing their purchases.
To ensure the future success of both Carvana and Adesa U.S., it’s crucial to reduce our reliance on Manheim and KAR Global technologies and selling processes.
How might we streamline the payment process to eliminate friction and create a seamless, frustration-free experience for customers, ultimately boosting trust and increasing purchase completion on Adesa Clear?
Success Metrics
75% (3 out of 4) customers are successfully able to link their ACH account (leveraging AuctionACCESS) without needing to contact a support line.
Who's Our User?
ADESA Clear is designed for dealers who thrive in the fast-paced world of auctions but also want a quick, hassle-free way to secure their vehicles after winning. Auctions aren’t just about buying cars — they’re an experience. Dealers love seeing, smelling, and hearing the vehicles in person, feeding off the competitive energy as they bid against rivals. Once they win though, they need a seamless checkout process to finalize their purchase without delays.
Below are four main personas for ADESA Clear — people who value speed, efficiency, and a frictionless post-auction experience to keep their business moving.
Here is a sneak peek at what the auctions look like! Auctions are loud, fun, and pure chaos. You can barely hear the person talking next to you, and at a blink of a second the vehicle you may have been eyeing can be sold to a dealership you're competing with. What a bummer.
"Dealers are creatures of habit... they like things to get set structurally and they stick with that ... and you can work with them and convince them to change their habits, if it's beneficial for them" - Jeremiah R. (Senior Manager, Inside Wholesale Operations)
What they're looking for
Users of Adesa Clear are looking for 3 things -
Honest condition reports (CR): Dealers don’t like shopping online because they end up not receiving the car that they think that they’re going to get.
Transparent transactions: Confusing bidding processes and additional fees can be a hindrance for buyers with financial constraints.
Quality customer service: Dealers might not be the most tech-savvy and/or may require additional troubleshooting help as they looks for cars online.
"If they find they can't trust that source anymore, they'll stop buying and they'll go find somewhere else or they won't pay as much money" - Jeremiah R. (Senior Manager, Inside Wholesale Operations)
Design Goals
Understanding our users' frustrations and challenges helps us define clear design priorities. Especially for checkout, we needed an experience that is efficient, transparent, and easy to navigate — allowing users to secure vehicles quickly and confidently.
These goals ensure our solution not only meets user expectations but also aligns with Adesa Clear’s business objectives by streamlining the purchasing process, increasing dealer confidence, and driving higher transaction volume. By simplifying checkout, providing clarity, and reducing friction, we empower dealers to buy with ease, ultimately strengthening their loyalty and engagement with the platform.
Adesa's Current Checkout Experience
Before redesigning Adesa Clear's checkout experience, a recurring piece of feedback from users was the lack of transparency in pricing.
In the screens below, the layout provides clear vehicle and payment information, creating an appearance of transparency and guiding the user through the steps. However, it lacks enough depth in the details, making it feel more surface-level despite the clarity. Key information about the purchase process and services isn't fully explored, leaving the user with gaps in understanding.
Here are the top 5 most common purchases related NPS (Net Promoter Score) comments -
10% wanted more purchase information.
8% want to choose a different pay type.
11% believed that the payment process was cumbersome.
7% want to pay with ACH specifically. ACH (Automated Clearing House) refers to a payment method that allows dealers to directly transfer funds from their bank accounts for purchasing vehicles. This electronic payment system is commonly used in B2B transactions to facilitate secure, quick, and cost-effective payments without relying on credit cards or paper checks.
36% said there was a long wait time and difficulty accessing gate pass. Gate Pass in ADESA Clear is a document or digital authorization that allows dealers to pick up their purchased vehicles from an auction location. It serves as proof of payment and ownership, ensuring that only authorized buyers can remove vehicles from the auction facility.
Competitive Analysis
[WIP - currently writing]
Early Explorations
[WIP - currently writing]
